loader from loading.io

How Service Business Owners Use Phantom Equity to Retain Talent & Avoid Entitlement - Chris Buttenham

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

Release Date: 08/20/2025

Why Contractors Who Don’t Own Their Customer List Will Lose show art Why Contractors Who Don’t Own Their Customer List Will Lose

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

Contractors who do not own their customer list will lose. As AI, search, and digital platforms continue to change, relying on Google, ads, or third party platforms puts your business at risk. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, we break down why owning your customer list is no longer optional for contractors and service business owners who want to survive and scale in the next decade. Joshua Crouch and Tersh Blissett sit down with , founder of , to explain how contractors can protect their business by building direct relationships with their audience, increasing client loyalty, and...

info_outline
How Contractors Can Automate Their Business Without Losing Control show art How Contractors Can Automate Their Business Without Losing Control

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

In this episode of the Service Business Mastery Podcast, host Tersh Blissett sits down with Ari Meisel, Founder of Less Doing and creator of the Optimize, Automate, Outsource framework. Ari is a globally recognized expert in business automation, productivity systems, and operational efficiency, with deep hands-on experience in the construction and skilled trades. Ari shares how extreme burnout and a Crohn’s disease diagnosis forced him to redesign how he worked, leading to a system that allowed him to reclaim time, reduce stress, and build a business that runs without constant owner...

info_outline
What Homeowners Actually Want From Contractors show art What Homeowners Actually Want From Contractors

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

If you’re in the skilled trades like HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any service where the phone rings with “Hey, my system isn’t working,” this episode of SBM, “What Homeowners Actually Want” with Zachary Dearing, co-founder of Mantel, breaks down real homeowner insights pulled directly from Mantel’s survey data. The conversation translates the findings of the Mantel's survey "Homeowner Shopping Attitudes Report 2025" (https://www.usemantel.com/survey) into practical takeaways, making it a cheat sheet into how homeowners think, choose, and spend. Here’s why you should listen,...

info_outline
Why Promoting Your Best Technician Almost Always Backfires show art Why Promoting Your Best Technician Almost Always Backfires

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today - 🚀 Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail! 👉 Visit: In this episode of the Service Business Mastery Podcast, we sat down for an insightful discussion with Justin Deese, host of the Freedom Blueprint podcast and creator of the Service Manager Academy. We talked about how to turn top technicians into effective service managers. Here’s what we cover in this episode: Common mistakes we see when promoting technicians to managers How to set boundaries with coworkers, friends, and...

info_outline
Google vs ChatGPT in Local Search and What Actually Ranks in 2026 with Darren Shaw show art Google vs ChatGPT in Local Search and What Actually Ranks in 2026 with Darren Shaw

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today -   🚀 Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail! 👉 Visit: __________________________________________   Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast! Visit our website for more episodes and insights!   In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch talk with Darren Shaw. He is the founder of Whitespark, a company specializing in local SEO software and services, and a recognized local SEO educator with more than 45,000...

info_outline
2025 Recap for Service Business Owners to Learn Real Growth Wins and Apply Them in 2026 show art 2025 Recap for Service Business Owners to Learn Real Growth Wins and Apply Them in 2026

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today - 🚀 Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail! 👉 Visit:  __________________________________________ Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast! Visit our website for more episodes and insights! In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, Tersh Blissett, Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer at Trade Automation Pros, CEO of Service Emperor, Co-Host & Founder of Service Business Mastery Podcast, and Josh Crouch, Founder of Relentless Digital Marketing...

info_outline
Missed Calls in HVAC for Contractors to Stop Killing Growth by Fixing Operations - Crystal Williams show art Missed Calls in HVAC for Contractors to Stop Killing Growth by Fixing Operations - Crystal Williams

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today - 🚀 Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail! 👉 Visit: __________________________________________   Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast! Visit our website for more episodes and insights!   In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch talk with Crystal Williams at AHR Expo 2025. She is the Co-Founder of Lemon Seed Marketing, Marketing Strategist at McWilliams Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing & Co-Host of From The...

info_outline
The Power of Reinvention for Female Leaders to Thrive After Fame & Find Purpose with Danica Patrick show art The Power of Reinvention for Female Leaders to Thrive After Fame & Find Purpose with Danica Patrick

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today - __________________________________________ Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast! Visit our website for more episodes and insights!   In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, Tersh Blissett & Josh Crouch chat with Danica Patrick, Race Car Driver, Host of the Pretty Intense Podcast, an Entrepreneur, and Motivational Speaker at Service World Expo. She shares how she transitioned from a successful racing career to building her own business ventures....

info_outline
TikTok Strategy for Contractors to Build Authority & Drive Organic Leads without Ads with Jen McKee show art TikTok Strategy for Contractors to Build Authority & Drive Organic Leads without Ads with Jen McKee

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today -   🚀 Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail! 👉 Visit: __________________________________________   Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast! Visit our website for more episodes and insights!   In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, Tersh Blissett & Josh Crouch talk with Jen McKee at Epic 2025 in Orlando Florida. Jen is the owner of Kee Hart Marketing, a social media agency focused on helping home service businesses grow. Jen shares her...

info_outline
From Donut Shop to $80M Brand Growth with No Capital and CEO Profit Coaching with Luke Peters show art From Donut Shop to $80M Brand Growth with No Capital and CEO Profit Coaching with Luke Peters

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

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required! 👉 Enroll Today -   🚀 Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail! 👉 Visit: __________________________________________   Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast! Visit our website for more episodes and insights!   In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, Tersh Blissett talks with Luke Peters, Founder & CEO of Apex CEO Business Turnarounds, Former CEO of Newair and Host of The 8-Figure Product CEO Podcast. He shares how he grew a home appliance brand from a...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No Coding required!
👉 Enroll Today - https://bit.ly/3CZTDte

----------------------------------------------------

Save the Date: TAP Into the Future | October 3-5, 2025 | Savannah, GA

Join us for 3 powerful days of hands-on automation strategies, exclusive Savannah Bananas access, and the energy boost your service business needs heading into 2026.

Walk away with real tools, real momentum, and real connections that drive results.
This isn’t fluff - it’s strategy-packed and seriously fun.

🎫 Spots are limited - register now at: https://tapintothefuture.ai/ 

Welcome to the Service Business Mastery Podcast!

Visit our website for more episodes and insights! http://www.servicebusinessmastery.com 

 

In this episode of the Service Business Mastery podcast, hosts Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch talk with Chris Buttenham, Co-Founder of Reins, a company that helps contractors retain employees through incentive programs. Chris shares how offering phantom equity and profit-sharing plans motivates employees and aligns their goals with the business’s success. He explains how using technology to simplify these programs makes them easy to manage and more effective. Chris talks about how offering meaningful rewards can drive business growth and employee loyalty.

This conversation focuses on Chris’s journey helping contractors retain key employees with incentive programs. He shares how offering phantom equity and profit-sharing plans motivates employees and aligns their goals with the business. Chris explains how using technology to simplify these programs makes them easy to manage and more impactful. He highlights how offering meaningful rewards can strengthen loyalty, improve performance, and lead to long-term growth.

 

In this episode, here's what you can expect to learn: 

  1. How phantom equity and profit-sharing motivate employees.

  2. Why aligning employee goals with the business drives success.

  3. The value of using simple technology to manage incentives.

  4. How offering meaningful rewards can increase employee loyalty.

  5. Why creating clear, visible incentives leads to better performance and growth.

 

Timestamps

[00:00] - Recap

[02:52] - Episode Intro & Meeting Chris Buttenham

[06:39] - The Importance of Employee Retention in Home Services

[11:50] - Challenges of Aligning Employee Goals with Business Success

[15:40] - Understanding Phantom Equity and Profit-Sharing Programs

[18:21] - Simplifying Employee Incentives with Technology

[24:04] - How Incentive Programs Can Boost Employee Motivation

[31:28] - Managing Emotional Expectations and Visibility in Equity Compensation

[33:18] - The Role of Technology in Managing Employee Incentives

[37:16] - Employee Compensation Ranges and Impact

[38:09] - Equity Impact at Different Business Sizes

[40:00] - Fast Onboarding for Profit Sharing Programs

[43:34] - KPIs and the Need for Ongoing Communication in Employee Programs

If you enjoyed this insightful conversation with Chris Buttenham, please leave us a review (5 stars would be greatly appreciated 😉).


Links & References:

LinkedIn: 

Website: 

This episode is kindly sponsored by:

Connect with us!

Affiliate links: