From Accountant to Accountable for $10M Growth

In this episode, Chris Yano and Chad Peterman sit down with Tyler Wickstrom , President of Wickstrom Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Boise, Idaho, to unpack how he turned a small $1M multi-trade company into an $11M powerhouse and where he’s headed next. After his mother’s passing, Ty was thrust into leadership at just 27. With no prior management experience, he rebuilt the business through grit, learning, and extreme ownership. This episode dives into his journey the lessons, the leadership shifts, and the strategies that helped him scale rapidly while maintaining culture and purpose. 🧩 Key Takeaways Stepping Up Through Adversity: How Ty transitioned from accounting student to business owner overnight after his mother’s passing. Scaling from $1M to $11M: Why sales process, recruiting, and culture became the cornerstones of growth. The Power of Mistakes: What happened when ¾ of his plumbing team walked out and how that loss became the turning point. Recruiting and Culture: Building a strong team, learning to demote with empathy, and creating an environment where leaders can thrive. Leveraging Technology: How ServiceTitan, forms, and memberships helped Wickstrom systemize and scale operations. Marketing Momentum: Starting brand awareness in 2022, balancing plumbing vs. HVAC, and driving memberships and retention. Looking Ahead to 2026: The roadmap to $16–18M, tech training programs, and inside sales expansion. Personal Legacy: How Ty honors his late mother through leadership, community impact, and career creation in the trades. ⏱ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro banter & Boise roots 02:10 – Ty’s unexpected path from accounting to home services 06:00 – Taking over a $1M multi-trade business 10:00 – First steps: fixing sales processes & finding mentors 12:15 – The technician-to-manager mistake and lessons learned 19:30 – When ¾ of the plumbers left — what went wrong 22:00 – Rebuilding with better culture and recruiting 25:00 – ServiceTitan setup & the importance of forms and data 29:30 – Marketing shift: launching branding in 2022 33:00 – Membership growth and customer retention tactics 35:30 – 2025–2026 goals: adding HVAC install crews, inside sales 40:00 – Market outlook, leadership lessons, and taking calculated risks 42:20 – What Ty’s late mother would think of his success 46:00 – Closing reflections with Chris & Chad 🔗 Resources & Mentions Wickstrom Plumbing, Heating & Cooling: https://www.wickstromphc.com Book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin ServiceTitan: https://www.servicetitan.com Chirp Automation: Chiirp: https://chiirp.com/ ⭐️ Thank you to our Sponsors! Chiirp: https://chiirp.com/ Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com/ryno/ Bluon: https://www.bluon.com/get-demo?referral_code=ToThePoint Avoca.ai: https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint 📢 Join the Conversation Every week, To The Point dives deep into real-world success stories, leadership insights, and tactical growth lessons for home service professionals. 👉 Subscribe for more episodes 💬 Comment your biggest takeaway from Ty’s story 🔁 Share this episode with someone in the trades who needs inspiration #ToThePointPodcast #HomeServiceGrowth #Leadership #HVAC #Plumbing #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #ServiceTitan #Culture #ExtremeOwnership

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