Most home service owners think they have a “people problem.” Kelly Rowlett Presgrave will tell you most of them have a speed, math, and standards problem.

Kelly is the founder of Work With Your Handz, a recruiting company that hires everyone from apprentices to the C-suite for home and commercial service companies. She didn’t come out of HR. She spent nearly 30 years married to a second-generation owner who grew a plumbing company from 10 techs to 170 employees, added HVAC and electrical, and eventually exited. From that front-row seat she saw what growth really takes, how much vacancies quietly cost, and how the wrong people can wreck trust and culture.

After hearing contractor after contractor at Pantheon say, “I could grow if I could just find the people,” she decided to build the recruiting firm she wished her husband had. With a finance background and a deep feel for the trades, Kelly and her team now help companies tighten time-to-hire, quantify the cost of empty trucks, and find candidates who actually fit their culture, not just the job posting.

This episode is a practical look at recruiting in the trades from someone who has lived both the family-business roller coaster and the day-to-day grind of filling hard-to-hire roles.

What You Will Learn in This Episode

• Why time-to-hire is the “speed to lead” of staffing
• How to calculate the real cost of vacancies, from empty comfort advisor seats to missing plumbers
• Why “there are no techs in my area” is usually a math, effort, and focus problem
• How smaller shops can match private equity hiring speed without blowing up culture
• Kelly’s interview “recipe” for techs, CSRs, and sales roles in home services
• How to spot attitude, humility, and coachability in a 30-minute conversation
• Red flags that tell you a candidate will blame, drain energy, and hurt your team
• How to use intelligence, energy, and integrity as a simple hiring filter
• Where branding, reputation, and community presence really matter in recruiting
• Why a culture of accountability will cost you some people, and why that’s often exactly what you need

More From Profit & Grit

Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here:
http://cfointrocall.com

Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com

Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades.

If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group

🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin
Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners.

🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com
📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler
📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit
Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades
📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy?
Book a free intro meeting