Description
Justin Blaine, Co-owner of Carter Services in Torrance, CA, provides a unique perspective on banking on the resilience of the trades by detailing his transition from a professional M&A advisor to an owner-operator. Drawing on lessons from his three years in minor league baseball, Justin discusses the necessity of humility, work ethic, and managing failure when entering a new industry. He shares the fascinating story of how he went from being a customer to the owner of a 50-year-old family business that specializes in multiple home service trades. Justin reveals how he navigated a challenging first year of ownership by leveraging technology to learn the business quickly and implementing a “hospitality first” mindset to drive a 45% revenue increase in year two.
Join us as we discuss:
[1:42] Justin’s pivot from minor league baseball to M&A and the trades
[14:58] Transitioning from customer to owner of a home services business
[25:23] Cultivating a growth mindset with your team and “unreasonable hospitality”
[37:25] The future of private equity and why the trades is accessible to everyone
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.
Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here!
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

