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How Service Businesses Can Stop Losing Skilled Workers

Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service

Release Date: 05/20/2026

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The skilled labor shortage isn’t just a hiring problem. It’s a perception problem. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Ruchir Shah, founder of SkillCat, to discuss why home service companies are struggling to attract and retain skilled workers and what the industry can do about it. Ruchir shares how his background in workforce training led him to build SkillCat, an online trade training platform helping people transition into HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and appliance repair careers. If your company struggles with hiring,...

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The skilled labor shortage isn’t just a hiring problem.

It’s a perception problem.

In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Ruchir Shah, founder of SkillCat, to discuss why home service companies are struggling to attract and retain skilled workers and what the industry can do about it.

Ruchir shares how his background in workforce training led him to build SkillCat, an online trade training platform helping people transition into HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and appliance repair careers.

If your company struggles with hiring, retention, or technician development, this episode offers a practical look at how the future workforce is changing.

What You Will Learn in This Episode

  • Why the trades are becoming more attractive to younger generations

  • How white-collar workers are now transitioning into skilled trades

  • The real reason people are leaving traditional office jobs

  • Why many technicians feel more fulfilled than corporate workers

  • The growing impact of AI on career choices

  • Why training accessibility is critical for the future of the trades

  • How online trade training and certifications are changing recruiting

  • Why mechanical aptitude matters more than experience

  • The role gamification and microlearning play in technician development

  • How companies can build better apprenticeship and training programs

Timestamps

00:00 Expanding online trade certifications

04:52 Starting SkillCat to help reskill

06:26 Job security concerns in Savannah

09:43 Switching to a paid model

15:01 Relying on social media sharing

17:05 Emphasizing the importance of networking

20:08 Trades job satisfaction and benefits

22:55 The value of trade jobs

25:58 Returning to familiar industries

31:27 Building trade school courses

32:59 Designing bite-sized, interactive courses

Follow the Host and Guest

Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/
Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/
Ruchir Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchir-shah/
SkillCat: https://www.skillcatapp.com

Connect with Us

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast

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