Brent Buckley has spent more than two decades finding out.

Brent started in HVAC at 18 years old as a $10-an-hour apprentice. He worked his way from helper to installer to service technician, produced roughly $1 million in his first full year in a truck, and eventually grew his personal production to $7.8 million.

But Brent believes his biggest impact came after he stopped trying to be the best salesperson in the room and learned how to build other high performers.

In this episode of Behind the Door, Kaleb Blyton sits down with Brent to break down the sales process that helped him become one of the most recognized sales leaders in home services, the systems he uses to develop technicians, and why consistency and discipline beat raw talent.

Brent also shares how one technician went from worrying about making $1,400 per week to potentially earning around $600,000 per year, why he prefers developing talent instead of searching for “unicorn” salespeople, and how he has helped build businesses that ultimately produced major exits.

They also get into the changing home service customer, AI, private equity, leadership, average ticket vs. close rate, accountability, and what technicians need to understand about selling in 2026.

In this episode:

• How Brent went from a $10/hour HVAC apprentice to a $7.8M sales producer
• Why Brent believes 95% of contractors are approaching sales wrong
• Why every service call essentially starts with a “no”
• How to overcome customer sales resistance without becoming pushy
• Why a consistent process beats natural sales talent
• How Brent develops technicians into elite performers
• The technician who went from $1,400/week to potentially $600K/year
• Why you should build talent instead of depending on “unicorns”
• The four-option sales process
• Why customers need to see and understand problems for themselves
• Why the best sales process doesn't feel like selling
• AI's role in home services and why Brent thinks it's currently overhyped
• Why humans still matter in call centers and sales
• Building companies for private equity exits
• Taking an HVAC business from roughly $8M and losing money to $25M with approximately $6M in EBITDA
• The “second bite of the apple” in private equity
• What technicians should expect when their company gets acquired
• Close rate vs. average ticket
• Talent vs. discipline
• Why accountability changes everything

Whether you're a technician trying to increase your income, a sales leader developing a team, or a home service owner trying to build a scalable company, this episode is packed with lessons you can put to work immediately.

Behind the Door is hosted by Kaleb Blyton and features conversations with the people building, leading, selling, buying, and transforming businesses in the skilled trades and home service industries.

Subscribe and follow Behind the Door for new episodes.

At 20 years old, Shane Viggiani was sitting in prison.

Today, he’s the founder of one of the largest and highest-reviewed electrical companies in Las Vegas, with his business pacing toward $15 million in revenue in 2026.

But there was a lot of failure between those two points.

After prison, Shane tried everything from a used car dealership and a cinnamon roll business to driving a dump truck. He failed repeatedly before eventually finding his way back to the trade he grew up around: electrical.

In this episode of Behind the Door, Shane breaks down the entire journey of building Ampere Electric from a truck in the driveway into a multimillion-dollar home service company.

We talk about:

• Going to prison at just 20 years old
• What life inside prison was actually like
• Getting out and going to college
• Failing at multiple businesses before finding the right one
• Starting over during COVID
• Going from $20/hour on Taskrabbit to owning an electrical company
• Building a company around five-star reviews
• Why Shane believes perception matters in business
• Scaling from $800K in year one to pacing $15M in 2026
• Why commission changed his ability to scale
• Getting himself out of the truck
• Hiring his first technician and manager
• Why the CSR may be one of the most important people in a home service company
• Marketing aggressively while competitors rely on referrals
• Using billboards, radio, Google and branding to dominate a market
• Creating opportunities for technicians to make more money
• Leading employees by example
• Why taking care of employees leads to better customer experiences
• The stigma around sales in the trades
• Investing in coaching, relationships and personal development
• Why failure can become an advantage
• Shane's advice for anyone trying to break into the trades

One of the biggest takeaways from Shane's story is simple:

Your past does not have to determine your future.

When asked what he would change about everything he went through, Shane's answer was simple:

“Everything was written the way it was written for a reason. I’m not changing anything.”

This is From Prison to Millions with Shane Viggiani.

🎙️ Behind the Door Podcast
Hosted by Kaleb Blyton

New episodes featuring entrepreneurs, tradespeople, operators and leaders telling the stories behind the businesses, failures and decisions that got them where they are today.

In this episode of Behind the Door, Kaleb Blyton sits down with Michael to break down what actually happens when someone buys a home service business.

Michael shares the three pillars he uses to evaluate a potential deal: fit, timing, and price, and explains why price isn't always the most important part of getting an acquisition across the finish line.

They get into what makes a small service business valuable, what business owners should be doing years before they plan to sell, and the mistakes that can destroy a company's value before a buyer ever makes an offer.

Michael also shares stories from years of cold calling business owners, tracking down opportunities others couldn't find, and building relationships that sometimes took years before turning into acquisitions.

The conversation goes beyond buying companies.

Kaleb and Michael discuss what happens after the acquisition, why having the right leader on the ground can make or break a new market, and the expensive lesson Michael learned from an expansion into Miami that ultimately failed.

They also break down what Michael would do if he had to start a garage door company from scratch today, including Google, reviews, local marketing, building a customer database, social media, emergency service, community involvement, and finding ways to stand out when everyone else looks the same.

In this episode:

• Michael's path into garage door acquisitions
• Nearly $30 million spent acquiring businesses
• 100+ acquisitions and what they taught him
• The three pillars of a successful acquisition
• How to approach a business owner who isn't looking to sell
• Why relationships can matter more than price
• What makes a home service company attractive to buyers
• How customer concentration can hurt your valuation
• Why owners often overestimate what their business is worth
• The difference between owning a business and owning a job
• Mistakes that can kill an acquisition
• The Miami expansion that didn't work
• Why boots-on-the-ground leadership matters
• Building culture across multiple markets
• What Michael would do with 90 days to start a garage door company
• Google reviews and local online presence
• Building and remarketing to your customer database
• Why raw content can outperform polished marketing
• Getting technicians involved in content and company growth
• Creative hyper-local marketing strategies
• Michael's move into consulting and what's next

Whether you're building a home service company, thinking about acquiring one, preparing to sell, or simply trying to understand what makes a small business valuable, this episode gives you a look behind the door at how deals actually get done.

Hosted by Kaleb Blyton

Guest: Michael Barrett

Subscribe to Behind the Door for conversations with the entrepreneurs, operators, technicians, leaders, and business builders who know what it takes to build something from the ground up.

Now Jason is building again as the founder and CEO of Good Golly Garage Doors, which expanded to 10 locations in roughly 15 months.

Jason joins Kaleb Blyton on Behind the Door Podcast to share the real story behind that journey. He explains why being a great technician did not automatically make him a great business owner, how one book changed the direction of his company, and why learning means nothing without immediate execution.

They discuss building systems from the ground up, creating core values with the team, developing a high-performance culture, using Google Local Services Ads to generate early momentum, and keeping employees aligned as a company grows.

Jason also explains why he entered the garage door industry after selling Best Air, how his role changed from operator to CEO, and why he believes in work-life harmony instead of work-life balance.

This episode offers an honest look at leadership, culture, discipline, private equity, business growth, and what it takes to start over after a successful exit.

What does it really take to build a business that lasts?

In the debut episode of Behind the Door, Kaleb Blyton sits down with home service legend Ken Goodrich for an honest conversation about the lessons that helped him build and sell six companies, grow businesses from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions in revenue, and become one of the most respected leaders in the trades.

Ken shares the story of nearly losing everything after an IRS payroll tax crisis, rebuilding his business from the ground up, and discovering the systems, processes, and leadership principles that became the foundation of his success. From scaling companies and creating iconic brands like Goettl to mastering pricing, marketing, and customer experience, this episode is packed with practical advice for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone looking to build something meaningful.

In this episode:

• How Ken recovered after nearly losing his business
• Why pricing is the biggest mistake business owners make
• The business systems every company needs to scale
• Building a premium brand customers trust
• The Goettl story and the power of authentic marketing
• Leadership, culture, and creating high-performing teams
• How AI is changing the future of home service
• The legacy Ken hopes to leave behind

Whether you're a technician, contractor, entrepreneur, or aspiring business owner, this conversation is filled with real-world lessons you can put to work immediately.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow Behind the Door, leave a review, and share it with someone who wants to build a better business.

Connect with Behind the Door:
Website: https://btdpodcast.net

New episodes released every Wednesday.

In this first episode, host Kaleb Blyton opens the door on what this show is really about: why he started it, who it's for, and what you can expect in the episodes ahead. It's a short introduction, a handshake before the real work begins.

If you build, fix, sell, or lead in home services, pull up a chair. The best conversations happen behind the door.

New episodes coming soon. Follow the show so you don't miss the first full conversation.