Toolbox for the Trades – Details, episodes & analysis

Family business transformation takes on a whole new meaning when Tiffany Martin Peters joins us for another episode of our Green and Clean series. As President at North by Northwest Lawns in Austin, Texas, Tiffany walks us through her unexpected path into the family landscaping company, starting with a rocky internship and a firm "no" to working with family — but life had other plans. When Tiffany returned in 2014, she found herself building office operations from scratch, armed with only a QuickBooks tutorial from her dad and her own determination. She shares the uphill journey of implementing software, overcoming a steep learning curve, and evolving the business beyond Excel spreadsheets and paper files.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [5:33] Transitioning the office from old-school paper to modern processes

• [8:26] Navigating family dynamics while implementing new procedures

• [13:56] Adopting new software during the peak seasonal months
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Aspire

• Tiffany’s Aspire Journey
  

You 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.

Process improvement is more than a buzzword to Andrew Craft — it’s a growth engine. In this second episode of our special series, Green and Clean, the CFO at Site Landscape Development in the Dallas-Fort Worth area shares how his team doubled revenue by investing in efficient systems, adopting Aspire, and implementing the EOS framework. Andrew brings his tech-forward thinking and financial discipline to the landscaping space, showing how automation, data, and scalable tools can transform operations. From building a high-functioning scheduling system to upgrading AP workflows with AI, he reveals how efficiency isn’t just about saving time — it’s about preparing for serious growth.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [1:49] Why process improvements are critical for scaling your small business

• [6:21] How a CRM and EOS implementations helped Site double their revenue

• [15:31] Advice to small business owners trying to hurdle their scaling challenges
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Aspire

• EOS
  

You 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 Nominations

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.

Jay and Amanda Mahaffey didn’t just step into ownership when they purchased Tuck & Howell Plumbing in Greenville, SC, from Jay’s uncle — they transformed it. In less than two years, they scaled the business from $4M to $11M by making tough decisions, rebranding, and streamlining operations.

Jay and Amanda share their journey from employees to owners, the challenges of modernizing a 55-year-old business, and how they handled team transitions, rapid growth, and technology adoption.

Tune in to hear how their fast decision-making, financial acumen, and leadership strategies helped them rebuild Tuck & Howell into a powerhouse.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:54] The importance of implementing new systems quickly

• [11:37] Treating employee retention as a rehiring process

• [18:00] Opening a new service division and leveraging KPIs
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Branded Not Blanded: KickCharge Your Home Service Brand by Dan Antonelli

• WhoHire

• Clover
  

You 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 Nominations

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.

Lamont Page, a service technician at Worley's Home Services in Yorktown, VA, is no stranger to long days with nonstop work calls. But soon after starting at Worley’s, his bosses told him to do something extraordinary — stop working so hard.

That’s when they shipped him off to Arizona to work with Derrek Hofrichter, Business Coach and Trainer at Service Business Evolution (SBE). SBE works with technicians to up their sales game by building real relationships with their customers. And it starts with listening and asking questions.

Tune in to hear Lamont’s story and coaching insights from Derrek as we unpack a human-to-human approach to the technician sales process.   

Join us as we discuss:

- (10:10) How focusing on relationships builds customer equity  

- (23:45) Why techs need to ask good questions to gain trust

- (33:37) What sets the sales experts apart from the amateurs

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz 

- The HVAC Apprentice podcast

Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox of the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Lots of marketers have shifted their focus from the mailbox to the inbox, but the numbers don’t lie.

Direct mail is still one of the most reliable vehicles for customer engagement.

As Guy Fashano, Sales Manager at MSI Mailing Systems, points out — digital marketing isn’t the only player in town that can harness data to track ROI and open rates.

Hear how direct mail marketing can help you retain customers and build brand equity for your business in 2023 and beyond!

Join us as we discuss:

- (5:13) The tangible benefits and staying power of direct mail 

- (14:05) How direct mail can help boost your brand equity

- (30:17) Practical tips for starting your first direct mail campaign

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- guy@msimail.net 

- Call or text Guy with your questions at 916-769-5200

- Raiser’s Edge NXT 

- Marketing Pro Direct Mail Tool

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of 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 of the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Private equity is a hot topic in the trades, especially for family-owned businesses. But how can business operators know when it’s the right time to sell — and when not to?

To help answer that question, we talked with Amber Gaige, Founder of Saber Marketing Group. From growing up in a family of contractors to selling her own business to private equity in 2018, Amber has seen it all.

Amber shares how she’s helping prepare other owners for their transition into the world of private equity and streamlining marketing efforts for family-owned businesses.  

Join us as we discuss:

- (9:24) The culture shock from partnering with private equity

- (18:15) How to determine if you’re ready for a PE partnership

- (25:03) Why marketing should be one of your critical systems

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Benjamin Franklin Plumbing 

- Potty Talk: Why Some Marketing Works and Some Should Just Be Flushed

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of 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 of the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Hello, Contractors! For your holiday enjoyment, we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations starring Keith Mercurio.

Keith is the Senior Director of Executive Success at ServiceTitan and founder/CEO of Ethical Influence Global, and his insights on leadership, training, and mindset are a goldmine for entrepreneurs.

So as you’re prepping your grill this 4th of July, tune in to hear one of our industry leader’s thoughts on overcoming your business’ biggest hurdle for growth… YOU!

Join us as we discuss:

- (6:02) Deconstructing preconceived notions around the trades

- (16:08) How owners can be their own worst growth constraint

- (28:52) Personal development and resetting your mindset

- (39:24) Transforming false positivity into powerful thinking

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell

- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miquel Ruiz

- Making Sense podcast by Sam Harris

- The Tim Ferriss Show podcast by Tim Ferriss

- Ted Radio Hour on NPR

Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan?  Refer them here!

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A lot of contractors don’t spend much time thinking about how their personal branding may reflect on their business. But as Eric Thomas, President of Rival Digital and Host of the Smart HVAC Marketing podcast, reminds us in this episode, people buy from people.

Everything you say or do in digital channels, especially social media, impacts your reputation for better or worse. And if you don’t take control of your narrative, then others will eventually define it for you.

Eric breaks down personal branding in the trades while reminding contractors who the real heroes of their stories are.

Join us as we discuss:

- (6:42) Multiplying your networking reach through podcasting

- (13:22) Why contractors need to stop trying to be the heroes

- (20:06) Mastering your digital footprint in personal channels

- (25:08) How Red Robin became a part of Eric’s online persona

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Facebook  

- Rival Digital

- Smart HVAC Marketing

- ServiceTitan Referrals

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of 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 of the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Mike Rudolf, COO at Sila Services, and his colleagues knew they needed to form valuable partnerships if they were going to fulfill their vision for growth. So they teamed up with ServiceTitan and private equity to step up their expansion efforts.

But now they had a new problem. How would they efficiently integrate these new best practices in 23 locations? Thus, Sila’s Center of Excellence (CoE) was born. By funneling their subject matter experts through the CoE, Sila is continually evolving to keep up with their incredible growth.

Mike and the CoE’s director, Marisa Samuel, gives us an exclusive peek into how the CoE makes their people and processes better, stronger, and faster by bringing creative champions together.

Join us as we discuss:

- (6:17) Sila Services’ partnerships and rapid two-year growth

- (9:54) Identifying the need for the Center of Excellence

- (18:07) Maintaining the CoE and measuring practical benefits

- (25:07) A business-in-a-business structure for subject matter experts

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Mike Rudolf

- Sila Services

- Pantheon 2023

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of 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 of the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Jason Rich joined the family business as a wrench-turner like his father, but the GM of Paradise Plumbing & Air Conditioning in Broward County, Florida, steadily morphed into an operations guru.

After spending his early years wearing many different hats, Jason realized they needed to fuel their operational and marketing efforts if they wanted to kick their growth up a notch.

Jason shares how a private equity partnership and a renewed focus on technology and brand awareness are securing their family business for generations to come.   

Join us as we discuss:

- (8:59) Ensuring legacy through a private equity partnership

- (16:41) Boosting online presence and operational tech

- (21:07) Why the call center is the heartbeat of operations

- (25:18) Promoting short-form videos on social media

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Jason Rich

- Paradise Plumbing & Air Conditioning

- Legacy Service Partners

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox of 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 of the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
 

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.