He Started $50K in Debt with 2 Vans — Now He Runs a $10.6M Contractor Business

Book a free strategy call to see how we can help you hit your goals and beyond: https://bit.ly/4b0wLaZ or call us at: (214)-453-1591 $400,000 in revenue and $50K in debt — that’s where electrician Matt Wehrle started. Six years later, Safe Electric & Plumbing in Columbus, Ohio hit $10.6 million with 28 trucks and double-digit net profit. In this episode of The Successful Contractor, Matt shares how he grew his electrical contracting business from 2 vans to $10.6M, added a plumbing division that did $2M in year one, survived bookkeeper embezzlement, and built a company culture that actually retains techs. KEY TOPICS: How CertainPath coaching helped one electrician grow from $400K to $10.6M in 5 years Starting a residential electrical business with $10K in the bank and $50K in unpaid taxes Adding a plumbing division to an electrical company — $2M first full year (after hiring the wrong manager) Catching bookkeeper embezzlement: fake LLC, unauthorized ACH transfers, stolen credit cards for 13 months Recruiting electricians and plumbers in a tight labor market — the “post for a manager” trick Why “nobody wants to work” is an excuse — and what builds real contractor culture CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Electrician Grows from $400K to $10.6M in 6 Years 03:05 – Matt's Background: New Construction, Layoffs & Starting a Business 07:30 – Building Houses, Going Independent & Partnering with Craig 11:11 – How a CertainPath Mailer Planted the Seed for $10.6M 13:28 – Profit Day: "I've Been Cheating My Customers Out of My Knowledge" 17:01 – Starting a Contracting Business with $10K and $50K in Debt 19:17 – $708K → $1.7M → $4M → $10.6M: Year-by-Year Growth 21:00 – Attending Every CertainPath Training Available 26:46 – First Ride-Along with a CertainPath Coach 29:46 – The Ride-Along That Turned an $8K Job Into $2K 31:38 – Hiring an Operations Manager Who Rebuilt ServiceTitan in a Week 36:00 – Building SOPs and Systemizing a Growing Contractor Business 41:38 – Recruiting Electricians and Plumbers in a Tight Labor Market 45:00 – Hiring Techs: Post for a Manager, Find Great Candidates 50:00 – Commission Structure: Separating Sales from Install 53:45 – Electrician Adds Plumbing Division — $2M in Year One 54:16 – Hired the Wrong Plumbing Manager First 57:30 – Building a Tech Training Program from Scratch 1:03:12 – Contractor Marketing: Being the Face of the Company 1:06:00 – Yellow Trucks, New Office & 1,000+ Google Reviews 1:11:15 – Bookkeeper Embezzlement: Fake LLC and 13 Months of Theft 1:16:06 – What I'd Tell My 2017 Self About Growing a Business 1:18:57 – "Nobody Wants to Work" Is an Excuse 1:21:00 – Building Company Culture That Retains Techs For more information about Sean Mitchell's RevenueAscent Program: https://hub.mycertainpath.com/hub/res... ABOUT THE SHOW The Successful Contractor is a podcast for residential HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing contractors. Hosted by Bob Houchin, each episode features real contractor growth stories, hard-won business insights, and practical takeaways for building a profitable home services company. ABOUT THE GUEST Matt Wehrle is the owner of Safe Electric & Plumbing in Columbus, Ohio. A lifelong electrician who started in new construction, Matt launched his residential service company in 2019 with two vans and $10,000 in the bank. In six years, he’s grown to $10.6 million in revenue with 28 trucks, a thriving plumbing division, and double-digit net profit. Safe Electric & Plumbing: https://safeelectricohio.com CertainPath: https://www.mycertainpath.com SHOW NOTES The Successful Contractor Podcast is part of the CertainPath family. CertainPath is a business coaching program for residential HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing contractors. For 25 years, we’ve helped contractors double their revenue, hit 20% net profit, and build teams that stay. With proven systems, professional coaching, software solutions, and a member community of 1,200+ strong — Success is Made Certain. Visit www.mycertainpath.com for more information. FOLLOW CERTAINPATH: Facebook:   / certainpath   LinkedIn:   / certainpath   Instagram:   / certainpath   #ElectricalContractor #ContractorGrowth #HomeServicesBusiness