School of Hard Knocks Podcast

Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire, The Billionaire Who Got Rich From A Normal Job

Dec 5, 2025
Tommy Mello, founder of A1 Garage Door, transformed his business into a $300M powerhouse through strategic leadership and a focus on talent acquisition. He shares insights on hiring for integrity and the tough decision to let go of top performers who harm team culture. Tommy discusses scaling from technician to leader, emphasizing discipline and mentorship for continuous growth. He also highlights the importance of a strong branding strategy and encourages young technicians to consider trades for financial freedom. His personal journey reflects gratitude and legacy, aiming to be remembered for reliability and generosity.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Profit Over Vanity Revenue

  • Tommy Mello scaled A1 Garage Door to just north of $300M by focusing on profit, not revenue.
  • He insists on maintaining over 20% margins and treating revenue as vanity without profit discipline.
ANECDOTE

Surviving Early Chaos

  • Tommy recounts multiple early failures: writing checks from an equity line and hiring family to do payroll.​
  • He says 'if it could happen, it did happen' and the lesson was to wake up and fix it the next day.
ADVICE

Focus Deeply On One Niche

  • Go all-in on one specialty for at least three years instead of hustling across many bets.
  • Systemize and hire specialists so you can delegate and scale top-down.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app