I spent the entire day with a plumber and learned the good, bad and risks of being in the trades.

What does it really take to run a plumbing business?

In this solo episode of The American Operator Podcast, Joseph Cabrera shares his experience spending a day in the field with Blue Ribbon Plumbing, Air & Electrical. Instead of talking with the owner, JC gets a firsthand look at the reality of the trades, riding along with veteran plumber Chris as he makes service calls, handles tough jobs, and delivers top-tier customer service.

 In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why most plumbing jobs start with unhappy customers
The logistics & problem-solving every service business owner needs to master
How to retain great employees and build a business people want to work for
The unexpected leadership lessons from working in the trades
What motivates the best in the business—and why it’s about more than money

 If you’re thinking about buying a service business, entering the trades, or just learning what makes the trades so essential, this episode will give you a whole new perspective.

🔔 Subscribe for more real stories from operators building America’s backbone.

#SmallBusiness #Trades #Entrepreneurship #HomeServices #AmericanOperator #Buyabusiness #owneroperator #SMB 

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Transcript

Welcome to the American Operator podcast, where small businesses are the heartbeat of America. I'm Joseph Cabrera, and we dive into the stories of owners and operators who build and keep our communities thriving. Whether you're new to business already in the trenches, we're sure the hard earned wisdom, triumphs and challenges with running a business in this great country. Let's get to work.

00:00:23:16 - 00:00:44:05
Speaker 1
all right, team, welcome to the American operator. I'm Joseph. We're doing something a little different today. Normally on this show, we talk to great owners, great operators and talk to them about the grit, hard work, and what it takes to keep America running. We had the great privilege this past week to spend some time live in the field with plumber Chris and Blue Ribbon.

00:00:44:07 - 00:01:06:23
Speaker 1
What was neat about this is that it took a little different view and perspective. It wasn't just from the owner side of the house, but it was really from like the hard working folks or in the field, the texts that are actually delivering these services to the folks and to customers out there. We spent all day long driving around Central Texas, making service calls and really just kind of getting in depth of what the day in the life looks like.

00:01:07:01 - 00:01:25:19
Speaker 1
So what I wanted to do on today's episode is just recap some of those takeaways. And for those of you that are either considering the trades or maybe considering owning a business that involves the trades, hopefully this gleans a little insight in for you on what to expect, what I would call the tough parts, the expected parts, and some of the things to look forward to.

00:01:25:21 - 00:01:48:21
Speaker 1
So a little background on the day we hung out with Chris, 20 years in the plumbing industry. I think he started when he was 19, working for his father, maybe even earlier than that. He said he really just had a gravitation towards working with his hands and fixing things for folks. He actually was his own plumber and plumbing business owner in California before he decided to move down to Texas.

00:01:48:23 - 00:02:05:15
Speaker 1
The reason he moved over to Texas is because he saw some great opportunity, and he had some family that inspired him to kind of move over here. And he was also just looking for a change of pace, just like a lot of us do in life. Looking for a new environment in new, for a new place to, to kind of spread your wings and see what you can do.

00:02:05:17 - 00:02:30:15
Speaker 1
We did started off the day with meeting him at headquarters here in Bastrop, Texas, where Blue Ribbon is. They don't only just do plumbing, they do plumbing, Hvac and electrical heating. But we focused on plumbing for the day. We did a full tour of his service van, which is pretty awesome. And if you're a fan like me, of sprinters and cars and things like that, just watching how someone sets up their rig and prepares for the day is pretty neat.

00:02:30:21 - 00:02:52:05
Speaker 1
We got an episode coming your way that do a full tour of what that looks like. Then we also visited a few customers during the day some routine visits, broken water pipes, broken toilets, some annoying little leaks here and there. What was really neat is getting to just kind of see how not only Chris fix those things, but also just how he treated the customers along the way and how he prepared for each one of those service calls.

00:02:52:07 - 00:03:08:22
Speaker 1
And then we got to wrap up the day with some tacos. And if you're anything like me, I'm a taco enthusiast. And so we ate some of the we talked about some of the weirdest tacos you can eat for Chris, his favorite thing to eat in the morning is what we call a three bus, which is a it's tripe or intestine.

00:03:09:03 - 00:03:35:03
Speaker 1
That's what he likes to eat for breakfast. So we got on a roll there talking about that. And of course it made sense for us to wrap up the day with some tacos. We actually have a cool conversation. We took place in this little taco joint. That's also coming your way. But again, what I wanted to focus on for today's episode is really the tough parts, the expected parts, and the things to look forward to as you kind of, as I've kind of observed kind of what it meant to be in the days of the trade, a day in the life of a tradesman.

00:03:35:05 - 00:03:51:22
Speaker 1
And if you are going to become an owner, maybe of one of these businesses one day, hopefully this just kind of puts you in their spirit a little bit and understand just kind of what they kind of deal with every single day, and maybe how you can be a better owner, operator and leader as you're looking at taking on this endeavor.

00:03:51:23 - 00:04:10:19
Speaker 1
So let's talk about the tough parts. One thing I recognize is that when Chris gets called or Blue Ribbon gets called, or any plumbing company gets called, people are calling you because something went wrong. They're not calling you to hang out, and they're calling you because everything is right. And I call on you to renovate their kitchen, calling you just because something went wrong.

00:04:10:21 - 00:04:42:05
Speaker 1
And I think there's a truth to that. And that's tough because you have to recognize that your business and that your trade is based on fixing things for folks when they're annoyed, when they're not happy, when they're frustrated. And so I think one of the tough parts about this business is just keeping yourself in the right state of mind, that on a daily basis, you're probably dealing with folks on a little bit more of a grumpier side of their persona than you would on the happier side, probably unlike a maybe a travel agent or somebody where you're dealing with somebody planning their dream vacation here, you just trying to make sure that folks can go

00:04:42:07 - 00:05:04:14
Speaker 1
number one or number two. There's a lot of moving pieces. That's another part that's quite tough. It's interesting to see all the little parts. Chris had to keep track of understanding how he was going to visit one job versus the other, how he was going to get resupply throughout the day, how he was going to go ahead and not only talk to the customer first, but deal with dogs running around figuring out how to navigate.

00:05:04:14 - 00:05:21:22
Speaker 1
Can his truck make it down this dirt road or not? Is he going to get stuck because it's raining? Is fixing this right now make more sense, or is better to give him a quote and then come back? All these moving pieces are tough parts of the job, because customers expect that you're going to do it all well and you're human.

00:05:21:23 - 00:05:44:15
Speaker 1
And a guy like Chris has been in the business for 20 years. I think he's got a lot of reps. But you can imagine if you're running a company like this, just be mindful of the different things folks have to deal with and your teammates have to deal with on a daily basis. It's very logistics heavy. And also the thing that I think the last part here on the tough is that as a business owner, your revenue is tied directly to people's hardship.

00:05:44:17 - 00:06:02:13
Speaker 1
So one of the things that, Patrick is the owner of Blue Ribbon said is unfortunately, when we have one of these freezes or one of these catastrophes that happen, there's a little part of you that gets excited because you know that you're going to be fixing a lot of folks stuff. But the tough part about that is the human part.

00:06:02:15 - 00:06:21:21
Speaker 1
You hate seeing things, getting trashed or folks houses not working the way they need to, really where people seek shelter. And so when you think about the tough part about this gig at a Tradesperson, or as somebody who's running a business like this, just being mindful that where your heart is and where your mind is about your business needs to be in balance at all times.

00:06:21:21 - 00:06:41:21
Speaker 1
And being able to negotiate those two things is something that I recognize the pros in the industry do a great job with, but also at the same time recognize that this is a very real part of what they do. So let's talk about some of the expected parts, or maybe some of the steady state things that happen that I thought that were kind of neat to, to observe.

00:06:41:23 - 00:06:59:11
Speaker 1
Chris was busy and steady throughout the day, and all the other service techs were the same way. It's a steady business, which I think is to be expected. Folks always need plumbing stuff, and I don't think you can eye someone fixing a toilet. And so what's neat about that is that the business stays steady and that you always have work to do.

00:06:59:11 - 00:07:14:23
Speaker 1
I asked Chris, does he work on the weekends? He goes only if I choose to, and I do probably every other weekend he goes, sometimes you just want to take jobs off the board and keep things moving. You're under pressure all the time, not only under pressure to get something fixed, but you're under pressure to get to the next service call.

00:07:14:23 - 00:07:36:15
Speaker 1
You're under pressure to make sure that if something is being warranted, that you've made the right calls. You're constantly under pressure to do it well, because the customers, by the time they see you, it's got zero patience. It's also multifaceted. One thing I observed, Chris throughout the day was that he was equal parts counselor problem solver, multitasker and fixer.

00:07:36:17 - 00:08:00:23
Speaker 1
And the counselor part is interesting. His technique and skill might be something that the company culture embodies, but he did a great job of doing nothing but first taking his notepad with him straight to the customer and just talking to them, understanding who they are if they got dogs running around making sure that, you know, he said hi to the animals, making sure he just built rapport and trust first, made sure he kind of understand what the troubles and woes are.

00:08:00:23 - 00:08:27:22
Speaker 1
He didn't go, let me see where the thing I need to fix. He has some how their they were going, you know, what are the hardships? How long has this been broken? Giving them just some peace that he's there to take care of them. Not only as a plumber, but also as a human. And then after that, he went to problem solving, multitasking, then ultimately fixing what I think is important to know about that as a tradesperson or as somebody who's running a business like this, is understanding, like what you're asking your people to be able to do.

00:08:28:00 - 00:08:48:04
Speaker 1
It's not and do well. Yeah, you can find a bunch of folks are just technically good. But if you're thinking or not thinking about customers on their worst day, calling this individual and making sure you have someone who shows up who's got a level of empathy and compassion, and also who's really good at fixing things. I think you got to be really careful about who you bring on to the team.

00:08:48:06 - 00:09:13:23
Speaker 1
And I know Patrick as he recruits and hires, he takes a slow and deliberate time making sure he gets the right folks on board. Our last thing things to look forward to. Things that after I got done with hanging out with Chris all day, I thought to myself, man, I might want to be a plumber because this is some of the stuff that just kind of makes you excited about the industry and gives you faith and hope, not only in America, but in the people, in the hardworking folks that run America won.

00:09:14:01 - 00:09:34:07
Speaker 1
They're genuinely good people. These are folks that remind me of my uncles. Well, it actually should remind my uncles, my cousins, because both of them are plumbers, but they remind me of my family members. They tell jokes, they tease each other. They have families they enjoy, kind of the light heartedness of the job. They have war stories about dig into the mud and sewage.

00:09:34:09 - 00:09:51:08
Speaker 1
They're just good, genuine folks who work hard and are trying to deliver a service the best they possibly can. I think at the very least, there's a bit of this, like shared suffering that occurs while you're out there with them. And I think just being around these folks really just remind me, that that's not always the case.

00:09:51:08 - 00:10:14:22
Speaker 1
Everywhere you work and in this environment, it surely is. The work is meaningful. If you think about what Chris does. Every day is fixed problems for folks and gets them back on their pace. One of the houses we visited, you could tell they were having some health issues. And they're enduring some hardship. The fact that he was able just to brighten their day a little bit, one with his personality, but two with actually fixing something it's hard to beat.

00:10:14:22 - 00:10:32:14
Speaker 1
It's kind of think about getting up every morning. For some of you out there, you might be wondering, like, am I doing anything worth a hoot? Well, in this case, I don't think you have any questions about that on a daily basis multiple times a day. You're doing that. And then the last thing, a thing is tangible results for a lot of us out there stares at spreadsheets in a cubicle.

00:10:32:20 - 00:10:50:00
Speaker 1
It's hard for us to really think about what are we delivering on? Is what we are doing matter? Does it do we see what we're building around us is really difficult. And I think for a guy like Chris, guy like Patrick, who runs Blue Ribbon, what you find is that these folks don't have to question that what they do matters.

00:10:50:02 - 00:11:09:13
Speaker 1
One of the last visits of the day was outside of our service calls. We actually visited a house. They were doing a full plum on, had pipes everywhere, ditches dug. You had just a lot of stuff going on. It's very clear that by the time they were done with the place, the owner of that home was going to feel like there they got something brand new, and I got to imagine driving home in the evenings.

00:11:09:13 - 00:11:28:19
Speaker 1
You got to feel pretty good about yourself for building something. So I think these are the things to look forward to as you think about either embarking on the trades or getting into the world of ownership in this, in this, blue collar, if you will, industry. Last thing I want to leave you with is some takeaways from the owner and from Chris.

00:11:28:21 - 00:11:47:16
Speaker 1
One of them being is one lesson that I've learned is really important as I've kind of observed these folks, is know what you're good at and hyper focus. One of the things Patrick shared with me because I asked him, and in six short years, you've grown this thing into like a mini empire. How do you do it? And he goes, man, just know what you're good at and focus on that.

00:11:47:16 - 00:12:04:07
Speaker 1
Don't try to be commercial and residential. Don't try to be soft water or like water heaters and try to do filtration. And because if you get spread too thin, you don't do any of it well, you can build a reputation and you can't figure out how to do it. Find what you're great at, focus on it. Go on in.

00:12:04:09 - 00:12:25:15
Speaker 1
The other thing is, retain your talent. He told me that from somebody off the street, which he actually likes to train, folks, he's actually got a little school that they do, training so they can build plumbers out from scratch. He says, man, it takes two years of somebody riding sidesaddle in a truck before they're allowed to take their own truck out, their own service van out and be operational, because it's a lot of cost.

00:12:25:15 - 00:12:48:17
Speaker 1
It's a lot of expense. It's a lot of time. If you don't retain good talent, you're really hurting yourself. It's not just about finding good folks, but it's keeping good folks. The other thing is treat folks with respect. One of the things I recognized, Chris did really well, and I think something that gives me hope, at least in America and with the hard folks with grit and determination are doing out there every day, I'm reminded.

00:12:48:17 - 00:13:09:00
Speaker 1
And Chris in the truck from one site to another, reminded me that folks are going, everyone's going through something, right? Whether it's loss, whether it's, tough time, frustrations with work, whatever it might be, if you don't keep that in mind when you show up to the next call, that who you're talking to might have just incurred the worst day of their life.

00:13:09:02 - 00:13:25:16
Speaker 1
Just it was good reminder just to know that there are folks who are thinking about each other that way. This is a person plumber Chris never met before, yet he's still got this compassion and empathy show up every single day and say, hey, I don't know what you're going through, but it might be tough. Let me see if I can make your day a little bit better.

00:13:25:17 - 00:13:52:09
Speaker 1
At the very least, treat you with some dignity and respect. It's a good reminder for all of us out there, wherever we are in this world and whatever we do for a living. Just to take a moment before we talk with each other and just remind ourselves that there's tough things going on in everybody's lives. And the last thing, which is probably my favorite part of the day, we're doing a tour of the van, doing a walk around, going to see all the big monkey wrenches and all the tools and all the suck vacs and all the things that he's got.

00:13:52:09 - 00:14:13:09
Speaker 1
That's fun. But we got to the front of the van, and he told me that. I asked him basically what was his most important piece of equipment, and he took out his phone. Initially thought, oh, it's probably because it's, a tracker or something that kind of tells the different jobs he's got coming up. And he goes, no, I guess the last thing that I do is I hook it in before I take off for the day, and he's got a picture of his family on it.

00:14:13:10 - 00:14:30:03
Speaker 1
He goes, look, I like customers a lot, Joseph. Yeah, and I love what I do. And he goes, but the reason I do any of this is to provide for those people on this phone. It's a reminder of him every day why he shows up every day, which is to put food on the table to provide for his kids, and to make sure that his family's got a future that's worth building.

00:14:30:05 - 00:14:49:04
Speaker 1
And if you think about how important that is, you think about how simple that is. It's one of those things where I'm reminded that a lot of the times we get kind of really mired with, like, really big human capital initiatives and benefits and all that stuff. If we're just reminded that by taking care of our teammates, it helps them take care of the thing that's most important to them.

00:14:49:06 - 00:15:07:21
Speaker 1
It can be just that simple. As long as we don't lose track of that, I think we can do something really great in this country. I hope you all enjoyed this episode. We got a lot of great stuff. Footage, video, more conversations coming from this day in the life, but I hope this just gives you a little insight into not only the trades, but what great companies are doing out there.

00:15:07:21 - 00:15:13:13
Speaker 1
And most importantly, we're great plumbers like Chris are helping with folks with every single day.

00:15:13:13 - 00:15:39:12
Speaker 1
Thanks for tuning in to the American Operator Podcast, where we celebrate the backbone of America small business owners and operators like you. If you've enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe so you'll never miss out on more of these stories and insights from people who keep our community strong. Until next time, keep building, keep operating and keep America moving forward.