At what point did you realize you needed more systems instead of just working harder?
At what point did you realize you needed more systems instead of just working harder? One thing I've noticed over the years is that almost every problem in a growing business gets solved the same way at first: the owner works longer hours. Need estimates out faster? Stay up later. Need to keep jobs moving? Spend more time on site. Need to answer clients? Reply at night. It works... until it doesn't. Eventually you hit a point where putting in more hours barely moves the needle. The bottleneck isn't effort anymore. It's the lack of systems. For us, that meant standardizing things like estimating, handoffs to production, material ordering, site documentation, and communication with clients. I'm curious if anyone else had a moment where they realized they couldn't outwork the problem anymore. What system had the biggest impact on your business?
When do you turn down profitable plumbing work to protect your team and reputation?
In the early days of Sitko Plumbing and Drain Services in San Diego, I said yes to almost every call — evenings, weekends, 1+ hour drives, you name it. Sewer emergencies don’t wait, and I wanted the revenue. But I quickly learned that constantly overcommitting burned out my techs, led to rushed jobs, and hurt our quality. Last year we had a stretch where we were slammed with back-to-back mainline replacements. We pushed through, but the team was exhausted and one preventable callback slipped through. That hurt more than turning down a few jobs would have. Now we’re much more intentional: we protect core hours for our core customers, build in buffer time, and politely refer overflow to trusted partners when needed. It’s meant steadier growth, happier techs (just gave one a well-deserved raise and promotion), and better reviews overall. Question for the group: How do you decide when to say “no” or refer out work — even if it’s profitable — especially in a trade like plumbing where emergencies are constant? Curious how others balance growth vs. sustainability. Would love to hear what’s working for you!What helped you build discipline while growing your business?
In a recent Masters of Home Service episode, Savannah Revis of Earth Love Cleaning shared how bodybuilding taught her the discipline to keep going when things got tough. That mindset helped her grow her cleaning business past $1 million. What about you? What experience, challenge, hobby, or sport taught you discipline or resilience? How did that lesson help you grow your business? Listen to Savannah's full episode below, where she talks about staying consistent while scaling, creating clear SOPs and checklists, and building the right team to support growth. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
How do you stay motivated as an entrepreneur when facing constant rejection?
Hello everyone, I’m reaching out to my fellow entrepreneurs. I am a serial entrepreneur with multiple businesses, but I have a strong passion for serving in real estate and traditional home-related services. People often contact me for down payment assistance, closing cost help, home improvements, foreclosure prevention, rental assistance, debt relief, or support for first-time homebuyers. I connect people with the resources they need to maintain and sustain homeownership, promote housing stability, and ensure safe housing. Recently, I decided to form a nonprofit with my amazing team because I’ve mostly been referring people to resources, but I want to become a direct resource myself. If you’re a new entrepreneur or a seasoned one like me, you know that starting or working on something often involves a lot of rejection. Today, I’m just reaching out to see how everyone stays motivated. My motivation has always been my community and service. I want to hear from my fellow entrepreneurs: how do you stay motivated? I’d love to hear different perspectives in the comments.
Manifesting my jobber grant finalist and reward .😎
I just wanna hit that finalist spot for the jobber grant so I can show my son all this time spent restless, stressed and sacrificing time together was for something. I wanna look at him and be like alright little guy we have been through hell and back but persistence and faith paid off we can now execute towards our life of financial freedom and success. We broke the generational curses and now I will secure everyone in the bloodlines future starting with my son . I need it I want it I will stop at nothing to prove I am the person I've claimed to be and I will not give up the fight!How do you stay focused on one business when you keep getting new ideas?
Hey everyone, My name is Robbie, and I've been building Monarch Landscaping in Ontario, Canada, for the past 3 years (still feels like we're in the baby stages lol). Today we have 7 employees, solid systems in place, and for the first time, I'm primarily focused on sales, strategy, and putting out the occasional fire rather than being involved in every part of the day-to-day operations. Over the last 3 years, I've had to slowly let go of several other ventures to fully commit to Monarch. At one point, I was running a pressure washing startup, a marketing consulting business, a small marketing agency serving trades businesses, a YouTube channel, and constantly working on new ideas. Over the past year, I've intentionally let most of those things fizzle out so I could put my full attention into Monarch, and honestly, it's been one of the best decisions I've made. The challenge is that I still get a new business idea almost every day—especially when things slow down. One day it's a new division for Monarch. The next day it's a bin rental business. Then it's software, marketing, AI, or some completely different opportunity. I've noticed these thoughts usually show up when I feel like I'm not moving fast enough or when the business isn't yet where I want it to be. Some questions: - How do you stay focused on one thing? - How do you know when a new opportunity is a distraction versus a legitimate next step? - Have any of you struggled with "entrepreneurial ADHD," and if so, how did you overcome it? Looking forward to hearing your experiences. Robbie Monarch Landscaping
