How Honey Go Fix It Became Dayton's Most Certified Plumbers: Kassandra Hornik | Everyday Excellence

Kassandra Hornik is a chemical engineer who co-founded a plumbing company in Dayton, Ohio while raising three kids under the age of five. On the day Honey Go Fix It officially launched, she sat at the dining room table with her husband Shane and his brother-in-law Tyler waiting for the phone to ring. Eight hours passed. Nothing. Four years later, she has six technicians, the most master plumber credentials in the Miami Valley, and a morning routine that starts at 7:30 AM every weekday. This is what building a small business from scratch actually looks like. Key Topics: • Launch day: zero calls in eight hours, and the lesson that changed everything [3:28] • Chemical engineering background and how problem-solving is the same discipline in a plumbing company [6:32] • The decision to start: now or never, staying in Dayton, building something we own [7:50] • Culture: most masters in the Miami Valley, build sweet lives, and the 3-20s morning routine [14:07] • What happened when they tried HVAC and a commercial bakery project: why focus beats diversification at the early stage [18:59] • Marketing channels: LSA as bread and butter, van signage, Thumbtack, and what the agency journey looked like [30:10] • Why marketing is the lifeblood and you cannot fully hand it off [44:00] • Advice for entrepreneurs: you're never going to be ready until you just do it [50:00] Kassandra Hornik's story is one of the more refreshingly honest in this series: a chemical engineer who had never run a plumbing company, whose husband had some trade background, who sat at a dining room table for eight hours waiting for a phone that did not ring, and figured it out from there. No preamble. Just the actual experience of building something from scratch. About Kassandra Hornik: Kassandra Hornik co-owns Honey Go Fix It with her husband Shane in Dayton, Ohio. She holds a chemical engineering degree. Shane has a plumbing background from Roto-Rooter and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. Honey Go Fix It launched approximately four years ago and has grown to six technicians, with the most master plumber credentials in the Miami Valley. https://www.honeygofixit.com/ Everyday Media Group helps residential plumbing and home service companies build the digital foundation that grows lead flow beyond LSA and van visibility. Todd Baldwin and the team work with growing businesses looking for a long-term digital partner. Visit: https://everydaymediagroup.com/ Chapter Timestamps 1. 0:00 - Introduction 2. 0:45 - About Honey Go Fix It: Dayton Ohio, residential plumbing, 4 years, 6 technicians 3. 1:11 - Running a family business with husband Shane and three young kids 4. 3:28 - Early lessons: the dining room table launch day with zero calls in 8 hours 5. 5:24 - The lesson: not being afraid of getting overwhelmed with business 6. 6:32 - Chemical engineering background and how it shapes problem-solving in the business 7. 7:50 - The decision to start: control of schedule, staying in Dayton, now or never 8. 10:12 - Hardest things: making the phone ring, and employees not thinking like owners 9. 12:34 - Best part of four years: plumbers seeking Honey Go Fix It out by reputation 10. 13:29 - Shane's background: Roto-Rooter and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing 11. 14:07 - Culture: most masters in the Miami Valley, build sweet lives mission statement 12. 16:11 - The 3-20s morning routine: three gratitudes, three contributions, twenty repetitions 13. 18:59 - Focus is more important than adding revenue streams too quickly 14. 19:07 - The HVAC distraction: the license doesn't mean you can do it profitably 15. 20:07 - The commercial bakery project: a scope mismatch with the residential service model 16. 23:09 - Brand name: Honey Go Fix It origin and adding "plumbers" to the logo 17. 24:49 - What homeowners misunderstand: leaking tanks, water heater maintenance, hose bibs 18. 30:10 - Marketing channels: LSA as bread and butter, Thumbtack, van signage 19. 30:59 - Google Ads PPC: relatively new, started December/January 20. 31:29 - Organic leads: a few a week, a dozen or so a month, still building 21. 37:31 - Agency history: responsiveness issues, Plumbing and HVAC SEO, switching to Scorpion 22. 44:00 - Being hands-on with marketing: Kassandra answers phones evenings and weekends 23. 46:32 - Podcast recommendation: Lexicon Valley (linguistics and communication) 24. 48:22 - One-liner: "If you want grace, you have to give grace" 25. 50:00 - Advice for entrepreneurs: you're never gonna be ready until you just do it #PlumbingBusiness #FamilyBusiness #EverydayExcellence #HoneyGoFixIt #Dayton #HomeServices #Entrepreneurship #WomanOwned #ResidentialPlumbing #BusinessGrowth