HVAC Joy Lab Podcast - Episode 11 - Refining Your Tastes in Quality

Show Notes

In this episode, Dr. John Sherk sits down with Christopher Powers, owner, and CEO of Christopher's Cooling LLC, to discuss his journey as an HVAC technician and business owner.

Christopher shares his unique perspective on how his ADHD and OCD have helped him become successful in the HVAC industry.

One of the key takeaways from this episode is the importance of delivering quality work, even if it may cost more. It's a valuable lesson for both HVAC technicians and business owners.

So whether you are an HVAC technician or a business owner, this episode offers advice and inspiration for anyone looking to improve their tech career and quality of service.

Join us for another engaging episode of the HVAC Joy Lab Podcast.

What is HVAC Joy Lab Podcast?

Dr. John Sherk, owner and president of Operations Laboratory reveals all of his HVAC technician career happiness strategies, income improvements and killer tech-happiness tips and tricks so you can get ahead of the curve with your HVAC technician career. Discover how you can create a quality negotiated agreement with your manager that works for you so that you can have the time and freedom to do what you love, whether it’s coaching your kids’ teams, getting out there for hunting season, or just living comfortably at home with your family. Since 2010, he’s been consulting his many HVAC clients on how to develop and manage a culture that is friendly to tech-happiness, and here he openly shares his wins, his losses, and all the lessons in between with the community of energetic but humble HVAC techs, managers, and owners who follow him. Self-proclaimed “Technician Happiness Guru” you’ll learn about getting paid what you deserve, building genuine and loyal relationships at work and at home, recruiting winners (tip: they all already work for someone else), building a tech-happy culture, quality communication, skills mastery, optimizing performance, negotiating compensation, professionalism, , and productivity tips so that you create an amazing, tech-happy life without burning yourself out. It’s a mix of interviews, special co-hosts and solo shows from John you’re not going to want to miss. Hit subscribe, and get ready to change your life.

John Sherk: Yes. Welcome, everybody. We have with us today on the podcast Chris Powers, who owns his own air conditioning company in the San Diego market. Welcome, Chris.

Chris Powers: Thank you. Thank you for having me on.

John Sherk: Yeah. So, you know, as we know, we are as you know, as the audience knows, we'd like to get into what people's perspective is their from their point of view on what makes a great life for an air conditioning technician. But first, we want to get to know you. So let's the question I like to ask the beginning is like, what is your origin story? And what is your superpower? Like? How did you find your way into this thing?

Chris Powers: And it was, by accident, kind of, honestly, I stood in the wrong line trying to get my GED when I was, you know, like, 19 years old. After waiting hours, the lady told me, Oh, you're in the wrong line. And then she said, Well fill out this paperwork. And maybe you you know, you can get some help with this program. Well, yeah. And they ended up paying for everything, sent me to school for air conditioning. And I just loved it. When I when I went to the school and checked it out. I thought, Man, this is just kind of cool. You know, it's interesting. And so I took advantage of it. And that was about 20 years ago. I've been doing it ever since man, I basically hit the ground running. And once I graduated, it was a Friday, I went to work on a Monday job since
John Sherk: So did you have kind of a traditional path from helper to installer to? Like, what do you what is your 20 years look like?

Chris Powers: It was funny, because when I got out of HVAC school, everybody's Oh, you just go go to being a tech, you know, you jump right in, in a band, you know, and they thought I was crazy. For taking a job as the installer helper. Yeah, they were like, What are you? What are you doing doing it and you know, the money wasn't great, I'll be honest, but the learning experience was extremely beneficial. You know, I was a lead tech on the install crew in about six months after I started. And it really just kind of snowballed. From there, I became a tag and the lead tag foreman, it, you know, really, I think, my ADHD, and OCD really kind of benefited me in this field. Because, you know, I work nonstop. And I have a tension to detail. It's a little bit ridiculous. To be a little out of hand. But, uh, but you know, it's been beneficial. Like I said, I'd say that's probably my superpower, by the only thing that prevents me from doing is the managerial stuff so much, because it's really hard to stay on task, you know, comes office, we're trying to hire some office people. So I don't have to do so much.

John Sherk: You know, that's, that's part I think of the life of a technician even after they, like you have transitioned to becoming a company owner. The, the very dynamic of service calls, is sort of like a junior version of a fireman, you know, phone rings, you're living in response all the time. And so, as I've worked with many, many, many, many, many air conditioned companies over the years, the there's a consistent theme there that if someone came up as a technician, they have a kind of difficult learning curve, to say, there's this thing I have to do. It's not urgent yet. And I put it on my calendar at three o'clock next week on Wednesday, for like that structured event to happen. Just on purpose with nothing pushing it. It's like there's a there's a whole kind of mental disconnect thing. Yeah, a disconnected way to say it a disconnect. Yeah. Fact, I would say that is, there's a lot of it, because I do want to ask you more about the transition from tech to owner. But there's a lot of things that when I talk to guys, like you who have either made the made the jump, or who are considering it, that, you know, there's all of the non technical stuff, they get concerned about the marketing, the accounting, you know, how do I do all this other stuff, but I really feel like behaviorally and sort of developmentally. The real kind of focus point is what we're talking about right now. Because in order to get those other things done, you know, you don't want to wait until the bank is calling you to take care of certain financial things, right. But, but it's a completely different kind of mental process, to take something that doesn't immediately have urgency, and structure your day in a way that you get those things done. And it's just part of the curve.

Chris Powers: Yeah, that's definitely fact. It's, it's been a little bit of a curve, but it's alright, I'm jumping in there. Luckily, we have some technology nowadays, that you can really like For the app, there's an app for that.

John Sherk: That's a good point. So tell the audience a little bit about your transition to becoming an owner, like, do you and tell us about your company as well? I mean, was it a very anxious transition? Was it really easy? Like, what did it What was it like for you?

Chris Powers: Well, I've been in the industry about 20 years, I probably after 10 years, had the notion that I wanted to start my own company. Of course, there's so many facets of that, that it does take a little planning a little time. And I guess I kind of just fell into it, I wanted to do it for a long time. And then I was presented with an opportunity where it was like, hey, I can take this money and start a company or I could just, you know, put it in savings or Sunday, you know, I did a big job for a buddy. I made like $20,000 in five days. And so I thought, you know, what, what am I doing this making all these other people money when I should be making me money. And you know, and I have different ideas to about the way things should be conducted in the industry. And a lot of my companies I've worked for, they're really, they were really rush, rush, rush rush to get to the next call. Whereas I feel that you should take your time on every call. And don't don't waste time. But take your time, you know, I mean, that's what you should do and get it right. So I just decided, that's it. I'm doing. And I just struck out there and quickly depleted my $20,000. Now and my poor person again, working on building that back.

John Sherk: How long ago was that?
Chris Powers: June of 2022.

John Sherk: Oh, wow. Okay. Very recently. Yep. You're there right now. Exactly. Yeah. Yep.

Chris Powers: One One lady. She, she's actually my girlfriend. She's, she's my administrative assistant. And she is phenomenal. So with the help of her, it's been great transitioning into the office part. You know, it's, it's processed. Yep. Very good.

John Sherk: Very good. And so, if you had to do again, I mean, you're, you're not that far into it yet. Is there anything you would say to, to a technician who's thinking about it, make sure you do this first, or take care of this on the path,

Chris Powers: I would say get your knowledge you get, get very comfortable with the industry, and get very comfortable with talking to people, not just homeowners, but banks, and other contractors. If anything, the best thing to do is have some, some other business owners in the industry that you're chummy, chummy with, you know, and kind of bounce things off, don't be afraid to ask questions, you know, look to them for advice. Yeah. Everybody knows that you can learn something from a baby. Everything that you know, at all?

John Sherk: That's right. 100%. Yeah, and I think in general, I'm sure there's going to be an exception out there to what I'm about to say. But in general, people in the industry are pretty friendly with each other with ideas and coaching and whatnot, they don't, they're not like, I'm not going to tell you my secrets, they're, like, watch out for this, or, you know, that kind of,

Chris Powers: You know, they're more than happy to tell you about their pitfalls. And that's what you're gonna post.

John Sherk: We, I have a group that I work with in Indianapolis. And when we were talking about it, just like, you know, advice for technicians there, one of the guys is pretty funny. And they said, I'll tell you from experience, if the homeowner has a monkey, don't pet it.

John Sherk: For him from experience, don't do it. Right. So and I'm curious, too, are you? Are you kind of operating right now? Kind of off a spreadsheet? Or did you invest in software? Or like software? Yeah. And I know, no, commission back to me for whatever you're about to say. But yeah, what can I can ask you like which one you you are using and why

Chris Powers: I use ECI thermal grid at the moment. Okay, I have tried some other ones. I've tried to try to find some different ones. I seem to like most all of them. One of my things that reasons that I went with ECI thermal grid was because they have a very scalable network, you know, the software's pretty versatile, so they can if you've if you have something you want in there, you can get a hold of them. They'll go in and literally write a program for it and add it to your thing. So I mean, it's, you know, it's a little expensive to have in software, but I'll tell you what, there's nothing better than keeping things organized customers, their equipment, the filters, the belts, all these things are essential. And if you know this stuff going in, you can really save yourself a lot of time. So, you know, I figured it was the best idea and it's working out.

John Sherk: Yeah. Well and that's it Think building that the whole process of building a customer base without any software is really difficult. Oh, yeah. Because the amount of data you have to track, you know, keeping track of the equipment that are that's in that house. You know, like, there's little notes and things you have to remember if do I want to go back next winter to do pm here? Or do we not want to just, you know, there's a whole dynamic around building that relationship that is really hard to keep on a spreadsheet only,

Chris Powers: Especially when you got commercial customers? I do commercial and residential. So you know, sometimes you have a customer that's got maybe six different sites, 20 different units? Yeah, I mean, it's definitely you want to keep that organized.

John Sherk: Yep. So and there's just I'm not familiar with that software directly. So does it have the ability to, quote, work in there as well?

Chris Powers: Quoting payroll, commissions, bonuses, timesheets, displays literally everything in one area. Okay. Marketing does marketing for you. It's kind of like a little AI thing in there. Just, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's pretty decent.

John Sherk: Yeah, very good. Well, let's roll over to talking about the life of a technician and optimizing that life. Do you have any initial thoughts there? Like, what are the what are some keys to that? You know, they can be technical, or very abstract, or whatever your thoughts are? What do you think? What does it take?

Chris Powers: Well, I mean, honestly, I'm a workaholic. So so I will tell you, I put way too many hours in sometimes, and that's something you got to watch out for, believe it or not, I always thought it was like, like, it was a bonus. It's all I don't care about working, I work so many hours, you work too many hours, you don't have enough time for home life, you got to have a balanced, you know, and and then besides that, making it more efficient in the field is technology. I mean, have the good tools have invest in yourself. If anything, you know, I've been buying my own tools since since I started. Even the tools that you don't really necessarily need to have like vacuum pumps and recovery machines. I always had my own stuff, and I had the nicer stuff. I have 10 cfm vacuum pump. I have, you know, recovery equipment of tanks. And you have nice stuff, you're usually going to do nice work. Yeah. You know.

John Sherk: Yeah. And you know that there's a whole, I'll expand on that if I if I can, that. I'm working on kind of a model. I'm going to do this on a podcast here coming up in the next couple of weeks. But the of what's everything to account for in building this great life, right in kind of big, chunky ways. And one of them is what I'm calling delight, which is the ability to continually increase and refine. You're tasting things, and you're liking of things. And I think tools is a component of that. Like, there, I would bet you have tools right now that if you had when you were six months in, you wouldn't have appreciated them because you wouldn't really know the difference.

Chris Powers: Yeah, that's the word. Yeah. Yeah, it's probably true. You know, I've always been one that like, I always wanted the new up and coming that fancy tool. And at first, you're right, I had no idea. I just wanted it because it looked awesome. But then when I got to using it in the field, I realized some of those things were useless. And then some were way more useful than I had thought.

John Sherk: Yeah. Yeah. And then I think in general, you know, again, having, I probably had a one on one conversation the last 18 months with, it's got to be at least 1000 technicians, because what I do for a living, and there's some themes and consistencies in there. And I, I, if one of the things that I wish I could just kind of wave a wand and and make true, it would be that to tell technicians, it's okay. You know, unless you start a company and you start getting into higher profit margins and making lots of money. You may not ever buy gigantic priced things, but it's okay to as kind of a hobby and as part of your profession, develop a taste for the better things. That can be anything from like tools. Also customer service to a point like, like, you know, some people, it's the opposite of saying more is better. It's kind of what you're saying earlier about the amount of time you spend on a job. It's coming up for me as we're talking because I think that's true for you like that you've developed the delight of doing the work like the I want the better tools. I want to do the job, right. I don't just want any customer. You didn't say that. But I'm going to assume that's probably true. You know, I don't want people who want to make me compete on price only. I want to the quality of what I'm doing. I want to experience the pleasure of doing it well and feel the pleasure of doing what I do best. Just every day,
Chris Powers: Yeah, I tell them all the time, I'm not the cheapest, I'm the best. I mean, if you want cheap work, then go get it. But if you quality work, sometimes you have to pay a better price. And most of my customers are fine with that they've realized that what I bring to the table is very well worth the price.

John Sherk: Yeah, exactly. And that's, that's part of, if you think about it, taking that same concept and then expanding it into your personal world. You know, do you have that? I mean, I don't don't, we don't really know each other that well, so forgive me if I'm gonna be 20 years sober. And I talked about beer or something. So forgive Yeah. But, but you could have the same kind of mindset with beer, you get that same kind of mindset with music, you get that same kind of mindset in a lot of ways in your life, and increase the quality of giving away giving up the idea that where it's at is more and, and really kind of building a palette for nicer, better things, without having to say, well, I can't enjoy that if I don't make a million dollars a year. Like that's a different thing. That's, that's actually going for the more is better mindset, right? Because if once you kind of you develop your palate, it starts you start just becoming less interested and less distracted by the lesser things and the things that are, you know, just the more is better?

Chris Powers: Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

John Sherk: I think that's a central, I really hear that in you. And I think that's a central. I don't know what to call that pathway skill set perspective, for any technician, and you're 20 years in, so you've got the experience to, to look at it. In my experience, the first phase is about 10 years, you go through, you know, often it's a residential thing. And you kind of go through the cycle of helper installer, service, maybe sales, and then you become what I call 10. Year, Ted, which I've got, I've now done this for 10 years, and I'm looking around going, I'm 35. And I don't know where to go from here.

Chris Powers: Yeah, well, it can happen. I tell you, what you definitely want to focus on, don't be that guy, that's 30 years in talking about how you're so awesome in your life. It is 30 years. And then when people go to look at your work, and they said, What the hell is this guy thinking when he installed? You know, you have to have like, when you're an installer, you gotta be thinking like a service tech, funny as that sounds, but but when you serve that you got to be thinking like a service manager. And when, as you propel through the ranks, it's good to remember where you came from. And remember, when you were doing it, were you doing it, right? No, we're doing it in a way that's going to make everybody's life easier. But too many people they get so focused on the task at hand that they just want to get it done. You know, they're not thinking about the guy that's got to come back. Yeah, that's integrals, ya know,

John Sherk: that, and that there, again, is that mindset of, because I know from my background, I know from my my own research and my PhD and the stuff that I've done, I know for sure that once you're good at something, if you let yourself lean into feeling good at it as you do it, that feels great. And that, and the reverse of that is just doing something to get it done. Yeah. Doesn't feel good. Yeah. But there's the thing is that there's an you'll know this because you pay this price. It takes years to get good enough in order for it to feel good. Yeah, because it doesn't feel good at all. At first, it feels kind of shitty, like, I'm trying to deal with something I deal with this customer. I'm calling my dispatcher. They're saying why Aren't you done yet? I don't know if I'm supposed to tell them. I don't know what I'm looking at right now. You don't want to talk about right. Absolutely. Those years are very difficult. But if you fight through, and get to the point where you do have that knowledge and skill and ability, then you get that experience a pleasure of doing what you do best every day, as long as the work is structured so that you can that I think that is I mean, that is like Center. 10 Peg level of important for a technician.

Chris Powers: Yeah, loving what you do, is the most incredible thing that you can ever attain. I mean, basically, I get up every morning, and I'm so excited, like, Oh, what am I going to see today? Like, what are we going to run into today? You know, and go out there. And like I said, I mean, being a workaholic helps, but the fact that I love what I do makes it so seamless. It's like, you know, you show up and it's you play hero umpteen times a day. I mean, that's what better than Could you ask.

John Sherk: Oh, yeah. Is there anything? I mean, I have my version of this, but is there anything like the feeling when a customer says, Chris, thank you so much.

Chris Powers: Yeah, I love that house and they've been sweating and dying or something and then now they're gonna be ice cold. And they're just like, thank you. So they're offering you their firstborn. And then

John Sherk: We name our first child after you If,

Chris Powers: You know, hey, no problem, and you're on to the next one, do the same thing over again. Yeah, yep.

John Sherk: Yeah. And that's for the younger techs who, and I have some who are listeners to this podcast, just realize that because it, it's a frustrating thing to go to a two year program, let's say, and kind of here, when you get done, you'll know how to do this. And ICP

Chris Powers: thought that they should outline what you'll know is how to like talk to people in the industry, what you'll know is basic terminology, and maybe a little bit of structure of it. But what's done in the field is often unfortunately, not what's done in the book. And so, you know, you gotta kind of and you got to be careful who you listen to don't don't let them season text tell you all this how we deal with Buddy, don't worry about it. That is the wrong way. I should do it right? And believe it or not, you're going to find that your day is much easier. If you know there's a process hundreds of years, we've been working on air conditioning, right? I mean that you know, and it's things like that and started with a block ice and a fan. That's way different. You know, and it's it's so much more technical. So but you know what, like, if you don't be scared of the new technology, a lot of old timers they all all the stupid stuff are you know that you don't need all that you know what, you know that we do need these things, and they are very integral in our life and you better accept them.

John Sherk: Yeah, I have a client who is kind of working on they don't they haven't solved the problem yet. But they have their own software. And they're trying to figure out how to use chat GBT to write the service.

Chris Powers: Right? Oh, wow.

John Sherk: So you go in and you say these are the tasks I performed? It will create the Service report for the job

Chris Powers: probably trading pretty nice one too, to be honest with you. I've used chat GPT. Yeah.

John Sherk: Yeah, who knows what's gonna go there? I think the good news for us there is that the AI is going to create a digital product first. And what it's not really a threat to what we do for a living. It's probably just going to make it easier. I mean, chat chat. GPT is not going to go do pm on somebody's gonna come it's gonna kind of go watch a coil.

Chris Powers: Yeah, that's not yet anyway, when they get the robots built. Yeah.

John Sherk: It's good. Well, listen, Chris, anything else that comes to mind? Like, if you said, you know, you've got a younger cousin, they're 22 years old, they're kind of just getting started. Anything else you want to kind of pass on to them?

Chris Powers: Well, just one thing's for sure. If you get involved in the industry, don't, don't narrow yourself. You know, this is a very wide and vast industry. I mean, there's so many different facets of it. And they're all interesting. And they're all you know, they're all fun, really, honestly, that stuff, and then they can be very beneficial to you in your wallet as well as in your heart. Yeah. So, so feel free to branch out, you know, check a little bit of everything out.

John Sherk: Yeah, that's, that's a good point, too. They'll come a time later, where you'll probably narrow down and just be a controls guy, or just be a chiller guy, or whatever.

Chris Powers: Maybe I don't know, though, I like to keep, I like to keep it fast. You know, I like to see new things. I like to try new things I've worked on, you know, and got my certifications and most of that to logo, you know, different things. I constantly that's another thing, continued education is important. Don't ever shy away from it, man, you know, take everything you can get if the company is going to pay for this and that. Go. Yeah. Take advantage. Seize the opportunity.

John Sherk: Yeah, that's a good point as well, that what I've noticed with my commercial clients is there's a they're strictly commercial, especially if they're like pm companies. There's a kind of mindset that says, I'm going to come in as a tech and we'll come in I'm going to get started in my real opportunity. So when they let me go to work on a chiller, and then are they going to send me to Wisconsin to this chiller school, and they're going to like that side of it. And what I've observed is that the call them I shouldn't call him a kid but that that young up and coming technician who wants that experience, they don't get it by saying I want this experience, they get it by delivering amazing customer service. And, and then that that generates trust both sides of the aisle, both with their manager and with the customer. And that trust generates the opportunities to do some things I might not have had otherwise.

Chris Powers: Yeah, that's that's a fact. Yeah, you got to be on you know. Luckily, this is one of the industries where the customer is not always writing an edge on that but it is there is a finesse to so yeah, like you said, if you're if you're good with customers, if you're good with management, you're gonna get those good opportunities and you're gonna get You know that, you know, I wouldn't even mind spending 1000s of dollars to send a kid to a school if I knew it was going to benefit me and my company and him as an individual. Some people, they don't take it seriously. And that's why a lot of companies don't want to pay all that money to send people off. I was a boiler tech for a while. And that's a whole other part is better. It's wild deal. And the schooling that I got with that is is incredible, and amazing, but it is it's it's grueling as well. It ain't for everybody. They for the faint hearted.

John Sherk: Well, very good. Well, listen, Chris, this has been great. Any last words?

Chris Powers: You know HVAC for lives.

John Sherk: Yes, indeed, H back for life. Me too. Although I'm, I'm I'm the nerd in the camp. I don't know if you know my story. But my, my grandfather was a technician. And my mother worked for Johnson Controls for 40 years. Oh, wow. But if you gave me like a blue Fluke multimeter I'm only going to do damage. There's no There's no, there's not one mechanical bone in my body.

Chris Powers: With we need people like you out there to, you know, yeah, we

John Sherk: Were I ended up going. I went to graduate school and I wrote a dissertation on job satisfaction and commitment in air conditioning technicians. So that's my my goal is to change the life of 50,000 technicians by helping companies create a zone where because they're competing for talent now, yeah. Not Tech's competing for jobs anymore. Yeah, but he's competing for tax. Yeah. And so those companies that want to create a superior environment for technician, as a way of competing for their talent, then that's what I do. I help them figure out how to do that. But yeah, so yeah, so a track like a track for life for me, too. Just a little bit different.

Chris Powers: I love it. Yeah, that's good. That's good.

John Sherk: All right. Well, listen, if you're in the San Diego area. How do people find you in San Diego, Chris?

Chris Powers Just look, I'm all over the place. CRISPR schooling, that's what my company's called. You know, we've got a website. It's it's just starting, but it's getting better. You know, and honestly, if you see me in a supply house, you know, feel free to reach out, say something, start a conversation. I don't mind.
John Sherk: Yeah, perfect. All right. Well, listen, Chris, thanks for coming on the podcast and telling your story, giving us your perspective. It all adds up to a better future for all of us.

Chris Powers: It does.
John Sherk: Alright, thanks a lot, Chris.