Podcast Summary: To The Point – Home Services Podcast

Episode: From Accountant to Accountable for $10M Growth
Date: November 25, 2025
Guests: Ty Wickstrom (Wickstrom Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Boise, ID)
Hosts: Chris (RYNO Strategic Solutions) & Chad

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Ty Wickstrom’s extraordinary journey, stepping unexpectedly from prospective accountant to head of a stagnating, family-owned, home services business in Boise, Idaho. Ty discusses how personal loss, humility, and a relentless focus on people and process transformed his company from $1M to $11M in revenue in just six years. The conversation offers actionable insights for home service business owners, especially those facing leadership transitions, scalability challenges, and the ever-critical process of recruiting and retaining talent.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ty's Entry into the Business (03:36–06:08)

• Ty's mother, the company’s operations leader, passed away in 2019. He was 27 and three credits from an accounting degree when he abruptly inherited the business.
• The company had been at $1M revenue for decades and was still "multi-trade" (offering plumbing, HVAC, etc.).
• Ty’s father exited immediately (“luckily trusted me enough to take over...” – Ty, 06:08), leaving Ty to learn operations on the fly.

Notable Quote:

“I don't know what I'm doing. So I went out and got in as many best practice groups as I could... Realized I didn’t know anything. It was time to go learn and implement changes.”
– Ty (07:05)

2. Absorbing the Loss – Learning from His Mom (09:13–10:15)

• Ty spent a year shadowing his mother, learning every facet of operations.
• His mom was “the brain” behind the company; his dad was the “dreamer and technical master.”
• The experience was challenging, but it gave him a running start.

Notable Quote:

“She was the operations brain. She kept the lights on, payroll, taxes, decisions on anything.”
– Ty (09:26)

3. First Steps: Laying the Foundation (10:15–12:02)

• Sales Process: Created and documented a basic, trainable five-step sales process.
• Technology: Implemented ServiceTitan for CRM, scheduling, and marketing.
• Recruiting: Became a perpetual recruiter—always looking for talent.

Notable Quote:

“Always be recruiting, constantly, never stop.”
– Ty (11:03)

4. Leadership Mistakes: Technicians ≠ Managers (12:02–15:21)

• Initial leadership team was promoted from technicians, but most lacked management skills.
• When Ty found himself micromanaging (“telling them what to do on a daily basis”—Ty, 14:05), he realized the approach wasn’t sustainable.

Memorable Moment:

“You can be an amazing technician and be a terrible manager. … Like me, I would suck at being a technician.”
– Ty (15:09)

5. Painful Lessons: Losing Three-Quarters of His Plumbers (21:29–25:55)

• In 2024, three-quarters of the plumbing staff left in a mass exodus, following a manager.
• The cause: slow action on Ty’s part regarding pay and leadership changes.
• Lesson: Act quickly on red flags and protect your culture.

Notable Quote:

“It’s 100% on me… I hope a lot of people can avoid that by taking action earlier”—Ty (22:30)
“Somehow… we did the same amount of revenue with two plumbers as before with four. Big eye opener.”—Ty (24:53)

6. Recovery and Culture Shift (25:55–26:43)

• The adversity “galvanized” the team, creating a stronger, more motivated culture.
• Ty focused on recruiting for culture fit, not just filling positions.

7. Optimizing Operations & ServiceTitan (27:36–29:25)

• Leaned heavily into ServiceTitan, especially forms for “360 home evaluations,” membership management, and technician checklists.
• Shifted from volume (“8 jobs/day”) to deep, high-quality service (“2–3 jobs/day”), increasing revenue per call.

Notable Quote:

“Our plumbers today do three jobs a day, mostly two… capitalizing on every single job to the fullest.”
– Ty (29:25)

8. Marketing Shift – Proactive Growth (31:39–36:31)

• Didn’t invest in marketing until 2022: post-pandemic, demand dropped, “had to go from order-taker to order-maker.”
• Brought in a friend to focus on call booking rates and as call center manager.
• Key tactics: radio, ValPak, focusing messaging on plumbing, building the membership base.

9. Memberships & CRM Utilization (36:31–37:22)

• Over 1,800 memberships; heavy use of data for targeted marketing (“tagging” equipment age, follow-ups for replacements, etc.).

10. Sales Process Development & Training (37:22–38:14)

• Relied on coaching groups and peer shop tours for best practices.
• Continuous weekly training and ride-alongs with techs.

11. Next Phase: Scaling to $16M+ (39:07–41:03)

• Immediate plan: Add a dedicated HVAC install crew for $3M revenue bump; pursue more branding/market share.
• Building in-house training (“tech top tech” program) and launching inside sales to capture more follow up business.
• Leading with financing on all jobs (HVAC and plumbing).

12. Attitude Toward Challenges Ahead (43:10–53:45)

• Hosts discuss industry-wide uncertainty for 2026, but Ty is committed to doubling down and growing aggressively—focused on market share, talent development, and culture.

Memorable Quotes and Moments

• Humility & Self-Reflection:
  “If you’re micromanaging somebody… that’s when you know that, okay, probably not their skill set.”
  – Ty (15:00)
• On Culture after Crisis:
  “It put a chip on a lot of people’s shoulders…to like, prove that you can’t touch us.”
  – Ty (26:19)
• On Leadership Growth:
  “[If] you cast a big enough vision for your team…most of them realize it far sooner than you do.”
  – Chad (19:46)
• On His Mom’s Legacy:
  “Our mission is to improve the community, to create careers in the trades… I think she's proud of that.”
  – Ty (48:21)

Important Timestamps

• 00:24–03:36: Introduction; Ty’s backstory and Boise State roots
• 04:25–06:08: The pivot after his mother’s passing, inheriting the business
• 10:15–12:02: Foundation for scaling: process, recruiting, technology
• 15:21–19:37: Realizing management mistakes; the challenge with promoting techs
• 21:29–25:55: The plumber exodus—what went wrong and how it was fixed
• 27:36–29:25: Key use of ServiceTitan, process checklists, revenue boost
• 31:39–36:31: Beginning marketing efforts; call center and lead booking
• 39:07–41:03: 2026 growth plan: new divisions, inside sales, investments in branding
• 46:22–49:04: What Ty’s mom would think about his journey—honoring legacy
• 53:15–53:50: Closing thoughts—advice for listeners and affirmation from the hosts

Tone and Atmosphere

• Conversational, Candid, Uplifting: The hosts offer good-natured jokes, encouragement, and empathy (frequent ribbing about sports, facial hair, and “butt chins” set a relaxed tone).
• Authentic and Inspirational: Ty’s humility and willingness to admit mistakes (“100% on me”) inspire relatability.
• Action-Oriented: The discussion is practical, filled with repeatable steps, warnings about common pitfalls, and encouragement to “never stop recruiting” and “train continuously.”

Final Takeaways

• Crisis creates opportunity: Ty’s story demonstrates the power of humility, tenacity, and a willingness to seek help.
• Culture and people first: Don’t be afraid to course-correct on leadership. Protect your talent and company culture at all costs.
• Process, technology, and training are essential pillars for rapid and sustainable growth.
• The journey is long but possible: With the right mindset and support, even unexpected leaders can drive exponential growth in the trades.
• Legacy matters: Expanding a business is about impact—on employees, community, and the family legacy.

“You don't have to do everything, but you gotta do something. No zero days.”
– Chris (53:50)
A fitting end to an episode about taking accountability and bold action, no matter where you start.