Owned and Operated Podcast: Episode #250

Title: Start From Scratch or Buy? One Founder’s Surprising Answer
Host: John Wilson
Guest: Tyler Griffin, Founder of Swift Pro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing (DC)
Date: October 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this milestone 250th episode, John Wilson sits down with Tyler Griffin, the founder of Swift Pro Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, for an in-depth conversation about the realities of starting and scaling a home service business from scratch in an industry saturated with private equity buyouts. Tyler shares his personal journey from the trades to running a fast-growing startup, reflects on lessons learned from a prior PE-backed exit, and reveals why—despite industry trends—he chose to launch his new business from the ground up rather than buying an existing one. They dig into early challenges, choosing a model, recruiting, creating a winning culture, “start vs. buy,” vendor relationships, and actionable advice for home service entrepreneurs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tyler’s Backstory: From Trades to Startup Success

[03:10 – 07:00]

• Grew up working on construction projects from a young age; homeschooled in rural Wisconsin.
• Cut his teeth on all aspects of construction: “At 13, we bought a barn, turned it into a house and I was homeschooled. So our school for a couple of months was doing that project.” (Tyler, 02:06)
• Transitioned East Coast in 2010, started as laborer then quickly moved into sales—even without prior experience.
• Rose to partner level in a design-build company, then moved on to launch a branch for American Home Contractors (roofing/siding/windows/solar).
• Led the branch to strong growth and ultimately experienced a private equity sale in 2022. Stayed on for transition, then took a 6-month family sabbatical to reset and plan his next move.

2. The Exit: Selling to Private Equity — Lessons & Dilemmas

[08:11 – 12:40]

• Multiple partners with different goals led to considering the sale.
• “Success actually creates additional complexity.” (Tyler, 08:48)
• Private equity relationships can sharpen focus on KPIs, growth, operational excellence — but also bring cultural shifts and pressure to chase multiples.
• Emphasizes the importance of values alignment, not just payout: “The values alignment is the most important thing.” (Tyler, 12:18)
• The emotional toll and identity shift post-sale are real: “So much of my value...is like why I built this business for the last—like that’s like a core part of who I am as a human.” (John, 05:32)

3. The Sabbatical & Start of Swift Pro

[04:59 – 07:20, 13:05 – 17:00]

• Used family time and travel to clarify personal and business goals.
• Realized he was “wired to build”—needed a new outlet for creativity and productive mayhem.
• Considered coaching, consultancy, buying in, or launching new; “I wanted to build another service business…” (Tyler, 13:05)
• Selected HVAC and plumbing as next focus for their “own the home” model (repeat service, higher-frequency work).

4. Launching from Scratch: Early Moves & Key Challenges

[14:07 – 17:54, 20:06 – 25:46]

• Launching Approach:
  • Partnered with a friend with an HVAC background (who brought additional early team members).
  • Started in late summer with a soft launch, bootstrapped customer acquisition, and ramped up fast.
  • “It was messy, as you can imagine...I didn't know what I didn't know.” (Tyler, 14:34)
• Rapid Brand Building:
  • Prioritized Google and Angi reviews over short-term profits to gain visibility—“Didn’t care what we sold service work for as long as we got a review out of it.” (Tyler, 15:16)
  • Invested from day one in a professional brand, van wraps, and web presence.
• Tough Start:
  • Initial support from vendors and tech providers was difficult: “Service Titan...gave me terrible support. It was a nightmare. It was actually one of the hardest aspects of the business—we’re still playing catch-up on that.” (Tyler, 22:14)
  • Recruiting skilled tradespeople was significantly harder as an unknown startup.
  • Vendors and reps often reluctant to take a chance on a zero-revenue business.
  • Ultimately succeeded in getting key support/relationships by selling vision and demonstrating loyalty (“He took a bet on me and it’s paid off for both.”, Tyler, 24:21)

5. Start vs. Buy: The Case for Going from Zero

[20:06 – 21:58, 26:25 – 28:11]

• M&A market in Northern Virginia/DC is oversaturated—multiples high, few quality family businesses left.
• “Most of the mid to larger companies have already been acquired, and so...the multiples were so high...I didn’t see anything worth buying.” (Tyler, 20:19)
• Cultural fit, pride in building, and the challenge itself pushed him toward creating, not acquiring.
• John relates: “We’re about to go regional and we’re way more attracted to starting than buying...it’s easier to control culture. Prices for acquisitions are out of hand.” (John, 27:03)

6. Growth Strategy & Milestones

[17:54 – 19:34, 47:18 – 49:59, 50:19 – 50:58]

• Sales & Marketing: Leveraged Angi Ads as top early lead source; Google/Yelp reviews and a strong web footprint.
• Revenue ramped from almost nothing in early months to over $150K in November; hit $3.3M so far in their first year — “chasing $5M” for the first full calendar year.
• Plumbing was added by acquiring a small customer list—put on “maintenance mode” while prioritizing HVAC, but recently refocused for long-term stability.

7. People, Culture, and Leadership

[34:13 – 45:31]

• Early recruiting was hard: now, best hires are friends-of-friends or industry-referrals, leading to chains of quality hires and better cultural fit.
• “Our best people are coming from referrals, friends of friends...that’s most of our growth.” (Tyler, 34:22)
• Leadership is mostly promoted from within—“it’s really tough to hire leaders” externally for fit and trust; when necessary, will hire externally through trusted recommendations.
• Clear on communicating opportunity, growth, and the “truth” about what joining Swift Pro means.
• Cultural fit, buy-in, and modeling the ethos (“model, mentor, multiply”) are top priorities.
• Reviews and reputation are constantly celebrated: “As a business owner, you get more of what you celebrate.” (Tyler, 32:06)

8. Hard-Earned Lessons for Entrepreneurs

[28:11 – 31:34, 51:04 – 57:24]

• Know your Why: “If you don’t, you’re going to go through hell to build a business...it’s a roller coaster, and the lows can be low.” (Tyler, 51:04)
• Family Buy-In: “If you want to keep your family...have them on board with why you’re doing what you’re doing.” (Tyler, 52:05)
• Trusted Circle: Avoid entrepreneurial loneliness; seek peer owners, mentors, and business networks for support.
• Memberships & Service: Should have prioritized recurring memberships earlier to reduce marketing costs and stabilize revenue (“memberships are huge...if you don’t want to just keep paying through the nose for marketing...”). (Tyler, 28:20)
• Brand, Systems: Invest day-one in a legitimate brand and clear systems.
• Be Real: Set honest expectations with team regarding pace, benefits, and the growth journey. “Don’t be what you’re not. But what I can give you is opportunity to grow and become something you’re not today.” (Tyler, 55:38)
• Communicate the Mission: Develop and constantly revisit a concise vision/manifesto with the team.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Founder Motivation:
  “If I don’t find healthy outlets for my pent up creative energy and kind of love of chaos, I will create chaos...I like to channel that into building something that matters.”
  — Tyler Griffin [01:31]

• On Selling to Private Equity:
  “Success actually creates additional complexity...if you have good goal alignment, then it’s like, what is your end goal?...Are you building just to cash out? Are you building a legacy?”
  — Tyler Griffin [08:48]

• On Building Culture:
  “I'm a glutton for punishment, I think is part of it...Culture is really important to me and I did feel like I’d have the chance from the get go to really build the culture the way I wanted.”
  — Tyler Griffin [21:13, 21:40]

• On Brand & First Impressions:
  “Nobody was showing up in a white van. We look real from day one as a real company.”
  — Tyler Griffin [34:05]

• On Reviews & Team Behavior:
  “You get more of what you celebrate. Too often we only celebrate sales...from early on, we emphasized reviews. It kind of became a core part of our culture.”
  — Tyler Griffin [32:06]

• On Starting vs. Buying:
  “Most of the mid to larger companies have already been acquired...last summer...multiples were so high...I didn’t see anything worth buying...I kind of like, I don’t know, I like the idea of creating from scratch.”
  — Tyler Griffin [20:19]

  “We’re about to go regional and we’re way more attracted to starting than buying...it’s easier to control culture. Prices for acquisitions are out of hand. And frankly, it’d probably be cheaper and easier to just launch it.”
  — John Wilson [27:03]

• On Leadership Development:
  “Promoting from within: our chance of success with an internal hire is like 9 out of 10; with an external hire, it’s like 2 out of 10.”
  — John Wilson [38:24]

  “Only want leaders that practice what I call 3M: model, mentor, multiply.”
  — Tyler Griffin [42:14]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00 – 03:27: Introductions & Tyler’s Origin in the Trades
• 03:28 – 07:20: Early Career, Company Partnerships, Transition to PE
• 07:21 – 13:04: Post-sale Reflection, Sabbatical, Why Launch a New Brand
• 13:05 – 17:54: Why HVAC & Plumbing, Early Launch Steps
• 17:55 – 22:14: Building Systems, Vendors, and First Wins
• 20:06 – 28:11: The “Start vs. Buy” Decision and Strategic Rationale
• 28:12 – 34:13: Key Lessons: Memberships, Reviews, and Reputation
• 34:14 – 45:31: Recruiting, Leadership, and Culture Building
• 45:32 – 50:18: Adding Plumbing, Balancing Growth Between Trades
• 50:19 – 50:58: Revenue Highlights—First Year Numbers
• 51:00 – 57:24: Foundational Advice for New Founders
• 57:25 – close: Connecting with Tyler, Reflections

Key Takeaways

• Start with your why: Know your motivations, and ensure your family and team are onboard for the difficult journey ahead.
• Start vs. Buy: In today's PE-heavy, high-multiple market, launching from scratch may be less risky, offers more control over culture and processes, and is viable for founders willing to grind.
• Speed Wins: Focus early on establishing a strong brand presence and digital reputation; “Reviews are currency.”
• People over Processes: Early quality hires often come from personal networks; culture fit trumps resume.
• Relentless Communication: Clearly set expectations, incentives, vision, and use every team interaction to reinforce culture.
• Invest in Recurring Revenue: Build membership programs and recurring service models from day one to stabilize cash flow and reduce future marketing costs.
• Celebrate & Multiply Success: Make wins visible and contagious—what you reward, your team will repeat.
• Leadership is Grown, Not Hired: Developing leaders internally or through trusted referrals is the surest path; invest in training and clear role progression.

How to Connect with Tyler & Swift Pro

• Online: Follow Swift Pro on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Personal handle: @scrappystartup on X (Twitter)
• **Open to connecting with other owners/entrepreneurs building from scratch or via acquisition

For anyone looking to understand the nuts and bolts of building a home service business—from market entry strategy to first-year growth and leadership—this episode is a candid, resource-rich masterclass in what it really takes.