From the Yellow Chair

Send us a textA new logo didn’t change everything—owning a clear promise did. We sit down with Mark and Teresa Summers of Skagit Plumbing to unpack how winning the Great American Brand Story set off a deeper transformation: a cousin-made logo gave way to a brand with a mission their team and town could feel. From the first “lottery ticket” application to the moment they just knew they’d won, their journey shows how identity becomes the foundation for growth, culture, and community impact.We dig into the rebrand itself: a flag-shaped S that signals a flagship promise—Staked In Community—plus the language, guidelines, website, and digital assets that turned symbols into daily behaviors. The changes were immediate. Technicians volunteered for parades, a new GM role took shape with confidence, and the mascot Mr. 360 drew crowds for photos. Around town, the new vans earned texts, shout-outs, and vintage-hat nostalgia from a local radio voice. More than aesthetics, the rebrand gave everyone a story to carry, inside the shop and out on the street.If you lead a home service business, this conversation offers practical takeaways: treat brand as infrastructure, not decoration. Use a clear promise to guide hiring, training, community events, and customer experience. Let your values drive visibility—local SEO improves when your story is specific and true. The Summers also speak to the emotional side of change, honoring the old mark while choosing a future that supports scaling, better processes, and a stronger team identity. Ready to turn a logo into a legacy? Listen, share with a fellow owner, and if you feel that nudge, apply to the next Great American Brand Story. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us the one promise your brand stands on.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textReady to stop chasing topline and start building a business that lasts? We sit down with Dave Sullivan—third-generation contractor, founder of The Roofer Show, and coach to growth-minded owners—to unpack how real progress comes from balancing three essentials: selling work, doing work, and keeping score. If your company leans too hard on one leg, you feel it in missed deadlines, thin margins, and constant cash stress.We walk through practical ways to get your foundation right, from clean bookkeeping and job costing to pricing for profit and forecasting cash. Dave explains why high growth without margin is a cash bonfire, how to align marketing throttle with production capacity, and what weekly numbers actually matter. For leaders stuck at $2–5M in revenue, we outline the diagnostic steps to get unstuck: rebalance your stool, document core processes, and either learn the skills you lack or hire well to fill them.Brand and culture take center stage too. A distinctive, authentic brand doesn’t just win attention—it magnets quality customers and recruits great people. When your team loves where they work, they become your best recruiters, compounding capacity. We get specific about defining your ideal customer, avoiding generic “roof logo” branding, and using a one-page business plan to keep everyone focused on the same mountaintop. Whether you’re fighting for early survival or steering a mature company, the path is the same: clarity, discipline, and leadership.Tune in for candid stories, concrete tactics, and free tools like Dave’s one-page plan and roofing success audit. If you’re serious about profitable growth, better culture, and a brand that works as hard as you do, hit play, subscribe, and share this with a contractor who needs it. Then tell us: which leg of your stool needs work today?If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textLoyalty doesn’t happen at the invoice; it happens in the simple, human moments after the job. We break down a practical gratitude playbook for home service brands—HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and beyond—so you can turn happy customers into repeat buyers and vocal fans. The strategy is delightfully simple: make it personal, make it useful, and make it consistent.We start with the smallest levers that deliver outsized returns: handwritten-style notes after big installs, quick follow-up calls that ask for nothing, and fridge-worthy mailers like school calendars, grilling temps, or Wi‑Fi password magnets. Then we layer in low-cost, high-touch ideas your techs can run daily—branded leave-behind treats, neighborhood holiday drop-offs, and surprise ornaments tied to local mascots or counties. Each touchpoint is designed to feel like a favor, not a pitch.From there, we explore scalable digital gestures and community-first moves. Think curated Spotify playlists for seasonal vibes, “Customer of the Month” spotlights that create social proof, and donated service calls for neighbors in need or local nonprofits. We show how to partner with nearby businesses for gift-card thank yous and referral swaps, and how to elevate maintenance memberships with real perks—free filters, early scheduling, and limited-time discounts on IAQ, duct sealing, or dryer vent cleaning. To close the loop, we outline a review program that welcomes honest feedback and fuels user-generated content, giving you a steady stream of stories that beat paid clicks on both trust and ROI.If you’re ready to build a gratitude system your CSR team can own and your community can feel, this guide gives you the steps, scripts, and ideas to start today. Subscribe, share with your team, and tell us: which thank you tactic will you try first?If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textEver wonder why some shops can charge premium prices without flinching while others apologize their way through every estimate? We unpack the playbook for home service pros who want to price with confidence, execute with precision, and market with integrity so customers feel great about saying yes.We start by reframing growth through three levers—smart pricing, operational excellence, and marketing that actually matches delivery. You’ll learn why customers happily pay more when the 3 C’s are present: clarity about what they’re buying, confident communication from your team, and consistent options that respect budgets and priorities. From speed to lead and tidy installs to how you answer the phone, we map the touchpoints that quietly pre-sell your price long before a tech opens the price book.Then we get tactical. We walk through building prices from real numbers—labor, materials, overhead, and target margins—plus how to review and update as costs change. We share a clean, tiered options strategy (good, better, best), why you should always present a repair pathway when appropriate, and how a quick third-party verification call protects elderly homeowners and your reputation. You’ll also get language shifts that move teams from apologizing to advocating for value, outcome-based selling that beats model-number jargon, and ethical incentives that nudge buyers toward higher-tier solutions without cheapening your brand.If your quotes are triggering sticker shock, the fix isn’t to slash price—it’s to elevate the experience. Align brand visuals, uniforms, vehicles, and communication with the level you want to command, and let marketing tell the story of comfort, safety, efficiency, and peace of mind. Stop selling parts. Start selling outcomes. Subscribe, share this with a fellow owner who needs a pricing backbone, and leave a quick review to help more pros price for profit and close with confidence.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textLeads aren’t dying. They’re expiring while your team gets to them. We unpack a practical playbook for contractors to capture more jobs without buying more clicks, focusing on speed to lead across online scheduling, AI-enabled chat, and automated follow-ups that never sleep. Joined by Danielle from Contractor In Charge and OnePath, we talk through what actually converts: fewer fields, faster confirmations, wider time windows, and a frictionless path from “I have a problem” to “I’ve got a booked visit.”We start with the hard truth from the data: if you wait six hours on a weekday or forty-eight over the weekend to reply, the customer is gone and the lead looks “bad.” From there, we show how to strip obstacles out of your web experience—let customers describe the issue in their own words, enter a phone and ZIP, see availability, and book in four steps. Worried about routing or edge cases? Book first, optimize later. Then we dive into chat, where most visitors want simple answers fast. AI can greet, qualify, and schedule 24/7, but must offer a human-out at any time to build trust and handle nuance.Form fills still matter, but only with instant automation. We outline how to trigger same‑second replies via text and email, push to scheduling, and follow up on abandoned interactions without relying on a busy inbox. Danielle explains how OnePath brings all of this together—web scheduler, chat, text‑to‑book, and AI-driven, human-backed support—so every channel stays fast, familiar, and flexible. The result is higher conversion, better customer experience, and real protection when shoulder season softens demand.If this conversation helps you spot your slowest link, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more field-tested growth tactics, and leave a quick review to tell us where you’re losing speed today.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textTired of launching “great ideas” that die in the field? We break down a practical playbook for moving from technician to owner and getting your team to champion marketing initiatives without the eye rolls. The throughline: earn trust, speak with conviction, and keep every rollout simple enough to sell at a kitchen table.We start with buy-in and why it begins with you. If you don’t believe in your maintenance plan, financing offer, or private label shift, your team won’t either. Hear how to present with clarity, tie benefits to real customer pain points, and use brand-forward names that spark conversations in the home. We share scripts, framing, and the power of storytelling to make a quirky club name feel like a value, not a gimmick.Then we dig into emotional equity. Consistent check-ins, specific praise, and genuine curiosity build the trust that makes price changes, software updates, and social video asks possible. Trust turns mandates into momentum. From there, we attack complexity: pick one high-impact initiative, plan backward from launch, update CRM and collateral, train leaders first, and keep rules clean. We even tackle edge cases—like a promo that starts after a customer buys—and why protecting the brand with simple, generous policies can create outsized goodwill and referrals.By the end, you’ll have two guiding rules for every change: lead by example to create buy-in, and simplify so your team can execute under pressure. If coaching and persuasion aren’t your strengths, we show you how to surround yourself with people who can carry that torch and lift the whole shop. If this helped you sharpen your next rollout, follow, share with a fellow owner, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textShoulder season has a way of telling the truth. When the weather stops handing you leads, response-based digital channels cool off, and the real drivers of growth—outbound effort and tight operations—step into the spotlight. We walk through a practical playbook for HVAC, pest, and home service pros to build demand on purpose, not by accident, and to convert more of the calls they already get.We break down the three-bucket framework—call-to-action, brand, and cultivation—and explain why that third bucket is the force multiplier most teams ignore. You’ll learn how to spin up rehash programs, text and voicemail campaigns, and membership-driven maintenance that keep trucks rolling in mild weather. We also dig into content discipline and local visibility, showing how simple, consistent publishing outperforms perfectionism and one-off promos. Tools like CHIRP and emerging platforms help, but process and cadence matter more than the logo on your software.Then we zoom into operations: booking rate by source, revenue per lead, technician close rates, and membership conversion. If your CRM and call tracking can’t tell you where revenue starts and ends, you’re guessing. We talk budgets that match capacity, pricing that supports profit, and leadership habits that prevent slow-season panic. This is an honest roadmap to align marketing with operations so every lead is booked, every visit is maximized, and every campaign is measured.If you’re ready to turn a slow month into a systems win—and to plan proactively for 2026 with brand clarity, vendor selection, and a real budget—this conversation is your cue. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge, and drop a review telling us your best shoulder-season tactic. Your next busy season starts with what you put in place today.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textWhat if working with your spouse or sibling could be your unfair advantage instead of a constant tug-of-war? We sit down with women leading HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and home service companies to unpack the real playbook for thriving in business together: define lanes, plan ahead, price with confidence, and protect the parts of life that matter most.We start with the stories behind Anchor Heating and Air in Charleston, Rogers Heating & Cooling in Virginia, and High Five’s evolution from plumbing into multi-trade services. Each journey highlights a different kind of strength: brand and community marketing that creates loyal customers, operational rigor that keeps KPIs and costs in check, and leadership that builds teams who high-five clients at every turn. Along the way, we talk candidly about setting roles that align with natural talent, why budgets unlock creativity, and how to share the load so growth doesn’t steamroll your home life.From there, we get practical. A simple five-year visualization exercise makes planning tangible, cutting through social media hype to choose the company size that actually fits your life. We dig into why new owners should set prices that reflect value, not fear, and how a virtual CFO or coach can fill talent gaps without adding permanent overhead. We also explore boundaries that preserve relationships: hobbies that force presence, hard stops on work talk, and vacations that don’t require a printer in the hotel room. The throughline is grace—own the tough year, seek mentors who’ve done it, and make decisions with context instead of copying playbooks that don’t match your market.If you’re building a contracting company with a partner, you’ll walk away with a clearer org chart, a planning cadence that reduces friction, and the courage to delegate your way back to joy. Want to connect deeper and meet the voices behind these stories? Join us at the We Mean Business Conference in Charleston, Nov 9–11, and let’s get better together. If this conversation helped you, subscribe, share it with a partner in the trades, and leave a review to help more builders find it.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textEver wonder why some home service brands feel trustworthy before they even quote the job? We pull back the curtain on three simple, overlooked moves that stack trust fast: a brand ecosystem audit, a hyperlocal micro influencer network, and a documentary-style install video that shows the work, the manners, and the finish line.First, we map every place your brand lives in the real world—fleet wraps, uniforms, CSR tone, on-hold music, reviews, email signatures, invoices, social, and signage. Then we prioritize the fixes that signal care: clean, consistent trucks; technicians who look and speak on brand; and responses that turn reviews into SEO. This isn’t a rebrand; it’s a punch list that makes every touchpoint feel the same, so your neighbors recognize you and risk feels lower before your tech arrives.Next, we ditch celebrity influencers for people your market already trusts: the realtor who knows every street, the PTA organizer who mobilizes a school, the youth coach everyone thanks on Saturdays. We outline a simple value exchange—swag, gift cards, or a free maintenance plan—in return for honest posts about real experiences. No scripts, just authenticity and accountability. If something misses, we fix it and learn. That’s how local word of mouth scales without feeling bought.Finally, we show how to film a relatable behind-the-scenes install. Choose an average home, capture van loading, protective prep, cleanup, walkthroughs, and a calm voiceover from your sales lead. These story-driven videos beat coupon graphics because they demonstrate care and craft. Then repurpose everywhere: your website and YouTube, short social clips, recruiting, and weekly series like Meet the Crew Monday and Service Story Saturday.If you’re ready to tighten your brand, activate real neighborhood advocates, and tell stories that convert, we’ve got your back. Subscribe for more practical growth playbooks, share this with a fellow owner who needs a slow-season plan, and drop a review to tell us which tactic you’ll start first.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!

Send us a textPhones get quiet, bills don’t. We tackle the slow-season squeeze head-on with a blueprint for building maintenance clubs that are easy to sell, rich with perks, and powerful enough to turn downtime into dependable revenue. Rachel kicks things off before Crystal and Emily dive into the strategies we use with HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and pest control companies to keep cash flowing when the weather won’t do the heavy lifting.We start with the essentials: simplify your plan to one or two tiers, publish it clearly, and equip CSRs and techs with tight scripts that make the value obvious. From priority service and documented maintenance to loyalty credits for future system replacements, we outline member benefits that feel exclusive—not just a discounted tune-up in disguise. Then we layer in smart cross-sells and seasonal bundles that lift average tickets, like IAQ upgrades, duct cleaning, programmable thermostats, water heater flushes, and visual roofing checks that create real reasons to roll a truck when demand dips.You’ll also hear practical ideas to keep your brand sticky in a crowded market. Monthly member emails with an owner’s note and timely tips, weather-triggered check-ins, and delight moments—think fall pumpkin drop-offs or pet treats for “fur families”—build loyalty and referrals that last longer than a service call. We map out targets (aim for 1,000 members per $1M in service revenue), the KPIs that matter, and the gamified incentives that make teams care: simple spiffs, leaderboards, steak dinners cooked by leadership, even big-ticket raffles for sustained performance. The result is a “smart seat bank” of happy customers ready to buy, freeing peak-season capacity for high-value new calls.If you’re ready to stop riding the weather and start building a predictable revenue engine, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share this with a fellow owner, and leave a review to tell us which perk or incentive you’ll test first.If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content. Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form! We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!