Revenue Is Vanity, Profit Is Sanity: Tommy Mello on Scaling a Service Business to $2B | Buffini Podcast
Tommy Mello is a hugely successful entrepreneur, bestselling author, and motivational speaker. In 2007, he founded A1 Garage Door Service, which now has 54 locations across 18 states.
Tommy built his business the hard way — working his way up and learning on the job, along with a great deal of grit and determination.
In a recent podcast episode of It’s a Good Life, host Brian Buffini spoke with Tommy about his journey from a humble, blue-collar background to growing his company, now valued at $2B.
Blue-collar Roots
Tommy’s work ethic was shaped in large part by his parents and their challenges. His father had owned (and then unfortunately lost) an automotive business. His mother worked three jobs, “doing whatever she had to do.”
Throughout his early life, Tommy, too, was always working, first mowing lawns and shoveling snow, then moving on to busing tables, lifeguarding, bartending, and flipping cars.
“I learned how to hustle. I could buy and sell things,” he recalled. “I could negotiate. I was relentless. I would follow up with people.”
Tommy eventually started to work for a friend who managed a garage door company, becoming the “go-to guy.”
Eventually, he and a friend ran their own company, before parting ways. On his own, Tommy dedicated himself to learning as much as possible about how to run a business. Throughout that journey, he read books, worked with mentors, and “hired the best coach I’ve ever had.”
“He taught me about systems, processes, and standard operating procedures,” he recalled.
Over the next decade, the business continued to grow, with a value of $640 million when he decided to sell half of it in 2022. Headquartered in Phoenix, the company now has over 350 employees across 54 markets and is now valued at $2 billion.
Treating Hires Right
Tommy attributes much of his company’s success to hiring the right people. To do that, he has four questions in mind:
- “Would I work for you?”
- “Would I buy from you?”
- “Would my grandma have bought from you?”
- “Would I have a beer with you and have fun?”
The company expects employees to work hard, but also strives to help them feel fulfilled in their lives. As such, Tommy noted, he wants to ensure employees not only have goals but also a way to reach them. To help them achieve those goals, the company has a full-time “dream manager.”
“We want to help you figure out what you dreamed about when you were younger. Do you want to own a home?” he explained. “Do you want to go on a dream vacation? Where do you want to go? Where do you want to live? Let’s start manifesting those things.”
The Power of Self-Confidence
Tommy is often asked what he’d tell his younger self.
“I would say, ‘Don’t worry about what everyone else says. Don’t be afraid of someone saying no. Don’t be afraid of rejection. Don’t worry,’” he noted. “The only person you’ve got to worry about is yourself. So get out of your own head. The only one stopping you is yourself. That’s the man in the mirror.”
Now, as a successful entrepreneur, he still relies on what he calls the “six Fs.”
“There’s family and friends. You got to have fun. You got to pay attention to finance. You’ve got to do the physical, which is fitness. You got to have faith, and you got to focus on your future self.
“I’m the best I’ve ever been, but the worst I’ll ever be, because tomorrow I’m going to be 1% better,” he added. “It’s continuing to be your best every day.”
Listen to the full episode here.
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