Real American Grit Podcast

About Real American Grit Podcast

Real American Grit, hosted by Tom Howard, goes beyond business theory to uncover what it really takes to build, operate, scale, and sell successful contracting companies. Through candid conversations with proven owners, operators, leaders, and industry standouts, the show explores the hard lessons, strategies, risks, and relentless work behind real-world success. No fluff. Just experience earned in the trenches.

Publisher

Tom Howard

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Jul 2026

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Oct 2026

   Jacob Reese | Profiting With Your Suppliers

   Your supplier should do more than sell you parts—it should help you protect labor, inventory, and margin. Jacob Reese of Standard Plumbing Supply joins Tom Howard to explain how vendor-managed inventory can place a mini supply house inside a contractor’s warehouse, why install kits reduce wasted trips and missing parts, and how consignment inventory frees cash for growth. The conversation moves from the hidden cost of technicians visiting supply houses to the discipline behind healthier companies. Jacob and Tom discuss supplier incentives, pricing, choosing credible coaches and capital partners, building weekly financial visibility, planning leads and staffing before adding trucks, and why rapid growth often compresses EBITDA. It’s a practical look at making suppliers true operating partners instead of another place your team loses time. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) Connect with Jacob Reese Standard Plumbing Supply: https://www.standardplumbing.com/ (https://www.standardplumbing.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobnreese (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobnreese) Chapter Markers 00:00 - Growing Up at Standard Plumbing Supply 01:50 - A Supply House Inside Your Warehouse 05:02 - Install Kits and Job-Level Parts Tracking 10:02 - Buying Back the Contractor’s Time 13:47 - The Real Cost of Supply House Runs 18:14 - Health, Discipline, and Sustainable Success 27:01 - Choosing Coaches and Capital Partners 34:01 - What Home Service Businesses Get Wrong 39:01 - Planning Leads, Techs, Trucks, and Growth 45:00 - Why Fast Growth Can Crush EBITDA 48:01 - Turning Supplier Relationships Into Profit If this conversation gave you a better way to think about inventory, labor, or growth, follow American Grit and share it with another contractor. #AmericanGrit #TomHoward #JacobReese #StandardPlumbingSupply #HomeServices #ContractorBusiness #VendorManagedInventory #HVAC #Plumbing #InventoryManagement #BusinessGrowth #EBITDA

2. 

   3 Oct 2026

   Richard Kohberger | The Blue Collar Nerd's ServiceTitan Playbook

   Tom Howard sits down with Richard Kohberger, better known as the Blue Collar Nerd, to unpack how a field technician from his family's HVAC business became a ServiceTitan expert and technology educator for contractors. Richard explains how to use the platform's setup, price book, KPI, follow-up, and call-review tools without turning the software into busywork. They also discuss the shift from paper processes to measurable systems, the future of AI phone answering, and why smaller contractors should focus on the workflows that create better decisions and customer experiences. In this episode: Build a ServiceTitan setup around how the business actually operates. Use price books, KPIs, and follow-up screens to find missed revenue. Replace paper processes and assumptions with usable operating data. Decide where AI can improve phone coverage without losing the human touch. Start implementing useful systems quickly and improve them over time. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) Connect with Richard Kohberger Blue Collar Nerd: https://www.bluecollarnerd.com/ (https://www.bluecollarnerd.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-kohberger-306860102 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-kohberger-306860102) Chapter Markers 00:00 - Meet Richard Kohberger 05:05 - Building the Blue Collar Nerd 10:04 - What Contractors Get Wrong About ServiceTitan 15:03 - Setup, Price Books, and Data 20:06 - Measuring KPIs Correctly 25:00 - Eliminating Busywork in the Field 30:00 - Finding Revenue in Follow-Up 35:01 - AI and the Future of Service Teams 40:02 - From Custom Work to Scalable Systems 45:01 - The Next Wave of AI

3. 

   26 Sept 2026

   Ellen Rohr | How to Read the Numbers Before They Become Problems

   Tom Howard sits down with Ellen Rohr, business advisor and co-founder of Zoom Drain, to unpack the financial habits that help trades businesses make better decisions. Ellen explains how to connect frontline numbers such as close rate, average ticket, cost per lead, and lead volume to trailing numbers such as sales, profit, cash, and the balance sheet. They also break down departmental financials, gross profit, overhead, pricing, and the discipline of auditing the numbers every week. The conversation is a practical reminder that financial clarity is not about building a perfect spreadsheet; it is about giving owners and teams enough visibility to act sooner. In this episode: Track the frontline numbers that predict future performance. Separate departments so gross profit is visible by part of the business. Connect pricing, overhead, and net profit to the revenue plan. Audit financial statements consistently instead of waiting for year-end. Use open-book communication to help teams understand the decisions. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) Connect with Ellen Rohr Website: https://ellenrohr.com/ (https://ellenrohr.com/) Zoom Drain: https://www.zoomdrain.com/ (https://www.zoomdrain.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-rohr-5052101/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-rohr-5052101/) Chapter Markers 00:00 - Meet Ellen Rohr 05:00 - Working Inside a Growing Trades Business 10:04 - The Financial Story Behind Growth 15:02 - Frontline and Trailing Numbers 20:02 - Departmentalizing Financials 25:06 - Gross Profit, Overhead, and Net Profit 30:01 - Pricing for a Sustainable Business 35:01 - Learning from Bigger Operators 40:04 - Implementing Solutions Quickly 45:00 - Asking for Help and Charging What You Are Worth 50:01 - Open-Book Management

4. 

   21 Sept 2026

   Ismael Valdez | Why Customer Retention Beats Turnover

   Tom Howard sits down with Ismael Valdez, founder of Nuve and the former founder of NexGen, to unpack the operating decisions behind building a home-service company from zero to a roughly $100M exit in six years and four months. Ismael and Tom revisit NexGen's early paper-invoice days, the ServiceTitan dispute that forced a closer look at systems and costs, and the marketing cuts that made the operation more efficient. They also break down why Nuve was built for customer retention, the challenge of taking a new product to contractors, and why trade owners need to give technicians room to solve smaller problems and earn long-term trust. In this episode: Build operating systems before scale exposes the gaps. Track marketing and overhead closely enough to cut what is not working. Use a sale process to strengthen the business, not just prepare an exit. Design retention around the full customer relationship, not free memberships. Give technicians the tools and autonomy to earn trust on smaller repairs. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) Connect with Ismael Valdez Nuve: https://www.nuvehome.com/ (https://www.nuvehome.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ismael-valdez-a6b9002a5 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ismael-valdez-a6b9002a5) Chapter Markers 00:00 - From Immigrant to $100M Exit 05:18 - Fixing ServiceTitan and the Cost of Bad Systems 10:00 - Using Data to Cut Costs and Marketing Waste 15:03 - Cutting Inefficient Advertising 20:00 - Preparing NexGen for a Sale 25:04 - Why Nuve Needed an Operator 30:01 - Taking a New Product to Contractors 40:10 - Nuve's First-Year Growth 45:02 - Taking Calculated Risks in the Trades 50:03 - Retention Is the Real Business Model 55:01 - Letting Technicians Build Trust

5. 

   12 Sept 2026

   Terry Heller | Building Preferred Roofing's Rapid Growth

   Tom Howard sits down with Terry Heller, owner of Preferred Roofing, who transitioned from the music industry to roofing. Terry shares his unconventional journey from working at Ruthless Records to building a successful roofing company. The conversation covers practical insights on scaling a business, leveraging AI in customer service, and maintaining authenticity in customer interactions. The discussion highlights Terry's rapid business growth, strategies for talent recognition, and the importance of customer service in the trades. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward)

6. 

   5 Sept 2026

   Ken Goodrich | Acquiring Competitors for Growth

   Tom Howard sits down with Ken Goodrich, a seasoned industry expert, to discuss acquiring competitors and growing your business. Ken shares his experience buying companies, valuing databases, and executing successful deals. The conversation covers tactical strategies for acquiring competitors, handling customer databases, and creating revenue streams. Ken also shares stories of his most notable deals and the lessons he learned along the way. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) Connect with Ken Goodrich The Goodrich Organization: https://kengoodrich.com/ (https://kengoodrich.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-d-goodrich-ba580427 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-d-goodrich-ba580427)

7. 

   29 Aug 2026

   Ken Goodrich | Turning Distressed Brands Into Growth

   Tom Howard sits down with Ken Goodrich breaking down how Ken evaluates acquisitions, competes for talent, and turns distressed brands and customer databases into growing home-service businesses. Ken shares how one competitive battle led to recruiting 44 employees, why cash flow creates market power, and how he protected a major earnout when a licensing board challenged his pricing. They also unpack buying key assets through bankruptcy, recognizing the hidden value in Goettl's brand history, using suppliers to find acquisition opportunities, and turning a $4 million database-and-brand deal into $20 million in first-year revenue. Ken closes with a practical framework for valuing customer calls, hedging projections, using seller financing, and preparing for the friction that can follow when a buyer creates value the former owner could not. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) Connect with Ken Goodrich The Goodrich Organization: https://kengoodrich.com/ (https://kengoodrich.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-d-goodrich-ba580427 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-d-goodrich-ba580427) Learn More Real American Grit University: https://realamericangrit.com/offer (https://realamericangrit.com/offer) Chapter Markers 00:00 - Competing for Talent 08:46 - Motion Creates Friction and Cash Flow Wins 11:05 - Fighting an Attempt to Control Pricing 16:04 - Buying Businesses Before an Exit 25:13 - Finding Value in Distressed Brands 30:54 - Using Suppliers to Find Acquisition Deals 36:44 - How to Value a Customer Database 40:39 - When Sellers Regret the Deal #AmericanGrit #TomHoward #KenGoodrich #HomeServices #HVAC #BusinessAcquisition #MergersAndAcquisitions #ContractorBusiness #CustomerDatabase #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #PrivateEquity

8. 

   8 Aug 2026

   Mr. Poppy | How They Reached a $10M Run Rate in Five Months

   Tenzin Soepa and Andrei Smith, co-owners of Mr. Poppy Electric, went from top Audi salespeople to launching a greenfield electrical and HVAC company that reached roughly $890,000 in revenue in its fifth month, a run rate above $10 million. They did it without acquiring an existing operation, and the path exposed a problem many contractors mistake for success: selling more work than the team can install. Tom Howard breaks down how they shifted from closing every job themselves to building capacity. They unpack the capital and hiring decisions behind the growth, why a bright-orange-van brand and owner-led social ads created trust, how they responded to new leads in under 30 seconds, and what changed when they finally hired dedicated salespeople. Key Takeaways Why being booked out can signal a capacity problem How capital and faster hiring unlocked installation capacity Why branding and owner-led ads built trust with a new company How a sub-30-second response turned social leads into appointments What changed when the founders handed sales to dedicated hires Connect with Soepa and Andrei Mr. Poppy Electric: https://callmrpoppy.com/ (https://callmrpoppy.com/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callmrpoppy/ (https://www.instagram.com/callmrpoppy/) Andrei on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreismith/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreismith/) Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward) ### Chapter Markers00:00 - Meet Soepa and Andrei04:14 - From Audi Sales to Home Services08:23 - Stop Selling and Build Capacity13:22 - Using Capital to Grow Faster17:00 - Revenue Jumps in Months Four and Five21:03 - Building the Brand and Lead Flow26:42 - Marketing Costs Behind $890K33:04 - Responding to Leads in 30 Seconds40:16 - Letting Go of Founder-Led Sales48:02 - Revenue, Payroll, and Profit

9. 

   1 Aug 2026

   Steve Michaelson | The HVAC Bin System That Cut Morning Prep to 15 Minutes

   Tom Howard sits down with Steve Michaelson, director of operations at Lee's Air, Plumbing and Heating, to break down the install-bin system that reduced morning prep from as much as two hours to about 15 minutes. Steve explains how vendor-managed inventory, 5S organization, transparent SOPs, and frontline feedback can cut waste without slowing technicians down. They also revisit how Steve adapted the system while overseeing supply chain at Google, where the work earned a Feat of Engineering award. In this episode: Build repeatable install systems around the technician Track parts without making installers manage inventory Find and reward employee-led cost savings Remove bottlenecks from everyday workflows Create a forgiving culture for calculated risks Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals (https://linktr.ee/howarddeals) Website: https://howarddeals.com/ (https://howarddeals.com/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals (https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward (https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward (https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward) X: https://x.com/dealshoward (https://x.com/dealshoward)

10. 

    25 Jul 2026

    Phil Filaski | The Sales Process Behind a 19.6M Year

    Tom Howard sits down with Phil Filaski, the residential HVAC sales leader behind a 19.6M sales year at Lee's Air, to break down what actually happens inside a high-performing home service sales process. Phil explains why elite sales cannot depend on one superstar, how Lee's pulled him out of the field to train the team, and why the real win is building multiple people who can consistently produce. The conversation gets tactical: going back to the basics, creating space for homeowners to process bad news, avoiding rushed objection handling, handling one-decision-maker calls without being awkward, presenting price without getting defensive, and turning a personal system into company-wide training. For contractors, operators, and sales leaders, this is a practical look at how mindset, process, coaching, and discipline can change the numbers without relying on gimmicks. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals Website: https://howarddeals.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward X: https://x.com/dealshoward

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.