You don't need a massive marketing budget to grow a home service business. Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones your competitors are overlooking.

In this special JackQuisitions feed drop from Owned and Operated, Jack Carr sits down with Sam Preston of Service Scalers to break down creative, low-cost marketing strategies that home service business owners can actually use.

From Nextdoor and Facebook groups to yard signs, local partnerships, and community events, they explore unconventional ways to generate leads without relying on expensive advertising.

They also discuss how one company generated over $500K in leads from Nextdoor, how yard signs contributed to the growth of an $8M plumbing business, and why smaller operators can compete with larger companies by getting creative with their marketing.

Whether you're starting a service business from scratch, buying an existing company, or looking to grow without dramatically increasing your marketing budget, this episode is packed with practical ideas.

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In This Episode:

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• Where to spend your first marketing dollars
• Generating leads without expensive advertising
• Nextdoor, Facebook groups, and Google Business Profile
• How yard signs contributed to an $8M plumbing business
• Building local partnerships and referral networks
• Marketing expenses to avoid early on
• Competing with larger companies on a smaller budget

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Sponsors

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Quick Staffers

Hire trained HVAC and plumbing CSRs without the overhead of traditional hiring. Save $500 on your first placement with Quick Staffers:

https://www.quickstaffers.com/

Catalyst | May 3–5 | Akron, Ohio

100+ home service owners and operators. Three days of tactical sessions, real conversations, and learning from great operators.

Grab your seat: https://www.ownedandoperated.com/catalyst

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Connect

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Jack Carr
https://x.com/thehvacjack

Sam Preston
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-preston-a682103b6/

Originally featured on Owned and Operated. Subscribe to Owned and Operated for more conversations on building, buying, and scaling home service businesses.

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Most people look at a construction site and see the companies building it. Jack Carr sees five overlooked businesses making money behind the scenes.

In this episode of JackQuisitions, Jack breaks down five construction support businesses he'd consider owning: temporary fencing, portable toilet rentals, traffic control, temporary power, and job site security.

These businesses solve problems contractors already need handled. Jack explains how equipment rentals, recurring service contracts, and long-term relationships with general contractors can create opportunities to generate repeat revenue without doing the actual construction.

He also explores why job site security is particularly interesting as AI-powered surveillance and remote monitoring change how construction companies protect their equipment.

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IN THIS EPISODE

• Temporary fencing and recurring equipment rentals
• Portable toilet rentals and route-based sanitation services
• Traffic control businesses serving contractors and municipalities
• Temporary power, generator rentals, and job site infrastructure
• Job site security, AI surveillance, and remote monitoring
• Why construction support businesses can generate recurring revenue
• Building long-term B2B relationships with contractors and developers
• Why Jack likes owning the businesses behind construction

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Connect With Jack for More Business & Acquisition Insights

𝕏: https://x.com/thehvacjack

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What if the truck itself was the business?

In this episode of JackQuisitions, Jack Carr breaks down five specialized truck businesses he’d consider starting: septic pumping, roll-off dumpsters, street sweeping, tree service, and hydro excavation.

These aren’t generic trucking businesses. They’re specialized assets solving problems that homeowners, contractors, property managers, utilities, and municipalities already need solved.

Jack covers why specialized equipment creates a barrier to entry, where recurring revenue comes from, how one truck can expand into multiple services, and how to go from owning yourself a job to building a fleet, hiring operators, and creating a real business.

In this episode:
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• Septic pumping and installation
• Roll-off dumpster businesses
• Street sweeping contracts
• Tree service and bucket trucks
• Hydro vac and hydro excavation
• Recurring B2B revenue
• Scaling from one truck to multiple crews
• Why specialized equipment can create a competitive moat

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SPONSORED BY QUICK STAFFERS
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Hire trained HVAC and plumbing CSRs without the overhead of traditional hiring. Save $500 on your first placement with Quick Staffers:

https://www.quickstaffers.com/

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You can build a $2 million business drilling holes in the dirt, and it has nothing to do with oil or water wells.

In this episode of JackQuisitions, Jack Carr breaks down the business of environmental and geotechnical drilling, where specialized crews use equipment like Geoprobes to collect soil, groundwater, and rock samples for environmental consultants, engineers, contractors, and government agencies.

Jack covers how these companies make money, what drilling equipment costs, why a small group of repeat engineering firms can create a strong customer base, and why he’d rather own the drilling subcontractor than become an environmental consultant.

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IN THIS EPISODE
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• How environmental and geotechnical drilling works
• How drilling companies make money
• $100K–$400K specialized drilling equipment
• Environmental sampling and monitoring wells
• Geotechnical drilling and soil testing
• Why engineering firms outsource drilling
• Building a repeat B2B customer base
• How Jack would start and scale the business
• Why he’d stay a subcontractor instead of consulting

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Follow Jack for More Business & Acquisition Insights

𝕏: https://x.com/thehvacjack

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Catalyst | May 3–5 | Akron, Ohio

100+ home service owners and operators. Three days of tactical sessions, real conversations, and learning from great operators.

Grab your seat: https://www.ownedandoperated.com/catalyst

Send us Fan Mail

Jackquisitions Newsletter:Your favorite source for how to buy small businesses.

🖊️ Sign up HERE for more insights


📢 Enjoyed the episode?
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You can build a million-dollar-a-year business by putting cones on the road.

In this episode of JackQuisitions, Jack Carr breaks down the surprisingly lucrative business of traffic control and why contractors are willing to pay thousands of dollars per day to keep road projects moving safely.

Jack covers how traffic control companies make money through flagging labor, trucks, lane closures, setup and teardown, and equipment rentals. He also breaks down how two crews averaging $2,500 per day could generate roughly $900,000 per year, and how adding specialized equipment can push an operation into the $2M-$3M revenue range.

Most importantly, Jack explains why he wouldn't build this as a simple flagging company. His playbook is to turn it into a specialized equipment rental and logistics business with labor attached.

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In this episode, Jack covers:

• How traffic control companies actually make money
• Why contractors need traffic control for roadway projects
• How small projects can start around $2,500 per day
• How two crews could generate roughly $900K per year
• How equipment rentals can push revenue into the $2M-$3M range
• The labor, scheduling, safety, and insurance challenges of the business
• Why Jack would focus on owning trucks, signs, boards, cones, and barricades
• How Jack would find his first traffic control customers

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Follow Jack for More Business & Acquisition Insights

𝕏: https://x.com/thehvacjack

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#BusinessIdeas #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #TrafficControl #JackQuisitions

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📢 Enjoyed the episode?
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The SBA rules for buying a business are changing in 2026. Here’s what buyers and home service operators need to know.

Jack Carr sits down with Alan Peterson from First Internet Bank to break down the latest SBA 7(a) changes, including how buyers can finance up to 90% of an acquisition, new equity requirements, seller financing, and changes affecting minority investors.

They also cover how sellers can stay involved for up to 24 months after closing, strategies for navigating licensing when buying HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other skilled trades businesses, and new Quality of Earnings requirements for larger acquisitions.

Plus, Alan explains one of the biggest opportunities for existing business owners: using SBA expansion financing to acquire another company with potentially 0% down when the deal qualifies.

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Inside This Episode
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• Buying a business with an SBA 7(a) loan
• Financing up to 90% of an acquisition
• New 2026 SBA equity requirements
• Seller financing and transition rules
• Licensing strategies for home service acquisitions
• Quality of Earnings and business valuations
• SBA expansion loans and potential 0% down acquisitions
• What buyers should know before making an offer
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Sponsors
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Avoca

See how Avoca helps home service companies book more jobs with AI that handles calls, texts, follow ups, and dispatching without adding more chaos.
Book a demo: https://www.avoca.ai/partners/oao

FieldPulse

Ready to ditch the whiteboard and spreadsheets? See how FieldPulse helps home service companies simplify scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and more.
Book a free demo: https://landing.fieldpulse.com/owned_and_operated

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Connect
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Jack Carr
https://x.com/thehvacjack

Alan Peterson
https://alanfib.com/

Owned and Operated
https://www.ownedandoperated.com/

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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

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What if you could build one piece of infrastructure and collect rent from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile for decades?

In this episode of JackQuisitions, Jack Carr breaks down the business of developing cell towers and why he regrets not getting into it years ago.

Jack covers the startup costs, revenue potential, 80%+ site-level margins, long-term carrier leases, and why a tower with three tenants can potentially generate around $80,000 per year in site rent. He also explains the biggest mistake new developers can make: building the tower before finding demand.

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In this episode, Jack covers:

• How the cell tower business actually works
• Why carriers rent space instead of owning every tower
• The economics of a $275,000 cell tower
• How three tenants can generate around $80K per year
• Why site-level margins can exceed 80%

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Follow Jack for More Business & Acquisition Insights

𝕏: https://x.com/thehvacjack

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#BusinessIdeas #PassiveIncome #CellTowers #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #JackQuisitions

Send us Fan Mail

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📢 Enjoyed the episode?
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What if an old roadside billboard could generate $30,000 to $40,000 a year, then be converted into an asset producing $150,000+?

In this episode of JackQuisitions, Jack Carr breaks down the billboard business, including how billboard owners make money, what makes certain locations so valuable, and why converting a static billboard to digital can dramatically increase its revenue potential.

Jack covers billboard pricing, permits, ground leases, traffic counts, digital conversions, and how he would approach buying his first billboard in a market dominated by major operators like Lamar Advertising.

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In this episode, Jack covers:

• How billboard businesses actually make money
• Why permits and location can be more valuable than the billboard itself
• How a static billboard can generate $30K–$70K+ per year
• Why digital billboards can produce $150K+ from the same location
• The ground lease mistake that can destroy a billboard investment
• What Jack would look for when buying his first billboard
• Why smaller markets and overlooked locations could offer the best opportunities

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Follow Jack for More Business & Acquisition Insights

𝕏: https://x.com/thehvacjack

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Quick Staffers

Hire trained HVAC and plumbing CSRs without the overhead of traditional hiring. Save $500 on your first placement with Quick Staffers: https://www.quickstaffers.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Jackquisitions Newsletter:Your favorite source for how to buy small businesses.

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📢 Enjoyed the episode?
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📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.