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Tommy Mello started with $50, a borrowed truck, and a garage door business everyone thought was a dead end—now he's built an $800 million empire and decoded the exact playbook that separates $1 million operators from $100 million machines. The A1 Garage Door Service founder reveals how watching his mom come home with blistered feet from selling 53 houses (while bartending to survive) wired him to bet everything "a dozen times," why he flew out twice a month to study every major HVAC shop in America instead of guessing his way to scale, and the brutal math showing why chasing $10 million EBITDA companies beats grinding $1 million deals (hint: it's the same work, 10x the return). This is the raw systems blueprint from someone who didn't know how to make payroll multiple times but studied his way to a 4.5x return in three years, exposing why 99% of home service operators stay stuck and what it really takes to become the operator private equity hunts.
➡️ Show Links
Website: https://a1garage.com
Podcast: https://homeserviceexpert.com/podcast
Book: https://www.elevatedbybooktommy.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tommymello
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tommymello
➡️ Timestamps
00:00 Mom's Blisters: Selling 53 Houses While Bartending to Survive
02:10 The Red Corvette Moment: 16 Years Old When Everything Changed
03:36 Parents' Money Fights That Programmed Him for Millions
06:13 "Don't Speak" by No Doubt—The Song Playing When He Knew
07:03 Starting a Roth IRA at 16: The Cousin Who Changed His Life
09:45 $50 and a Borrowed Truck: Starting a Garage Door Company at 19
11:22 Buying Out His Partner at 21 With No Business Experience
15:30 The $100M Shop Tour Strategy: Flying Twice a Month to Learn
18:15 "I'm Just a Garage Door Kid"—Humility That Opened Every Door
21:36 Getting on ServiceTitan Changed Everything (The CRM Revelation)
22:12 The Legacy Promise: Why Every $100M Shop Let Him In
23:18 HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical: Building the Home Service Empire
23:28 4.5x Return in 3 Years: The $6M Restoration Company Win
23:46 Why $10M EBITDA Beats $1M EBITDA (Same Work, 10x Exit Multiple)
24:13 The Math Private Equity Doesn't Want You to Know ($80M to $540M)
25:02 The Bankrupt Founder Thesis: Why They Make the Best Hires
25:23 "I Didn't Know How to Make Payroll"—Betting Everything a Dozen Times
25:47 Everyone Wants the Views, No One Wants the Hike
26:12 The $800M Speedbump: Why the Next Deal Won't Change Him
27:12 Designing Life at 45: Golf, Hunting, and Stomach-Hurting Laughs
27:57 "This Is My Last CEO Role Ever" (We'll See About That)
➡️ Connect With Leo Pareja
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/leopareja/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/leopareja/
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@leo.pareja
What is Leo Pareja Unfiltered?
Welcome to Pareja Unfiltered, where host Leo Pareja explores what it takes to lead, grow, and win.
Leo built companies and led tens of thousands of agents as CEO of eXp Realty (NASDAQ: EXPI). He's learned the difference between good and great isn't what you know—it's how you think, adapt, and inspire others.
Real strategies for real leaders, featuring CEOs, founders, and game-changers who've been in the trenches. This is podcast for leaders ready to stop playing small and start playing to win.