Systems That Scale by CEO929.com
Systems That Scale is a business podcast for operators, founders, and consultants who are done guessing and ready to build repeatable, scalable systems.
Hosted by CEO929, this show breaks down the exact systems behind growth—sales, operations, marketing, automation, delegation, and execution—used by real businesses in the trenches. No hype. No theory. No “guru talk.”
Each episode delivers practical frameworks, breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes insights pulled directly from real-world implementation across service businesses, local brands, digital companies, and consulting operations.
If you’re building a business that needs structure, leverage, and scale—not motivation—this is your room.
Systems That Scale by CEO929.com
Best Way to Hire Plumbers & Mechanics for Growth | Systems That Scale
Welcome to Systems That Scale, the podcast from CEO 929. Each week, we break down the frameworks, automations, and revenue systems that help service businesses scale without the chaos. I'm your host, and today we're diving into the best way to hire plumbers and mechanics for growth. Let's get into it. Last year, Antoine and his team sat across from an HVAC company owner in Dallas who was pulling his hair out. His lead flow was great, his closing rate was solid, but he couldn't keep enough technicians in the field. Every time he hired someone, another one seemed to walk out the door, or worse, they just weren't a good fit. Sound familiar? This isn't a unique problem. It's the default for most service businesses. You get a surge in demand, a key person leaves, and suddenly you're in a panic. You post on Craigslist, maybe throw some money at an indeed ad, and pray someone half decent applies. This firefighting approach to hiring is exactly what traps businesses under a revenue ceiling. It's expensive, inefficient, and often leads to bad hires who cost more in lost revenue and client goodwill than their salary ever would. The real issue isn't a shortage of qualified people, it's a shortage of systems. Most owners treat hiring as a one-off event instead of a continuous process, a predictable machine that feeds your growth. You can't scale a plumbing business, an auto repair shop, or any home service company if your talent acquisition is always in crisis mode. You're not just trying to figure out what is the best way to hire plumbers or mechanics, you need a strategic framework. The CEO 929 team has found that you need a strategic framework. Antoine Campbell often says that you need to shift from reactive desperation to proactive, continuous recruitment. This means always being in an interviewing mindset, always nurturing talent, always building relationships, even when you don't have an immediate opening. This ensures you have a bench of talent ready to step in when opportunity or necessity calls, allowing for true scaling without the constant stress of understaffing. Now, everyone tells you to post on job boards, and yes, you should. But if that's your entire strategy for the best way to hire skilled trades, you're losing before you even start. The best talent isn't actively scrolling through mediocre job postings. They're either well employed or they're looking for more than just a paycheck. They're looking for a future, a culture, a place where they feel valued. This is where your employer brand comes in. Your employer brand is your reputation as a place to work. Antoine encourages clients to ask themselves: why would a top-tier plumber leave their current gig to come work for you? What's your differentiator? The CEO 929 team advises businesses to start by identifying their unique value proposition as an employer. Is it your training, your technology, your family-like culture, your commitment to work-life balance, your profit sharing program? Whatever it is, you need to articulate it clearly and consistently. Then, push that message out everywhere you can, especially on social media, showcasing your team, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and testimonials from happy employees. The data supports this. Harvard Business Review research indicates that companies with strong employer brands see 28% lower turnover and recruit 50% more qualified applicants. Once you understand your employer brand, you can stop just throwing bait into a pond and start proactively fishing where the big fish swim. This is a critical piece of the best way to hire mechanics puzzle. Antoine and his team coaches clients to ask: where do top plumbers and mechanics spend their time? Think trade schools, community colleges with vocational programs, local union halls, and industry associations. These are fertile grounds for building relationships and identifying emerging talent. Set up an internship program, sponsor a local technical school event, offer to give guest lectures on industry trends, position yourself as a thought leader and a preferred employer in these communities. This establishes a direct pipeline of new graduates and experienced professionals who are already engaged in their craft. Quick reminder: if you're getting value from this episode, you can apply for a free revenue system audit at CEO929.com.audit. The CEO929 team will analyze your business and show you exactly where you're leaving money on the table. Now, back to the episode. Now let's be honest, resumes are often glorified wish lists. To find the best way to hire plumbers and mechanics, you need a predictable, repeatable process that goes far beyond a paper screen. Your interview process needs to be designed to assess not just skills, but also attitude, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. This is about minimizing bad hires, which are incredibly costly. Antoine's team recommends starting with a structured interview script. Ask behavioral questions that require candidates to describe past experiences and how they handled specific situations. Implement practical skills tests. For a plumber, this might be a hands-on task with a specific fitting or repair. For a mechanic, it could be diagnosing an issue on a vehicle. These tests are far more telling than any credential on a resume. More importantly, involve your team. Have prospective hires spend time with your existing employees. A ride along for a few hours with a current technician can reveal a lot about their interpersonal skills and how they interact in a real-world setting. Most businesses treat the job offer as the finish line for hiring. It's not. It's actually the starting gun. Your onboarding and training process is absolutely critical for retaining top talent and quickly turning new hires into productive, high-performing team members. A structured onboarding program, the CEO 929 team advises, should last more than just a day or two. It should extend for weeks, even months, progressively immersing new employees into your culture, systems, and standard operating procedures. This includes detailed training on your specific tools, software, safety protocols, and most importantly, your customer service philosophy. Antoine has found that providing a dedicated mentor can accelerate a new hire's learning curve and provide invaluable support. According to the MIT Sloan Management Review, the cost of employee turnover is astronomical, estimated to be 1.5 to 2 times the employee's salary. Investing in robust onboarding pays dividends in retention and productivity. Hiring them is one thing. Keeping them is another. If you want to scale a mechanic business or any high-growth service company, you can't afford a revolving door of talent. Retention is just as important as acquisition, and it boils down to three pillars culture, compensation, and continuous development. Your culture isn't just a set of values on a wall, it's the daily lived experience of your employees. Do they feel respected? Compensation, of course, matters. You don't always have to be the highest payer, but you need to be competitive and consider performance-based bonuses, benefits, and opportunities for profit sharing. Finally, Antoine stresses continuous development. The best plumbers and mechanics are constantly learning. They want to stay current with new technologies and techniques. Provide regular opportunities for advanced training certifications and skill upgrades. In today's service industry, neglecting technology in your hiring and management process is like trying to fix a modern car with a wrench from the 1950s. Applicant tracking systems, or ATS, are non-negotiable for any growing service business. An ATS helps you streamline your entire recruitment process, from posting jobs to screening resumes, scheduling interviews, and communicating with candidates. Beyond hiring, technology can transform your employee management. Field service management software not only optimizes dispatch and scheduling but also often includes features for technician performance tracking, customer feedback integration, and even internal communication. This data can be invaluable for identifying high performers and pinpointing areas for additional training. Antoine and the CEO 929 team have seen companies cut recruitment admin time by 30% and improve overall team productivity by implementing new ATS and FSM systems. Here's what you can do today to start hiring better. 1. Define your employer brand. Clearly articulate why a top-tier plumber or mechanic would choose your company over a competitor. What's your unique value proposition as an employer? But two, go where the talent is. Stop relying solely on job boards, build relationships with trade schools, vocational programs, and industry associations. 3. Implement structured interviews. Develop a standardized script with behavioral questions and hands-on skill assessments to reduce gut feel hiring. 4. Create an onboarding map. Design a comprehensive 30-90-day onboarding program that integrates new hires into your culture, systems, and standard operating procedures, complete with a mentor. 5. Leverage technology. Invest in an applicant tracking system and utilize your field service management software's HR and performance tracking capabilities. That's a wrap on this episode of Systems That Scale. For more insights on building predictable revenue, visit CEO092129.com ChooBlog. And when you're ready to install real systems in your business, apply for your free audit at CEO9209.com audit. Until next time, keep building those systems.