My First Million How I Built a $1.7B Business Repairing Garage Doors
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Jan 27, 2026 
Tommy Mello, founder of A1 Garage Door who scaled garage door repair into a multihundred-million-dollar company, shares his rise from painting doors to building systems and buying competitors. He talks persuasion and sales, training teams like special forces, using mentors and blueprints, bold marketing bets, rapid acquisitions, and applying AI to call centers and dispatch.
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From Painting Doors To Founding A1 Garage
- Tommy started by painting garage doors after a roommate in the trade suggested it and taught him the basics.
- He scaled by calling every garage-door company and becoming their reliable, low-cost painter.
Kill The Hustler, Build Systems
- Kill the hustler and build repeatable systems to scale effectively.
- Delegate to elevate: hire specialists and stop doing everything yourself.
Ask For Other People's Blueprints
- Find blueprints by asking successful peers for their playbooks and heat maps.
- Use direct outreach and offer to buy lunch for an hour of their time to learn what works.
