In this episode of Born For The Trades, host Mandeep sits down with Ryan Fenn, founder and CEO of CHIIRP, for a real, operator-first conversation about what actually drives growth in home service businesses, and why most owners are leaving money on the table without realizing it.Ryan didn’t build CHIIRP to chase shiny tech trends. He built it to solve a painfully common problem he saw over and over again: great contractors spending hard-earned money to generate leads, only to lose jobs because they were slow to respond or inconsistent with follow-up. In the trades, speed isn’t a luxury; it’s survival. Ryan breaks down what “fast enough” really means when it comes to speed-to-lead, and why even a few minutes can be the difference between a booked job and a lost opportunity.The conversation digs deep into what great follow-up actually looks like in the real world. Not theory, not fluff, but practical systems that work in busy, chaotic home-service businesses. Ryan shares why follow-up isn’t about sending more messages, but about sending the right messages at the right time, consistently, without relying on memory or motivation.Mandeep and Ryan also unpack what separates operators who scale from those who stay stuck year after year. The difference isn’t talent or hustle. It’s ownership, repeatable playbooks, and a willingness to build systems that remove friction from growth. Ryan explains how the latest CHIIRP AI tools are changing the day-to-day for owners by taking follow-up off their mental load while still keeping it personal, timely, and effective.You’ll also hear Ryan call out one follow-up mistake almost every contractor makes, and how fixing it alone can unlock immediate revenue. Finally, they tackle a question every owner wrestles with: if you want predictable growth, should you fix marketing first or follow up? Ryan’s answer may surprise you, and it could save you thousands in wasted ad spend.This episode is packed with practical frameworks, hard-earned insights, and no-BS advice for owners who want growth they can actually control. If you’re in the trades and tired of guessing where your next job is coming from, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.Support the show

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