The Home Service Expert Podcast

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo3-freedom2026
George Paladichuk built a million-dollar AI company at 22 — and he's the first person selling AI who will tell you NOT to hand it your phones. His platform, NaiL, sits behind 100+ franchise locations and catches nearly 1,000 calls a day for Superior Fence & Rail alone — recovering $2.5 million a month in revenue from calls that would have hit voicemail. In this episode, Tommy sits down with George to break down where AI actually belongs in your call flow, the businesses that should never use it, the disclosure test that quadrupled hang-ups, what it really costs, and the three pitfalls that kill AI rollouts. Tommy even calls George's AI live on air — see if you can tell.
💎 Top 5 Takes for this Episode!
AI is your safety net, not your first touch. Booking rates AND customer satisfaction go up when AI backs up an A-player on the phones — not when it replaces them.
Missed calls are a hidden metric. No dashboard reports them — and for one franchise they were worth $2.5M a month.
Some calls should never go to a machine. Restoration, funeral homes — nobody in a moment of distress wants to hear a robot.
Don't lead with "this is an AI." Announcing it up front 4X'd hang-ups in 30 seconds. Solve the caller's problem first — 80% never notice.
Solve the problem before you build the product. That one shift took George from $4K to $50K a month in 90 days.
⏱️ Chapters
0:00 — "The last thing they want to hear is a robot"
0:40 — Who is George: 22, CU Boulder, founder of NaiL
2:15 — Wholesale real estate at 18 → digital marketing → a $1M AI company
7:45 — Superior Fence & Rail: recovering $2.5M/month in missed calls
10:15 — The hidden metric: ~1,000 missed calls a day
12:45 — Don't fire your CSRs: AI as the safety net, not the first touch
17:25 — When AI is the WRONG answer: restoration & funeral homes
20:30 — Overseas agents vs AI: cost, coverage, and one-call-at-a-time
23:30 — "The worst AI will ever be": how fast the voices got good
25:55 — Outbound calling, TCPA compliance, and why SMS wins
30:35 — The next 2–3 years of AI receptionists
32:40 — Should you disclose it's AI? The 4X hang-up test
36:15 — LIVE DEMO: Tommy calls the AI
38:45 — Where to start + pitfall #1: solve the problem, not the technology
43:00 — Pilot programs: 30–60 days, build to launch
46:00 — Why young female voices win
47:40 — What it costs: $10–20K pilots, ~$997/location/month
50:00 — Advice to young builders: find the problem first, then market the hell out of it
54:15 — What's next for NaiL + how to reach George
57:20 — Why rollouts fail: vision, results, and a spokesperson
🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo3-freedom2026
Learn more about NaiL here: https://usenail.com Contact George: george@usenail.com
George Paladichuk is the founder of NaiL, an AI voice receptionist platform for home service franchises. A 22-year-old CU Boulder graduate, he went from wholesale real estate at 18 to running a digital marketing agency through college to building NaiL, which now serves 100+ franchise locations. His biggest client, Superior Fence & Rail, recovers $2.5 million a month in revenue from missed calls handled by the platform.
Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/
My other podcast: Tommy Mello Millionaire ⟶ https://www.youtube.com/@officialtommymello Live Q&A submission form: https://homeserviceexpert.com/questions

🎟️ Join us at Freedom 2026 → https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo2-freedom2026
Kent Yoshimura walked away from two Shark Tank offers because they came in under the number he set before entering the tank — then became the only founder in show history to come back and close a deal, with KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky. The NeuroGum CEO breaks down the Ring doorbell playbook for selling home services, the 4 Es of marketing, and why sleep is the most underrated CEO skill. Plus Tommy reveals the $400M number and the growth comp that stunned his banker.
🕐 TIMESTAMPS
0:00:00 Cold Open
0:00:32 Guest Intro
0:06:46 Art Meets Business
0:11:49 Sleep Tips
0:15:47 Cold Plunge Science
0:17:19 Influencer Marketing
0:18:24 The Ring Playbook
0:21:26 AI And Jobs
0:30:28 Rapid Fire Advice
0:32:49 The Ryan Story
0:34:49 Partnership Rules
0:37:42 Mental Discipline
0:47:43 Shark Tank Story
0:50:40 The $400M Reveal
0:57:43 The Rat Experiment
🎟️ Freedom 2026 → https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo2-freedom2026
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/officialtommymello

🎟️ Join us at Freedom 2026 → https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo2-freedom2026
 
Cameron Herold is back for round two — the man who scaled 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2M to $106M in six years breaks down why two A-players beat six average hires, the exact matrix Jack Welch used to decide who stays, and the profit math that tells you whether you should even own a home service business. If you're stuck between $3M and $10M, this one's for you.
 
🕐 TIMESTAMPS
0:00:00 Cold Open
0:02:26 Idea Capture
0:08:30 Vivid Vision
0:11:19 The HVAC Trap
0:19:19 Red KPIs Only
0:25:14 Expansion Warning
0:31:05 Interview Training Gap
0:40:37 Jack Welch Matrix
0:48:51 A-Player Math
0:52:12 The Doubt Rule
1:01:51 Entrepreneur Reality
1:13:54 Profit Over Revenue
1:17:28 P&L Basics
1:26:15 Call Center Rule
1:44:44 Books And Contact
 
🎟️ Freedom 2026 → https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo2-freedom2026
 
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/officialtommymello

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo-freedom2026
Tommy Mello sits down with Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of VaynerMedia and VaynerX, for a conversation every home service owner needs to hear. Gary breaks down how he transformed his dad's New Jersey liquor store into Wine Library, why he saw the internet coming in 1995, and what he looks for before investing in any company today. He explains kind candor, the feedback system he trains 2,700 employees on, and answers the 10 million dollar question about starting over from zero. Then Tommy runs him through a true or false speed round on the biggest social media myths, where Gary explains why blaming the algorithm is costing you views, subscribers, and money.
🕐 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
04:45 Father's Lessons
09:14 Store Transformation
13:10 Internet Moment
16:45 Jockey and Horse
19:56 Kind Candor
22:59 The $10M Question
26:06 Exit Philosophy
29:20 Sandcastle Philosophy
34:35 Myth Speed Round
00:53 Was Gary Vee born with business talent?
02:54 Do immigrants have an advantage in business?
04:45 What did Gary Vee learn from his father?
06:25 What was Gary Vee paid at his dad's liquor store?
09:14 How did Gary Vee grow Wine Library?
13:10 When did Gary Vee first see the internet?
16:45 What does Gary Vee look for before investing?
19:56 What is kind candor at VaynerMedia?
22:59 What would Gary Vee do with 10 million dollars?
35:15 Does taking a posting break reset the algorithm?
🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://mellomedia.s.gy/promo-freedom2026
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialtommymello

🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/
 
Adam Shampaine went from Capitol Hill to CEO of HomeFix, a $68 million home improvement company, and then built his own supply company, finance company, and window brand. In this episode, Tommy Mello and Adam break down how vertical integration creates a moat competitors can't copy, why company DNA decides which growth channels actually work, how a door-to-door canvasser can earn $300K a year, and the one lesson Adam learned from building five companies: he would be richer if he had built one better. If you run a home service or home improvement business, this is the conversation on canvassing, financing, and focus.
 
🕐 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Episode Open
01:52 Capitol Hill Origin
07:20 Part-Time to Sales
12:20 Always The People
18:00 Solar and Supply Stack
23:20 Pure Finance Origin
30:30 Finance Platform Growth
37:20 Company DNA Canvas
43:50 Canvassing As Math
48:50 Canvas vs Demand Leads
54:12 Brand Power vs Canvas
1:02:02 One Thing Regret
 
Questions this episode answers:
01:52 How did a Capitol Hill staffer end up in home improvement sales?
12:20 Is it the market or the salespeople when a sales territory fails?
18:00 Why would a home improvement company build its own supply chain?
23:20 Should contractors start their own consumer finance company?
30:30 How does in-house customer financing actually make money?
37:20 Can you change your company's culture and business model?
40:50 Why do canvassing consultants fail at most companies?
43:50 How much can a door-to-door canvasser make per year?
48:50 What is the difference between canvas leads and demand leads?
54:12 Does brand marketing beat door-to-door canvassing?
 
🚀 FREEDOM 2026 Get your Tickets Today! https://homeservicefreedom.com/
 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialtommymello