S3 EP44 Relationships Filled His Calendar—Not Google Ads | Joe Miller

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Grab our free Business Growth Playbook below and steal the system inside the SLE Pro App:

https://serviceloopelectrical.com/pro-app

And if you want to watch how we build high-performing residential service businesses step-by-step:

- https://youtu.be/T8wHmb56FwE
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Most electricians try to grow by buying more leads...

Jump into Google Ads.

Try Facebook Ads.

Sign up for another lead service.

Hope the phone rings.

Repeat every month until your marketing budget disappears faster than a homeowner saying, "I'll think about it."

Meanwhile...

We've helped electrical contractors build businesses that don't depend on chasing the next lead.

And they almost all follow the same pattern.

Like planting an orchard.

Same principles.

Different market.

Because great electrical businesses aren't built by buying attention...

They're built by earning trust.

But behind the scenes?

The best companies grow more like a network than a marketing campaign.

In this video, we break down the exact relationship-first strategy that helps electricians:

- build referral partners that consistently send work
- create a reputation that compounds year after year
- generate work without becoming dependent on paid advertising
- stand out in competitive markets through service
- fill the calendar with higher-quality opportunities

Inside, you'll discover:

- How Joe rebuilt an electrical business after moving to a city where he knew absolutely nobody
- Why one HOA relationship generated more than $80,000 in work
- Why most electricians think they have a lead problem when they actually have a relationship problem
- How networking compounds like interest when you stay consistent
- The simple referral strategy that keeps work coming long after the first job
- Why buying more leads is often the wrong answer
- How Facebook became Joe's largest lead source without relying on expensive ad campaigns
- The networking habits that separate thriving contractors from struggling ones
- Why serving other businesses first creates opportunities most electricians never see

Also...

There's the story of moving across the country with zero customers, zero family, and zero local connections.

A conversation about BNI, Chambers of Commerce, and why most people quit networking too early.

The unexpected lesson from an HOA manager that completely changed Joe's business.

Several moments where Joe admits success wasn't one big breakthrough—but years of consistent effort finally compounding.

If you're new here, binge the channel.

If you own an electrical service business, steal the framework.

If you want to scale to $1M+ with less chaos…

Watch the Million Dollar Plan below.

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And if you want to see our Million Dollar Plan — how we help Electric Service Business Owners build $1M+ companies without becoming a slave to the truck, the phone, or the chaos…

Watch here:

• The Service Transformer™: The 4 Stages of a Million Dollar Electrical Business

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I tend to fall sometimes into that handyman, the Mr. Fixit mindset. Instead of exploring what else they could need or want, I get so laser focused, but whether it's time, availability, whatever that might be. And instead of getting a higher ticket, I'll go handle the short whatever it is, GFI or breaker tripping in the kitchen and place it and miss the opportunity to really expand on other things that's going on their house and create a better rapport and obviously create better options for them to really consider.

SPEAKER_04 0:30

Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the Million Dollar Electrician Podcast, where we help home service pros like you supercharge your business and spark up those sales.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

I'm Joseph Wukani, and together with my co-host, Clay New Meyer, we're here to share the secrets that help electricians sell over a million dollars from a single service band.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Now it's time for sales. It's time for sale. It's time to become a million-dollar electrician.

SPEAKER_04 1:03

Hello, hello, hello. Welcome back to another great episode of the Million Dollar Electrician Podcast. With me as always, my esteemed co-host, Joseph, the Salesbot Lucani. Joe, how are you doing today, brother?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

I am feeling phenomenal. I've been looking for this particular interview for a while, and it's been a great week with a great weekend coming. I'm a happy man, my friend.

SPEAKER_04 1:23

Yeah, we've got a great guest today. Uh super pumped for our friend Joe Miller joining us. Uh, Joe's been with us in the inner loop for, oh man, a little bit now. I think we're at like 18 months, Joe. Is that right?

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Yeah, something like that. I started before the bronze program was even a thing, and then, you know, kind of worked my way up into the inner loop. And man, it's been awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:42

That's awesome. And I love this story, Joe. Uh Joe's with Glowjo Electric in Little Elm, Texas, DFW area. Uh, one of the cool things about what Joe did is he was moving around the time that we started working together. And so he had to do that thing that I know a few electricians doing right now. I know it strikes some nerves and makes you uh pretty anxious when you're moving to a new place. You didn't know many people in that area. Is that right, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 2:07

No, I knew nobody.

SPEAKER_04 2:09

No one, zero, no family, no friends. What made you choose this area then?

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Man, it was more the location than you know, ties to the location. We loved the lot. Um, my wife fell in love with the house. I fell in love with the fact that we got a boat launch not even a quarter mile down the road that I don't even have to get on the main road to get to. Um, I'm a big avid fisherman and we've got a boat as well. And so the between the culmination of all that, that's how we ended up here in Little Elm. And obviously, our family is about half an hour from here that contributes to our lifestyle and is able to, you know, hang out with the babies, one of the few people we trust with the kiddos. And so that was a big piece of it too.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Nice. Now I gotta dive in because the first thing, this may actually not be an interview question, but I love to fish as well. So, what is your target? What are you hunting for? And do you eat them?

SPEAKER_02 2:57

Uh, definitely eat them. Got a freezer full of I go targeting crappie, but I carry eight to ten poles with me at all times, and probably 90% of them are in the water. So I've got crappie, which I'm targeting, and then I've got the catfish lines out, and uh, you know, I'm I just want to see the pole bin. I want to feel the bite. So, and then I've been getting into the white bass or the uh not the white bass, the hybrids here uh in where I live. Went on a couple guided tours, took my team on a tour the other day, and those things are just they're like catching a redfish. I don't know if you've ever hooked into a redfish before, but they're stuck.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

I'm just a local guy in little pond of New York. I'm not going anywhere.

SPEAKER_04 3:32

A lot of fun. Really good start to this, and and I've got a boat, and I also appreciate being uh being real close to the lake, man, uh, with you there. Reasons, you guys, if you're watching, if you're listening, reasons to stick with this one. Joe's gonna tell you basically all the secrets we can fit in this episode of how he was able to build such a great reputation in this new town where he knew nobody, as you just heard. And he's been really building up uh savings account, bank account, reflecting that, um, going from basically kind of 10K month averages to upwards of now 34. And this month, you said I think at the time of recording, we're like a week in to July, and you're at 26k already. Is that right, Joe? Correct. What's working for you, brother? Just quick, what do you think the magic uh is this month?

SPEAKER_02 4:20

I think it's it's a snowball effect of all the things that I've done prior to this month. Um, you know, just continually networking, referring other businesses so that they reciprocate that uh has been big. You know, this year we've got, I mean, it's summertime in Texas, so HVAC is full steam. And so I start people that start referring me and consistently do that. I line their pockets with Starbucks gift cards and things like that just to give them a little extra incentive. Um, and and they just throw my name out freely. And anytime I see an opportunity to do the same for them, I do that. You know, B I meetings, the chamber, and just man, there's there's so many different places to network, and a lot of it doesn't even cost much money. So the ROI is is exponential. I love that.

SPEAKER_04 5:01

So, Joe, where do all your leads come from? And and on top of that, how far are you booked out right now?

SPEAKER_02 5:08

So, first question my leads come from majority Facebook. So I'm 80% organic. I've got uh a B and I group that I'm a part of. There's one or two really powerhouse people that are in that group that consistently feed me referrals, uh particularly an HOA manager. Um, if you can get your hands on an HOA manager, they've been instrumental. I did the math on leads for her specifically, and it was over 80k last year. Um, so it was a huge, huge number. That's a serious relationship. Yeah, it's it's well worth it. And you know, it's an investment to get into those B and I's they want you there every week, but I was able to find a hybrid meeting that I only have to go once a month in person, and then the other three weeks of the month we meet on Zoom, and so I can do that basically anywhere, have my guy working and me being present on those, and um, that's been awesome. And then got into the local chamber, uh, chamber of commerce here in Little Elm and just showed up to every single event that I could get to uh out of the gate. And I haven't been to many lately, unfortunately, because I'm just slammed. But you know, a lot of people throw my name around on Facebook when somebody's asking for an electrician. You know, I'm mentioned multiple times in Facebook groups, so all of that stuff together has been the move. And then I've got a website guy that does all my Google stuff and um just kind of took the next level on building multiple sided pages with different cities locally, and I've gotten a lot more Google calls lately from surrounding cities, not just locally in Little Elm.

SPEAKER_04 6:32

I love that. How far are you booked out, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 6:35

Oh, uh I'm about 10 or 11 days booked out right now with a couple little slots in between that I can that I can do a thing or two.

SPEAKER_04 6:42

Nice. So this is a nice, healthy schedule you've driven. You're showing signs of revenue growth. How long have you been in Little Elm now?

SPEAKER_02 6:50

We moved here in June last year, so uh 11 months. Uh 13 months, excuse me. One year.

SPEAKER_04 6:56

One year. That's remarkable. So one year, you've got a guy, team of three, I think, actually, right? Someone in the office, too?

SPEAKER_02 7:04

Correct. Yep. An apprentice and Jennifer in the office part-time.

SPEAKER_04 7:07

Awesome, awesome. So humble little team, uh, definitely expecting to overcome what you were able to do last year. But sounds like the networking and the organic. I mean, a lot of guys wish for that. Uh, wish they had 80%, wish they were 10 days out right now. Man, we got to unravel this a little bit, Joe. You must have been really quite nervous, anxious, as so many guys are when you were moving. And I, in fact, I remember talking to you about it. So, kind of a loaded question, man. But try to help us understand and all the listeners who might be going through this or thinking about this. What was going through your mind when you were first talking about going to Little Elm?

SPEAKER_02 7:42

You know, I was I was very hesitant. You know, I didn't have a huge, you know, customer base in Garland where I was from, but I did know that Garland was not tailored for the type of business that we build with SLE. Um, you know, we're we're a premium service provider, and there's not a lot of premium service provider clients that are looking for that type of service there. Um, so I was I was anticipating the best, but I was definitely scared for the worst because I, you know, I'm the pro sole provider, my wife is a photographer, and um, so definitely was was worried about what the future held, but my wife just was like, hey, you can do this anywhere you go, people love you. And you know, I just held fast to that and went out there, and you know, as soon as I got here, I jumped in a truck and started running around and just meeting people, shaking hands, making conversations, and like you always say, conversations lead to work. So that's kind of the short of it.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

I gotta jump in on this one here because you just pretty much made an unlock that I think a lot of people could really benefit from, and that the support you have behind you, especially when it comes from family, could be the difference between someone succeeding or not succeeding. You had the benefit of your spouse saying, You can do it, I believe in you, you're gonna get there. I can only imagine what it would have been on the other side for maybe some other people who may not have that kind of support or have the same faith in you. So I'm really, really glad that you had that thing that was able to get you to do the thing you need with more confidence. Do you feel like that had a big support as well?

SPEAKER_02 9:06

Absolutely. I mean, it was major. I don't even know if who knows. I mean, we were living in the house that I bought before we got married, and uh, obviously we needed a larger house because we had a baby on the way, but I I don't know if it wasn't for my wife, if I would have really taken that leap to move 55 minutes away, almost an hour away from where all my current revenue is coming from.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

Big move, man. I'm really proud of the faith that you had in order to make that happen. You know, being able to say it's better for my family to move to a better area, and as a direct result, taking that risk and then seeing the success that follows it within a year, like that's amazing. Couldn't be more proud of you.

SPEAKER_02 9:38

Thank you, man. Lots of prayers on my knees, expecting for the best, and just had strong faith, like I said, and my wife drags me along the way and forces me to do it and helps me uh overcome the fear.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Yeah, so it's willingly or unwillingly compliant with your own success. It's like it's gonna succeed. Let's go.

SPEAKER_04 9:57

That's absolutely right. When you hit your 34k month, what was the biggest difference you saw there from other months? What is there something about the process that shifted for you? Is it something about the leads or the trust in the network? What what do you think has stood out as one of the biggest things driving your growth?

SPEAKER_02 10:17

I tend to fall sometimes into that handyman, not handyman, excuse me, the Mr. Fixit mindset where you know I show up to a demand call, clients got an issue, and I've instead of exploring what else they could need or want, I get so laser focused, whether it's time, availability, whatever that might be, and instead of getting a higher ticket, I'll go handle the short whatever it is, GFI or breaker tripping in the kitchen and and replace it and miss the opportunity to really expand on other things that's going on their house and create a better rapport and obviously create better options for them to really consider. So I think that that most recent month I've gotten really dialed in on making sure that if I can't get back to the home in person, that I'm making sure at least hop on a Zoom call, have a conversation about what their options could be. And if they choose the basic, it's fine with me. But uh at least they have the other things in the back of their mind.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Can I play devil advocate for a second here? Because you said something else that I think a lot of electricians are gonna squirm at. You said, I always try to come back in person. Now, arguing as the typical contractor, why come back in person? Why not just send them an email? You mail it to them, get back to them, call them a few days, and here's your number. Why come back in person?

SPEAKER_02 11:30

Well, you know, I I I've been that guy where I just, you know, go look at the problem, say, hey, look, this is what we can do to fix it, and email it over. And the results were never as good. Um, that second visit, you can always build more rapport. You can ask them things that you talked about with them the first time you were there, reconnect again, and develop more of a relationship. And that just creates more sales. I mean, there's and the first time you were there, they may have thought an X, Y, and Z, but then once you showed up, they had, oh, matter of fact, A, B, and C showed up after you left. I totally forgot to ask you about that. That's a second shot at you know, possibly developing a better ticket.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

You know, the cool thing is is you can actually track the record so far. Because I remember previously you were saying that like you were closing a lot previous a lot before, but they were all like very low tickets. And now, if my numbers are correct, you're right around what 65% at a $1,500 ticket. Yep, pretty much. Yeah, that's pretty substantial. So, like, what do you think your like your average ticket was before with in your potential closing ratio at that point? Like, how much of a jump are we talking about?

SPEAKER_02 12:31

Well, I wish I was better at tracking KPIs, but I I would say my average ticket always hovered around $1,200 to $1,500. Um, because I I would make bigger sales when I did follow the play and present options and you know, present the panel upgrades or the panel renovation or whatever, you know, the job warranted. But I think now I'm bigger tickets consistently is the is the difference maker for the revenue. And then obviously having some help to accomplish those things a little bit quicker than just solo is also a big piece.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

I can get behind that, man. I'm really proud of you for what you've accomplished. And I absolutely love building options with you. It's one of my favorite things to do when we get to that class.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Yeah, I have a good time too. And you definitely make expand my mind into things that are are more readily available in the in the marketplace than I always think about. And so a second set of eyes, and then the group in the class that you know make suggestions too that even maybe you or I don't think about is is always valuable.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Yeah, we all can be students. That's the craziest thing. Even those that are teaching the class can learn from even some of the newest people. Like it's good to keep humble and be able to keep your eyes on the target, which is improvement across any line. So I'm really I'm glad that you're able to agree with that with me. Yeah, I couldn't agree more.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Joe, I went all the way back into the records, man, from uh a couple years ago when you were first talking to us and our team. And I had a couple notes from your first call with Austin. Is there already if I uh bring a question up from this call? Uh oh.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

Yeah, sure. I mean, I'm I have a feeling I know what the question is gonna be, but go ahead and tell me.

SPEAKER_04 14:04

Okay, interesting. So you got a great memory, then uh let's see if this is it. You mentioned that you were an entrepreneur at heart, but lost on how to run a business. What did you mean by that?

SPEAKER_02 14:18

That's not the one I thought you were gonna ask, but you know, as an electrician, you know, we know how to fix things, but we don't know how to orchestrate business and and keep things organized. And, you know, I can I can fix just about anything somebody's got a problem with, I can figure out what the problem is and solve it. But strategically making moves to make a business run uh like a well-oiled machine is is still something I'm I'm trying to figure out. So uh, I mean I've I've always mean I was the kid that was selling candy at school, I was selling other things at school. Um, I was sell I used to sell beer at the Superdome, you know, liquor, I'd have everybody turned up before they even got inside. So I've always I've always had that that salesman spirit. Um, I could sell just about anything, but um to actually build a well-oiled business is still something that I'm working to achieve. All right. The health or mindset.

SPEAKER_04 15:06

Attempt number two, then you were um I think you said that 10k would be amazing. Did I hit it this time? 10k would be amazing. You've tripled that, but you mentioned something before the podcast too. You're good with money, and that's obvious. Um, I don't know how comfortable you are with sharing just how much your savings has been, even though you're at or been at this kind of 25 to 34k range, and now it's building up even more. But I think it really would help people to know what's possible, even at that revenue for savings and getting ahead. How much uh are you comfortable with speaking to this, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 15:43

I'll just say we're we're over five times what I wanted to make a month uh in the savings account. And you know, my CPA is telling me that I need to spend money so that I don't have to pay taxes on it. So that in itself says that the business is moving well and we're headed the right direction. And she's like, go buy a van. We need to we need to spend some money. So, you know, that that sounds really good to me. I love buying new things and being able to afford them.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

I agree with that. It's always nice when someone's like, Hey, I don't think you understand, but you're gonna have to spend some money on some nice new toys that you're really gonna appreciate. You have to, your hands are tied, otherwise you're gonna pay taxes on it. I mean, go ahead, go to the dealership, enjoy. Please can't wait.

SPEAKER_04 16:20

Please and thank you. Do you remember your first platinum sale, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 16:24

I yeah, I do actually. I remember it was it was uh a client in Rockwall, um, and there was a bunch of different, you know, they had a laundry list of things and um, you know, basically just hit them all on the head with a little bit of uh a little bit of expansion on the top side of the options, and they they felt like I was, you know, a few hundred dollars less than the other guy, but I was more suited for the job and somebody that they were looking to work with. And so um yeah, I I'm pretty sure it was uh a job in Rockwall for an existing client that I still do work for today.

SPEAKER_04 16:57

Awesome. So they chose the top, and then they still have more that they get from you even today. They've repeated more. What do you think? If if you had to guess what that client might be worth to you from the repeats, what do you think that value could be for you, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 17:14

Um, most of the most re-peed stuff is is small stuff, uh, but I I'll say probably 12, 12k, something like that. So it's you know, the the platinum that they purchased was like 4,500, and then I've done you know a few little small jobs along the way.

SPEAKER_04 17:29

I've gotten a couple other notable wins for you here. One was uh 15k outdoor kitchen. You recall that one?

SPEAKER_02 17:35

Yeah, I did. I just finished that thing was a thorn in my thigh.

SPEAKER_04 17:42

Well, you didn't like it.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

No, I honestly I I lost money on that. Matter of fact, for everybody out there, uh, I drilled through a hundred-inch TV at that job and had to buy the guy a hundred inch TV. I've never I've never drilled through anything like that before, and I ended up drilling through a hundred-inch TV, and so I had to buy somebody else a hundred inch before I get myself one from exterior to interior, correct. Kicking myself still about that.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

If it makes you feel any better, I drilled through a grand staircase at one point with a big old hole saw. So it happens to the best of us, man. It happens to the best of us.

SPEAKER_04 18:15

Yeah, we've heard some of those. Another one I had here, uh silver option selected out of six, a $3,500 demand call. Do you know which one this is, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 18:24

I do. Yeah, I remember that was uh a client over here in Frisco, and they had a couple up lights outside that weren't working. Uh, and so we we ran the play, went to the panel, opened some things up, you know, explored with them a little bit of other things that were bothering them and created those options at their house within like 20 minutes, um, presented them to them. And, you know, the original fix was probably a $600 repair, but we ended up doing a panel reconditioning, search protection, did some new up lights outside, you know, the whole nine yards. So yeah, I remember that one.

SPEAKER_04 18:53

Do you mind going deeper on this? For those that don't know, never really followed this process before. Like, how does someone call you for something so small? What steps do you take to open that up? How do you even open a conversation with someone where they're willing to share with you? It sounds like you're pretty good at this, Joe. Can you explain that a little a little deeper?

SPEAKER_02 19:13

We got there and you know, I asked them what their problem was. They mentioned some uplights weren't working. And so before we went to the uplights, I said, well, first we're gonna we're gonna take it to the panel. I'm gonna open it up. I'd be doing you a disservice as an electrician if I don't at least open your panel while I'm here. Um, and so I I did that. And you know, I I can tell on House Call Pro how old the house is. So I know that the house is like 27 years old. They've got an old CH panel, um, tan handles. And you know, when I see those, I I'm I bring up the fact that I've had many clients that once those breakers trip, if they haven't been exercised in a long time, once those breakers trip, they almost never reset. And so bringing that to their attention during the conversation and just chatting with them, they had a really beautiful Jeep in the garage. And so got to talking about that. And I try to not always stay on the electrical timeline of talk, but things that other people enjoy and that I enjoy too and can be passionate about it. Um, and so you know, the next thing that part of the conversation was the search protection. They both work from home and you know, they have expensive computers and things that need to be protected, and so um that was something else that kind of came up in conversation along the way. You know, they had those old RAB screw-in light bulbs for the front that were all wet, and um, we had to pull another wire to those lights anyway because it was cut up and and tore up. So I think just exploring and and asking them while I'm here, is there anything else that's bothering you that you may not have thought about? Let's let's put it on the table and see if we can get it taken care of affordably. And you know, it started with the conversation with the wife. I was trying to get her husband to come outside and she's like, Yeah, he's working, yada yada yada. So I was like, okay, I'll present you these options and then we can we can talk about it. And then once we got down to about midway through, she was like, you know what, I'm gonna go get uh Fred and bring him out here and let you guys talk. And so it ended up paying off, and they trusted me, they believed that I would do the right thing, and you know, before you know it, I brought a 600 ticket up to 34 or 3600 bucks.

SPEAKER_04 21:08

How often, if you had to say, like, how often do you see people actually doing more than they called for, even in small amounts?

SPEAKER_02 21:18

More often than not, I mean, if you can provide them with a solution that bundles all the things that have been bothering them, and then maybe a little bit more, a lot of times people don't like calling electricians out multiple times. They they want to just be done with it. And so I would say as long as we expand and dive a little deeper into things that are bothering them, things that have how long they've lived there, all those different things, and you know, it starts to bring back thoughts of, oh, yeah, this is bothering me and this is bothering me. And so it's easy to pull those things out of people uh if if you're intentional about it. So I would say more often than not, more people will do more than they anticipated if you can make it reasonable and all. Done at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

I want to jump in on that one because I'd like to argue from the typical contractor perspective because what you're saying is true, but it can seem controversial to some other people. So to challenge it, do you feel like that happens, but do you ever feel like you've been pushy along those lines? Do you ever feel like you had to sell in order to make that happen?

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Yeah, I mean, every once in a while, there's a there's a client that, you know, it's got that wall up that you got to kind of break down a little bit. Um, and you know, there are clients that will not divert from their ex solution that they want, and that's strictly all they want. They don't want anymore. Uh, and that's okay too. Um, but I still try to build those options for them and make that basic and economy just strictly what they called me for. I've got it notated that hey, I offered this, you decided not to take it. If we circle back to this and this becomes an issue, then you know you can't say that we didn't at least suggest a solution to solve that problem.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

I mean, I'm already sold on options, so I love what you're doing. But the cool thing is for anyone who's listening is that by making the basic and the economy exactly what they called for, you're able to present solutions that still give them choices in just the thing they called for, but maybe the things they weren't aware of on top of that. So the additional enhancements. But the cool thing you said was when you have to circle back to something, you already had the options made. The credibility boost, I can imagine I would like to know if you've actually experienced this, but for what I've had to go through, whenever you explain that something could happen, and then a couple months, years down the line, the customer says, Oh, this happened, and you're able to pull out this option sheet and be like, Oh, I was no straddomist at the time and predicted this. Has that ever happened to you before? Where you said something's gonna happen, customer said no, and then later you came back because they needed to do it?

SPEAKER_02 23:42

I'm sure it has once. I can't recall, you know, an exact circumstance that it did happen. Um, but I've only been in business two years and there's lots of option sheets in my phone, and so I'm sure there's a time that will come that say, Hey, look, we talked about this a while back, we'd love for you to come and handle it now. It's it's bothering us. I love that.

SPEAKER_04 24:00

Very happy. In line with this, Joe, I want to ask you like, what's a mistake you see other electricians making over and over that's completely avoidable? Good one.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

I would say that the email it over is probably the most financial costly mistake that I used to do a lot of because I was scared to ask for that second call. And you know, when you send it over, you you give that homeowner the ammunition to literally take your quote and compare it to all the other guys that have emailed it over, because that's what 90% of electricians do. And not only that, but you can they can ask for the same exact solution from other contractors because you've tailored it to them and realize that, yeah, you might be more expensive, but they're not going to get the quality or the customer service that they get with us.

SPEAKER_04 24:44

Earlier you talked about Mr. Fix It too. Why do you think pressure exists to just get in, get out? I mean, you said you still feel it sometimes, maybe come up shorter, and and in hindsight, you think, well, maybe I could have done more. What is this force that's in us that's keeping us from doing everything we're capable of doing? Do you think, Joe?

SPEAKER_02 25:04

For me, uh it's a lot of times just based on my schedule and what I have already in the pipeline, and maybe feel a little pressure. I can get I can rush myself sometimes, like start to get kind of a little bit overwhelmed, as like, oh, I got to do this and this and this today. I can't do a whole lot more here because I just don't have the time. And I'm also um big on keeping my commitment. So if I put you on my schedule, I want to get to your house, and if that means maybe I've got to shoot you a message and say, hey, we we had an unexpected situation, we're gonna run a little bit behind today. But I don't like people to tailor their schedule to me showing up and me not do what I said I'm gonna do. And so for me, that's super important, and that kind of pressure uh sometimes gets in the way of me really producing the the long-term solution rather than the short term. Hey, let's fix this now, and it may fail again in a year or two.

SPEAKER_04 25:53

Yeah, really good. If you had to do this move over again, Joe, would you change anything about how you approached the move to uh to your town currently?

SPEAKER_02 26:03

I think I did it right. I mean, I think the way that the outcome has has come, uh I I think that there's not much more I could have done very differently. You know, I just I really believe in in in-person networking and building relationships with people and and those people will throw your name out there. And I think I've done that pretty well. I can definitely, I definitely believe I could do more. And I I love my family and I love being present. And so if it's be with my family or go network a little bit more, I'm probably gonna be with my family. And so I'm I hear of lots of divorced electricians, and I'm not gonna be the next one on that list.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Preach my God, preach on that because it's such a shame, but it is actually it's uh a statistic where you'll say you'll beat a contractor who's 40 years old and he's on his second marriage because he's never home, or you know, you'll have someone who's 50 who the kids are now graduating, but he didn't see them because he was building the business. So I love the fact that you chose to be family because that's the thing at the end of the day that matters most. The money's great, but when you stick to your values and your actual core truths, you at least could put your head on the pillow at the end of the night and say you're doing it for the right reason.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Yeah, and that I gotta attribute that to my wife. I mean, if it was up to me, I would probably work, you know, seven to seven every day and rake in all the cash that I could, but she's really instilled in me that you know, we we don't we're not promised tomorrow. And so for me, I've really uh ingrained that in my brain and learned to allow myself to say, you know what, turn your brain off. You know, all the people that are waiting for you to come, they'll be there tomorrow. And if they're not, who cares? There's more people calling. And so it's not always easy for me. Uh I have a uh people pleaser mentality sometimes where I want to make sure everybody's taken care of, but I'm learning to let that go and and share those leads with a friend or two of mine that are are building business as well. And you know, if I can get to you, I'd love to, but if not, you know what? I'm asleep tonight either way.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

The green can't be taken with you, man. But the way you treat your family is the thing that carries on. So I love that. Massive amount of respect for what you're doing and why you're doing it. Thank you, Joe.

SPEAKER_04 27:59

Joe, do you consider yourself introverted or extroverted? Oh, I'm extrovert, 110%. Good. Okay. When you go to networking meetings, does that give you energy then?

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Yeah, it gets me excited to see other small businesses. We're all striving to do the same thing, and most of us are trying to serve at the highest level. And so uh just to see what's happening to young businesses like myself, and obviously talk to the older businesses and pick their brain about what they're doing that works. Yeah, it definitely definitely gives me a little extra boost. So a lot of guys hate networking.

SPEAKER_04 28:28

We'll choose not only the family every time, but basically anything. They'll choose mowing the lawn over going to a networking meeting. What would you give? What advice could you give to someone like that to try to make this easier for them? Or do you have anything there?

SPEAKER_02 28:41

It gets easier every time you show up. So the more people that you know in the room, the less you have to like reserve yourself and kind of hide yourself. If everyone in the room knows you and people are saying your name when you get there, um it just becomes easier and the more consistent it is, it becomes kind of natural. So there are times when I'm sitting in the room and I kind of in my claim shell a little bit, like I don't know, this person sitting next to me, but I want to say something, but I'm not going to because I don't know what they am, they don't know me. Um, but the more and more you know you could start a conversation with a person you do know across the table, and next thing you know, they jump in, and before you know it, you're talking to a new person, and who knows, they could be your next client.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

Yeah, we've heard that before, right? That's awesome. I personally need a framework to do things like this. Like I'm a blend, I'm I can actually be quite introverted. So I find that the things I have a framework to approach, I feel much more confident with. Do you have a framework, Joe, or is this something that's naturally you just want to talk to people and shoot the shit?

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Well, so before I was an electrical contractor, uh I've been in networking groups. I was a part of Team National. And so I learned uh I spent hours and hours and hours and hours listening to Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins and all the all the different gurus. And, you know, for me, the easiest conversation is you know, start the form method and and expand from there. And so for me, that's family occupation, recreation, um, and then money. And so for at that point, the money conversation was based on, hey, I'm doing network marketing, you want to join my team, yada, yada, yada. But now it's you know, what are you doing that's working in your business? Well, you know, how can we help each other share referrals, uh, so on and so forth. But for me, the easiest way to start a conversation is just you know, ask about people's family. They're happy to talk about themselves. And so that's kind of how it all starts for me most of the time.

SPEAKER_04 30:28

Yeah, really good. So if you think back to someone, uh let's try to pick your brain even deeper on this, because I think you do really well at this. So I appreciate the insights, and I know others do too. Uh, think back to someone you recently really had a good connection with. Someone come to mind, Joe? New good connection, someone maybe valuable to your network. Anyone come to mind?

SPEAKER_02 30:51

I am trying to think of someone specifically so that I can be more tailored with my responses. Um, yeah, I can think of somebody, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:59

Okay. Do you recall the first meet with them?

SPEAKER_02 31:02

I do. It was here recently.

SPEAKER_04 31:04

Was it uh a reach out with a handshake? Hey, I'm Joe. What's your name?

SPEAKER_02 31:08

Yeah, it was a referral from actually the same lady that I mentioned that's in the B and I group. She's uh she's well versed in networking of all kinds of people, and she introduced me to a pool guy. Um, and I know Joe loves working on pool equipment. Um but uh I ended up chatting with him and um he met me on the job site for the first time and he actually just joined our B I group and um he's you know he's called me multiple times with clients that need new pool circuits run, and I ended up doing a subpanel for him the other day, and that was like a four thousand dollar ticket uh in a couple hours. And so former firefighter police officer, um well respected, you know, has the right morals, and and so it was it was a strong handshake when we met for sure.

SPEAKER_04 31:51

Okay. What did you start talking about right off the bat?

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Right off the bat, he was he was talking with my with my guy that was working, and they were talking about how hard it is to find people that actually do what they say they're gonna do, um, you know, in our trade. And so that was attractive to him, and not only that, but actually answer their phone when they call. Uh for me, I'm pretty I'm very big on making sure I I try to divert all the phone calls to the business line, but you know, some of these people that do know me personally decide to give out my personal number, and you know, I try to make sure that I answer the phone when people call. And so for a lot of guys that do anything contracting-wise, that's attractive.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

Yeah. You know what I find wild with that is that you're saying in our trade, but from my experience, it's been almost in every trade, any contractor of any sort of any provider, it's will they call you back? Will they show up and actually do the thing they say they're gonna do? Will they ask for more money during the sale or during the project? Like, I'm still waiting for people to come back and give me quotes for things, and it's been almost a week of reach out. So, like the fact that you're going to go and do this and actually honor it, and people are knowing you, like, call Joe, he actually calls you back. It's insane how low the bar is for you to be so skilled or so appreciated, right?

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Yeah, it's amazing on the simple things that that gain our client base, um, from answering the phone to showing up when we say we're gonna do it, and um, you know, the communication. I I put I put very high standards on all of those things, and it's definitely served me well. If you can do that, you can beat your competition every single day of the week.

SPEAKER_04 33:25

I love that. Yeah, really good. Uh, let's go layer deeper then back to the lady who referred the pool guy who brought her up twice. How did you meet that individual?

SPEAKER_02 33:35

So I met her by so for me, BI has been instrumental. Um, Scott Parker, I've I've gone to a few uh BI groups prior to becoming an electrician, but Scott Parker, who's also in our group, you know, he's got this little philosophy that you know you can go to each B and I group two times before you even have to join. So if there's four in the city that you're in, then you can go eight visits and meet people. And you know, I did that when I got here, and um, she was just a she's a glimmer of sunshine, this lady is. And so we we connected right off the bat. And she I actually did work for her before I even joined the B and I chapter. Um, but she was she's very easy to talk to. She's got this very funny laugh about her, and so it kind of echoes in the room, and you just you can't forget her once you meet her.

SPEAKER_04 34:19

That's amazing. And so, what built trust between you two that she now refers people to you? Just the work?

SPEAKER_02 34:25

I think the morals and standards that I that I live by too, not just the work. I mean, obviously, you know, the work that I did and I did a good job doing it, that was that was valuable. But, you know, they they know my family, they know that I'm a family man, they know that I'm not out going drinking after I get off of work. Um, you know, they they know that it when I say something, I'm gonna do what I say I'm gonna do. And that, you know, carries weight. So, you know, meeting her was super easy, and you know, I love seeing her every time I see her. She's she's a cool lady, and her her husband's um former armed forces as well. So lots of gratitude for those people who's out there serving for us to keep us free. You don't know nothing about that, Klay.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

Throwing some shape.

SPEAKER_02 35:08

Throwing some shame.

SPEAKER_04 35:10

That's the right hook.

SPEAKER_00 35:11

Canadians over there.

SPEAKER_04 35:13

Oh man. Um, so do you think she hired you because you're an electrician or because you're a good person?

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Initially, I think it was because I was an electrician. Um, I was a referral to her, and I don't even remember how the chain of events went, but uh it started off as me being an electrician and then following through with all those things I just mentioned a few minutes ago to the final success piece and making sure that things don't get dropped in the cracks. Uh, and you know, today we we she sends me a couple jobs a week. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 35:42

So more conversations does do equal more work.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

Absolutely, for sure. I mean, you say that all the time, and I couldn't agree more. I mean, the conversations, even if it's about, you know, where you ate last week or whatever, lead to more conversations, which leads to trust and just a relationship that you develop. And before you know it, you're in their house doing something for them.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

So just keeping the conversation ball rolling, even no matter where it starts from, it eventually builds momentum. And before you know it, you're like, I was talking about your cat, and now I'm here to close and take a picture of your panel. How did this happen?

SPEAKER_02 36:13

Yeah, I mean, they got cat box, they need electricity if they're those pressure ones, so they need the automated cat box with the ventilation included that vents all over the background with the background.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

That's what we need.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

The surge protector, we got to protect you with that.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

Of course, you gotta do a whole home electronics protection.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

No search protection. Yeah, true that.

SPEAKER_04 36:32

Joe, you're in a bit of a pocket. Family's important, profit's important for that reason, too. Not being overwhelmed, not being too busy, not becoming that team, but you still have goals, right? What do you see for your electrical business? What do you want to achieve in the next year and what's in the way?

SPEAKER_02 36:48

So, my electrical business, I I just see a comfortable lifestyle. I'm not looking to be greedy, I'm not looking to be the, you know, I know we're on a million-dollar electrician podcast. If I get to that number, great. Um, but I'm just I'm looking to live a comfortable lifestyle, um, to be able to provide for my family, and then also build a team of people that I can take care of their families too, um, and and be different. Uh, that's something that I pride myself in, you know, as a boss of two people, I want to make sure that there's never a time where I can say, hey, I can't pay you this week. Uh we've got too much debt, we've got too much going on, and I can't pay you. So uh I take that very personally, and I would like to do that for more people. Um, and so the ultimate goal for me is three vans on the roads, um, two sales guys, and then you know, two full-time office ladies. Um, I'd love to hit 500k next year. I'm on track right now for 300 this year. So, you know, that's that's a pretty good jump compared to last year. And um, you know, that's almost 50% compared to last year. So we're we're knocking on the door, we're coming.

SPEAKER_04 37:57

That's awesome, brother. That's awesome. You know, there's another way to become a million-dollar electrician, and it's not meaning necessarily sell a million dollars a year. Man, if you got a million bucks in the account in a humble little business that you're happy with, no one can throw shade uh at you for that. Your financial discipline has been a topic prior to the podcast and during. Love that you have a savings, love that you're able to do that, even at that level. It shows that guys, there is room to again be in this pocket, to really create a lifestyle company, even though you're out there, Joe. We see you in class very consistently, and we see you in the van or on the site very consistently at the same time. You're always uh doing both. And I think this is a really important topic to cover because so many people find that they feel like they can't do this all, that there is too much, they get overwhelmed by this. How are you finding balance with all these things, Joe, and still climbing in your business?

SPEAKER_02 38:55

Man, it's present over perfect, I think. You know, I've heard you say that lots of times, and Joe says it too. And I think just being present over perfect, you know, there's not always a time where I could be laser focused on every minute of every conversation of the call, but there are times that you know I just I hop on. And if I can be present and be contributed to, you know, I do that. Um, there's not a call that I hop on, there's not a good piece of information that I'm able to take and use for my business and make make things better over here. And so, you know, just continually showing up.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

That's that's important. You know, a cool way of looking at that is you're always giving your hundred percent from what I see, even if your hundred percent changes day by day. That's one thing I can always say is is very applicable to you. You're always there no matter where you are, always trying your best, regardless of what your day is like. That's a really respectable quality. I appreciate that, man. I try to leave it all on the field.

SPEAKER_04 39:48

I mean, great instinct. I know I was talking with Brad, uh Brad Stott earlier in the week, another member in the program, guy doing uh just had his best month as well, might be win of the week. I think he had 315, I want to say in sales, which is an awesome month. Good for Brad, but he gave you compliments, Joe. Um, you know, we were talking about some of the guys that he consistently sees in the room, and and you came up as one of the top people that he felt were really had a bright future ahead of you, uh, the way you speak. Present yourself. You're always out there working, same quality Joseph just mentioned. So figure I'd tag that on for you as well. Give you a feel good moment. What's your framework for financial discipline in your business? How is your account adding up when so many have trouble and find there's more month at the end of the money than money at the end of the month?

SPEAKER_02 40:36

Do not accumulate debt. Uh I've got I've got one or two net 30 accounts that I continually pay off. Um, I've got a credit card that I pay off multiple times a month because they won't give me any more money right now. Um, but I don't, I'm not financing a van. I bought my van cash money up front. Um, you know, so for me, uh I feel like people get caught up in debt. They making they're making all this money, but then they've also got a huge credit card bill or a huge uh bill at the dealer, and and there's just so much more to be paid for than you really account for. So for me, if I can pay for it with cash, I'm rolling that route. I might be a it might be a low-end month that month, but then every month after that, I'm gonna be making money on top of my investment, whether that's a vehicle, whether that's parts, you know, I try to pay for everything up front and um get the rewards on the back end.

SPEAKER_01 41:26

Man, you're right. Debt is absolutely crippling for so many people because it's literally creating the golden handcuff situation. We're like, we're doing well, we're doing well, big months, summer's good, good, spring is good, fall's good, and then boom, winter comes, things slow down, but you still gotta pay the tax man, you still gotta pay the dealer, and that's when things go and thin out. So the fact that you've been able to avoid debt is not only a very strong move, but it also gives you a much better safety net, too. Because when times do get tough, you're not having people clawing at you and knocking on your door saying, like, where's my cut? What are we doing?

SPEAKER_02 42:01

Yeah, I mean, for me, I I never want anybody calling me, say it's time to pay the bill. I want to I want to pay it ahead of time. I want to, and that way if I do need $10,000 worth of material for something, they know I'm good for it. And then I can float that for a minute until uh, you know, if I end up with a net 30 job or something, which I don't do much of. But, you know, when the time comes, I want them to know my money's good every single time and there's no questions asked.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

You know, your word is your bond at the end of the day, and being able to not only be a person of moral ofstanding character, which I can clearly say that you are, but also being someone who they can trust your word and your money, that's a hard thing to build. It's very, very easy for someone to simply miss one payment and that reputation goes down. So the fact that you've been able to be so consistent with it this long is very impressive.

SPEAKER_02 42:47

Yeah, man. Thank you. Money will ruin a relationship easier than anything. Oh, yeah. So I I never want Benjamin Franklin to get in the way of me and anybody. Um, so I just want to make sure everybody knows and understands my efforts and my consistency that I'm I'm gonna do what I say I'm gonna do every single time, no matter what that costs me.

SPEAKER_01 43:06

Respectable.

SPEAKER_04 43:08

Yeah, really good. Joe, you said uh 500k is your goal. I tend to agree with Brad though. Um I think that you're on the precipice of something else. Let me hear from your perspective, though. What do you think is in the way for you right now to getting to your 500k a year goal?

SPEAKER_02 43:24

Help. I need help. If you're an electrician and listening to this podcast and you're tired of your boss, come chat. Let's have a conversation. You know, I'm gonna be very selective on who I do hire, but I'm looking for a licensed electrician that takes pride in what they do. And for me, it's you know, I I have people reaching out. Hey, I'm a 16 year electrician, I don't have my license yet, I'm in the process of getting it. No, you you don't fit into the build. Um, and so for me, it's help. I need I need help. Uh, I need another electrician in the field so that I can take these calls that are coming in instead of giving them away, um, which is exactly what I'm doing right now. I literally, you know, there's probably at least a few thousand. A week that I'm just giving away to a buddy who's just getting started. And so I'm I'm happy that I have the freedom to do that, and I'm I'm okay with not being upset with losing those jobs, but those jobs could get me a lot closer to 500k.

SPEAKER_01 44:13

Love that. Why are the focus on being so selective? Like, you know, I understand that the market thins out and you need to find your perfect person. Have you ever considered being like, maybe I don't get a licensed lecturer? Maybe I get like a journeyman. Like, what's what's the stuck part of that?

SPEAKER_02 44:28

Well, for in Texas, a journeyman is is a licensed electrician. That's a four-year. And uh the wireman is is a two-year. So I I've you know, I've got guys that are interested that are wiremen. And realistically, if I wanted to lower my standards and pay less money in overhead, I could hire a wireman. But for me, that doesn't show that you have the tenacity and you want to excel at your job. If you're just a wireman and you've been doing electrical work for six years, you know, you're you don't you don't want those accolades that we want because we're licensed. We go out there and get it. And you know, I got mine in in four and a half years, and then I got my master's almost immediately after that because that's what I wanted. Um, but a lot of people talk to talk, but they don't walk the walk. And so for me, I'm not willing to lower my standards. If that means I'm sending people away, I'm not gonna have somebody come into my company and do anything less than excellent um for my clients. It's just not worth it.

SPEAKER_01 45:20

I love that. The reason why I was asking is in New York we have licensed and unlicensed. So I'm thinking like you're only hiring an 11 to 15 year electrician who's got his own license. I was like, man, that is one hell of a standard. Give me credit on that. But you are open a licensed journeyman. Great journeyman, come to this guy.

SPEAKER_04 45:36

And and the severe irony there is that you're saying, you know, a lot of people don't uh walk the walk while you're walking the walk. Uh love that we can see you guys just saw a golden example of why this lady keeps referring Joe, uh, why the pool guy likes him. Like that was just shone through in that moment. So really glad that uh we went there and that you answered that way, Joe. Uh it shows your your tenacity and your commitment to uh your values and service at the highest level. So uh respect for that, man. Uh super pumped for you. I know you're gonna find that person. And the amount that we see you installing the very work that you have uh sold, um, again, I'm just sure, I'm sure that uh in time, the the next easy step for you is gonna be, oh, I might need another guy because I'm pretty good at this whole making a friend and serving at the highest level thing. And I think that your organics are just going to keep booming. And I wouldn't be surprised that if in the next 18 months you were actually more on a 750K trend than a 500k trend just from the natural forces that take place. Super proud of you, brother. Uh, any specific message that you want to send out there to the electricians to be, the the people that maybe listen to this, move into a new place, anything specific that you would tell even your younger self, Joe, that you'd want on this podcast, brother.

SPEAKER_02 47:00

Man, believe in yourself when nobody else does. Um, you know, I've I've come from humble beginnings, man. I used to be a heroin addict, believe it or not. I used to shoot dope in my veins, and you know, I did it because I didn't believe in myself and I was trying to escape that. And um, you know, there's there's a lot of people that doubted me. My principal in school said, Hey, you're not ever gonna graduate. And guess what? I did. Uh, and so for me, it's it's believe in yourself, take the leap of faith. Um, get on your knees, pray to God, find him in your life, let him be the guiding light. And um, man, just just go out there and take the step, do what you say you're gonna do, and and do it every single time, and people will notice that and you'll be different than the rest.

SPEAKER_04 47:39

Respectful. Grab the mic and drop it, Joe. That was massive. I didn't know that about you, uh, Joe. Thank you so much for sharing that. Man, I'm so glad that you came through that and found your way to this point, and and I'm sure you'll continue to. Uh, your amazing father, uh, amazing business owner, amazing uh employer here soon as well. Uh again for a new new journeyman. If you know anyone who's looking for work there, guys, journeyman, send them Joe's way. Um, thank you very much. That's been an awesome podcast. Anything from you, Joseph?

SPEAKER_01 48:10

You know, I also just want to add one thing for Joe. You know, he is a great man, he is a good family man. I also want to throw in you're also a very good friend. I can tell you, as someone who leads the classes, and you are, as Brad's saying, a regular attendant, it genuinely makes me happy to see you. Like when the room is full of good people who want to be there, who are willing to take the lessons and apply it, you couldn't have mastered a better student. But at the same time, not only do I have a great student, I truly consider you a great man and a great friend. So may you continue to be blessed always in your days.

SPEAKER_02 48:42

Thank you, Joe. I appreciate that. I feel the same way about you guys, man. I don't know where I'd be without you. I'd still be doing work for $75 an hour, and I may be working for somebody else at this point.

SPEAKER_04 48:51

Awesome. Well, love all the way around, guys. If you love this podcast, go ahead and hit the subscribe button if you're on YouTube. Follow us on the podcast channel that you heard us on, and follow us on Facebook, uh, Instagram. Where else are we? We're everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

We take out to get there.

SPEAKER_04 49:08

Yeah, or on our website, serviceopelectrical.com. We'll see you guys again next week for another great episode of the Million Dollar Electrician. Bye for now. See you lost, friends. Take care.

SPEAKER_02 49:16

Thanks, guys.