How He Built a $40M Home Service Business from the Ground Up
How He Built a $40M Home Service Business from the Ground Up  
Podcast: Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast
Published On: Thu Oct 16 2025
Description: John sits down with Christian Rattin, CEO of Five Star Home Services, to unpack how he helped transform a single-family HVAC shop into a $40M+ multi-market powerhouse across Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.From growing through chaos to professionalizing with purpose, Christian shares Five Star’s evolution — blending faith, strategy, and servant leadership to build a home service company that gives back millions. They go deep on: the “profit on purpose” philosophy, scaling across markets without losing culture, leadership development for second-chance employees, and using systems like Scaling Up to sustain growth.If you’re serious about building a multi-location business, leading through values, or turning revenue into real impact, this episode is a masterclass in intentional scaling.💡 What You’ll LearnProfit on Purpose: How Five Star gives away 10% of revenue while driving sustainable profit.Scaling with Faith and Focus: Why doing business “on purpose” beats chasing fast exits.From $10M to $40M: Lessons from chaotic growth, leadership resets, and professionalizing ops.Leadership at Scale: Creating A-player development pipelines, manager roundtables, and clear career ladders.Multi-Market Playbook: The hard truths about central vs. localized leadership and GM accountability.Systems Thinking: Why Scaling Up won over EOS — and how to choose the right coach.🎙️ HostJohn Wilson 🎙️ GuestChristian Rattin – CEO, Five Star Home Services (Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati)📞 Sponsored by Quo — The Modern Business Phone for Service ProsMissed calls mean missed business. Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the AI-powered phone system that logs calls, creates summaries, and automates follow-ups — keeping your team connected and customers happy.🎁 Start your 7-day free trial and get 20% off your first six months 💼 Special Thanks to AppleTree Business Services!One of the most common and expensive mistakes in acquisitions is not getting serious about accounting. Whether you’re buying a business or running one, you need the right financial partner. That’s why we’ve partnered with AppleTree Business Services — a one-stop shop fluent in tools like ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro.👉 Listeners get a free tax & financial review, plus 10% off quality of earnings when buying a business.💼 Shoutout to Avoca AI!Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish. 🔗 Schedule a demo🔗 More from UsSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.