JackQuisitions
Posts
$0 to $8M in 15 Months

$0 to $8M in 15 Months

Growth is closer than you think

Jack Carr
November 03, 2025

Welcome to the JackQuisitions newsletter,

Just because you have a tiny trade business now doesn’t mean that’ll always hold true.

In today’s newsletter, I share the story of an operator who scaled his plumbing company from one plumber and $15K in monthly revenue to an $8M run rate…all in 15 months.

Your Staffing Solution

If you follow my newsletter or podcast, you’ve probably heard me talk about Quick Staffers.

If not, here’s the short version: Quick Staffers connects you with day-one-ready, global talent built for home service businesses.

User results speak for themselves:

92% fewer missed calls — from 47 per week down to just 4.
$28,500/month in new booked jobs from recovered calls.
85% less time spent by the owner on phones.

Sound good? It gets better.

Right now, you can get $500 off your first placement.

Click below to claim your discount and finally get the help your business deserves.

Ready For Your Next Acquisition?

Check out these acquisition opportunities that caught my eye this week:

Residential HVAC company serving SW Washington and Northwest Oregon with $2.76M in revenue, $375K in cash flow, 350 maintenance agreements, 200+ changeouts last year, and 2,400 active customers. Asking $2M.
Electrical service company in the Triad region of North Carolina with $2.2M in revenue and $550K cash flow. 70/30 HVAC-to-electrical mix, primarily residential, fully wrapped fleet, and ServiceTitan in place. Asking $1.5M.
HVAC franchise in Southern Michigan with $1.3M in revenue and $141K cash flow. Established in 2017, SBA pre-approved with just 10% down. Asking $595,000.

From $15K to $8M in a Year

Mother Plumbing started as a one-plumber shop doing $15,000 a month. No fancy trucks. No backlog of calls. Just a licensed plumber, a helper, and a small book of five-star reviews.

That’s when Dustin Marx stepped in. He wasn’t a tradesman. He’d built and sold a tech company that connected contractors to property managers. He knew how to scale systems and people, not pipes.

But he also knew that the trades were ripe for disciplined operators who could build real companies.

So instead of starting from scratch, he went looking for someone who already knew the work.

Finding the Operator

Dustin found his entry point through a podcast. He reached out to a plumber named David who had built a division for a large DFW company. David introduced him to another plumber, Steven, who had left to start his own business called SND Plumbing.

Steven was sharp, honest, and talented, but like most technicians who go out on their own, he lacked structure. Prices were too low. Processes didn’t exist. Dustin saw the opportunity immediately.

He didn’t just buy a business. He partnered with a craftsman. The deal was small, but the goal was clear: combine Steven’s technical skill with Dustin’s operational playbook and build something durable.

Building Like a Company From Day One

Before the ink dried on the deal, Dustin already had ServiceTitan lined up. He branded, systemized, and instrumented everything as if the company were already ten times its size.

He renamed SND Plumbing to Mother, a brand built around care, empathy, and quality. It stood out in a market full of last names and initials. The message was simple: “We care for your home like a mother would.”

By the first week, Dustin and Steven were reviewing profit and loss together. Every plumber forecasted their truck’s revenue and margin. They met weekly for open-book management and budgeting.

Then came the big differentiator: profit sharing. Fifty percent of company profits went back to employees. It created ownership, alignment, and loyalty. The team operated like entrepreneurs, not just technicians.

Growth Through Alignment

They focused only on residential service. No construction. No commercial work. Every decision centered on quality and speed.

In 14 months, the company grew from one plumber to more than twenty employees and ten trucks. Monthly revenue jumped from $15,000 to nearly $700,000. That’s an $8 million annual run rate.

The foundation was intentional, not accidental. They built a brand customers loved, a culture technicians trusted, and a system that rewarded performance.

The Next Phase

Dustin isn’t chasing a hundred million in revenue. He’s building a company that lasts decades. One that his kids can inherit.

The plan is to grow through people, not acquisitions. When a technician becomes ready to lead, they can open their own Mother location. It’s not a franchise model. It’s a partnership model built on ownership and trust.

Every Friday, the team opens the books, forecasts next week’s numbers, and reviews performance. Each truck is its own small business. Each plumber knows exactly how they contribute to the whole.

The Takeaway

Dustin didn’t buy a plumbing company. It was much more than that. He bought a relationship, then built a system around it.

Find alignment before you find scale.
Hire for skill, then share success.
Brand for emotion, not ego.
Track everything.
Play the long game.

Mother Plumbing proves that you don’t need a big starting line. You need the right partner, a clear system, and the discipline to build slow before you grow fast.

Here’s the full story:

Tell Me What You’re Thinking

Does this advice change your outlook on the immediate future of your business?

Share your feedback with me on X or LinkedIn.

How do you feel about today's JackQuisitions newsletter?

Disclosure: Some of the content and links in this newsletter are sponsored or affiliate links, which means we may receive payment or earn a commission if you click through or purchase. However, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.