The TradeMarke – Details, episodes & analysis

Laura Kelly, CPO of Clover Growth Partners, joins Sarah to break down the mindset shifts that separate high-achieving business owners from burned-out ones. From her RPM planning system to the concept of "who, not how," Laura shares the frameworks she uses to run six home service companies, raise two kids, and still show up as her best self — without sacrificing the life she's building along the way.

What does it look like to lead 15 home services franchise brands — and still be excited about every single one of them? In this episode, Sarah and Eric sit down with Beth Toenies, COO of 1-800-BOARD-UP and VP of Franchise Development for BELFOR Franchise Group, to talk all things franchising, growth, and the future of the trades.

Beth breaks down what makes the franchise model so powerful for tradespeople who are great at their craft but want support on the business side. She shares how BELFOR's family of brands — from Ducks and Z Plumbers to Blue Kangaroo Packouts and Redbox+ Dumpsters — are designed to complement each other and create real synergy in local markets.

The conversation also dives into how AI and automation are reshaping operations in the field, why BELFOR is leaning in rather than shying away, and what intentional, sustainable growth actually looks like in franchising.

Whether you're a trade professional curious about business ownership or a franchise enthusiast looking for your next opportunity, this episode is packed with insights, energy, and a few laughs along the way.

On this episode of The TradeMarke Podcast, hosts Sarah Ghirardo and Eric Thomas sit down with franchise matchmaker Adam Goldman to demystify modern franchising, especially in the home services world. Adam has spent 15+ years in the space, from owning an office-cleaning master franchise to placing candidates across 75 industries, with 60 to 70 percent in home services.

You’ll learn what makes a strong franchise candidate, why business development and operational excellence are the twin superpowers, and how owners are thriving with semi-absentee models. Adam breaks down practical growth levers like BNI, referrals, canvassing, and digital channels, and explains the trend of stacking seasonal businesses (think mosquito control plus holiday lighting) to keep teams working year-round. He also tackles the biggest misconceptions: that franchises must be brick-and-mortar and seven figures, and that royalties are a sunk cost rather than a shortcut to proven systems.

We close with Adam’s take on disclosure docs, avoiding conflicts across brands, and why the right playbook can buy back your time.

Listen in, take notes, and check the show notes for Adam’s free consult links and his book, The Franchisee Lifestyle.

It's Thanksgiving week, so we wanted to give our valued listeners a bonus episode to enjoy while you inevitably fall asleep after eating too much turkey. During this episode, we are joined by Thaddeus & Evan from HVAC Success Secrets Revealed. 

This episode was recorded during the Women in HVACR event that took place in Phoenix, Arizona. During their discussion, they talk about inspiration for their podcasts, local marketing ideas, the importance of empowering women in the trades, and much more! 

Also, Eric reveals a that he will be helping lead a marketing summit in Tampa hosted by ServiceTitan on December 8th. If you are interested in attending, you can register using this link: https://cvent.me/m5z25r?RefId=RD

On this episode we have Ryan Fenn, CEO of CHIIRP on the show, recorded from the Women in HVACR event! Eric and Ryan talk about communication automation, automating review requests, while not taking away the human element in your business.

Ryan and his brother started a business 12 years ago, and Ryan even made a course on how to grow and build your business. Now, he's focused on growing your business through automation. Automating allows you as the business owner to be able to do more, while automation takes care of the rest. 

Check our our affiliate link for CHIIRP here!

ERIC GOES LIVE FROM WOMEN IN HVACR! On this episode, we are joined by Carrie Fraser from Nexstar Network.

Nexstar is a member-owned organization serving the trades. Carrie says that Nexstar's goal is to coach and train the world's best tradespeople to become the best business people. 

Carrie has been with Nexstar for a little over 5 years. Her advice to those in the trades is to be able to adapt, and be consistent. 

Carrie puts emphasis on the importance of pairing up with a best practices group and putting time and effort into the people on your team.

On this episode, we are welcoming back Lawrence Castillo from Brody Pennell. Brody Pennell is the longest standing Carrier dealer in Los Angeles. They've been in business since 1945. 

Brody Pennell recently won Best HVAC Company in LA by the readers of the LA times!

Lawrence and Eric talk about the importance of customer service, thought on private equity, memberships and opportunities in quarter four. Lawrence puts on emphasis on memberships by linking reviews directly to an increase in memberships, and stating that "memberships are not dead."

Lawrence puts emphasis on customer service saying "it takes years to gain a customer and only seconds to lose them."

This is Lawrence's third time being on The Smart HVAC Marketing Podcast. We are so glad to have him back to share his insight and experience in this industry.

CORRECTION: Lawrence's email is lawrence@brodypennell.com

BONUS EPISODE ALERT!

We wanted to provide an additional episode for everyone this week. Mainly because the information shared from the team at A&T Mechanical in regards to their TikTok success was too good to not share immediately. 

During this action-packed episode of the Smart HVAC Marketing podcast, we talk about how HVAC & plumbing companies can utilize TikTok as part of their social media marketing strategy, and different ways to get creative with your approach to maximize reach. 

The Smart HVAC Marketing podcast was created by Rival Digital to help residential HVAC contractors and is now streaming on all major platforms. Follow along for ways to improve your marketing and grow your business as we continue interviewing more industry experts.

On this episode we are joined by Matthew Weppner of Schedule Engine.

Matthew is the Enablement Manager at Schedule Engine, before that Matthew was a CSR at Uber. (before Uber was what we know it as today!)

Matthew and Eric discuss how to handle high call volume and how to prioritize calls using Service Titan technologies and software. 

Matthew touches upon the importance of using data insights for upsells, taking higher paid jobs, and using softwares to track inventory for your techs.

Matthew says that going forward the industry needs to note that convenience is king, always.

On this episode, we are joined by Bohannan McKenzie of Full-Speed Plumbing.

Bo is the CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) which comes with the responsibilities of helping define Full-Speed's vision for the future.

Bo's advice on reaching homeowners is to be specific, focus on today and right now, and the value of the isolation of information. He also mentions that you should know how served your population is, and if you want change, you need to be the change in the market.

Bo also describes the challenges in the home services industry like brand recognition and entering a new market.