The Home Service Expert Podcast

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo3-freedom2026 George Paladichuk built a million-dollar AI company at 22 — and he's the first person selling AI who will tell you NOT to hand it your phones. His platform, NaiL, sits behind 100+ franchise locations and catches nearly 1,000 calls a day for Superior Fence & Rail alone — recovering $2.5 million a month in revenue from calls that would have hit voicemail. In this episode, Tommy sits down with George to break down where AI actually belongs in your call flow, the businesses that should never use it, the disclosure test that quadrupled hang-ups, what it really costs, and the three pitfalls that kill AI rollouts. Tommy even calls George's AI live on air — see if you can tell. 💎 Top 5 Takes for this Episode! AI is your safety net, not your first touch. Booking rates AND customer satisfaction go up when AI backs up an A-player on the phones — not when it replaces them. Missed calls are a hidden metric. No dashboard reports them — and for one franchise they were worth $2.5M a month. Some calls should never go to a machine. Restoration, funeral homes — nobody in a moment of distress wants to hear a robot. Don't lead with "this is an AI." Announcing it up front 4X'd hang-ups in 30 seconds. Solve the caller's problem first — 80% never notice. Solve the problem before you build the product. That one shift took George from $4K to $50K a month in 90 days. ⏱️ Chapters 0:00 — "The last thing they want to hear is a robot" 0:40 — Who is George: 22, CU Boulder, founder of NaiL 2:15 — Wholesale real estate at 18 → digital marketing → a $1M AI company 7:45 — Superior Fence & Rail: recovering $2.5M/month in missed calls 10:15 — The hidden metric: ~1,000 missed calls a day 12:45 — Don't fire your CSRs: AI as the safety net, not the first touch 17:25 — When AI is the WRONG answer: restoration & funeral homes 20:30 — Overseas agents vs AI: cost, coverage, and one-call-at-a-time 23:30 — "The worst AI will ever be": how fast the voices got good 25:55 — Outbound calling, TCPA compliance, and why SMS wins 30:35 — The next 2–3 years of AI receptionists 32:40 — Should you disclose it's AI? The 4X hang-up test 36:15 — LIVE DEMO: Tommy calls the AI 38:45 — Where to start + pitfall #1: solve the problem, not the technology 43:00 — Pilot programs: 30–60 days, build to launch 46:00 — Why young female voices win 47:40 — What it costs: $10–20K pilots, ~$997/location/month 50:00 — Advice to young builders: find the problem first, then market the hell out of it 54:15 — What's next for NaiL + how to reach George 57:20 — Why rollouts fail: vision, results, and a spokesperson 🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo3-freedom2026 Learn more about NaiL here: https://usenail.com Contact George: george@usenail.com George Paladichuk is the founder of NaiL, an AI voice receptionist platform for home service franchises. A 22-year-old CU Boulder graduate, he went from wholesale real estate at 18 to running a digital marketing agency through college to building NaiL, which now serves 100+ franchise locations. His biggest client, Superior Fence & Rail, recovers $2.5 million a month in revenue from missed calls handled by the platform. Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/ My other podcast: Tommy Mello Millionaire ⟶ https://www.youtube.com/@officialtommymello Live Q&A submission form: https://homeserviceexpert.com/questions

🎟️ Join us at Freedom 2026 → https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo2-freedom2026 Cameron Herold is back for round two — the man who scaled 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2M to $106M in six years breaks down why two A-players beat six average hires, the exact matrix Jack Welch used to decide who stays, and the profit math that tells you whether you should even own a home service business. If you're stuck between $3M and $10M, this one's for you. 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 0:00:00 Cold Open 0:02:26 Idea Capture 0:08:30 Vivid Vision 0:11:19 The HVAC Trap 0:19:19 Red KPIs Only 0:25:14 Expansion Warning 0:31:05 Interview Training Gap 0:40:37 Jack Welch Matrix 0:48:51 A-Player Math 0:52:12 The Doubt Rule 1:01:51 Entrepreneur Reality 1:13:54 Profit Over Revenue 1:17:28 P&L Basics 1:26:15 Call Center Rule 1:44:44 Books And Contact 🎟️ Freedom 2026 → https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo2-freedom2026 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/officialtommymello

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Senja Spellman is a fractional CMO who has spent over a decade inside the marketing departments of companies like Tundra Land ($100M), Leaf Home, Bath Works, and Home Genius Exteriors. She took Bath Works from $12M to $25M in one year — now pacing $52M. Today she shares exactly how home service companies can build brand trust, track TV attribution, grow with zero ad spend, and disrupt in a market where everyone looks the same. In this episode: ▸ Why 66% of customers pick by trust — and only 7% by price ▸ The TV attribution model that ties every spot to a lead ▸ How to use ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to audit your brand visibility right now ▸ Brand vs. direct response — which one your business actually needs ▸ The 97% rule: why branding matters more than most owners think ▸ Omnichannel data strategy: how to hit the right person across mail and CTV ▸ Marketing budget benchmarks: growth (20–22%) vs. maintenance (15–18%) ▸ How cause marketing builds internal culture and external brand ▸ Why marketing is meant to disrupt — and how to stop blending in -- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 -- 00:00 — Senja's Background 07:06 — TV Attribution Model 15:31 — LLM Brand Visibility 22:48 — Home Service Differences 30:25 — Marketing Budget Benchmarks 36:10 — The 97% Rule 41:30 — Omni-Channel Data Strategy 49:50 — Private Equity Risks 57:07 — Brand Story Process 01:03:55 — Lead Gen Quick Wins 01:12:05 — Disruption in Marketing 01:17:55 — Senja's Contact Info 🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Justin Feichter started Providence Roofing just over a year ago — after getting pushed out of his last company as a minority partner. In his first eight months he realized his pricing was completely wrong, rebuilt his systems on the fly, and crossed $1.2M in revenue. He's still in the field every day. This is a real-time look at what it actually takes to build a blue-collar business from the ground up — the pricing mistakes, the social media strategy that's working without a budget, and what happens when you refuse to quit. -- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 -- 00:00 Intro & Background 06:00 Year One Pricing Mistakes 12:00 Hiring for Your Weaknesses 18:00 Trades as the New Goldmine 24:00 Competing on Price 30:00 Retention & Relationships 36:00 Technology & Systems 42:00 Tax Strategy 48:00 Sales Process & First Contact 54:00 Vendor Strategy 01:00:00 Close Rate & Lead Sources 01:06:00 Social Media & Content 01:12:00 Goals for 2026 01:17:00 Lead Gen & AI — Tommy's final word 🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Joe Crisara has trained thousands of home service technicians — and the number one thing he hears is that they don't want to be called salespeople. In this episode, Joe breaks down why that resistance is costing your team money, your customers their options, and your business its potential. The fix isn't motivation. It's finishing the sentence. Joe's system, built over decades working with plumbers, HVAC techs, electricians, and garage door companies, is simple: make a friend, diagnose the whole system, build premium, mid-range, and economy options, personalize them, and close with "what should we do?" That framework closes 92% of jobs. Not because it's pushy, because it's honest. What you'll learn: — Why "sales" became a dirty word and how to fix it for your team — The five-step system behind a 92% close rate — Why financing is the primary offer — not an afterthought — How "magic moments" create raving fans without manipulation — The self-esteem problem behind underperforming techs — and the trainable fix — Pure-motive service and why caring outsells closing every time 🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/ My other podcast: Tommy Mello Millionaire ⟶ https://www.youtube.com/@officialtommymello

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Dr. Benjamin Hardy is one of the world's leading organizational psychologists — PhD, bestselling author of 10X Is Easier Than 2X, and Dan Sullivan's writing partner. In this episode, Tommy sits down with Dr. Hardy to break down why you don't need to be ready to start, how your future self is already waiting for you to decide, and the one mindset shift that separates the operators who scale from the ones who stay stuck. ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Start Before You're Ready 02:54 Welcome and Introductions 04:31 Tommy's Hockey Stick Growth 05:28 Ben's Background Today 07:01 Profitability Over Revenue 09:26 Ben's Origin Story 16:08 Meeting Dan Sullivan 21:48 How to Co-Write Books 24:30 Building Your Audience 30:13 The Power Law Explained 36:24 How to 10X 43:59 Writing Seven Books 47:34 The Gap and the Gain 48:59 Future Self Framework 57:14 Stop Waiting for Perfect 01:00:11 Future Self Deep Dive 01:07:48 The Science of Future Self 01:21:40 Closeout Questions 01:25:01 Start Over With $10M 01:28:20 Ben's Favorite Books 01:31:18 Find Ben Online 🔗 Build Your Freedom → https://homeservicefreedom.com/ 📱 Follow Tommy: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/officialtommymello 🎙️ Home Service Expert Podcast → https://homeserviceexpert.com

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Most home service companies don't fail from a lack of opportunity — they fail because they lose focus. Tommy sits down with Yarin Gaon, a growth advisor who has mentored over 397 businesses through Chicago and SCORE and helped company after company break through the $1M–$10M plateau. Yarin's framework is built on one core idea: the path of least resistance always wins. In this episode you'll learn: — Why your current business model might not be the version worth scaling — How to find the 20% of your operation driving 80% of your profit — The growth canvas replacing vision traction organizers for home service leaders — What "path of least resistance" actually looks like applied to your business — Why you need to pause before your next quarterly session and design Version 2 Yarin's free playbook: fractional.partners — no lead magnet, no catch. Just the framework. -- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 -- 00:00 - Introduction 00:51 - Yarin's Background and Story 05:06 - Hustle vs Focus 06:08 - What Vision Actually Means 08:20 - Defining Your Real Success Metric 10:39 - How to Build a Monopoly in Your Market 12:11 - Military E-Commerce Business Breakdown 15:49 - Diversification Mistakes and When to Cut 21:17 - The Wrong Growth Model 23:51 - Growth by Addition vs Subtraction 30:50 - Profitability Before Capital 33:41 - How Private Equity Values Your Business 37:47 - What the Best CEOs Have in Common 39:53 - Better Decisions Equal More Profit 1:05:46 - Why Franchising Fails in Home Service 1:07:09 - The Explicit Decision Framework 1:09:45 - The Growth Model Framework 1:12:48 - Free Playbook and Book Recommendation 1:13:32 - Path of Least Resistance Explained 1:15:14 - Build a Machine That Prints Profit 🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/ Tommy Mello Millionaire ⟶ https://www.youtube.com/@officialtommymello Live Q&A ⟶ https://homeserviceexpert.com/questions

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/ 💎 Top 5 Takes for this Episode! There are two types of business owners — those who build for cash flow, and those who build enterprise value to sell. Know which one you are before you start. More marketing never fixes a broken operation. Fix your booking rate, cancellation rate, and conversion rate first. Then scale spend. A players today can become C players in two years. The business grows, the people don't always grow with it. Watch for it. Never take on work outside your lane just because it's a big dollar. Scope creep creates liability, inflates AR, and distracts the whole team. "Everybody wants the views, but very few people are willing to take the hike." — the one quote that defines the cost of real success. -- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 -- 00:00 - Introducing Jordan White and Seek One Roofing 01:13 - The hardest thing in business right now 03:13 - Building a business as an asset vs. a cash flow machine 04:50 - Year by year: $2.5M to $28M in four years 07:32 - What salespeople don't know when they start a company 09:57 - Why some industries are impossible to scale 12:37 - Building trust and credibility before you have a brand 13:25 - What happens at $28M — private equity, roll equity, or rebuild 17:52 - How faith shows up in real business decisions 20:49 - Protecting integrity while training salespeople to win 22:20 - The marketing formula nobody talks about 23:30 - Why adding more marketing spend right now is a mistake 24:44 - Building a real-time data dashboard with custom metrics 26:58 - Why you should own a market before you enter a new one 29:47 - When to walk away from a market (we pulled out of 7) 31:35 - The hardest leadership lesson Jordan learned 33:17 - Turning down an $8.3M commercial job and why 36:31 - Aaron Stokes tribute — the plane accident and what it meant 38:53 - What loss teaches you about enjoying the journey 41:47 - If you don't enjoy the journey, the destination won't change it 43:01 - Don't tie your identity to your business 43:12 - What changes as a leader when the company outgrows you 45:57 - The CFO who sees around corners 1:04:30 - Colin's story: from Tractor Supply at 19 to $273K in year one Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/ My other podcast: Tommy Mello Millionaire ⟶ https://www.youtube.com/@officialtommymello Live Q&A submission form: https://homeserviceexpert.com/questions