How To Begin Building Your Business

When you set out to establish a home service company, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. Not only are you looking to begin a business, you’re planning for its growth, longevity and continued success. Aside from powerful branding, where should your focus be in planning for the future?

Know Who You Are & Where You’re Going

First, it depends on where and how you’re starting out. If you’re starting from scratch and building something from the ground up, you have complete control of each piece of the puzzle. If you are purchasing a company that has already been established, it’s important to get a full picture of what you’ll be working with to determine how you want to steer things moving forward. No matter how your business begins, don’t forget about your brand! We’ll go into more detail about the importance of branding, but it should always be part of the conversation whether you’re beginning a new company or taking over an existing one. Before investing too much time or money into a new venture, take the time to ensure your brand is going to help you succeed, not work against you.

Once you have the foundation of your company, consider these other important factors when working toward your launch:

1. Do you have the right team in place? A crew with a variety of skill sets is key to covering all of your bases. Not only do you need team members with the technical knowledge needed to do the work for your customers, but you need leaders with business acumen, with an eye on the big picture and goals for the future. Invest in your team and ensure they are prepared to go on this journey of success with you!
2. Do you know where your revenue will come from? Any successful business is, of course, going to rely on consistent revenue. Along with your bottom line, you should also keep an eye on the type of revenue you’re positioned to generate. Do you have recurring, predictable revenue streams through something like a membership or maintenance plan, on top of your sales calls? And as your company grows, is your revenue increasing at the right pace to match? If not, what do you have in place to assist in long-term growth? 
3.  Who is your ideal customer? It’s also important to identify who you’ll be selling to when setting out on a new venture. Consider your company’s selling points and how you’ll be attracting new clientele. Determine who you want calling you for service—and even who you don’t. Once you’ve completed that first service call, what are you doing to turn them into returning customers? 

It’s essential to keep things organized in the process of establishing your business. You’re building a well-oiled machine! Set yourself up for success by putting every piece in place as early as possible.

Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat

What is it that sets you apart from your competitors? It could be your service. It could be the quality of your work. Or it might be how quickly you can schedule a service call, send out an invoice or respond to a customer concern. Once you’ve established your company, it’s time to hone and sharpen your processes and identify the things you do better than your competitors. Knowing your strengths, and flaunting them, is key to helping your business stand out from the crowd.

Knowing your strengths also means coming to terms with your weaknesses. Are you hand-writing invoices? Do you keep track of service calls on Post-It notes? Do you wear so many hats (boss, marketing manager, bookkeeper, CSR, technician) that you’re completely overwhelmed? If your operational systems are decidedly low-tech and you’re still trying to do it all, automation is a great way to turn the tide. Start slowly and make incremental changes that have a high probability of success, and then gradually add more and more. Don’t let automation scare you or your employees: It’s not looking to replace anyone—it just allows you to better allocate your time. Once you start trusting the process more, you’ll find that you can automate everything from marketing to reporting to invoicing to customer communications and more! The sooner you begin to streamline your processes and automate your data, the sooner you’ll be able to focus on growing your business, not just running it.

Your Call Is Important to Us

Whether you have a real-life person answering your phones or whether you’re hooked into a state-of-the-art VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system, how your company answers the phone matters. Never have first impressions mattered more than when a customer calls you. Remember, this person may not know you or your business at all … and they’re about to invite you into their home. To say there’s a lot riding on the tone you set in the first few seconds of that call would be an understatement. Keep your messaging consistent, professional and cheerful, and most importantly, make sure your customers feel heard. Long hold times or a rude customer service rep are revenue killers, and consumers rarely give second chances.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Your phone lines are your company’s lifeblood, so what happens if they become nonoperational? Doing a little preparation and planning now can save you headaches during an emergency. Here are some of the ways to prepare for an unexpected outage and what to do if it happens:

1. Have a blueprint and a script. Be sure you leave directions for how to change your outgoing message and a script for what you want said. Keep it short and to the point and direct customers to your website for service.
2. Get social. Flood your social media accounts with messaging about the outage so customers know you are aware of the problem. Apologize for the inconvenience and share outage updates if appropriate. Direct customers how to contact you until systems are back up and running and add your booking URL to every post.
3. Spread the word. Depending on the challenge(s) you are facing, this may be increasingly difficult, but try to contact all company stakeholders to make them aware of the issues. Contact your office team, your team in the field, third parties such as your scheduling or live-chat partners, etc. Everyone needs to be on the same page so your messaging stays consistent.
4. Watch what dropped. If possible, have CSRs keep track of dropped/unanswered calls during the outage and add those numbers to a spreadsheet or other tracking means for follow up. 
5. Have contingency plans for extended outages. How you react to loss of service will depend greatly on the extent of the outage. You don’t want to redirect customer calls to cellphones, especially if you don’t have unlimited data, every time you have a phone blip. Nor do you want to cover your website in messaging that may not apply 15 minutes from now. Have plans in place and decide beforehand at what point they should be deployed.
6. Follow-up messaging. If appropriate, and especially if your system was down for a while, consider sending an email to current customers or posting a blog on your site apologizing for any inconvenience that may have occurred. Remember, the way you react to an adverse situation is usually more important than the situation itself. Half the battle of customer care is making sure your most loyal fans feel heard and respected.

Defining & Strengthening Your Company Culture

Your team is the face of your brand. Every day, your employees are out in the field interacting with customers, making repairs and representing your business throughout your service area. It’s important to foster a company culture that supports your team members and makes them feel proud to be a part of what you’re building. Culture isn’t just about perks—it’s about purpose, and giving your team a reason to show up beyond the paycheck.

When considering the kind of environment you want your company to have and how to develop it, it’s important to start with the right team surrounding you. Not only should you be looking to hire talented, licensed technicians, but you should have strong leadership at the helm of your business. Company culture comes from the top, and you should have a group of people guiding your team who are leading through positive examples. That includes you! 

What Does This Even Mean?

At its core, a company culture consists of three things shared by everyone in the organization:

• Values
• Goals
• Attitudes

It’s important to create a warm, positive environment where employees feel comfortable and committed to the common journey. Creating this kind of environment fosters strong employee retention. And once your culture is thriving, be intentional with your hiring to bring on new team members who will be a great fit and contribute positively. The best teams aren’t just skilled—they’re aligned.

As you are determining what you want your company culture to look like, you may find that you need to make changes to current practices that aren’t serving you. Make your values and goals clear to your current team, and find ways to incentivize positive behaviors and mindsets. Engage employees in ways that make them feel heard and emphasize their importance to the team. Delegation, consistency and positive mentorship can go a long way in shaping and strengthening your company culture. If you make an active effort to foster a supportive working environment, you can have a real impact on the happiness of your team and the success of your business.

Your Culture Always Goes Beyond Your Company 

The idea of a positive company environment shouldn’t stop at your front door. As you’re building up your business and making a name for yourself, consider your standing in the community, as well. What is your name associated with in your neighborhood?

Participating in community activities and events can go a long way in building up your business. Supporting local causes that you feel passionate about is a great way to give back to your community and also keep your name top of mind for those in your area. Consider sponsoring local teams, promoting important non-profits and other paths of charitable giving. No matter where your team members are—in the office, on a job or out in the community—they’ll be proud to represent your brand and be a part of what you’re building.

Marketing: What It Really Means (and Does)

If you were to ask 10 people the definition of marketing, you would more than likely get 10 different responses. While opinions and definitions may vary, what’s not up for discussion is what marketing is supposed to do: get your phone ringing. If you’re twisting our arm, we would define marketing as the process of promoting, selling and distributing a product or service. It’s a multi-pronged, multi-platform strategic plan backed by data that helps drive your business forward. 

What Are You Selling?

If you’re in the home service industry, it boils down to one word: TRUST. You are ultimately selling your ability to make customers trust you. Mrs. Jones, home alone with her two infants, is not going to invite you into her home if she feels uneasy. Every customer touchpoint needs to build trust, including your marketing. This includes everything from your website to your social media profiles to your uniforms. Consistency builds trust.

Stand Out, Never Blend In

Here at KickCharge, we advocate for “disruptive” branding that gets you noticed. Contractors often fall into the trap of choosing logos and branding that look just like everyone else’s—fire and ice icons, red and blue thermostats, fan and heat icons … you get the picture.

We operate under these three principles:

1. Your brand should stand out and be uniquely yours, not resemble your competitors’.
2. Your brand should resonate with your target audience and appeal to the customers you are trying to win over. 
3. Your brand is more than a logo. It’s your voice, your website, your stationery, your social media and every customer touchpoint. It should flow through everything you do.

The stronger your brand, the less you will need to spend on marketing. A weak brand forces you to work harder, spend more and fight for attention when you should be commanding it. The most expensive brand out there is the one you paid the least for, because in the long run, it will cost you more in time, energy and money.

How’s Your Reputation?

Maintaining your online reputation is essential for earning trust and attracting new customers. Respond promptly and professionally to all reviews—even the not-so-great ones—to show you’re attentive and care about customer feedback.

Keep your business information up to date and consistent across all platforms, request reviews often, make the review process easy and monitor all of your mentions. When addressing negative reviews, be sure not to come off as defensive or argumentative. Remain empathetic and stick to the facts. 

Winning at SEO & More

A strong online presence is essential in today’s digital-first world. Unlike the old days of phone books and radio ads, success now hinges on having a mobile-friendly, SEO-optimized website backed by smart digital marketing. Your website should be clear, fast and easy to navigate. Regular updates are critical—not just to stay competitive, but to generate leads 24/7. 

It’s estimated that 90 percent of consumers use the internet to find local businesses, so keywords are critical for SEO performance. Choose them wisely and aim them at attracting the customers you want. The right keywords drive the right customers your way. 

To succeed in today’s market, contractors need to win at all three of Google’s key platforms: Google Business, Google Local Services Ads and organic search via SEO. Building a strong keyword strategy, optimizing your Google Business Profile and leveraging paid Local Services Ads are essential steps to staying visible online.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, dominated by Google Ads, is a powerful way for home service businesses to target customers who are ready to buy. Businesses bid on keywords to have their ads appear when those terms are searched, with cost determined by competition and ad rank. While PPC can deliver high-quality leads, managing it effectively requires expertise. Contractors typically choose between hiring an agency, working with a marketing consultant or managing campaigns in-house, depending on budget, time and technical know-how. But because effective marketing requires strategy, consistency and expertise, partnering with the right professional leads to stronger, more reliable results that help your business grow.

Targeted email marketing is one of the most cost-effective strategies, delivering an average return of $40 for every $1 spent. Business owners can segment their audience and send personalized campaigns that have higher engagement and conversion rates than untargeted, mass emails can. Many businesses shy away from email automation, assuming it’s too complex or expensive, but there are online platforms that make it simple and affordable.

Print is not dead! Good old-fashioned direct mail marketing can still be a powerful tool—if done right. Start with a clear goal and a concise, benefit-driven message, then pair it with eye-catching design and professional printing. Track performance with coupon codes, dedicated phone numbers and landing pages. Monitor key metrics like response rate and ROI to fine-tune your efforts and boost effectiveness.

Thank You for Calling! 

Your company’s first impression often starts with a simple phone call. That first point of contact can set the tone for the entire customer experience. That’s why it’s essential for your team to approach every call with purpose, clarity and professionalism. Whether it’s a first-time caller or a returning customer, the way you handle that interaction matters.

A solid call script doesn’t just help your team stay consistent, it helps ensure that nothing important slips through the cracks. Scripts also give newer team members the confidence to speak with authority and stay in control of the conversation—even when calls get tricky. 

Making A First Impression
Every call should begin with a warm and clear greeting, such as:

“Thank you for calling KickCharge Creative, how can I help you?”

From there, it’s all about being intentional. Gathering the right information is key: the caller’s name, company, contact info, the reason for their call, services needed and payment method if applicable. Taking notes in real-time not only shows that you’re paying attention—it also helps avoid the awkwardness of asking for the same information twice.

Once those details are captured, setting expectations about next steps, like scheduling a service or explaining a current promotion, helps the caller feel informed and valued. Never leave a caller wondering what happens next. Clear communication in these early stages builds confidence and sets the tone for a smooth relationship.

Confirmation & Sign-Off

Before ending the call, always take a moment to confirm the plan and express appreciation:

“Thank you, [NAME]. We’re all set to [briefly restate the plan], and we look forward to working with you.”

Even if a caller doesn’t convert to a customer, every call should be tracked and labeled as either a lead or not a lead because details matter. A tiny note today could answer a big question down the road. That call record could be the key to re-engaging a lost opportunity or solving a future service hiccup.

Don’t Overthink It

For outbound calls, using the “Who, What, Where, When, Why, How” framework simplifies the process and ensures no stone is left unturned. This approach keeps theconversation focused without making it feel robotic. Keeping your team aligned with these touchpoints ensures a consistent, professional experience every time.

Don’t forget, following up with email reminders or confirmation calls before appointments helps reduce no-shows and keeps communication crystal-clear. A smooth, pleasant onboarding experience doesn’t just reflect well on your company, it builds trust from the very first “hello.” Done right, even a 90-second call can be the start of a long-term customer relationship.

Maximize Your Time

Your team’s time with your customers is one of the most valuable assets your business has. How it’s used can make or break the client experience. Establishing a streamlined process for field best practices ensures your team stays consistent, your customers are informed and your operations are running like clockwork.

It all starts with thoughtful preparation. Before your technician ever steps foot in a client’s home, they should have a clear checklist of questions and information relevant to the specific service call. Whether they’re handling a routine maintenance visit or responding to an urgent repair, arriving equipped with the right details helps guide the interaction and ensures nothing gets overlooked. This level of readiness not only builds trust but also allows your team to deliver a smoother, more professional experience from the moment they arrive.

Encourage your staff to revisit their checklists regularly, refining them as your umbrella of services evolves. This keeps your approach agile and aligned with client demands. The goal is to create a rhythm that allows your team to focus on delivering value, not scrambling for details.

Communication Is Key

Clear client communication simply makes for smoother projects. Small touches go a long way in showing professionalism and care. For example, a simple message to a waiting customer that says “your technician’s ETA is 12:30 p.m.” keeps clients engaged and reduces unnecessary follow-ups. These touchpoints build trust and reassure clients that their appointment is moving forward.

Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of proactive communication. Address potential delays or challenges before clients have to ask. This transparency strengthens relationships and reinforces your company’s reliability. Remember: communication isn’t just about what you say—it’s also about how often and when you say it.

In the field, structure matters. Prioritizing calls by urgency or client type helps your team work smarter, not harder. When every employee treats each client like they’re family, that high-level service becomes the norm, not the exception. Encourage team members to personalize their interactions, even if that means keeping hand-written notes. Remembering client preferences or following up on previous conversations makes the experience feel tailored and memorable.

Organization & Consistency

Want to elevate the customer experience even further? Try implementing a repeatable process for every service or maintenance call:

1. Be Prepared
2. Arrival/Meeting
3. Introduction
4. Confirm Purpose of Appointment
5. Plan of Action
6. Diagnostics
7. Presentation
8. Perform the Work
9. Go the Extra Mile
10. Thank You, Referral and Review

Consistency in following this sequence ensures nothing gets overlooked and each interaction feels polished. Pair this with the Good-Better-Best method to offer flexible solutions that meet different budgets, and be ready with answers to the questions you hear most often. Upsell strategically to boost revenue and provide real value to your clients, but never do so in a way that could jeopardize the relationship.

Consider incorporating technology to streamline this process further. Use scheduling tools, CRM platforms or follow-up automation to keep your team on track and your clients informed. Over time, following a routine field procedure will lead to more confident field technicians, happier customers and a healthier bottom line.

The Importance of Accurate Closings

Every business operates differently. But one thing remains true for all of them: running a business effectively is extremely time-consuming. A vital element of keeping your business running smoothly is ensuring your data matches up across all platforms and records. Incorporating closings into your quarterly, monthly, weekly or even daily routine can keep you on track and allows less room for error than only an annual closing. A “closing” is defined as “the process of finalizing and recording all financial activity for the previous month.” Regular closings promote financial transparency, giving you a clearer picture of your company’s health at any given moment.
Closings can include tasks such as:

• Reviewing accounts receivable
• Reviewing accounts payable
• Quantifying and reconciling inventories
• Creating custom analytic and financial reports
• Reviewing financial statements

By consistently reviewing these key areas, your office team can catch discrepancies early and avoid last-minute scrambles. Recording inventory, sales and other operations as they happen can help streamline closings and allow them to be more accurate. For example, if you supply HVAC units to your customers and don’t record when they come in, when they are installed and/or when inventory dwindles in real time, it will lead to a more strenuous and inaccurate closing process. This wastes your time and money and creates unneeded stress.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that your information can fluctuate. You must ensure that costs are recorded in the same month as goods are added to inventory. This matching principle helps maintain consistency and accuracy in your financial reporting, allowing you to better analyze profitability and cash flow.

Where Nuances Come In

There is one exception to any closing rule: It is recommended that businesses review their outstanding accounts receivable on a daily or weekly basis. This is important because there may be times when a customer can’t pay at the time of service, and you’ll need to keep track of those situations. In your CRM, such as ServiceTitan, you can set up configurations to make the due date the same as the invoice date or create a separate due date through a payment term.

At first, this may be daunting to perform daily and consistently. However, establishing a routine policy for weekly follow-ups ensures you stay ahead of potential payment delinquencies before they become larger issues. You can even assign specific team members to manage these follow-ups, creating accountability and ensuring no balances slip through the cracks. Once you settle into a routine, it will become a valuable, second-nature habit for you and your team!

As you become more accustomed to your business’ personal closing preferences and processes, it will also allow you more freedom to make informed decisions. Whether that includes adding/removing services, expanding your tech team or opening a secondary location, it benefits the company in the long run for both growth and efficiency.

Plans: Where to Begin

The thought of creating a budget, projections and forecasts for your business can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Breaking each section into chunks can help ease the burden of finalizing a solid business plan. So what is a business plan exactly? According to budget and planning expert Bill Powers, it’s “the promise you make to yourself, your family, your shareholders and the rest of your company” for the next one, five and 10 years. The core of any business plan includes:

• Executive summary
• General company overview
• Products & services
• Marketing plan
• Operational plan
• Management & organization
• Personal & company financial statements
• Financial plan and budgets

For a business that has been up and running for a while, you will need to review historical data from the past three to five years. Numbers to use include current expenses, call history and frequency, average ticket pricing, closing percentage, marketing and its results and any anomalous outliers (such as an Act of God, national emergency, etc.) Combined with income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements and expenditure information, this will give you a good idea of how to project your future budgets and goals. 

Financial planning can be a particularly challenging task for start-ups, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect this portion. For start-ups, your starting point will be standard KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) across your industry. For example, if you run an HVAC business, key industry KPIs might include sales revenue, gross margins, customer retention and advertising ROI (Return on Investment). A CRM, such as ServiceTitan, may offer detailed guides and resources on defining and tracking your key metrics.

How Your CRM Can Help

Your CRM will likely allow you to create and track specific KPIs and ROIs to log historical data, track current performance and assist you in better projecting the future. Across all facets of your business, from tech data to marketing campaigns to financial data, a CRM can streamline your tracking process. The most impactful KPIs are on your main dashboard and can be exported into reports. Reports can also be made from custom data and KPIs and, from there, automated to compile on a set schedule. 

A key part of any business plan is setting clear goals and building a strategy to achieve them. The best way to do this comes from the “SMART” method. “SMART” stands for:

• Specific. Goals should be clearly defined, including who is responsible and the steps needed for achievement.
• Measurable. Once a goal is implemented, establish quantifiable benchmarks to know when it is achieved and be able to point out the data of how you got there.
• Attainable. This is where you need to have a reality check: Can you even reach the goals you are setting? Be objective and realistically look at what you can do.
• Realistic. This goes hand in hand with our “A.” Think about the big picture: Why are you setting this goal? 
• Timely/Time-Bound. This helps keep you and your team on track. When your goals are broken down into clear steps with set timelines, it becomes much easier to stay on schedule.

In addition to creating an effective business plan, many CRMs allow you to set real-time alerts. These notifications constantly monitor data to ensure problems are fixed immediately. Surveying each team to find out what available alerts would benefit them most can maximize efficiency and reduce the amount of data falling through the cracks. You may choose to be notified of unsold jobs, abandoned calls, completed forms on jobs, failed email delivery and much more. 

By following this basic framework, you and your team can prepare for success now and in the future. Knowing who you are and why you do what you do is the springboard for running a prosperous business!

Your Brand Is Only as Strong as Your Team

You can have every system in place, but it’s always your people who bring your brand, and your business, to life. They’re the ones knocking on doors, fixing the problems and building the relationships that keep customers coming back. That’s why hiring, training and leading the right team isn’t just an HR task—it’s a growth strategy.

Hire for More Than Just Skill

Finding the right people starts with clarity. What kind of company do you want to build, and what kind of people will help you get there? Talent and licenses matter, of course. But just as important are attitude, reliability and how well someone fits with your culture.

“When hiring, qualifications come first. Ensure your candidates are relevant to what the job entails. But personality is also a huge factor. Potential candidates need to fit your company culture. They’ll represent the company when out in the field, and should be able to do so in a positive way without being told.” says Kim Olsen, KickCharge’s Director of HR.

Don’t forget: hiring is more than just finding the right fit for your company. Every candidate is also vetting you to determine if your business is where they want to be. Consider these steps for attracting top-tier talent:

• Write clear, compelling job posts that reflect your culture.
• Respond to applicants quickly—top talent won’t wait around.
• Use interviews to assess both skill and attitude.
• Show off your brand and work environment online and in-person.
• Remember that you’re not just filling a role. You are giving someone an opportunity to succeed. 

Set and Maintain a Consistent Tone

Once someone’s hired, the real work begins. A strong onboarding process helps new team members feel confident, informed and supported from day one. Think checklists, job shadowing and clear expectations—not a stack of paperwork and a “good luck.”

Walk them through your service standards, communication style and core values. If you want them to act like pros in the field, show them what that looks like. Early structure builds long-term success.

Once your new hires are comfortable, it’s time to improve. Ongoing training should always be part of your company’s rhythm. Whether it’s safety procedures, communication skills or technical refreshers, regular training shows your team you’re invested in them. By constantly raising the bar for quality, you’re helping them grow as professionals while cementing your place as industry leaders in your market. 

Training doesn’t always have to be formal. Weekly huddles, ride-alongs or quick sessions in your shop (if you have one) can go a long way. Just keep it consistent and make sure the sessions tie back to how you want your team to perform and represent the brand.

Lead a Team Worth Sticking With

A strong team doesn’t happen by accident. Excellence is built through leadership, consistency and a culture people want to be part of. If you want your employees to go the extra mile, you need to give them more than just a paycheck. Show them there is a future at your company. Give them the tools, feedback and recognition they need to grow.

But just as important as encouraging the right behavior is addressing the wrong kind. If someone is dragging down morale, ignoring expectations or simply isn’t a fit, you need to act accordingly. Avoiding tough conversations can damage the culture you’ve worked hard to create.

Check in often, celebrate wins and lead by example. And when something’s off, don’t wait. Handle it with clarity and respect. Your team is always watching. How you lead shapes how they show up. “It’s simple,” says Kim. “Remember the Golden Rule, and lead your team the way you would expect to be led.”