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Home Service Millionaire: How I Went from $50,000 in Debt to a $30 Million+ Business in Seven Years
Tommy Mello took his single garage door service business with $50K in debt to $30 million+ in 7 years. He's been showing home service business owners how to do it ever since.In 2010, Tommy Mello became the sole owner/operator of a single garage door service business, with $50,000 in debt. Today, A1Garage generates over $30 million in annual revenue, with over 250 employees in 12 states. He shows home service business owners how he did it, and they can too, in Home Service Millionaire.If you're like most home service business owners, you are probably just scraping by. You can't grow your business because there aren't any more hours in a day. This book will change all that by showing you what highly successful home service entrepreneurs do to make more money and work less!In Home Service Millionaire, you'll learn the time-saving techniques, money-making strategies, and proven framework for growing your own highly successful home service business, including how Market effectively on a shoestring budget* Rank #1 on Google, Yelp, Amazon, and HomeAdvisor* Increase your booking rate by 90% in 90 days* Find, hire, and manage superstar employees to become a performance powerhouse* Think like a millionaire when it comes to your focus, attitude, and priorities* Get your technicians selling for you* Take the pulse of your business health - quickly and easilyHome service is a $400 billion-dollar industry with mammoth players such as Amazon, Google, and Bing. If the big boys are there, you know there is money to be made. You, too, can do very well as a local provider. Home Service Millionaire will show you how to become hugely successful without sacrificing family time.The need for home service never goes away. Every home at some point requires maintenance. Over time, things break or wear out. Roofs need repairing, walls need painting, and drains need clearing. Home Service Millionaire will show you exactly how to become the go-to company in your area for whatever home service you provide.
- GenresBusiness
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2018
66 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Tommy Mello
5 books9 followersTommy Mello is the owner and operator of A1 Garage Door Service, the host of the Home Service Expert podcast, and owner, partner, or investor in 14 other businesses ranging from Christmas lights to real estate to mobile apps. In 2010, Tommy became the sole owner and operator of a single Phoenix-based garage door service business, which came with $50,000 in debt. Today, A1Garage generates north of $30 million dollars in annual revenue, with over 250 employees in 12 states.
Tommy is a regular contributor to Inc., Entrepreneur, and other business publications on the topic of entrepreneurship and small business as well as a sought after podcast, radio and television guest. When not in the office or working on the businesses, you’ll find him on a plane headed to exotic destinations or chasing the little white ball around one of Arizona’s many golf courses.
Tommy is a regular contributor to Inc., Entrepreneur, and other business publications on the topic of entrepreneurship and small business as well as a sought after podcast, radio and television guest. When not in the office or working on the businesses, you’ll find him on a plane headed to exotic destinations or chasing the little white ball around one of Arizona’s many golf courses.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 13, 2020
Too many sponsor plugs and self-advertisement, not enough meat.
November 23, 2025
Inspirational Origin Story
Mello started with $50,000 in debt running a single garage door business. Today, he scaled it into a $30+ million enterprise in 7 years.
1. Mindset Shift: From Firefighter to Owner
He emphasizes the need to “stop being a firefighter and start building systems and processes” — essentially creating a business that runs without you.
2. “Inspect What You Expect”
One of his core principles: use metrics and technology to hold your team accountable instead of relying on gut feelings.
3. Building a Checks & Balances Machine
Mello advocates for a formal system — checks and balances — so you can “take the pulse of your business health quickly and easily.”
4. Technicians Should Sell Too
He teaches how to train your service techs not just to fix things, but also to sell: “get your technicians to sell for you.”
5. Hiring Superstar Employees
Talent matters. Mello advises hiring people who fit your culture and value systems, not just based on technical skills.
6. Culture of Accountability
He’s very clear: excuses aren’t tolerated. By creating well-defined roles and processes, everyone knows what is expected.
7. Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Mello shares effective marketing strategies that don’t require a huge budget, proving that small teams can still play big.
8. Leveraging Local SEO and Lead Gen
He provides frameworks for ranking on Google, Yelp, Amazon, HomeAdvisor — to generate inbound leads sustainably.
9. Repeatable Sales Process
He recommends an 8-step sales methodology for technicians: from assessment to closing. Helps standardize how your team interacts with customers.
10. Data-Driven Decisions
Mello argues against making gut-based decisions. He says, “without data … you’re just a blind man leading the blind.”
11. Recruiting Should Be Continuous
As he notes in his broader work (and ideas bleed into this), “you should always be recruiting … why do we view marketing … but we don’t think the same about recruiting?”
12. Leveraging Technology is Non-Negotiable
He transformed his business by using tech — “I realized the power of leveraging technology … we are actually a technology company that happens to sell garage doors.”
13. Building an “Army” of High Performers
Mello talks about giving people “skin in the game” — equity, performance incentives — to build a loyal, high-performing team.
14. Knowing Your Why (Purpose)
He stresses that understanding what drives you is critical: not just profit, but legacy and impact.
15. Profit is Non-Negotiable
In his “five pillars of business success,” he argues that if you don’t care about profit, maybe you shouldn't be in business: “If you don’t want profit … then … get out of business.”
16. Scalable Systems Over Manual Work
One of the biggest lessons: delegate, build systems, don’t try to do everything yourself — that's how you grow without burning out.
17. Measuring Key Metrics
He points out 4 foundational KPIs all home service business owners should track: call booking rate, conversion rate, average order value (AOV), cost per acquisition.
18. Long-Term Vision with Big Goals
Mello says: “start with the end in mind. … My end goal is to get to $1 billion a year.” He doesn’t settle; he plans big.
19. Legacy Over Just Profit
Ultimately, the book isn’t just about making money — it’s about building something that lasts, not just for you but for your team. Mello’s mission: help other business owners succeed, and build a company where “everybody wins.”
At some point, i felt that i he was promoting other companies like Servicetitan.
Mello started with $50,000 in debt running a single garage door business. Today, he scaled it into a $30+ million enterprise in 7 years.
1. Mindset Shift: From Firefighter to Owner
He emphasizes the need to “stop being a firefighter and start building systems and processes” — essentially creating a business that runs without you.
2. “Inspect What You Expect”
One of his core principles: use metrics and technology to hold your team accountable instead of relying on gut feelings.
3. Building a Checks & Balances Machine
Mello advocates for a formal system — checks and balances — so you can “take the pulse of your business health quickly and easily.”
4. Technicians Should Sell Too
He teaches how to train your service techs not just to fix things, but also to sell: “get your technicians to sell for you.”
5. Hiring Superstar Employees
Talent matters. Mello advises hiring people who fit your culture and value systems, not just based on technical skills.
6. Culture of Accountability
He’s very clear: excuses aren’t tolerated. By creating well-defined roles and processes, everyone knows what is expected.
7. Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Mello shares effective marketing strategies that don’t require a huge budget, proving that small teams can still play big.
8. Leveraging Local SEO and Lead Gen
He provides frameworks for ranking on Google, Yelp, Amazon, HomeAdvisor — to generate inbound leads sustainably.
9. Repeatable Sales Process
He recommends an 8-step sales methodology for technicians: from assessment to closing. Helps standardize how your team interacts with customers.
10. Data-Driven Decisions
Mello argues against making gut-based decisions. He says, “without data … you’re just a blind man leading the blind.”
11. Recruiting Should Be Continuous
As he notes in his broader work (and ideas bleed into this), “you should always be recruiting … why do we view marketing … but we don’t think the same about recruiting?”
12. Leveraging Technology is Non-Negotiable
He transformed his business by using tech — “I realized the power of leveraging technology … we are actually a technology company that happens to sell garage doors.”
13. Building an “Army” of High Performers
Mello talks about giving people “skin in the game” — equity, performance incentives — to build a loyal, high-performing team.
14. Knowing Your Why (Purpose)
He stresses that understanding what drives you is critical: not just profit, but legacy and impact.
15. Profit is Non-Negotiable
In his “five pillars of business success,” he argues that if you don’t care about profit, maybe you shouldn't be in business: “If you don’t want profit … then … get out of business.”
16. Scalable Systems Over Manual Work
One of the biggest lessons: delegate, build systems, don’t try to do everything yourself — that's how you grow without burning out.
17. Measuring Key Metrics
He points out 4 foundational KPIs all home service business owners should track: call booking rate, conversion rate, average order value (AOV), cost per acquisition.
18. Long-Term Vision with Big Goals
Mello says: “start with the end in mind. … My end goal is to get to $1 billion a year.” He doesn’t settle; he plans big.
19. Legacy Over Just Profit
Ultimately, the book isn’t just about making money — it’s about building something that lasts, not just for you but for your team. Mello’s mission: help other business owners succeed, and build a company where “everybody wins.”
At some point, i felt that i he was promoting other companies like Servicetitan.
September 8, 2019
My friend who owns an hvac company recommended me this book. A lot of great insights into how to actually make it in business even though the book is focused for the home service industry I believe anyone can really benefit from reading it. Has a lot of insight into the marketing and advertising aspects of the home service business which I struggle with the most. Having a few employees myself right now and looking to grow a larger company I am definitely going to try to implement a lot of strategies I've read here.
August 25, 2020
This is essentially the cliffnotes version of 20 business-changing books. And it is probably one of the best business books I've ever read. Which is saying A LOT because I've read a lot of good ones! This book is actionable, easy-to-read and jam-packed with gold nuggets that any home service industry could implement right away. I've both read it and listened to it now and highly recommend it to anyone who's in the home service industry and is feeling a bit stuck.
September 8, 2019
Great insight. I got the audio version and got so much out of it for my pool business. I have made so many of the same mistakes and see how his plan worked. It’s funny to look back and face palm, but I had a take aways that helped me and my family. I Bought the book to support it, but it was good to see how ppl go through like i have. I learned how I messed up!
September 8, 2019
This is a great book that not only teaches you the core principles of any business (such as finding your passion and translating to your company, and how to track your business KPIs), it also gives you actionable strategies from CRM, manuals, to hiring employees and tracking performance.
It’s also directly to the point, no fluff.
It’s also directly to the point, no fluff.
May 16, 2024
This is a good book for those who have deep pockets. If you have access to Major, business funding, this will all work for you. A lot of us don’t have access. A lot of us have to use our bad credit scores to get a business credit score in order to do, the “delegation” the author speaks of. I got through three chapters, and asked for a refund.
June 16, 2025
This is not necessarily a book about how to start a home service business but more about how to grow one.
A lot of good information for “old school” owners not familiar with modern business administration technologies and strategies. Some of the content came off more like a sales pitch for partnered product companies.
A lot of good information for “old school” owners not familiar with modern business administration technologies and strategies. Some of the content came off more like a sales pitch for partnered product companies.
December 21, 2024
Great book for anyone in a home service business. I barely am a home service “business owner” but would like to scale my business someday. This book gave great practical tips and guidelines for successfully scaling a business. Will definitely re read when I am trying to scale the business.
February 3, 2025
Lots of good actionable advice but also a ridiculous amount of sponsored information. It’s blatantly obvious; Tommy suggests using home advisor and angi. Home service pros know to stay away from these guys. He also references by name a ton of other marketing companies.
April 28, 2019
Good read
Great source of information but nothing too groundbreaking if you are already clued up in sales and marketing techniques for a home service business
Great source of information but nothing too groundbreaking if you are already clued up in sales and marketing techniques for a home service business
November 8, 2023
I am not even in this industry but I found the ideas interesting as I have considered adding a business like this to my portfolio.
February 17, 2024
Excellent read with varying perspectives on multiple subjects.
March 8, 2024
Must read for any business owner in the home service industry
December 6, 2024
Thank you Tommy Mello! This book was the start of a new journey for my husband and I. Man in a van ---> Business owner with 18 employees. Reading his books, listening to the podcasts, consuming social media content and attending the conferences has truly ELEVATED our lives.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews