Toolbox for the Trades

Jackie Sorensen knows a thing or two about working in a family business and dealing with gender stereotypes in the trades. She’s passionate about making the trades more attractive and accessible to young women and is actively involved in local activities within her community.As the President of Thorson Heating, Jackie and her team endeavor to deliver exceptional heating and air conditioning services to customers in the Sioux Falls area. She stops by to share her entrepreneurial journey with us and talks about the challenges as well as opportunities running a family business. She also tells us how she promotes the HVAC profession to young women and provides some valuable advice for other female business owners.Join us as we discuss: [10:56]: Why Jackie decided to buy her family business[27:06]: How Jackie makes the trades more attractive for young women[38:27]: Jackie’s advice for other female business ownersCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Thorson HeatingServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Register for Pantheon 2025 - see you in Anaheim!Prometheus Award NominationsListening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Richard Lewis truly believes that building genuine connections with people in the trades is the key to long-term sustainable growth. His experience in the finance industry has also helped him to identify opportunities for growth across different sectors in the trades. He’s also enabled business owners to take a different approach to partnering with investors to grow their service business.As the Founder and CEO of Redwood Services, Richard is on a mission to build a robust ecosystem of partners in the trades across the United States that focuses on collaboration, operational excellence, and a people-first culture. He stops by to share his entrepreneurial journey with us. He highlights examples from his experience that motivated him to do things differently and explains why he believes in investing in partnerships.Join us as we discuss: 05:24: What makes Redwood different from other private equity firms12:00: Why Richard felt the partnership process could be done differently22:19: What an ideal investor partnership looks likeCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Redwood ServicesServiceMasterRite WayServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ken Midgett is extremely passionate about continuous learning and believes that training is a critical component to the long-term growth of businesses in the trades.As a professional plumbing service entrepreneur, Ken successfully ran two businesses and helped make the plumbing program at a high school in eastern Pennsylvania one of the most sought-after for students joining the workforce.As the Plumbing Market Director at Interplay Learning, Ken is on a mission to help service-based businesses build a robust training culture. He stops by to share his entrepreneurial journey with us. He also talks about the importance of investing in training so that it not only turns businesses into profit generators but also helps to build employee confidence and reduce turnover.Join us as we discuss: 05:26: How Ken got students interested in the plumbing program19:16: The importance of implementing a training culture22:09: Why leadership needs to be involved in training28:00: How organizations can incentivize employees with trainingCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Interplay LearningAssociation for Career and Technical Education (CTE)ServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Devynn Thompson entered the trades with her husband after he decided to establish his own plumbing business.They faced many challenges along the way and realized they had to learn from their mistakes and embrace constructive criticism from their employees.By connecting with people in the trades, going through training, having a coach who keeps them accountable, and learning how to delegate tasks, they managed to grow and transform their business into the success story it is today.As the Operations Manager of Thompson Family Plumbing & Drain, Devynn is on a mission to deliver professional plumbing services to customers in California and Arizona. She stops by to share her entrepreneurial journey with us and how she learned to become a better leader. Devynn also shares her thoughts on comparison anxiety and elaborates on the importance of adopting a thriving mindset.Join us as we discuss: 05:06: How Devynn went from apprentice to business owner17:00: How to address comparison anxiety31:46: Devynn’s delegation process35:28: The importance of having a thriving mindsetCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Thompson Family Plumbing & DrainNexstar NetworkMasterClassServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Rebekah Hatcher entered the trades with her husband after he decided to set up his own business.They faced many adversities in the beginning as they tried to grow, and they even hit a plateau.They then decided to become an Aire Serv franchisee, and with the right training, systems, processes, and a lot of hard work, they managed to scale their business successfully.As the owner of Aire Serv of Aggieland, Rebekah strives to deliver professional HVAC repair and maintenance services to homeowners and businesses in the Brazos Valley in Texas. She stops by to share her entrepreneurial journey with us, how becoming a franchisee has positively impacted her business, and some of her most memorable marketing campaigns.Join us as we discuss:[08:57] How becoming a franchisee impacted growth[15:34] How the internal culture has changed and a key takeaway[27:10] Rebekah’s most memorable and successful marketing campaignCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Aire Serv of AggielandMarketingProfsCanvaServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Many family business owners eventually pass the leadership torch down to their children. Oftentimes, those transitions work out smoothly.But what about when they don’t?Mike Prencavage, Jr., Owner of The Family Plumber, dreamed of taking the reins of the family business after college, but he had to “fight like hell” with his father to see his vision come true. Now, he’s leveraging technology and networking to elevate his family’s legacy for future generations.Mike gives us a candid look back at his tumultuous shift into his current ownership role and how he’s bringing a new-school mindset to old-school values.Join us as we discuss:[7:31] Navigating a rocky family business takeover  [23:25] How to show future generations value in trades businesses[40:10] Bridging innovation and new ideas with traditionCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors AssociationNexstar NetworkInterplay LearningContractor MagazineYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Lance Bachmann had a tough childhood and had to work his way up.After spending several decades in advertising, he decided to start his own full-service digital marketing agency. He learned from his past mistakes, sold the business, shifted his mindset, and seized on different opportunities as he added different companies in the trades to his growing portfolio group.Over time, he not only became a great leader but also someone who had an innate talent to help companies scale and become incredibly profitable.As the owner of LB Capital Group, Lance is on a mission to change the roofing industry to make it more of a demand and retail business for greater success. He stops by to share his entrepreneurial journey with us, his take on technology, and what his golden business principles are.Join us as we discuss:[06:47] The “Why me?” versus the “Why not me?” mindset[10:44] How Lance decided he was going to change the roofing industry[16:27] Lance’s take on technology[18:41] Lance’s top golden business principlesCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:LB Capital GroupTommy MelloIsmael Valdez1SEOServiceTitan Masterminds Facebook GroupYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Many companies in the trades may view acquisitions with trepidation, but they can also provide businesses with incredible growth opportunities. To achieve that growth, you need to start by building trust and having the right plan in place.Angela Millerknows that there’s always an opportunity that you don’t anticipate. Together with her team, Angela helps to ensure that transitions are smooth and “business as usual.”As the VP of Integrations at Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing, Angela leverages her extensive experience to ensure that businesses that are acquired by her company are seamlessly integrated into their ecosystem. She stops by to share her professional journey with us, how she got into the trades, and what owners looking to sell their businesses or grow via acquisition should think about.Join us as we discuss:[08:05] Angela’s role and how her team is structured[19:14] Advice for businesses looking to grow via acquisitions[23:44] Angela’s most memorable acquisition [34:13] Theory vs. experience: The perks of an MBACheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Goettl Air Conditioning & PlumbingServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ryan Kettering believes that if service businesses want to truly stand out in their market, they need to look beyond the visual aspects of their logo and website. They need to dive deeper and find something authentic to them that will resonate with their customers and employees.He helps customers achieve this by using the fractal brand identity framework, which consists of developing their core belief, brand personality archetype, and brand story.As the owner of Prolific Brand Design, Ryan uses his experience and know-how to deliver brand design solutions to service businesses nationwide. He stops by to share his entrepreneurial journey with us, how he got into the trades, and how he helps customers create brands that are clear, authentic, and uniquely differentiated in a crowded marketplace.Join us as we discuss:[04:35] How Ryan got into graphic design and branding[08:53] What a good brand looks like[14:07] How Ryan works with clients to create a brand[25:09] How service entrepreneurs should think about brandingCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Prolific Brand DesignServiceTitanYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Jennifer Rose-Caudill really “hit the ground running” when she was asked to help out in her family’s plumbing business. Originally trained as a real estate appraiser, she proactively identified areas of improvement within the company and tried to find the right solutions.Over time, she learned from her mistakes, continuously learned about the trades, and with her two brothers, managed to grow the company and make it profitable.As the Owner of Emergency Plumbing Heating & Air, Jennifer leverages her experience and expertise to deliver professional HVAC and plumbing services to customers in the Greater Delaware, Ohio area. She stops by to share her adventurous entrepreneurial journey with us. Jennifer also talks about how she got into the trades and how she managed to turn her father’s company into an efficient, customer-centric operation.Join us as we discuss:[02:42] How Jennifer got into the trades[16:12] How the business started to grow [21:07] Some of the challenges that Jennifer faced along the way[24:42] Adding a new service line to the businessCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Emergency Plumbing Heating & AirThe E Myth HVAC Contractor by Michael E. Gerber and Ken GoodrichServiceTitan Masterminds Facebook GroupYou can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.