From 6 Employees to 96 Vehicles: How to Scale a Home Services Business Without Losing Your Culture

Описание: I sat down with Carrie Kelsch, CEO of A Plus Garage Doors, to talk about her remarkable journey from mortgage broker to leading the largest garage door company in Utah. Carrie shared how she survived the 2008 housing crisis, built scalable systems from the ground up, and grew from six employees doing 1.5 million in revenue to 96 vehicles on the road pushing for 50 million annually.

We talked about the importance of hiring intentionally, creating a strong company culture, and why she chose Service Titan as the foundation for her operations. Carrie also opened up about her decision to join Guild Garage Group in 2022 and how that partnership has accelerated her expansion into Las Vegas.

What I loved most about this conversation was Carrie's genuine passion for blue collar workers. She runs a Youth in the Trades program that gives teenagers hands on experience in the garage door industry, helping them see the trades as a viable career path. She also shared her strategies for getting customer reviews, tracking marketing ROI, and why specialization matters when you are competing against larger companies.

If you are in the home services space and looking to scale, this episode is packed with actionable advice from someone who has done it successfully.

Chapters

[0:00] Introduction and Carrie's background

[3:21] Opening a garage door company

[8:37] Getting systems and processes in place

[13:35] Building the right executive team

[16:34] Why Service Titan was transformative

[23:04] Shifting from print ads to digital

[31:39] Strategies for getting customer reviews

[38:03] Joining Guild Garage Group in 2022

Companies Mentioned

A Plus Garage Doors - The largest garage door company in Utah, founded by Carrie Kelsch in 2005. The company has grown from six employees to 96 vehicles on the road, with operations in Utah and Las Vegas, pushing for 50 million in annual revenue.

Blue Forge Marketing - A home services marketing agency owned by Adam Loveridge that specializes in heating and air conditioning, plumbing, remodeling, and garage door contractors. Blue Forge works with A Plus Garage Doors on their digital marketing strategy.

Guild Garage Group - A private equity group that acquires and supports garage door companies across different markets. Carrie joined Guild in 2022, allowing her to maintain her brand identity while gaining access to buying power, best practices, and expansion support.

Expert Garage Doors - A second garage door company opened by Carrie and her husband Ryan to capture additional market share. The company had different branding and vehicles but was eventually closed due to internal competition challenges.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses - An education program that provides business training and support to small business owners. Carrie credits this program with teaching her how to build systems, create organizational charts, and replace herself in day to day operations.

Service Titan - A field management software platform that A Plus Garage Doors implemented in 2018. The system provides real time transparency across operations, customer data management, and marketing attribution tracking that enabled the company to scale.

Lehman Brothers - A major financial institution that went bankrupt during the 2008 housing crisis, causing many of Carrie's mortgage loans to fall through and prompting her transition into the garage door business full time.

Countrywide - Another large mortgage company that collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis, affecting Carrie's mortgage brokerage business and contributing to her pivot into garage doors.

Websites Mentioned

[blueforgemarketing.com](http://blueforgemarketing.com) - The website for Blue Forge Marketing, a home services marketing agency that specializes in working with heating and air conditioning, plumbing, remodeling, and garage door contractors.

Guest Information

Carrie Kelsch is the CEO and founder of A Plus Garage Doors, which she started in 2005 after working as a mortgage broker. She grew the company from 1.5 million in revenue with six employees to 96 vehicles on the road, pushing for 50 million in annual revenue. In 2022, Carrie partnered with Guild Garage Group and expanded operations into Las Vegas. She is passionate about supporting blue collar workers and runs a Youth in the Trades program that gives teenagers exposure to careers in the garage door industry. Carrie is married to Ryan Kelsch, who previously helped run operations at A Plus Garage Doors.