The CTO Show with Mehmet Gonullu #468 Scaling Smarter: Tyler Dunagin on Building 7-Figure Service Businesses with Purpose
In this episode, Mehmet is joined by Tyler Dunagin, Founder & CEO of Turnserv, a platform powering multiple tech-enabled service brands in the multifamily housing sector. Tyler has scaled five brands to 7-figure revenue, secured private equity backing, and earned a spot on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies. From building within arm’s reach to leading with culture and equity, Tyler shares hard-won insights into scaling non-obvious businesses with discipline and purpose.
✅ Key Takeaways
• Why tech isn’t the only path—service businesses can scale fast if built smart
• The “within arm’s reach” framework for discovering untapped opportunities
• Why specialization beats generalization in early-stage business models
• Scaling operations through playbooks, KPIs, and culture codes
• Fundraising lessons: services vs. software, and earning trust before capital
• The underestimated power of personal branding for founders
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🎧 What You’ll Learn
• How Tyler built multiple 7-figure businesses with low ego and high focus
• The hidden challenges of growing service companies (and how to solve them)
• When founders must delegate—and how to do it without losing control
• A real founder’s mindset on burnout, motivation, and purpose
• How to align your team with equity, not just expectations
👤 About the Guest
Tyler Dunagin is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Turnserv, a tech-enabled service platform for property management. He has directed $250M+ in asset management, developed patented products, and been nominated for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Tyler is also a strong advocate for founder mental health, team equity, and personal branding done right.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerdunagin/
https://dunagincollective.com/
Episode Highlights (Chapters)
00:00 – Introduction & Tyler’s journey
03:00 – Building within arm’s reach
06:00 – Frameworks for fast, focused scaling
10:00 – Bottlenecks and solving for scale in service businesses
15:00 – Scaling company culture with speed
21:00 – Delegation, burnout, and breaking founder bottlenecks
27:00 – Managing $250M in assets and applying it to entrepreneurship
30:00 – Fundraising for service businesses vs. tech
35:00 – Personal branding and its impact on recruiting, sales, and trust
44:00 – The founder mindset: staying grounded through uncertainty
49:00 – Final reflections and how to connect with Tyler