Daryl Kelly

Because I don't know how many businesses, they start growing and they realize they have no money. Yeah.

Because I don't know how many businesses, they start growing and they realize they have no money. Yeah.

And so I think being able to scale with margin allowed us to continue to grow. We had 300% growth year over year, two years in a row. If we didn't have the margins we had, there'd be no way.

And so I think being able to scale with margin allowed us to continue to grow. We had 300% growth year over year, two years in a row. If we didn't have the margins we had, there'd be no way.

Yeah. Well, I was just going to say, and it was really important for us to make sure our employees understood that because they'd be up competing with people that were charging a lot less. Give it away.

Yeah. Well, I was just going to say, and it was really important for us to make sure our employees understood that because they'd be up competing with people that were charging a lot less. Give it away.

So I appreciate your view on your employees, but I guarantee it didn't start that way. Yeah. So like, how did that transition happen? Or how did you... COVID.

So I appreciate your view on your employees, but I guarantee it didn't start that way. Yeah. So like, how did that transition happen? Or how did you... COVID.

I'll go to work. One of the things you brought up, and I think this was also contributed to our success, was the homegrown salespeople. And technicians. And technicians. And I think, Chris, you should talk about this because we decided we didn't want industry people in our business. We wanted to create them.

I'll go to work. One of the things you brought up, and I think this was also contributed to our success, was the homegrown salespeople. And technicians. And technicians. And I think, Chris, you should talk about this because we decided we didn't want industry people in our business. We wanted to create them.

You just got to understand though, Tri-Cities is a small town. Right. So it's like there's no sales force. There's not a big sales force out there to pull from.

You just got to understand though, Tri-Cities is a small town. Right. So it's like there's no sales force. There's not a big sales force out there to pull from.

I think to echo some of the sentiment, like one of the things you got to realize is like you do lose control when you have a partner like a PE. I mean, they come in with a completely different set of motives. And so like the idea that things are going to operate, continue how they are. I mean, they will until they need to change things.

I think to echo some of the sentiment, like one of the things you got to realize is like you do lose control when you have a partner like a PE. I mean, they come in with a completely different set of motives. And so like the idea that things are going to operate, continue how they are. I mean, they will until they need to change things.

Yes.

Yes.

And most people are going, Oh, this, this, you don't understand this. One of the things, so firing is hard. I remember when we first had to fire people, like I hated it because I feel like I was, I'm not good at it to this day. Well, I feel like I was doing something wrong to these people. I was putting them in a bad situation. And then the paradigm shift was like, I'm not firing them for me.

And most people are going, Oh, this, this, you don't understand this. One of the things, so firing is hard. I remember when we first had to fire people, like I hated it because I feel like I was, I'm not good at it to this day. Well, I feel like I was doing something wrong to these people. I was putting them in a bad situation. And then the paradigm shift was like, I'm not firing them for me.

I'm firing them for everyone else who's there working for me, right? And so that helped a little bit. It helped a lot, actually.

I'm firing them for everyone else who's there working for me, right? And so that helped a little bit. It helped a lot, actually.