From UpFlip.
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Tommy Mello turned the heads of many when he beat the entrepreneurial odds and turned a one-man business with $50K in debt into a thriving venture. And now he has over 700 employees and a business about to cross the $220M revenue threshold across 22 states. Tommy was also named top entrepreneur in Arizona under the age of 35.
Tommy grew up from humble beginnings as his parents worked three jobs in order to provide for him. As he became older, he took on the entrepreneurship mindset early as he wore different hats mowing lawns and shoveling snow.
When he met his college roommate, however, his path took a turn when it was suggested to him to start painting garage doors. Eventually, this expanded into also fixing, installing, and ultimately owning A-1 Garage— the national leader in the garage door service and sales industry.
In this episode, learn what it takes to become a garage door guru, how to scale a home service business, and tips for managing over 700 employees.
Resources:
🎓 Start or Scale Your Business With the UpFlip Academy – https://bit.ly/3Dg53bO
📕 FREE Access to ‘137 Most Profitable Businesses’ – https://bit.ly/3D5RDz7
📕 FREE Access to ‘8 Franchises You Wish You Knew About Earlier’ – https://bit.ly/3VvQ589
🎙️ Follow the UpFlip Podcast – https://bit.ly/3ZIu4oN
📩 Join the UpFlip Newsletter – https://bit.ly/4ioWuM7
👉 Tommy’s Business – https://a1garage.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
01:06 – Headquarters
01:43 – Background
02:23 – Scale of operations
02:51 – Overhead expenses
04:14 – Funding the startup
05:08 – Not an overnight success
05:59 – Preparation is key
07:08 – The first number to master
08:10 – Fan blitz
10:24 – Revenue and margins
12:40 – Lessons from early mistakes
13:49 – Say no to hourly pay!
14:58 – Securing top-notch talent
15:55 – Secret to scaling (fast!)
16:32 – It’s all about training
17:06 – Advertising for maximum ROI
18:46 – Effective marketing on a budget
19:44 – Company culture
20:15 – Culture-building at scale
20:42 – Key figures you shouldn’t forget
22:29 – Mockup garage
23:02 – Be “prescriptive” and start selling!
24:51 – Top-notch customer service
25:52 – Importance of mentorship
27:24 – Starting slow is a GOOD thing
28:36 – Managing a “family” business
29:13 – Book recommendations
30:16 – Leadership philosophy
31:21 – Money is NOT everything
32:07 – Defining success
32:44 – Embracing failure
33:18 – Quick story time
34:24 – Handling competition
35:44 – You ARE good enough!
37:53 – Outro
#entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurs
