If you plan to start your own HVAC company in 2025, this episode of HVAC Hotshots might be the wake-up call you need. Host Yash from HVAC 10X sat down with Mike, the owner of AC Man Heating & Air, a veteran-owned company that has grown into a seven-figure operation built on grit, purpose, and smart leadership.
Mike’s story is not a flashy “overnight success.” It’s the story of a military veteran who started from the trunk of his car and turned his trade skills into a thriving business through discipline, pricing mastery, and relentless community engagement.
From Air Force Technician to HVAC Business Owner
Mike’s career began in the United States Air Force, where he spent six years maintaining and repairing mission-critical systems, including aircraft generators and HVAC units. The training was rigorous and life-or-death-level precise.
“When you work on aircraft equipment, there’s no room for error,” Mike said. “That standard of troubleshooting and discipline still drives how I run my business today.”
After leaving the military, Mike took two years of HVAC tech school to adapt his skills to residential and commercial systems. But midway through his second year, he dropped out.
“I was broke, sitting in class one summer, and realized I needed to go make money,” he laughed. “So I walked out and started doing service calls. That’s how AC Man started.”
Starting From Zero Literally
Unlike many who inherit or buy a company, Mike built AC Man from nothing.
“I started out of the trunk of my car,” he said. “I thought if I could fix air conditioners, the rest would be easy. I was wrong.”
He quickly learned that being good at HVAC doesn’t mean you’re ready to run an HVAC business. He knew the tools and the trade, but not marketing, pricing, or hiring. “There’s a whole business behind having a business,” he said.
The early years were full of late nights, unpaid invoices, and expensive mistakes. But Mike stuck with it, determined to figure it out.
Learning Pricing The Hard Way
For years, Mike worked tirelessly and made little profit because he didn’t understand pricing.
“You can work really hard and still lose,” he said. “I was busy every day and still broke.”
Everything changed when he attended a $40 pricing seminar in Wilmington, North Carolina. That one event reshaped how he viewed profitability.
“I learned that pricing has nothing to do with what your competitors charge. It’s about your costs, your goals, and your desired profit margins. That course changed my life.”
He now teaches pricing inside his own sales training company, Sales Elite, where HVAC owners and technicians can learn the same system that transformed his business.
The Power of Maintenance Plans and Recurring Revenue
When asked about customer retention, Mike didn’t hesitate.
“If you’re not selling service plans, that’s a huge problem,” he said. “Recurring revenue is what keeps you alive during slow months.”
He explained that most customers forget who their last HVAC company was, even if they were satisfied. That’s why maintenance agreements, newsletters, and referral programs are critical.
“People forget their roofer, their painter, their HVAC tech. If you’re not staying in their inbox or on their phone, you’re gone. You have to stay visible all year.”
Referral and Loyalty Programs That Work
AC Man runs a referral program that rewards customers for spreading the word.
“When someone knows they can earn $50 or $100 for a referral, they don’t forget that,” Mike said. “It keeps your name circulating naturally.”
Combined with their service plans, this strategy creates a steady, loyal customer base that returns season after season.
Pricing, Profit, and the Owner’s Mindset
When asked about the biggest mistake new HVAC owners make, Mike was blunt: “Most of them price for survival, not profit.”
He warns against copying competitors’ prices or guessing at costs. Instead, he recommends understanding overhead, setting clear profit goals, and tracking every dollar.
“It took me years to learn this,” he said. “Don’t wait. Learn how to price from day one.”
The Importance of Coaching and Business Education
For Mike, the biggest turning point wasn’t a marketing hack; it was hiring a business coach.
“I knew HVAC, but I didn’t know business,” he said. “The moment I got a coach, everything changed.”
He encourages new owners to invest early in learning leadership, hiring, and financial management.
“You wouldn’t try to fix a heat pump without training,” he said. “So why try to run a business without learning how?”
Community Outreach as Marketing
Mike’s company is known for its strong presence in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, community, which is home to the largest military base in the country.
As a veteran-owned business, AC Man connects deeply with the people it serves. But what really sets them apart is their outreach program.
“We take some of our marketing budget and put it toward nonprofits that help kids, widows, and struggling families,” Mike explained. “Instead of giving everything to Google ads, we invest in our community.”
He documents their outreach on social media and local platforms to inspire others and grow visibility for both AC Man and the nonprofits they support.
“It’s good business,” he said. “The more we grow, the more we can give back.”
When Marketing Goes Wrong
Mike is candid about what doesn’t work too.
For years, AC Man poured thousands into Google Ads with little to show for it. “We’d blow through $4,000 and get no leads,” he said.
In 2024, he made a bold move: turn off Google Ads completely.
Instead, his company focused on social media content and community marketing, posting 40 times per week across platforms using AI-powered tools to repurpose video content.
“We got more visibility and engagement from organic posts than we ever got from Google Ads,” he said. “Now we control the narrative and connect directly with customers.”
Mastering Text and Email Automation
Mike credits automation as a major growth factor.
Using tools like Housecall Pro and Chirp, AC Man sends appointment confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups automatically.
“Texting is huge. Our response rates are over 90%,” he said. “Emails open about 50%, but text gets instant attention.”
He segments his contact lists into specific groups: realtors, new installs, maintenance customers, inactive clients, and sends each one tailored messages. That personalization drives engagement and repeat bookings.
Handling Negative Reviews with Class
Every business gets bad reviews. Mike has a written system for handling them:
- Don’t respond immediately. Take an hour to calm down.
- Call the customer. Don’t fight in public.
- Listen first. Most customers just want to be heard.
- Fix the issue. Visit in person if possible.
- Ask for an updated review. Once the problem is resolved, many people are happy to change it.
He also documents each issue internally to prevent repeat mistakes.
“One-star reviews are tuition,” he said. “You pay for them by learning.”
Building the Right Team
Hiring, Mike says, is about character over skill.
“I can teach anyone to fix an air conditioner,” he said. “I can’t teach integrity.”
He prefers hiring through referrals and looks for reliability and attitude above all else. “If I can show up on a random job and my tech is on time and respectful, I know we hired right.”
He also trains technicians to communicate like professionals, not just fixers, building trust and long-term customer relationships.
AI, Automation, and the Future of HVAC
Mike is optimistic about the role of AI in the trade.
“AI isn’t replacing HVAC techs anytime soon,” he said. “But it’s changing how we work.”
From AI chatbots booking appointments overnight to automated marketing campaigns, Mike sees technology as an amplifier.
“You can triple your productivity with the right tools,” he said. “AI doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t call out, and it never forgets a process.”
Final Advice for New HVAC Business Owners
Mike closed the interview with advice for anyone starting an HVAC business in 2025:
- Expect it to be hard. You’ll cry in your van sometimes. That’s normal.
- Get a coach early. Don’t try to figure it all out yourself.
- Learn pricing and numbers. You can’t grow what you can’t measure.
- Stay connected to your customers. Out of sight means out of mind.
- Keep giving back. The more you serve your community, the stronger your brand becomes.
“Running an HVAC company is hard,” Mike said. “But if you push through the early chaos and keep learning, it becomes the most rewarding thing you’ll ever build.”
