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How Did THIS Dirty Job Make Tommy Mello A Billionaire?! | #447 | The Way I Heard It

2025-08-21 Entertainment
139.1k
4.3k
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Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe
1.3m subscribers

The Grind: Building a Billion-Dollar Home Services Empire

Learn how Tommy Mello built A1 Garage Doors from a \$100 side hustle into a national powerhouse by prioritizing grinding, mentorship, and radical employee investment. Unlock the operational secrets behind scaling service businesses even when automation threatens other industries.

Short Summary

  • Prioritize hiring staff based on personality and eagerness to learn over existing technical expertise.
  • Implement merit-based equity incentive programs to ensure employees act like owners sprinting toward shared financial outcomes.
  • Define service delivery not by being cheap, but by being the essential, reliable investment when customers face crisis (e.g., emergencies, recessions).
  • Recognize that skilled trades offer durable career stability compared to high-tech roles vulnerable to rapid AI and robotics replacement.
  • Leverage peer learning (like Mello’s "Vertical Track" events) to voluntarily share best practices, accelerating industry advancement.

This conversation centers on Tommy Mello’s journey from painting garage doors for \$100 to leading A1 Garage Doors as a billionaire entrepreneur. Mello emphasizes that true success comes from rigorous application of mentorship principles, fostering a culture of relentless effort ("the grind"), and establishing systems that lead to self-sustaining operations. The discussion provides actionable insights for scaling home service businesses through employee treatment and strategic technology adoption.

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Description

The Secret Sauce Is The Grind. Once upon a time, Tommy Mello started painting garage doors for $100 each. Today, he’s worth a billion dollars. To make matters worse, he’s just 43 years old, absurdly fit, and by all accounts respected and admired by everyone he meets, including the 700 people he currently employs at A1 Garage Doors. I asked Tommy how he did it. Tommy told me. And when he finished, I was again reminded of the simple, undeniable fact that mastering a skill that’s in demand and then working your butt off can still lead to something that looks an awful lot like prosperity. #podcast #business #success A special thanks to: Good Ranchers. You can get an additional $40 off with my code MIKE and free meat for life when you subscribe. Use code MIKE at: https://go.goodranchers.com/mike Knobel Tennessee Whiskey—a Knobel whiskey for a noble cause. Try it now: https://bit.ly/KnobelSpiritsxTWIHI If you like me, and even if you don't, subscribe to my channels and follow me. Much obliged. https://www.youtube.com/@therealmikerowe https://www.youtube.com/@therealmikeroweshorts https://www.youtube.com/@PYSKshow http://instagr.am/mikerowe/ http://fb.me/TheRealMikeRowe http://twttr.com/mikeroweworks 00:00 Coming Up 00:34 How Tommy Mello became a billionaire 10:00 Getting into the garage door business 15:42 Learning how to build a business 19:10 Service Titan's impact 23:40 Tommy's take on customer relationships 28:06 Tommy's equity incentive program 32:00 Learning from Alex Epstein 36:33 Saving a life on the job 40:05 Being an essential service during the pandemic 47:38 Why you should give away your secrets 51:55 What fuels Tommy's drive 55:45 Lessons from being a server 59:30 Advice to future tradesmen 01:03:05 Tommy's podcast 01:06:41 Why Tommy always writes notes 01:09:15 Show outro

Top Comments (10)

@traceyobrien8410 2025-08-21

I once asked a former supervisor this question: "Why did you hire me?" I was hired to be a word processor but possessed only what was considered at that time a rudimentary knowledge of MS Word, and I knew next to nothing about how to do such things as create PowerPoint presentations, work with Excel spreadsheets, or very much of anything else along those lines. The response from that supervisor was the following: "Hire attitude. Cultivate aptitude."

131 5 replies
@ParkDari 2025-08-21

For the past year I have looked my patients right in the eye at the end of the visit and seriously asked “Are you satisfied with our treatment plan?” The response has been great and I can guage any hesitation or flicker of doubt and address it immediately so they leave happy with my care.

80
@jimbrewer2893 2025-08-21

He had me when he said, "I remember where I came from." I worked for a large company as a service tech. Great company, everyone was first name basis from the CEO on down. Great pay and benefits. Until the last family member retired. Over the years, we became a number. The little incentives and gifts went away. If we got a trip as a master tech, it was all paid for. Then the techs were made to pay taxes. I left after 24 years. The following year they put GPS in the trucks. Tied that into the computers and phones. The techs were told where to go, how long to be there, how to get there. Finally, they let go a lot of great managers and techs. I still see some of my former companies and they talk about how bad service has become. I like Tommy, he seems genuine. Just don't forget your employees. Just wish he had an office closer to us.

50 2 replies
@denisewilkes7486 2025-08-21

My husband now 76 was an ironworker, he was the epitome of those guys on the steel in that iconic photo.

42 4 replies
@vincentbednar1696 2025-08-23

This man is so successful, yet he still takes the time to take notes on some points that Mike makes. I guess you can never stop learning no matter how successful you are.

40 1 replies
@ToniBorras-k9p 2025-08-21

My cousin started mowing lawns and is now a high figure millionaire. No college. Just hard work and grit and a happy disposition.

35 1 replies
@welderfixer 2025-08-23

Typical me I was 100% cynical of Mr. Mello and this podcast, but now I am amazed at and wowed by Mr. Mello who seems to believe that employees and customers are equally important. What a breath of fresh air. Thank you Mr. Mello for being the example of what American businessmen should be.

29 1 replies
@karynneves4731 2025-08-23

My grandson was in the military working on planes(jets). He loved it… after he got out of the Air Force he went to college a very prestigious one but he missed the military and the work he did on the planes… he graduated and turned to me and said I just can’t leave the aircraft life so he went for it and got hired by allegiance airlines and is loving the life of working on civilian aircraft! He makes way more money than he would have with his degree he works hard but is so damn happy!! So proud of this man!! He is a great provider for his wife, they have a beautiful apartment because he could move to another airline in about 4 years if he continues to work hard looking for supervisory roles in the industry!! So glad he made this choice he is so very happy!! ❤

22
@barblallier9413 2025-08-21

This guy is just awesome! I love his attitude, humility and moxi......way needed in this day and age!! Mindful,,,yes!! Im encouraged!

20
@marcusnichols5595 2025-08-21

That "please subscribe"outro, watch Chuck's eyes start to cross as he holds that note...

15

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