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    1. Columns

    Where Are You Taking Your HVAC Business?

    Jan. 11, 2021
    The new book, "It's Go-Time" provides advice from veteran HVAC business owners on starting a home service company, how to manage it for the right profit, and prepare it for ultimate sale.

    There’s an abundance of HVAC business management resources out there, if you want to succeed, and know where to look.

    It’s always been that way, since the earliest days of this industry, beginning with trade publications and later, with associations, consultants, and member groups, all of which continue to provide networking and learning opportunities across the USA. Trade shows? Hundreds of thousands have traveled to perennial events, and I hope we get back to live shows soon.
    Go-Time Success Group
    Go Time Book Cover

    Finally, there are the books. Lots and lots of books. This one is special. In the tradition of Matt Michel's "The Power of Positive Pricing" and Ron Smith's "HVAC Spells Wealth" comes “It’s Go-Time,” by Ben Stark and Chris Hunter with David E. Rothacker (2020, Go-Time Publishing), and it provides 286 pages of solid guidance for every aspect of running a successful home service company.

    This impressive, up-tempo book features bright graphics and notes from each author that take the reader on their journey to greatness. It’s easy to see that the content came about only by many hours of work, just as any successful company should be built.

    The authors have “been there, done that.” Chris Hunter and his wife, Nickie, started Hunter Heat and Air in 2006. The business has grown to over six locations throughout Oklahoma. Hunter is now director of customer relations for ServiceTitan, and co-owner of Go-Time Success Group with Ben Stark.

    Ben Stark started Stark Heat and Air in 1986, sold it in 1997, and later founded DFW Comfort Experts dba Stark Air, which he sold in 2012. David Rothaker served for 25 years in various commercial HVAC business management roles. Later, he founded AREA51HVAC.com, an online community for HVAC and plumbing professionals. Today, he is author of the Saturday Rabbit Hole, a contributor to Comanche Marketing and a Service Nation Alliance mentor.

    This book, writes Rothacker in the Introduction, is “a story of transformation, a compilation of lessons learned and massive action taken.” The title is an acronym for: GOALS. OBSERVING and learning from others. TAKING massive action. INSPECTING the results of the action you took. MODIFYING,. making the plan better. And ENGAGEMENT with your team and your target customer.

    The book’s 20 chapters include:

    • Begin With the End in Mind: The smartest play is to run and grow your business today as if you plan to sell it in the end.
    • Vision, Mission, Core Values, WHY: Vision is a big-picture view of your desired future, your blueprint for success
    • Coworker Development: The most important investment is in building your team and developing its individual members.
    • Recruit, Hire, Retain: Recruit and hire those who fit in with your team. They want to stay on and contribute, and gently nudge you forward.
    • Leadership: Your employees know good leadership when they see it. They trust in your ability to build the business, its systems and processes that will move the company forward. 
    • Financial Management: You must manage your business via the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash-flow statement.
    • Sales: This includes the type of selling systems you use, and how your comfort advisors go about trying to make a sale.
    • Success Planning: This is how you destroy inconsistency and feeble profitability. Hunter tells his story, and how a visit to a Service Nation Alliance meeting put his company on a path to profitability.
    • And 12 more.

    Chapters include a “Go-Time Formula” exercise that reinforces the lesson of each business principle The reader can apply the lesson to their individual business, set goals, observe how other companies have applied each lesson, take “massive” action, and track results with team involvement as needed.

    If you’ve only recently opened your doors, now’s the time to apply the many principles of this book to building a successful HVAC business early. If you own an existing company with some years under your belt, it’s never to late to step back and apply many of these valuable tips.

    Get the book at: gotimesuccessgroup.com/product/its-go-time/. You can learn more about Go-Time’s business development services at GoTimeSuccessGroup.com.

    Best wishes for a great, breakout year!