What's a job you'd hand off if you knew it'd be done right every time?
Whether it's estimates, scheduling, field work, or customer calls, there's usually one task that's really hard to let go of. What’s yours? And if you've successfully handed something off, what finally gave you enough confidence to do it? In this Masters of Home Service episode, Austin Rogers (arogersavai) and Sadi Ingallina (Grow Your Tree Co.) break down one of the toughest transitions for home service owners: stepping out of the field. They share lessons on hiring, training, creating SOPs, and building a business that doesn't depend on the owner being there every day. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Do employees fail because they’re bad, or because the owner never defined the standard?
This question gets uncomfortable fast. When an employee keeps making mistakes, it’s easy to label them as careless, lazy, or a bad fit. And sometimes they are. I’ve had employees or applicants where the issue was clearly attitude, lack of urgency, poor attention to detail, or an unwillingness to take feedback. You can train skill. It’s a lot harder to train someone to care. But I also think owners need to check themselves before they jump straight to blaming the employee. I’ve had moments in my own business where I was frustrated because someone didn’t do the job the way I expected. Then I had to ask myself a harder question: Did I actually teach that expectation clearly, or did I just assume they would pick it up? A lot of standards live in the owner’s head. The owner knows what a finished job should look like or which gate latch is weird. They know which customer is picky and where waste usually hides in a yard. That knowledge comes from repetition. A new employee doesn’t have that yet. If we throw someone into the field with loose instructions and expect owner-level judgment, we’re probably creating our own callback problem. Callbacks are expensive. They cost route time and frustrate customers. They make the owner lose confidence in the employee and the employee will feel like they’re constantly being corrected after the fact. That’s a bad way to train. For us, the better answer has been getting more specific before the mistake happens. What does the job flow look like? When should customer notes be checked? How should the yard be walked? What photos are required? What happens if the gate is locked? What happens if a dog is outside? What counts as complete? What should the technician do when something looks wrong? Those things can’t stay vague once you start hiring. They need to show up in training, ride-alongs, checklists, job forms, videos, quality checks, and repeated feedback. The bigger the business gets, the more dangerous it is for the standard to live only in the owner’s head. There does come a point where it becomes a people problem. If someone has been trained, shown the standard, corrected, given feedback, and still keeps making the same careless mistakes, then you may have the wrong person. But I think the order matters. Define the standard. Train to the standard. Inspect the standard. Correct against the standard. After that, if the person still refuses to meet it, you can make a cleaner decision. When an employee keeps missing the mark, how do you decide whether it’s a training issue, a standards issue, or the wrong person?Should I hire employees or use 1099 subcontractors for better quality?
We have 6 subs full time and it's burned us a few times. We go behind them on ~25% of jobs. We just got CompanyCam and that'll help operationally. But, I am considering going the employee route and paying hourly. What do you feel works best -- to maximize profitability, ensure quality, and reduce headaches?
Claim your Territory!
Hello Jobber Community, My name is Mario Visin, Founder of Group7 Home Services LLC. We joined the Jobber community with a spirit of collaboration, learning, and service to the home services professionals who keep our homes, neighborhoods, and communities running. I believe the home services industry is entering one of the most important seasons in its history. Blue-collar workers are becoming entrepreneurs by the thousands. Handymen, roofers, painters, landscapers, installers, restoration experts, and specialty trade professionals are no longer just working jobs — they are building businesses, serving families, and creating the foundation for generational opportunity. The home services industry represents hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity each year. Large suppliers, big-box retailers, and national construction brands have created tremendous wealth from this industry. Yet the heart of the industry has always been the person swinging the hammer, climbing the ladder, knocking the door, answering the emergency call, and doing the work that homeowners depend on. That person is you. That person is me. That person is the blue-collar professional who deserves better systems, better connection, better opportunity, and a clearer path toward building a meaningful life through the trades. One thing I have noticed across many industries is that people often struggle to connect with one another in ways that truly make a difference. We are entering a time where connection and community will matter more than ever. The future will not only belong to the biggest brands or the largest companies. It will belong to those who learn how to connect, serve, collaborate, and build trust with one another. At Group7 Home Services, we are designing a Live-Work-Play vision for the trades — a curriculum and platform strategy focused on helping home services professionals serve one another, grow together, and build wealth through shared relationships, better systems, referral opportunities, and a service-first mindset. This is not just about jobs. It is about lifestyle. It is about family. It is about creating a future so compelling that the next generation sees the trades as a path of pride, ownership, entrepreneurship, and purpose. Strategy matters. Systems matter. Technology matters. But the real transformation begins when good people come together with humility, discipline, and a desire to serve the need before serving the self. I believe larger technology companies serving the trades, including platforms like Jobber, play an important role in this new era. The right technology can help blue-collar entrepreneurs run smoother businesses, communicate better with customers, organize their teams, and create more professional experiences for the homeowners they serve. But technology alone is not the full answer. The real power comes when technology, community, service, craftsmanship, and vision meet at the same table. Group7’s broader mission is Building Thriving Cities by helping people connect around housing, entrepreneurship, education, and local economic opportunity. We believe the home services professional has a major role to play in that transformation because every strong city begins with strong homes, strong workers, strong families, and strong relationships. I am a visionary, and I understand that vision must be protected, refined, and shared with care. But I also believe the home services industry is ready for a new conversation — one centered on dignity, ownership, connection, and a higher conscious level of capitalism where the smaller parts come together to create something greater than any one person could build alone. The big brands we know today started with a dream, a strategy, and a willingness to work for decades. The next great wave of wealth creation may come from like-minded people linking their common threads together, weaving a much larger blanket of opportunity for families, workers, entrepreneurs, and communities. Being part of a community is just the beginning. How we connect matters. Relationships are everything. Work like your life depends on it. Best, Mario Visin Founder, Group7 Home Services LLC
Is hiring freelancers for admin work worth it? What's your Take?
Has Anyone Used UpWork to Hire Affordable Freelancers for Admin Work/other jobs? I’m curious if anyone here has used UpWork to hire low‑cost freelancers for administrative tasks in their business. A few friends have recommended it for things like scheduling, data entry, inbox management, and other behind‑the‑scenes work — but I’ve never tried it myself. Before I dive in, I wanted to see what this group thinks. Have you used UpWork for admin help? Was it worth it? Any tips, red flags, or success stories? Appreciate any insight from those who’ve been down this road.What kind of employee bonuses are you offering your team?
I recently listened to this Masters of Home Service episode with Cory Byron (WiringByron). It got me thinking, how are you all handling employee bonuses? Has your current approach improved team performance, or have you faced challenges? Share your experience below! Give the episode a listen if you want to learn about: Building a simple bonus system that's easy to manage Common issues a bonus plan can address How regular communication keeps your team motivated Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
