School of Hard Knocks Podcast

Episode: Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire

Date: December 5, 2025
Host: James (with Jack and Josh)
Guest: Tommy Mello, Founder of A1 Garage Door Service

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep-dive conversation with Tommy Mello, the founder of A1 Garage Door Service, who has scaled his garage door company to over $300 million per year in revenue. The longstanding myth that only tech startups can create massive wealth is turned on its head—Tommy shares his playbook for building a home services empire, the principles of leadership, cultivating an unbeatable team, the power of branding, and what it means to build a life, not just a business. His journey is one of grit, personal transformation, and an unwavering commitment to continuous learning and personal responsibility.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Company Scale & The Value of Profit over Vanity Revenue

Tommy’s company, A1 Garage Door, crossed $300M in annual revenue.
- “Revenue’s for vanity, profits for sanity. The main goal...you can’t take revenue to the bank because you gotta pay great people, there’s expenses. So the bottom line, we always shoot for over 20% and we’re murdering that goal.” (01:25, Tommy)

2. The Non-Tech Path to Success

Debunking the myth that you need to build the next Google to become wealthy.
Home services can be a path to wealth if approached with focus, specialization, and business acumen.
- “People overestimate what they could do in one year and underestimate what they could do in five...if it could happen, it did happen. Murphy’s Law. But the big thing is wake up the next day and figure out, what are you going to do about it.” (01:58, Tommy)

3. Choosing Specialization Over Generalization

The riches are in the niches: Tommy doubled down on garage doors, resisting the urge to diversify prematurely.
- “The hustler had to die for the leader to be born and go all in.” (04:49, Tommy)
- Importance of focusing on one thing and letting that “basket overflow.”

4. Hiring & Building a Team that Scales

Tommy cares less about resumes, more about integrity and character:
- “They gotta be good people...what I work for them, what I buy from them, would my grandma buy from them...We don’t hire salespeople. We just hire people that smile a lot and do the right thing.” (06:32, Tommy)
Recruits sports players for competitiveness and practice mindset.
Runs the business like a team sport; prepares people for success through training, personal investment, and giving everyone ownership (equity incentive program).

5. Leadership, Culture, and Letting the Hustler Die

Sacrificing the “hustler” mentality for methodical, scalable leadership.
Removes toxic top performers to protect culture:
- “A top producer sometimes lets it go to their head...everybody in the organization sees it, and if you let it happen long enough, they lose respect. So you gotta put a hard stance on that stuff.” (11:47, Tommy)

6. The Founder’s Role & Time Management

The founder’s highest calling shifts from doing to leading, inspiring, and strategic action.
- “My best time is telling people how much I love them and care about them. It’s extracting the best out of them...you gotta be more deliberate with your time.” (13:51, Tommy)
Outsourcing or systemizing minimum-wage tasks to focus on core leadership roles.

7. Personal Transformation & Being a Role Model

The cost of success: Tommy cautions against sacrificing health, relationships, faith, and fun for just money.
- “Now when I have a kid I don’t want ‘Tommy was the best garage door company in the world’ on my casket, I want it to say ‘Best Dad Ever.’” (15:29, Tommy)

8. Deep, Personal Connection with Employees

Uses technology and direct outreach to maintain a personal touch.
- “If you’re a great leader, you’re gonna have people that would ride or die for you...We created a software where I communicate now with birthdays, anniversaries, work anniversaries.” (17:59, Tommy)

9. Staying Grounded & Humility Amid Success

Remains a “big kid” at heart and stresses that “money’s been great, but it’s not fun being at the top of the mountain alone.”
- “Enough is never enough for me because I’m a hunter, and at some point it’s just a game...Only 4% of people have it.” (21:11, Tommy)

10. Discipline, Learning, and Self-Development

Puts millions into personal development annually; values discipline even in “un-fun” activities for mental strength.
Recommends key books for self-development (see “Recommended Reading” below).
- “You don’t need to read a lot of books, you need to read the same books a lot of times.” (26:25, Tommy)

11. Building for Your Team and Not Just for Yourself

Equity and ownership distribute incentives—broad-based profit sharing turns employees into owners, changing the company’s trajectory.
- “We went from $12 million of EBITDA to $27.5 in 19 months because we did an equity incentive program...people had a stake in ownership of the business.” (30:54, Tommy)

12. Mentorship & Learning from Others

Successful growth boils down to learning from others who've already climbed the mountain.
- “I find out who’s been to the top of the mountain...I’m gonna go ask that guy for direction...Teach me how to come up that mountain in two days.” (32:06, Tommy)

13. The Integrator Role: Vision vs. Execution

Visionaries need “integrators” as soon as possible; recommends “Rocket Fuel” by Gino Wickman.
- “I need somebody to pull me back to reality. We’ve got the North Star of what we’re doing, and we’re relentlessly prioritizing objectives.” (34:16, Tommy)

14. Branding: Company & Personal

Rebranding A1 at $30M level made a huge impact; the visual identity must project trust, quality, and peace of mind.
- “The brand is everything. A1 from Day One, baby...People don’t work for a company, they work for the leader...The personal brand of the leader [is] as important, if not more, than the brand of the company itself.” (37:55 & 42:37, Tommy)
Personal content engine: creates a visibility flywheel for recruiting and marketing.

15. Home Services as Gen Z Opportunity

Programming jobs may become obsolete from AI, but home services are booming; “quadruple in the next five years.”
- “Go learn somewhere, be around the right people, learn the trade. You should go get an apprenticeship, do R&D (Rip Off and Duplicate)...I lost ten years learning.” (44:13, Tommy)

16. Escaping the $3-6M Plateau

Bottleneck: founders who hire less talented people or refuse to delegate.
- “The main thing I see...is it’s not system oriented...build manual, standard operating procedures, checklists...when there’s problems all the time, who do you call? The founder.” (46:39, Tommy)

17. Three Principles for Younger Self

“Who, not how”—get in the right circles.
“Readers are leaders”—learn from books and people.
“Be around the right partner”—mentors and spouse.
- “If you don’t get inspired, it becomes a cage...don’t care about being liked because you’re going to be misunderstood.” (48:24, Tommy)

18. Faith, Family, and Meaning

Shares intimate story of being baptized and making a promise to God when his dad was seriously ill—leading to prioritizing faith, family, and gratitude.
- “I fell down to my knees and I started bawling...Whatever deal you made, remember to keep your promise, because just as quick as he gave it to you, he could take it away.” (50:43, Tommy)

19. Legacy & Final Lessons

Remembers his roots, values gratitude, and aspires to be remembered as “best dad ever” who made people better.
- “The funeral is outside, and nobody’s wearing black...He gave more than he took.” (55:51, Tommy)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Motivation & Grit:
“I love to win, but I hate to lose more. There’s no second place trophy...If you’re not first, you’re last.” (00:02, Tommy)
On Focus:
“The hustler had to die for the leader to be born and go all in.” (04:49, Tommy)
On Culture:
“Just because they’re a great performer...you do not run the right play...This is a team sport that we play. It’s a business, but we always pretend it’s a sport.” (11:47, Tommy)
On Personal Brand:
“Personal brand of the leader as important, if not more important, than the brand of the company itself. Visibility is no longer nice to have for leaders. It is part of the business strategy.” (42:37, Tommy)
On Reading:
“You don’t need to read a lot of books. You need to read the same books a lot of times.” (26:25, Tommy)
On Mentorship:
“I’m an honest person. I’ve got a lot of humility. Teach me how to come up that mountain in two days.” (32:06, Tommy)
On Family & Faith:
“I want it to say ‘best dad ever.’” (15:29, Tommy) “I fell down to my knees and I started bawling...Whatever deal you made, remember to keep your promise, because just as quick as he gave it to you, he could take it away.” (50:43, Tommy)
On Legacy:
“He gave more than he took and most of all...he was the best dad in the world, and he treated his kids with respect and taught them everything. He was hard, but fair.” (56:16, Tommy)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:02 – Company revenue and winning mentality
01:25 – Revenue vs. profit, scaling approach
04:49 – Niche focus, leadership evolution
06:32 – Talent, hiring, and building culture
11:47 – Firing toxic top performers
13:51 – Getting out of the technician role
15:29 – The cost of success, six Fs
17:59 – Leadership, personal touch with employees
21:11 – Staying grounded, enough is never enough
26:25 – Book recommendations, learning lessons
30:54 – Giving employees equity and ownership mindset
32:06 – Mentorship, learning from others
34:16 – Visionary/integrator roles
37:55 – Branding, company and personal
42:37 – Power of personal brand in business strategy
44:13 – Home service: Gen Z opportunity
46:39 – Escaping revenue plateaus, systems and delegation
48:24 – Advice for younger self, three principles
50:43 – Baptism, faith, and keeping promises
55:51 – Legacy, being remembered, gratitude

Closing Reflections

Tommy Mello’s story is a testament to grit, adaptability, and putting people first—whether that’s family, a team, or customers. He stresses internal growth, external impact, and has a relentless drive, but balances this with a rare humility, gratitude, and a focus on legacy. The episode delivers both practical frameworks and heartfelt stories for anyone seeking not just business growth, but a meaningful life.

Find Tommy:

Instagram: Official Tommy Mello — DM “Hard Knocks” for a free guide to hiring talent
tommymello.com

For more in-depth entrepreneur interviews, subscribe to the School of Hard Knocks Podcast.

School of Hard Knocks Podcast

Episode: Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire

Date: December 5, 2025
Host: James (with Jack and Josh)
Guest: Tommy Mello, Founder of A1 Garage Door Service

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Company Scale & The Value of Profit over Vanity Revenue

Tommy’s company, A1 Garage Door, crossed $300M in annual revenue.
- “Revenue’s for vanity, profits for sanity. The main goal...you can’t take revenue to the bank because you gotta pay great people, there’s expenses. So the bottom line, we always shoot for over 20% and we’re murdering that goal.” (01:25, Tommy)

2. The Non-Tech Path to Success

Debunking the myth that you need to build the next Google to become wealthy.
Home services can be a path to wealth if approached with focus, specialization, and business acumen.
- “People overestimate what they could do in one year and underestimate what they could do in five...if it could happen, it did happen. Murphy’s Law. But the big thing is wake up the next day and figure out, what are you going to do about it.” (01:58, Tommy)

3. Choosing Specialization Over Generalization

The riches are in the niches: Tommy doubled down on garage doors, resisting the urge to diversify prematurely.
- “The hustler had to die for the leader to be born and go all in.” (04:49, Tommy)
- Importance of focusing on one thing and letting that “basket overflow.”

4. Hiring & Building a Team that Scales

Tommy cares less about resumes, more about integrity and character:
- “They gotta be good people...what I work for them, what I buy from them, would my grandma buy from them...We don’t hire salespeople. We just hire people that smile a lot and do the right thing.” (06:32, Tommy)
Recruits sports players for competitiveness and practice mindset.
Runs the business like a team sport; prepares people for success through training, personal investment, and giving everyone ownership (equity incentive program).

5. Leadership, Culture, and Letting the Hustler Die

Sacrificing the “hustler” mentality for methodical, scalable leadership.
Removes toxic top performers to protect culture:
- “A top producer sometimes lets it go to their head...everybody in the organization sees it, and if you let it happen long enough, they lose respect. So you gotta put a hard stance on that stuff.” (11:47, Tommy)

6. The Founder’s Role & Time Management

The founder’s highest calling shifts from doing to leading, inspiring, and strategic action.
- “My best time is telling people how much I love them and care about them. It’s extracting the best out of them...you gotta be more deliberate with your time.” (13:51, Tommy)
Outsourcing or systemizing minimum-wage tasks to focus on core leadership roles.

7. Personal Transformation & Being a Role Model

The cost of success: Tommy cautions against sacrificing health, relationships, faith, and fun for just money.
- “Now when I have a kid I don’t want ‘Tommy was the best garage door company in the world’ on my casket, I want it to say ‘Best Dad Ever.’” (15:29, Tommy)

8. Deep, Personal Connection with Employees

Uses technology and direct outreach to maintain a personal touch.
- “If you’re a great leader, you’re gonna have people that would ride or die for you...We created a software where I communicate now with birthdays, anniversaries, work anniversaries.” (17:59, Tommy)

9. Staying Grounded & Humility Amid Success

Remains a “big kid” at heart and stresses that “money’s been great, but it’s not fun being at the top of the mountain alone.”
- “Enough is never enough for me because I’m a hunter, and at some point it’s just a game...Only 4% of people have it.” (21:11, Tommy)

10. Discipline, Learning, and Self-Development

Puts millions into personal development annually; values discipline even in “un-fun” activities for mental strength.
Recommends key books for self-development (see “Recommended Reading” below).
- “You don’t need to read a lot of books, you need to read the same books a lot of times.” (26:25, Tommy)

11. Building for Your Team and Not Just for Yourself

Equity and ownership distribute incentives—broad-based profit sharing turns employees into owners, changing the company’s trajectory.
- “We went from $12 million of EBITDA to $27.5 in 19 months because we did an equity incentive program...people had a stake in ownership of the business.” (30:54, Tommy)

12. Mentorship & Learning from Others

Successful growth boils down to learning from others who've already climbed the mountain.
- “I find out who’s been to the top of the mountain...I’m gonna go ask that guy for direction...Teach me how to come up that mountain in two days.” (32:06, Tommy)

13. The Integrator Role: Vision vs. Execution

Visionaries need “integrators” as soon as possible; recommends “Rocket Fuel” by Gino Wickman.
- “I need somebody to pull me back to reality. We’ve got the North Star of what we’re doing, and we’re relentlessly prioritizing objectives.” (34:16, Tommy)

14. Branding: Company & Personal

Rebranding A1 at $30M level made a huge impact; the visual identity must project trust, quality, and peace of mind.
- “The brand is everything. A1 from Day One, baby...People don’t work for a company, they work for the leader...The personal brand of the leader [is] as important, if not more, than the brand of the company itself.” (37:55 & 42:37, Tommy)
Personal content engine: creates a visibility flywheel for recruiting and marketing.

15. Home Services as Gen Z Opportunity

Programming jobs may become obsolete from AI, but home services are booming; “quadruple in the next five years.”
- “Go learn somewhere, be around the right people, learn the trade. You should go get an apprenticeship, do R&D (Rip Off and Duplicate)...I lost ten years learning.” (44:13, Tommy)

16. Escaping the $3-6M Plateau

Bottleneck: founders who hire less talented people or refuse to delegate.
- “The main thing I see...is it’s not system oriented...build manual, standard operating procedures, checklists...when there’s problems all the time, who do you call? The founder.” (46:39, Tommy)

17. Three Principles for Younger Self

“Who, not how”—get in the right circles.
“Readers are leaders”—learn from books and people.
“Be around the right partner”—mentors and spouse.
- “If you don’t get inspired, it becomes a cage...don’t care about being liked because you’re going to be misunderstood.” (48:24, Tommy)

18. Faith, Family, and Meaning

Shares intimate story of being baptized and making a promise to God when his dad was seriously ill—leading to prioritizing faith, family, and gratitude.
- “I fell down to my knees and I started bawling...Whatever deal you made, remember to keep your promise, because just as quick as he gave it to you, he could take it away.” (50:43, Tommy)

19. Legacy & Final Lessons

Remembers his roots, values gratitude, and aspires to be remembered as “best dad ever” who made people better.
- “The funeral is outside, and nobody’s wearing black...He gave more than he took.” (55:51, Tommy)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Motivation & Grit:
“I love to win, but I hate to lose more. There’s no second place trophy...If you’re not first, you’re last.” (00:02, Tommy)
On Focus:
“The hustler had to die for the leader to be born and go all in.” (04:49, Tommy)
On Culture:
“Just because they’re a great performer...you do not run the right play...This is a team sport that we play. It’s a business, but we always pretend it’s a sport.” (11:47, Tommy)
On Personal Brand:
“Personal brand of the leader as important, if not more important, than the brand of the company itself. Visibility is no longer nice to have for leaders. It is part of the business strategy.” (42:37, Tommy)
On Reading:
“You don’t need to read a lot of books. You need to read the same books a lot of times.” (26:25, Tommy)
On Mentorship:
“I’m an honest person. I’ve got a lot of humility. Teach me how to come up that mountain in two days.” (32:06, Tommy)
On Family & Faith:
“I want it to say ‘best dad ever.’” (15:29, Tommy) “I fell down to my knees and I started bawling...Whatever deal you made, remember to keep your promise, because just as quick as he gave it to you, he could take it away.” (50:43, Tommy)
On Legacy:
“He gave more than he took and most of all...he was the best dad in the world, and he treated his kids with respect and taught them everything. He was hard, but fair.” (56:16, Tommy)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:02 – Company revenue and winning mentality
01:25 – Revenue vs. profit, scaling approach
04:49 – Niche focus, leadership evolution
06:32 – Talent, hiring, and building culture
11:47 – Firing toxic top performers
13:51 – Getting out of the technician role
15:29 – The cost of success, six Fs
17:59 – Leadership, personal touch with employees
21:11 – Staying grounded, enough is never enough
26:25 – Book recommendations, learning lessons
30:54 – Giving employees equity and ownership mindset
32:06 – Mentorship, learning from others
34:16 – Visionary/integrator roles
37:55 – Branding, company and personal
42:37 – Power of personal brand in business strategy
44:13 – Home service: Gen Z opportunity
46:39 – Escaping revenue plateaus, systems and delegation
48:24 – Advice for younger self, three principles
50:43 – Baptism, faith, and keeping promises
55:51 – Legacy, being remembered, gratitude

Closing Reflections

Find Tommy:

Instagram: Official Tommy Mello — DM “Hard Knocks” for a free guide to hiring talent
tommymello.com

For more in-depth entrepreneur interviews, subscribe to the School of Hard Knocks Podcast.

Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire, The Billionaire Who Got Rich From A Normal Job

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Summary

School of Hard Knocks Podcast

Episode: Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Company Scale & The Value of Profit over Vanity Revenue

2. The Non-Tech Path to Success

3. Choosing Specialization Over Generalization

4. Hiring & Building a Team that Scales

5. Leadership, Culture, and Letting the Hustler Die

6. The Founder’s Role & Time Management

7. Personal Transformation & Being a Role Model

8. Deep, Personal Connection with Employees

9. Staying Grounded & Humility Amid Success

10. Discipline, Learning, and Self-Development

11. Building for Your Team and Not Just for Yourself

12. Mentorship & Learning from Others

13. The Integrator Role: Vision vs. Execution

14. Branding: Company & Personal

15. Home Services as Gen Z Opportunity

16. Escaping the $3-6M Plateau

17. Three Principles for Younger Self

18. Faith, Family, and Meaning

19. Legacy & Final Lessons

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Recommended Reading

Timestamps for Key Segments

Closing Reflections

Summary

School of Hard Knocks Podcast

Episode: Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Company Scale & The Value of Profit over Vanity Revenue

2. The Non-Tech Path to Success

3. Choosing Specialization Over Generalization

4. Hiring & Building a Team that Scales

5. Leadership, Culture, and Letting the Hustler Die

6. The Founder’s Role & Time Management

7. Personal Transformation & Being a Role Model

8. Deep, Personal Connection with Employees

9. Staying Grounded & Humility Amid Success

10. Discipline, Learning, and Self-Development

11. Building for Your Team and Not Just for Yourself

12. Mentorship & Learning from Others

13. The Integrator Role: Vision vs. Execution

14. Branding: Company & Personal

15. Home Services as Gen Z Opportunity

16. Escaping the $3-6M Plateau

17. Three Principles for Younger Self

18. Faith, Family, and Meaning

19. Legacy & Final Lessons

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Recommended Reading

Timestamps for Key Segments

Closing Reflections