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This is to the Point a Rhino experience. Fully one of the top home services, marketing and operations podcasts. Cutting through the. And getting to the Point.
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Hey, what's up everybody? It's your boy Chris with another micro episode on to the Point. And this one, man, this one had me going down memory lane. I'm going to just share some of the common things that I've learned from the hundred plus home service titans, home service business owners, celebrities that we've had on the podcast, current influencers, overall leaders like we've had. We've had. This is season six. We're in nearly 270 episodes and wow, I cannot believe it's been this many years of doing it. And I mean since the beginning of 2020, literally the January of 2020. And let me just share real quick, like the whole purpose of this was the, the whole, here's how this came about when in 2019, you know, still in our, in our joint venture partnership with Gary Vaynerchuk. So I get to have him as a partner. And, and this was from a conversation he and I had at his VaynerMedia in New York. And I was asking him, hey man, what can I do with, you know, we have so many contractors that come to us that are just too small for us to work with. And I, and I hated being able to happen to say no to help people because I want to help people. Like that's part of my DNA is I want to continue to give back and help the contractors. And I've been in the industry a long time, so I knew what to do. It's just I also knew that I could only work with so many people in the same place. And we've kind of built this, you know, reputation around helping larger contractors. So I thought I was asking him in one of our meetings, you know, what are, what are ways that I could do something for these people that I had that I'm not able to work with, you know, as a, with digital marketing. And he threw out the idea of podcasting and obviously I'd listen to his podcast. That's how I was even turned on to him in the first place and kind of following some of his business businesses advice and he was in a media company so like I really paid attention and he said, launch a podcast. Really the only thing I thought is I'm already super busy and I don't want to do all that extra work now. Like, how am I going to figure out how to make this work? Well, the thought process was he said, well, you love to give back like you want to give back to these guys. If you create a podcast, you can give back to these contractors at scale, and you can help them whether they're a customer or not. And you can help them by bringing on some of your big players who people want to be like and learn from, and have them share some of their tactics or their troubles that they run into and all these issues. So that's really what set the tone for this. And if you come into the podcast studio or you've been in here, you'll notice real big on the wall. It says, the home services podcast that gives back. That's literally where this thing birthed from. Was that. So we did right out the gate, I brought on Ken Goodrich, and that kind of set the tone for the podcast. And honestly, the timing was perfect because it was right before the pand and podcasts really started to blow up. So some timing played in my favorite here. But. But here's what it did, is it gave me access to so many fantastic leaders in this business, and I get to. I got to have a weekly session of learning myself. So though I was giving, you know, bringing on people and trying to ask the stories and. And I had sat in so many war rooms with big players in this industry for so many years and went through their strategies and listened to things they had to say and. And the questions that they would ask and their thought processes. And I thought, man, how cool if I could bring you, the listener, into those war rooms with me to be the fly on the wall. Everybody wants to be a fly on the wall. This was. This podcast was able to do that. So this was my way of giving back at scale. I honestly didn't think five years later, 270 episodes later, that I would still be doing it this long. But. But here's the deal. I love it because I get so much fulfillment from those that reach out to us. The listener base continues to grow, which is like. I mean, it's humbling and I'm grateful, but it keeps driving me to do it. And now I'm actually even more inspired to keep doing more of these things. And these little micro episodes seem to be helping quite a bit because we get a lot of good feedback from it. And we're trying to get better and better at doing them and making them meaningful, but keeping it short. So let me just throw out a few things to you when I listen to. If I go back and think about all of our best, best of episodes that we do every year where we tally up all the people throughout the year, I always find the same common traits, the same common things from those that are leaders, whether you're actually in business, they're celebrities or whatever. There's some few common things that all of them do really, really well. So it'd be cool if you, if you have an interest and you go to the podcast and if not, left us a review. Hey, that'd be super helpful. But as you're going back and leaving a review, go and just do a search for some of these names. I'll drop at you and listen to that episode. If you haven't to, because it might be from five years ago, four years ago, but let me just throw out a couple names to you. Like some of our big players, you guys, some of you know this. I'm connected to a lot of these guys and gals. But, you know, Goodrich, you know, Dave Geiger from Horizon, Ken Haynes from Wrench, Leland Smith. Service Champions. Jonathan Bancroft, Morris Jenkins, Kevin Comerford from Service Champions, norcal, Paul Kelly from Parker and Sons, Wyatt Epworth from Any Hour Group, Alan o' Neill, Abacus down in Texas, Jimmy Hiller. Like, those are some big players we've had on here that, you know, were the OGs in this space, right? Like, kind of guys who did a good job of paving the way. And then of course, you know, all of our players today, you know, my buddy Chad, our co host Tommy, my good friend Tommy Mellow. Chris Hoffman. Love that dude, man. Such a sharp guy. My buddy Aaron Gaynor over in Ohio, we had Ara on from CEO of Service Titan and what he was doing for the industry from rhino X in 2024. Some of the ladies we've had on that have kicked ass. Mary Jean Anderson, Claire from Standard up in Minnesota, my friend Amanda Zink here in Lake Havasu doing some making some big moves. Dana, hoddle up CNC up in Detroit, Catherine Donovan. Howard, excuse me, Tom Howard's sister. Crushing it for Lee's. My wife Anna Yana was on. Charlene Ierna, One of the OGs from Florida, just had some great talent on from this industry. Then you look at the celebs, like some of the guys that are behind me on this, you know, on the backdrop. And you had Gary Vee come on really early in the episodes. That was awesome. Helpful. Howard Behar, who was a former president of Starbucks. That was cool. Larry Fitzgerald, you know, first ballot hall of famer for my beloved Arizona Cardinals receiver Mike Tyson, you know, that was one of my favorites of all time. Coach Saban Was on last year from Alabama. See Michael E. Gerber from the E. Myth. I mean, that was one of the books I read early on. Ken Goodrich, you know, brought him in studio with us that we did one that was in year one. Jens Pulver, my buddy, first UFC lightweight champion. And then we have Walter Bondon, one of the great speakers. Love that episode, too. Just so much talent, not just in the business world, but in the entertainment world as well. And it was what is it that all these guys do that has made them so successful? And as I think through it all, it actually is very simple. The real difference is in how they lead, how they build culture. And they relentlessly execute the basics. Just the basics, man, and the discipline that they have to do it over and over and over and over again and then surround themselves with great talent and constantly stay students. So many home service business owners are chasing, you know, the complex tools that they kind of half ass implement, looking for hacks or like secrets, thinking that success comes from like some hidden strategy went into reality. They're overlooking the. The fundamentals that actually move the needle, like leadership culture and the consistent execution, the daily grind, the no zero days mentality. So if business owners keep chasing the shortcuts like flashy tactics without mastering these basic fundamentals, well, that's when they get stuck and they stay stuck, right? Or if you're too proud to ask for the help, you get stuck in these positions, you get stuck in these spots. So here's what I've learned from all these episodes. Focus on the fundamentals, the boring stuff, right? That's where the real work is done. That's where the real success comes from, is in the boring basic fundamentals, right? You have to lead a team with clarity, find good, you know, get these systems and processes down. And Goodrich talks about this all the time. Get them dialed in, continue to refine them, and then make sure that you bring in some solid leadership around you, right? And that you pour into these people, lead with absolute clarity. So there's no question what they. What you want them to do and where you're going and how they fit into that, into that picture. Invest into your team, in the culture. I don't care how much you want you. You get sick of hearing about culture, man. I'm telling you. And having been through it, culture can change the trajectory of your business. If it's bad, it can change one way. If it's good, it can go the right way. And you can create a lot of happy employees and create a lot of Prosperity. And you can do so much good for two sets of people, your own team and your clients. Like it's the perfect case scenario. And then what brings it all home is hopefully that fills your cup too. So thinking through like all these episodes we've done all these years and trying to like just really pinpoint, like, man, is there something special? No, it's the, it's the fundamentals of the business. Taking care of the people, executing every single day. Not trying to find fucking shortcuts, right? Shortcuts are a short term, you know, short term gain, long term loss, right? Just execute on the basics and put your pride aside and ask for help. So much mentorship is available to you right now. So much than ever before. People who've already figured the shit out. So you don't need to like read. Reinvent the wheel here, right? The boring stuff is where you start to see great growth. You got to focus on it and then execute. Execute the basics relentlessly with relentless consistency. That is what separates the top performers from the rest. Not some shiny tool or hidden tactics or secrets. Straight up relentless consistency, executing. That's it. So I look at a couple things as I'm thinking about, you know, some, some of my guests and like what I think that they're good at or the things I say about them, often that, that are all major players or major performers or really big movers and shakers. They're all students still. They're great listeners and they continuously listen, right? And they're actually listening to understand, not to speak, like legit being good students always, they're surrounded with like minded people. Like, who you hang out with does matter, both personally and professionally. By the way. Like, I want to be around good vibes. I want to be around smart people, you know, I want to make sure. Because these guys challenge me, right? Like when I get to do this stuff every week, it. I'm upping my game every single week. But I've got a great friend group that, my personal friend group that also supports that. And they're positive. You have to have almost delusional self belief, right? Like look in the mirror. Believe so much in yourself that it almost seems crazy. Like how could someone possibly believe in themselves that much, right? These guys do. Or these gals do progress over perfection. None of them are trying to get it perfect before they move on, all right? They get it. They get a good system and process in place as good as they can. They move fast, they fail faster. Not intending to fail, but they're just finding failure faster. And then they move and fix it again. But they're moving fast. Progress over perfection. And again, the biggest thing I can say is one thing I think is just a big win across all these, across all these big movers and shakers and all the amazing thing that they're doing is, you know, they just go. Like I said, I talked about progress over perfection. They just go and do. May not have it all figured out. Like sometimes you do jump and you do jump and build the parachute on the way down. It's just that, you guys have heard me say this. It's just that they get better at building the parachute as they keep jumping. Her shoe keeps getting better because then now they've jumped quite a few times and learned some things. But I'll tell you this much. Some of these people are. Are in the private equity space right now. They were in. Some are still private. We have some really great contractors. Chad's privately held still. Aaron Gaynor's privately held. We have, you know, Michael Bruner privately held shoot pushing monster company down in Florida. We have some great privately held businesses. They weren't any different than you. They just executed the fundamentals faster, were good students and then, and then applied the things that they learned, messed them up a little bit and then fixed them and moved on. But the culture and their businesses are second to none. You can't do it without great people and you genuinely got to care about them. So what's the secret to having a successful company? It's the fundamentals. It's just the fundamentals and executing them every single day. So if you're looking for some hidden, hidden tricks or, you know, tra. Tricks of the trade, there is none. Trick is don't be lazy, be focused, believe in yourself, take care of your people, move fast and go. Just fucking go. That's how you get it done. Keep listening to podcasts like this, keep reaching out to people and asking for help when you need it, but just go. You'll got to do everything but you sure as hell gotta do something. Just like all these people who've been on this podcast who've had major success. No. Zero days.
Podcast Summary: To The Point - Home Services Podcast Episode: TTP Micro Episode: Lessons I've Learned Release Date: May 8, 2025
Hosted by RYNO Strategic Solutions
In the "Lessons I've Learned" micro episode of the To The Point - Home Services Podcast, host Chris delves into his extensive experience over nearly 270 episodes since January 2020. Reflecting on interactions with over a hundred home service industry leaders, Chris shares invaluable insights that have shaped his understanding of building and sustaining successful service companies. This episode serves as both a retrospective and a guide for home service business owners aiming to scale their operations effectively.
Chris begins by recounting the inception of the podcast, which was born out of a desire to support smaller contractors who were too small to collaborate directly with his firm. In a conversation with Gary Vaynerchuk at VaynerMedia in New York, Gary suggested podcasting as a scalable solution to help these contractors. Initially hesitant due to time constraints, Chris embraced the idea, recognizing the potential to provide widespread value by featuring industry leaders who could share their strategies and challenges.
Chris: "If you create a podcast, you can give back to these contractors at scale... bring on some of your big players who people want to be like and learn from." [00:50]
The podcast quickly gained momentum, attracting prominent figures in the home services sector and beyond, establishing itself just as podcasts began to surge in popularity.
Throughout its run, the podcast has featured an impressive roster of guests, including:
These guests, spanning both the home services industry and the entertainment world, have provided a diverse array of perspectives and strategies that have enriched the podcast's content and offered listeners a broad spectrum of insights.
Chris: "These guys did a good job of paving the way... they've kicked ass and have such a sharp mindset." [07:45]
Chris synthesizes the lessons drawn from his conversations with industry leaders, emphasizing that success in the home services sector—and business in general—hinges on mastering the fundamentals. The core principles highlighted include:
Leadership and Culture
Chris: "It's the fundamentals of the business. Taking care of the people, executing every single day." [15:20]
Relentless Execution
Chris: "Relentless execution, the daily grind, the no zero days mentality." [16:45]
Continuous Learning and Adaptation
Chris: "Progress over perfection. None of them are trying to get it perfect before they move on." [23:10]
Surrounding Yourself with Great Talent
Chris: "Surround themselves with great talent and constantly stay students." [12:50]
Avoiding Shortcuts
Chris: "Shortcuts are a short term gain, long term loss. Just execute on the basics." [19:30]
Chris offers actionable advice for home service business owners based on the compiled wisdom from his guests:
Chris: "Don't be lazy, be focused, believe in yourself, take care of your people, move fast and go." [33:15]
Chris wraps up the episode by reiterating that there are no hidden secrets to success—only the consistent application of fundamental business practices. He underscores the importance of execution, leadership, and a strong team culture as the pillars that support thriving home service businesses.
Chris: "That's what separates the top performers from the rest. Not some shiny tool or hidden tactics or secrets. Straight up relentless consistency, executing. That's it." [34:50]
Encouraging listeners to continue seeking knowledge and support, Chris emphasizes that taking action, even imperfectly, is crucial. By maintaining focus on the basics and executing them diligently, business owners can achieve substantial growth and enduring success.
For home service business owners seeking to scale their operations, Chris’s reflections offer a roadmap grounded in real-world experience and the collective wisdom of industry leaders. By focusing on these essential principles, leaders can build resilient and prosperous companies.
Notable Quotes:
This episode encapsulates the essence of building a successful home service business through foundational practices, effective leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, the lessons shared by Chris offer valuable guidance to navigate the complexities of scaling a service company.