Accounting Doesn’t Have to Suck | HVAC Business Finance Tips w/ Spencer Sheinin CPA
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Release Date: 11/15/2023
No Fees No Equity Loss: A New Way to Scale Your Business
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Most business owners think they only have two options when they want to scale: Pay expensive consultants… or give up equity to investors. But what if there was a third option? In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Mike Michalowicz and Greg Eckler from The Prosper Group to break down a completely different approach to scaling service businesses. Instead of charging fees or taking ownership, their model focuses on partnering with business owners, executing alongside them, and only getting paid when the business becomes more profitable. What...
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Leadership Skills for Home Service Owners Who Want to Scale
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Most home service business owners start as technicians. But scaling a business requires a completely different skill set. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett sits down with Elise Radawitz, President and Owner of Velocity Leader, to break down the leadership skills contractors need if they want to grow their business. They discuss why promoting your best technician into a management role often fails, how leadership is a learned skill, and what it actually takes to lead people effectively. Elise shares practical insights on developing leaders inside your company,...
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Building a Trades Business Brand That Gets Real Results
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Most home service businesses are posting content… but not getting results. Why? Because they’re missing the most important piece: connection. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett sits down with Jen McKee, founder of Kee Hart Marketing, to break down what actually works when it comes to building a brand in the trades. They dive into why personal branding matters, how social media really drives business growth, and why most contractors are overthinking their content strategy. Jen explains why “boring” everyday work is actually powerful content, how authenticity...
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Automation vs. Real AI: What Works, What’s Hype, and How to Profit
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
AI is everywhere right now. But most contractors don’t actually understand how it works. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Jeff Torello, founder of Sinjun AI, to break down what AI really is, how it works under the hood, and why so much of the industry is getting it wrong. Jeff explains that AI isn’t some all-knowing system. It’s a probability engine that predicts the next word, with no real memory and no true understanding of context. If you’ve been confused, overwhelmed, or skeptical about AI, this episode will give you a...
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Stop Hiding Your Prices: The Real ROI of Transparent Contractor Pricing
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Most contractors are still hiding their prices. But customers are already finding that information somewhere else. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Paul Redman, President of Contractor Commerce, to break down the real impact of transparent pricing in home service businesses. They discuss why pricing transparency is no longer optional, how AI search and Google are already surfacing pricing data, and why contractors who don’t adapt risk losing control of the customer conversation. Paul shares how online pricing tools,...
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AI Employee: How Home Service Businesses Are Scaling Without More Staff
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
AI is no longer just automation or chatbots. It’s becoming a real employee for service businesses. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, recorded live at AHR Expo 2026, Tersh Blissett sits down with Dennis Steele, co-founder of Podium, to talk about the rise of AI agents and how they’re transforming HVAC and plumbing companies. From answering calls and booking jobs to handling angry customers and following up on estimates, AI agents are beginning to perform real work that previously required multiple team members. Dennis shares how Podium started by helping contractors get more...
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The Future of Marketing for Home Service Businesses
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Marketing for home service businesses is evolving faster than ever. Rising lead costs, private equity competition, new AI-driven ad platforms, and changing consumer behavior are forcing contractors to rethink how they attract customers. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett sits down with Justin Riley, founder of UpFrog, to talk about what the future of marketing really looks like for HVAC, plumbing, and other home service companies. If you want to understand where marketing for home service businesses is heading and how to stay competitive in the years ahead, this...
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How Dual Fuel Heat Pumps Are Changing the Game for HVAC Contractors
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Electrification is accelerating across North America. Rebates are expanding. Regulations are tightening. And HVAC contractors are being asked to deliver higher efficiency, lower emissions, and better comfort all at the same time. So where does dual fuel fit in? In this episode of Service Business Mastery, recorded live at AHR Expo, Tersh Blissett sits down with Matt Schlegel and Charles Hurd to break down how dual fuel heat pumps are becoming a powerful solution for commercial and residential contractors. If you’re trying to navigate electrification, cold climate performance, rebate...
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How HVAC Contractors Are Making More Money with Duct Sealing Technology
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Most HVAC contractors focus on equipment upgrades, but one of the biggest opportunities for better installs and higher profit is hiding in the ductwork. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, recorded live at AHR 2026 in Las Vegas, Tersh Blissett sits down with Jarrod Scott from Aeroseal to explain how duct sealing from the inside works, why it is different from traditional mastic and tape, and how contractors can use it to improve comfort, increase system efficiency, reduce callbacks, and create a real competitive advantage. They also discuss commercial and multifamily applications,...
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How Service Businesses Can Use AI to Convert More Leads
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
AI is moving faster than most service businesses can keep up with. Voice agents. Text automation. Follow-up systems. AI sales emails. Predictive messaging. But here’s the real question: How do you use AI to convert more leads without losing the human touch? In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Ryan Fenn, CEO at CHIIRP, to break down what’s actually working in AI-driven lead conversion right now. They dive into: Why speed to lead still wins (and why seconds matter) How one word in your follow-up could be killing 90 percent of your...
info_outlineIf you are passionate about your skilled trades service business but struggle to see it grow, or if you're simply curious about running a successful service enterprise, this episode of the Service Business Mastery Podcast is for you!
In this episode, "Accounting Doesn't Have to Suck," hosts Tersh Blisset and Joshua Crouch engage with guest Spencer Sheinin, CEO and Founder of Shift Financial Insights, in a deep dive into the world of accounting, and how as daunting as it may appear, it doesn't have to suck!
They explore hiring problems often faced by small and medium-sized businesses and how hiring the wrong person for accounting can result in lost opportunities. They discuss the role of AI in bookkeeping, financial analysis, and how it may not necessarily be the ideal option for smaller businesses with unique scenarios.
Tersh, Josh, and Spencer inspire others with their personal stories of business finance, including Spencer's transformative shift in mindset towards numbers.
If you've ever been overwhelmed by financial statements, Spencer's take on using data visualization techniques for better understanding and data interpretation is a game-changer.
Also, make sure to look out for the invaluable advice from Sheinin's book, "Entreprenumbers," of which we are giving away copies after the interview. It's an absolute must-read for entrepreneurs looking to demystify their financials and gain the knowledge to make effective business decisions.
This episode is full of insights, practical advice, and money-saving tips for anyone in a service business. Don't miss out!
SHOW NOTES
01:59 Justin hosts giveaway and offers script for success.
04:11 Copeland offers valuable compressor diagnostics training.
08:58 Struggling to keep up, correcting formulas, light bulb moment.
12:20 Not a certified accountant. HVAC career started accidentally.
14:14 Accounting department struggles due to inadequate staffing.
17:15 Financials are backwards looking, but budgets and cash flows can be forward looking. Looking backwards helps identify what's not working and the root causes. The 80 20 rule applies to most problems. Understanding the right information helps identify issues like a 3% decrease in average margin.
20:14 AI accounting benefits big companies, not small.
24:16 Increase sales, decrease costs, analyze divisions.
26:01 Forward vs. backward analysis in HVAC operations.
30:46 Managing labor is crucial in every industry, particularly this industry. Analyzing labor as a percentage of sales can indicate if it's going in the wrong direction. Our brains process information visually, so financial information should be presented in pictures instead of letters and numbers. For example, when determining the current percentage of receivables, the accounts receivable aging report is commonly used.
34:27 Book version of tips/tools for implementation.
36:38 Great ideas shared with like-minded business coaches.
39:22 Impressive intro video. Tersh's amazing shoes.
Resources And People Mentioned:
Connect With Spencer on LinkedIn Here! Or check out his book’s website via entreprenumbers.com.
This episode is kindly sponsored by:
- Sera (visit their website)
- UpFrog (visit their website)
- Copeland (visit their website).
- CompanyCam (visit their website) Visit www.companycam.com/SBM and use code SBM for a free 2-week trial, 1:1 training and account setup, and 50% off your first two months!
- Interplay Learning (visit their website)
- Join the Service Business Mastery Facebook group
Affiliate Links:
- Castmagic - https://get.castmagic.io/SBM
- StreamYard - https://streamyard.com/pal/c/4524595769507840
- CallRail - https://partners.callrail.com/relentless-digital
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