When Ken Wood and his partner Mick launched Five Star Bath Solutions in 2019, the top revenue for other locations in their franchise network was roughly $1 million/yr.

When they said they were going to build a $5-6 million business, people looked at them like they were from Mars.

This year, they're hitting $9 million.

But redefining what was possible required some brutal lessons—like learning to "own it before delegating it," accepting that sometimes good people can't scale with your business, and realizing that what got them to $3M would never get them to $10M.

In this raw, tactical conversation, Ken pulls back the curtain on:

• The accountability, tough love, and breakthroughs that happen when you're in a room with other ambitious contractors who are actually implementing and growing.
• The "Hire 3 to Get 1" philosophy that accelerated their growth (and why betting on just one person sets you up to fail)
• Advice for when you want to hire a unicorn on a $70k budget
• Why shifting from loyalty culture to results culture is painful but necessary
• The two responsibilities owners should give up last
• The thing to say to a great person you have to fire (and who to make the bad guy)
• What "working ON vs. IN your business" actually looks like when you're doing $9M and planning for $30M
• And his Stephen Covey-inspired approach to building a business (and life) worth having

Ken also shares the story of bumping into Mick at church after the 2008 crash, how Accelerate LIVE! completely rewired their thinking about what's possible, and why he comes back from every Success Society meeting ready to hit the ground running.

Key Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:34) Welcome to Episode 251 with Ken Wood

(01:50) From Corporate to Crash to $9M: Ken & Mick's Origin Story

(05:22) The Brutal Lessons That Got Them Here

(06:22) The Event That Opened Their Eyes to What's Possible

(08:54) Why Your Franchise Is Capping Your Growth (And What to Do About It)

(14:08) "Hire Three to Get One"—The Hiring Advice That Changed Everything

(18:38) Are You the "Technician," "Manager," "Builder," or "Visionary?”

(19:43) Why Ken Had to OWN Marketing Before Hiring For It

(26:59) The Last Two Things You Should EVER Give Up as an Owner

(28:50) How to Shift from Loyalty Culture to Results Culture (Without Being a Jerk)

(32:25) The Thing to Say to a Great Person You Have to Fire—And Who to Make the Bad Guy

(38:04) Stop Relying on Aggregators—Find 20% New Lead Sources Every Year

(42:03) Why You Should Work ON Your Business vs. IN Your Business

(43:03) Ken’s Parting Advice: The Peer Group "Worth 5 Times the Price of Admission"

(47:18) Meet The Group That Helped Fuel Ken’s Success

👉 Subscribe to hear more stories, strategies, and secrets that top contractors use to grow their home improvement businesses and enjoy more success, wealth, and freedom.

👉 Join us for our next Discovery Day on November 11th: TheEntryDoor.Info

Additional Resources:

⚡ Get your tickets for Accelerate LIVE! 2026, and use code PODCAST26 for $100 off: https://thewealthycontractor.com/events/accelerate-live

⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).

⚡ Follow us on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/

We've hit a major milestone—Episode 250!

And there's no one else I’d rather celebrate with than Brian Elias, my very first guest on The Wealthy Contractor Podcast and true industry trailblazer.

If you don’t know him, Brian is the founder of 1-800-HANSONS, which he grew into one of the largest home improvement companies in the country before selling to private equity. These days, he's doing it all over again with Refloor—having already scaled to 15 markets across 12 states and selling 50+ jobs per day.

But this episode is about more than Brian’s incredible story. It's about the mindset, marketing psychology, and hard-won lessons that separate struggling contractors from industry titans.

Listen in as Brian E. opens up about:

• Why he’s getting back into face-to-face marketing in 2026 (and which channels he’s targeting)
• The "Mom's Problems" framework that will make your marketing convert
• How you can "reduce to the ridiculous" to close more sales
• The psychological triggers all your marketing messages need to hit
• Where his confidence REALLY comes from (it’s not what you think)
• …And why most contractors are “fishing with the wrong lure”

Whether you're grinding to hit your first million or scaling past eight figures, this conversation will challenge how you think about marketing, leadership, and building the business (and life) you actually want.

👉 Subscribe to hear more stories, strategies, and secrets that top contractors use to grow their home improvement businesses and enjoy more success, wealth, and freedom.

Key Highlights:

(0:00) Introduction

(1:10) Welcome Back: Brian Elias Returns for Episode 250

(2:50) Refloor Update: 15 Markets, 12 States, 50 Jobs Per Day

(6:08) The Joy of Being Outsmarted by Your Own Kid

(8:21) The Power of Faking it Till You Make it

(10:04) Why You Should Treat Sales Calls Like Job Interviews

(12:17) How His Father’s Mistakes Fueled His Success

(14:02) Why Face-to-Face Marketing Is Making a Comeback

(16:16) The Fishing Lure Framework: How to Think About Marketing

(17:43) Using Psychological Triggers to “Romance” Homeowners

(26:59) Why 95% of Cars on the Road Aren't the Cheapest

(29:32) The Hardest Thing About Leadership

(37:18) "Reducing to the Ridiculous": The $129/Month Close

(40:57) Lessons from the First Time Around

(41:40) Hire for Attitude, Not Just Experience

(44:48) Why You Should Interview 8 People Per Day

(47:10) Final Thoughts: Start with the End in Mind

Additional Resources:

⚡ Learn more about Discovery Day at The Wealthy Contractor Success Society: https://TheEntryDoor.info/

⚡ Get your tickets for Accelerate LIVE! 2026, and use code PODCAST26 for $100 off: https://thewealthycontractor.com/events/accelerate-live

⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).

⚡ Follow us on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/

What if the fastest way to grow your business was to stop doing everything yourself?

When Ryan Keene started MODE Renovation, a one-day bathroom remodeling business, he was just 24 years old. Four years later, he’s about to hit his first million-dollar sales month and working less than ever before. So how on earth did he get there so quickly??

According to him, he just implemented what he was told.

In this episode, Ryan shares the wins, struggles, and turning points that helped him go from installer, to owner, to leader—and how building a strong community of peers and mentors helped him get there.

You’ll hear how he built an in-house call center from scratch at an early stage (with zero experience), hired a sales manager before he could afford it, raised prices the smart way, and built a culture where people actually want to show up and win.

This one is loaded with lessons—especially if you’re stuck in the weeds, hesitant to spend money, or feeling like it’s all on your shoulders. Ryan proves that with the right mindset, community, and systems, you can scale faster and more profitably than you ever imagined.

Whether you’re just getting started or trying to push past a plateau, this episode will leave you with the one thing you need most: permission to go bigger.

Key Highlights:

(00:00) Intro

(01:15) Half Brian’s Age, Twice the Man: Meet Ryan Keene

(03:00) “Smile and Dial”: How Ryan Built a Call Center from Scratch

(07:05) Leads Aren’t Dead (You’re Just Doing it Wrong)

(09:25) Tracking KPIs… Even When You Don’t Know What “KPI” Means

(10:38) Why Entrepreneurship Feels So Damn Lonely (And How to Fix It)

(15:54) Can’t Afford to Hire? That’s Exactly Why You Should

(17:30) Press the Business Like a Race Car: Test, Break, Rebuild

(18:30) The Counter-Intuitive Way Ryan Increased His Close Rate

(22:47) Increase Prices Without Losing Sales (Yes, Really)

(27:47) Recruiting New Reps (And Why You Should Treat Them Like Leads)

(31:55) The Bounty Board: Competition That Drives Sales

(35:00) Building Culture That Actually Means Something

(42:02) The Mindset Shift Leading to a Million-Dollar Month

(47:45) Stop Deciding and Start DOING

👉 Subscribe to hear more stories, strategies, and secrets that top contractors use to grow their home improvement businesses and enjoy more success, wealth, and freedom.

Additional Resources:

⚡ Learn more about Discovery Day at The Wealthy Contractor Success Society: https://TheEntryDoor.info/

⚡ Get your tickets for Accelerate LIVE! 2026, and use code PODCAST26 for $100 off: https://thewealthycontractor.com/events/accelerate-live

⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).

⚡ Follow us on social media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/