Breaking Barriers in HVAC: Katy Higgins’ Inspiring Journey with True Pros LLC
0:00
Female HVAC Trailblazer's Success Story
9:51
Building a Successful HVAC Business
16:32
Empowering HVAC Entrepreneurship Through Mentorship
25:37
Celebrating Success in HVAC Business
Katy Higgins, a pioneering force in the HVAC world, joins us to share her remarkable journey from telemarketer to a powerhouse owner of a $5 million enterprise. Katy's narrative is one of grit and perseverance as she overcame industry stereotypes to emerge as one of the first female comfort advisors in Northern Utah. Her dedication to continuous learning has not only driven her success but has also opened doors for countless other women in the HVAC field.
Our conversation with Katy unveils the secrets behind building a successful HVAC business, emphasizing the strength of team collaboration and operational efficiency. By likening a company to a wheel where every member plays a vital role, Katy shares insights on the challenges of scaling a business and the importance of trust and leadership within a team. She candidly discusses the unique obstacles of negotiating contracts and earning respect in a male-dominated industry, offering inspiration for those ready to challenge the status quo.
Mentorship and community stand as pillars in Katy’s entrepreneurial journey, as exemplified by her transformative engagement with Service Nation. Katy reflects on the invaluable mentorship and support network she found within this alliance, highlighting the core value of "excellence in every detail" that drives her business forward. Her recognition as "Woman of the Year" underscores the significance of finding a community that fosters growth and innovation. Join us as we celebrate Katy's achievements and explore the vital role of supportive allies in her continued success.
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Speaker 1: 0:00
What's up, lemonheads? Welcome to another episode of From the Yellow Chair. I'm Crystal and today I'm sitting down with a powerhouse female owner of True Pros in Utah. She's no stranger to the trade world. With over 25 years of industry experience, she's built a thriving HVAC business from garage to $5 million to great success story in literally one year. Not only is she a leader, she's a trailblazer. She's one of the first female comfort advisors in Utah.
Speaker 1: 0:29
Guys, this is going to be such a great session. Grab your lemonade, settle down. Let's definitely get inspired about this next generation of professionals and women in the trades. I can't wait to talk. Let's sip some lemonade. All right, guys, welcome to our next episode. Listen, I am so excited to get to talk with Katie Higgins, the owner of True Pros in Utah. Katie, your journey from starting in a garage to $5 million I love it. You know I'm a trade baby, so I came from the trades. My family owns and operates several businesses in the trade, so I can't wait to hear like, take us back to the beginning. Like, where did you get started? You mentioned, while it goes, we were prepping. Like ladies I've been crawling under houses. Like I love it. I think our people are going to love to hear from you as well, so tell me how you got started doing all this.
Speaker 2: 1:30
Okay, I appreciate that, as I mentioned, I don't think anybody in the beginning of their high school or you're thinking, oh, I would like to work in heating and air or even the trades. I became a single mom at a very young age and I was putting myself back through school. But I was working as a telemarketer at a heating and air company and I was selling furnace tune-ups. And I asked my boss. I said what the heck is a furnace tune-up? And he said, well, katie, do you tune up your car? And I'm like no. He said, well, what about an oil change? I'm like, yeah, everybody does that.
Speaker 2: 2:04
So like understanding the what a furnace tune up or an air conditioner tune up is is really where my career started is telemarketing. So from there I finished schooling and very quickly my boss said hey, you're very smart, maybe you could help us out. So I went from telemarketing to dispatching, to lead generator, marketing director, office manager and then out into the field, and that that first part of my career took about five years and all along the way I was getting my certifications to become a licensed technician or get the local requirements. Like here in Utah, we're required to have something called the RMGA, which is Rocky Mountain Gas Association certification Just really understanding how heating and air works and trying to make customers safe.
Speaker 1: 2:54
Awesome. So you know, I say all the time like why should anyone listening to this podcast care what Katie has to say? Well, it sounds like you've been there and done that. So you know a lot of especially I see this happen. You know a lot of people want to take advice from people that have actually lived the life that they're having to walk through. And so I know that when you start a business from your garage and you take this big leap to kind of go out on your own, you know it takes a lot of courage, it takes a lot of determination, maybe even innovation and a vision. And so tell me, like what kind of kickstarted you I know you were like a comfort advisor and things like that what just kind of spurred you to go out on your own? I mean, it's such a male dominated space. You know what made you think you could do it.
Speaker 2: 3:39
Sure, you know what. Honestly, I think if we would turn back time, just not even understanding the opportunity that was in front of me, I think if you would have told me the opportunity that was in front of me, I would have been too scared to take that leap of faith as a comfort advisor. So I was working in the office and I placed an air quality monitor in a customer's home and this was 20 something years ago and we're in Utah, which is very rare to see a woman in the trades and we're a pretty conservative state, to say the least. So imagine, 20 years ago, placing an air monitor and then working as a comfort advisor. I believe I was one of the first, if not the first, female to do like in-homes estimating in Northern Utah and I used to call customers on my way and say, hey, this is Katie with so-and-so, I'm on my way for your free estimate, and sometimes I'd hear honey, it's a woman.
Speaker 2: 4:37
I'm like I'm still on the phone. I can hear you, yeah.
Speaker 1: 4:41
Yeah.
Speaker 2: 4:42
So I get to the door and be like I just had to learn to roll with it. Ta-da, I'm a woman, but I just really overeducated myself and by the time that I left the customer's house I really wanted them to remember me for my knowledge, not because I was the female, but because I knew more than anybody else that they'd have at their home and I really feel like I looked at things just a little bit differently. Some of the things as a comfort consultant or advisor that I think about are do I want my air conditioner here for my whole life or is this a time to go ahead and relocate it Because we can go ahead and do it with the sales process now? So I really think that gave me a competitive edge and is looking at things just a little differently and having these amazing opportunities, so pioneering the field in Northern Utah Along the way. There's been several companies now have female comfort consultants or comfort advisors here in Northern Utah and so I really became pretty visible. I was really good at what I did and I think other companies they had tried to hire me. I stayed with the same company for about 15 years and just really seeing other companies add female comfort advisors and female technicians was pretty awesome and I'd love to think I had a little hand in that.
Speaker 2: 6:06
In 2015, Lennox started a national competition called the Ultimate Comfort Advisor and it was a four part contest, for there were four winners in the United States.
Speaker 2: 6:17
So imagine this contest and the parameters were Western Conference, northern, southern, eastern and Utah was competing against California, seattle, nevada, salt Lake City is not a very big area and that very first year I won the national ultimate comfort advisor for Lenox International. Go ahead, girl, that's great, thank you. So this was 2015 and there were about three or four hundred comfort advisors competing and on those first like three pages there were no female comfort advisors. Year two in this competition on that page, number one, there were a few female comfort advisors. Year two in this competition on that page, number one, there were a few female comfort advisors. I did win years one, two and three and then kind of went out on my own. So I really felt like after I turned 40, crawling under houses was not going to work for me forever, and through addicts um, it's kind of how true pros began is needing to pull myself out of the field yeah, yeah, okay, okay.
Speaker 1: 7:25
And then so you started true pros in your garage, like just from home, and you started hustling. So tell me about your marketing strategies. What were some of the things that maybe you tried and failed or even did were really successful? Like, where was your brain at when you started this strategy of like building this business from the ground up?
Speaker 2: 7:42
You know, I really wish I could say that there was a plan for True Pros. There really wasn't, and so that's why it was out of the garage. The garage, it, it. There's a really it's an amazing story of perseverance, I want to say, throughout my entire career. So last last July, a company name was formed. We didn't have a website, we had nothing.
Speaker 2: 8:11
One van and three weeks into buying this one van, the transmission goes out and instead of just throwing in the towel, it's hey, we got to figure out how to buy another van. So we went from having no website, no company name last last July, and then our first rolling 12, completing 5 million. We have 12 vehicles on the road, we have a wonderful shop, 20 employees, um, but it's been a wild year. So, um, as far as marketing everything, we tried everything. Like, how do you go and get a website? How do you? Uh, I would say trying everything, social media, print, advertising. I really had to rely on my, my customer relations from selling furnaces and air conditioners for the past 20 years, letting people know I'd gone out on my own and how to get ahold of me.
Speaker 1: 9:04
Yeah, okay, yeah. And so you know a lot of times when we we build our businesses on referral, you know cause we're good people, you know we are we try to do right by people. We've, we've learned the trade and we're good at it. And so you know you're on track, I guess, to, if I read this right, to do several million dollars this year. And so tell me what it was like scaling a business. I know a lot of contractors. You know you go from zero to 60, like what were maybe some struggles you had scaling, some lessons learned on a few of those things that just kind of really impacted your growth as a leader and as a as a business as a whole.
Speaker 2: 9:49
Oh my gosh, that's such a great question. I was actually. We have a team meeting once a week and we all meet together and every in this meeting I talk about our company being a wheel and spokes on the wheel, and there is no one job that's more important than the other job. If we don't make the phone ring, nothing happens. If we don't answer the phone, nothing happens. If we don't book the job, nothing happens. If we don't sell the estimate, nothing happens. If we don't get the install, nothing happens. If we don't mess it up, the service techs don't have a job. So every single job is the most important job here and we really work as a team. So when you talk about scaling and failures, the list is incredible.
Speaker 2: 10:31
Changing, making too many changes right out the gate and trying to implement processes and procedures without having any has been exceptionally difficult. But it really speaks to the characters of the, the people that came to work with me. A lot of us came from groups that had been purchased from by private equity here in Northern Utah and so learning to trust one another. But something I say in every single interview is I tell people working for a startup is extremely difficult. You probably will have 10 hats today and in two months from now you might have eight hats. It takes a really special person to understand that. That doesn't mean that you can't still do those 10 jobs. It means that we've just grown and it might not make sense to keep doing those 10 jobs.
Speaker 2: 11:17
Maybe eight or six, but kind of like my biggest mistake is getting out of my own way, allowing other people to help me along the way and really finding people that are smarter and better than I am, and all departments to teach me and guide me, all departments to teach me and guide me. That, yeah, I would say that's been. The biggest learning is I didn't have I say I went to the school of hard knocks.
Speaker 1: 11:45
Yeah, Well, you know, a lot of good testimonies, a lot of good stories come from like true grit and determination as you make your way through a company. And you know one thing that you said, like I am a marketer, so what I'm about to say, you know, marketing is just a piece of an operational plan. You know, operations are truly what move needles with businesses. So a lot of times when I look at the most successful businesses, yes, there probably is a good marketing strategy somewhere in that mix, but really what has driven that company forward and moved them moved the needle is an operational efficiency that is is is that's what owners tend to hone in on. So at Limitsy was born from this, like we were born from having owners and operators that were driven operationally, that wanted the creativity and the marketing strategy but didn't want to allocate their time specifically to that. And so it definitely like as an owner, you can't take your eye off of the marketing ball per se, but it really operations are really where you see the most. To me, the most drastic changes in companies come from very strong operators that are cognizant of the things that they have to change and do to scale and to hold people accountable, and so, for sure, well, I know, another thing that you and I were talking about kind of before we got live here on the podcast was breaking barriers as a woman in the industry.
Speaker 1: 13:06
So, you know, I lived this life. I wasn't a technician, but when I came on my family's company in 2014, you know, um, but when I came on my family's company in 2014, you know, I just had to like jump in the mix and learn and be like you know, and I always said I earned my spot at the table because I was a good marketer. I didn't, I didn't want to seat because I was a woman. I wanted to see because I was a good marketer. And so that's where my dream is.
Speaker 1: 13:30
Is that no longer do people go? Oh well, here, let's let the little girl technician talk. Longer do people go? Oh well, here, let's let the little girl technician talk. It's more like she is so good, like she is technically sound, she has a cleaner job site, she speaks better with clients, like I want to highlight all of the things that make them, as individuals, powerful rock stars. And so I was just curious, maybe some of the experiences of being, you know, kind of 20 years ago. For sure you know, stepping out into that industry, like you know how, do you think that really helped shape and mold you as a owner and things like that, maybe even some unique challenges?
Speaker 2: 14:03
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2: 14:04
Well, when you, when I decided to open a company, like having the vision and having the plan, it's it's evolved over this past 12 months significantly because I like, I told the people this this morning we are in year three or four in year one, and so I didn't realize how visible I would be as a female owned and operated heating and air company and there are some people really rooting for us.
Speaker 2: 14:31
And then there's some people that are not necessarily behind us and that's OK, just understanding that they may not be our customer. But some of my biggest challenges have been negotiating contracts and being taken seriously, because you walk into a room of your even your distributors, whom I've worked with for 20 years, that say, hey, 90% of companies are going to fail. What's going to make you different? Getting them to trust me, getting even accounts with credit limits, like what makes us different, what makes us special, and then finding the confidence and getting people to stand behind me. That's probably been the biggest challenge. But I will tell you this the people that stood behind me. It has paid them back tenfold, as we purchased over a million dollars in equipment in our first year with this manufacturer. So I'm hoping they feel validated in their choice to stand behind me.
Speaker 1: 15:32
Oh yeah, these manufacturers start figuring out like, hey, they've got some hustle in their step over there, well, and you know there's a lot to be said for this. So I think we have to work a little harder, right, like I think we have to take a little bit harder for people to realize that we know what the heck we're talking about. But specifically those of you that are going in and diagnosing an issue or installing a system, and so you know, kudos to the hundreds, if not thousands, of women now making a difference in the industry and shout out to you because I feel like you were definitely on the pioneering side of that, thank you. And so, yeah, so, as you've built a true pros, tell me a little bit like what do you think you've built this on? Like, what are your core values? And maybe even what advice would you give other business owners? Like, hey, how did you get here so fast? Like, what were the core pieces that helped you scale to where you did as quickly as you did?
Speaker 2: 16:24
I'm so glad you asked. So, like putting together a leadership team coming up with core values. We now have them hanging in our hallway. But honestly, chat GPT has been super helpful and has really gotten to know me over this past year. It's hilarious. I say no, rewrite that how I would write it. Has really gotten to know me over this past year. It's hilarious.
Speaker 2: 16:41
I say no, rewrite that how I would write it. And one of the core values that's most interesting to me is excellence in every detail, which is not it doesn't have everything to do with the customer experience, but a lot to do with the customer experience, but also the work environment, from how we answer the phone, how we treat one another. So I think we've got some amazing core values, but the excellence in every detail really sticks out to me. But really getting like the people that work with me to buy not even buy into it, but really feel like it's their own core values, like they came up with them, them because we've worked together and at the end of the 12 months, like this is what we've produced is a place that we're proud of. Um, growth and opportunities is one of our core values.
Speaker 2: 17:29
Um but just just really teamwork. Um, part of our logo has this hex background. Um, you can see a little bit on this banner behind me. It really has to do with um, kind of a beehive, if you will like. We work together. There is no part that is more important than the other part, and without each other we're nothing. So really working together has been been the most important aspect of this past 12 months and really learning to trust each other, because it is no small feat to scale like we have.
Speaker 2: 18:06
And honestly, I recently had an opportunity. I was nominated as woman of the year in Service Nation, which was awesome. I had no idea what that was. I got invited to go down. I'd never been to a conference like that, but I didn't know how special it was to go from zero to five million until I was surrounded with other owners that had been in business for years and they said, hey, this is, this is not normal. I just had nothing to compare it to, so I didn't realize how special it was, but really like feeling validated by other owners and understanding what we've just been through gave me a little bit of grace for myself.
Speaker 1: 18:46
Yeah, so when did you decide to join Service Nation?
Speaker 2: 18:49
We'd always been a member of just the roundtable. I had no idea what it was, and we just signed up for the alliance program like a month and a half ago, and I'm so thankful that we did. They are not paying me for this but I'm so glad that we did Me neither, me, neither.
Speaker 1: 19:03
But that's where I got my start too with my family's company was partnering with the best person group of service station. We joined our advisory board and we met at meetings and and we all listen, there's and there's other great ones, but service station I'm very, I just love, I love where it brought my family's company and honestly, like when I see companies that invest really in Service Nation and then they take advantage of the coaching and they have newer programs than when I was in as a contractor. But you know, they have the coaching program and those advisory groups. Yes, your AB calls every single week, and so tell me about that. So have you joined an AB call yet?
Speaker 2: 19:44
And I love it so much. So when I was down at Service Nation I was super excited because they had something called this AB80 or this women's group, and I'm like there's other women in heating and air.
Speaker 2: 19:54
So that was a pretty interesting group and super exciting just to walk in the room and see that there were a whole bunch of women. That didn't end up being my primary group my AB group I'm with other similar revenue has been incredible because I didn't really know what I was looking at as far as, like, our growth and KPIs and just in the past few weeks alone, just getting the validation from my mentor, the moderator in that group and the members in that group, like I feel like pinch me a little bit because I don't know why I'm placed in this group. Because there's such amazing like Shannon's in this group. Steve Miles is the mentor, corey Hickman and they are Eric nine like they're awesome, awesome individuals and I'm like I can't believe this gets to be my group.
Speaker 1: 20:49
Oh for sure. So Steve Miles, love him. He is a, he's a character and I'll tell you there's power in in these groups and so, regardless if it's service nature and whomever you're a part of, what I love about this is the power of mentorship and community. And so a lot of times when you hear Crystal, when you hear me talk about community, I'm talking about your local community. But for contractors that are listening to this, you need a community of other contractors that you do not feel threatened by, that you feel you can trust, that you can share open and honestly and like kind of become an open book, because that is how you make, like, changing big changes and swings in your operational efficiency and your marketing guides, all of these things. And, um, I love that for you because it's such a it honestly is almost a relief to know, like you know what, let me, I have this trusted group of friends that I can ask questions to a hundred percent.
Speaker 2: 21:42
So, like I, it was everything that I'd been looking for locally. Um, going and knocking on my competitors doors locally and I'm like, hey guys, hey, what do you do for this? And no one wanted to talk to me. And when I walked in the door at service nation, understanding that you get placed in a group and you get to ask whatever you want and people share their forms and they share their information, there's nothing to be threatened by. I mean, there's so much work to be had here, locally and everywhere. But really having a group of mentors or people that you can trust and talk to and we're all kind of going through the same stuff, yeah, really feeling validated and having that support has been amazing.
Speaker 1: 22:23
Yeah, well, and I'm just glad to hear that contractors have it, because it was game changer for my family's company and so I'm so excited for you. Well, katie, so tell me what's up. So tell me what's up for 2025. What do you think? So, at the time we are recording this, it's towards the middle of December. This is going to come out towards the end of January, and so that's when this will publish. So I'm curious, like, do you have any big thoughts or plans for 2025? Like, maybe tell me two things that you're hyper-focused on as an owner for 2025 to build True Pros even more.
Speaker 2: 22:54
That's a great question. So I would like to repeat last year, but do it more profitably. Now that I'm understanding my own financials and having processes in place and core values and an AB group, I really feel strong about moving into 2025. Like, currently I'm working on a it's called transparent pricing for our service price book, and it's something that I've struggled with for several years. Where I was before, I was trying to help build a company and could never quite wrap our head around the service price book and pricing and I just got that dialed in and so now I'm moving on to our price book for installation. So I would like to do just a little bit more as far as volume next year, but much more profitably and with more organization behind it.
Speaker 1: 23:54
So I love it and I think everybody on my team would be very happy for some structure and some stability, because it's crazy around here, it feels like the Wild West Well, it is constantly Well, and it is when you are growing at the pace that you're growing at and you're pushing them more and you know it should feel maybe not chaos, but it should feel. I call that energy right. So there's lots of energy in your brand and energy in your business, and so I'm just so excited for you and proud for you to step out and have taken that. And so, katie, if anybody is listening to this, this podcast right now, like I want to reach out to Katie, I want to know how she did what she did. How would you like for people listeners to reach out to you.
Speaker 2: 24:29
Oh, I love that. You know my name is spelled K-A-T-Y, so just email me at katieattrueproscom, or our website is trueproscom there's a connect here or contact us. I'm super easy to get a hold of. I'll respond right away. I'd like to give a huge shout out to my couple of female technicians that trained from the ground up, that are, in their own vehicles, a lead installer and a lead maintenance technician. Just, I'm proud of the work that we're doing and I want to be more visible for other females if they're interested in the trades. So if you've got questions about how to get your training and your certification, I'd love to help.
Speaker 1: 25:09
Katie, that is amazing. I encourage all of you that are listening to consider joining Women in HVACR, which is an organization that's a nonprofit that we really promote all women's in the trade. So, no matter where you sit, if you are for a manufacturer, a distributor, if you're a technician, an installer, csr, a dispatcher, we encourage all of us to come together. We built this and it is a pretty broad community, but we're all here to celebrate successes, and so I'd love to have all of you guys join us in Women in HVACR. So well, katie, thank you so much. Like I just want to take a moment and tell you like, girl, you are killing it and be. You have done amazing things. Like your growth in one year is phenomenal and I'm just so proud for you of the barriers that you're breaking and doing great things there in Utah, northern Utah so Well we couldn't do it without people like yourself.
Speaker 2: 25:58
So thank you, thank you so much for allowing me to tell part of my story, and and just thank you.
Speaker 1: 26:04
Yeah, absolutely, it's been a joy. Well, guys, thank you for listening to another episode of from the yellow chair. If you love this, we would love for you to promote this episode. Give us a review, give us a like, tell us what you think and we will definitely be sipping some.
