Steve Akian got fired in his 20s. He sold his first job the next day.
The truck that started the company was stenciled in his backyard by a buddy over a few beers on a weekend. That lettering hangs in his office now. Nine years later, Akian is a 50-person HVAC and electrical shop that finished 2025 just under $12 million, with a goal of $13.5 million this year.
In this episode: why Tesla paying electricians $300K reshapes what every shop has to charge, why he thinks private equity, not a competitor, is the biggest headwind in the trades right now, what he saw when prefabrication cut 40% of labor costs overnight at his old company, and why he tells his team the window to get very good at what they do is right now.
There's also a real conversation in here about anxiety, meditation, and what it costs to run a company where 50 families depend on the payroll.
55 min