Tommy Mello - $1 Billion Company Founder (A1 Garage Doors) | Why Control Keeps You Small

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Tommy Mello is a billionaire entrepreneur and founder of A1 Garage Door Service, which he started in 2007 with $50,000 in debt and transformed into North America's largest independently-owned garage door company, now operating in 19 states with over 700 employees and generating over $200 million in revenue. He is also a bestselling author of books including "Elevate" and "Home Service Millionaire," host of "The Home Service Expert" podcast (ranked in the top 0.1% of podcasts), and an Inc. Magazine columnist who shares strategies for scaling home service businesses. Mello had his first major exit in 2022 with nearly $30 million in EBITDA, distributed $100 million to employees from the transaction, and continues to focus on creating millionaires among his workforce while building toward his goal of reaching multiple billions in company valuation.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommymello/ 

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➡️ Talking Points

00:00 – Intro

01:25 – Tommy Mello’s Origin Story

09:49 – Scaling From $20M to $500M

12:49 – You Can’t Out-Delegate Me

14:30 – A $100M Exit Gift

20:13 – Sponsor Break

22:57 – You’re Focused on the Wrong Things

25:27 – What Drives Him Now

29:54 – Fear After Winning Big

38:16 – Sponsor Break

40:46 – Taxes Every Founder Misses

45:40 – Why SaaS Is Chasing AI

48:48 – Hire Smarter Than Yourself

52:17 – Life vs Business

58:28 – When Business Becomes Identity

1:02:38 – The Lesson He’d Teach His Kids

Welcome to the Success Story Podcast, hosted by entrepreneur, business executive, author, educator & speaker, Scott D. Clary (@scottdclary). On this podcast, you'll find interviews, Q&A, keynote presentations & conversations on sales, marketing, business, startups and entrepreneurship. Scott will discuss some of the lessons he's learned over his own career, as well as have candid interviews with execs, celebrities, notable figures and politicians. All who have achieved success through both wins and losses, to learn more about their life, their ideas and insights. He sits down with leaders and mentors and unpacks their story to help pass those lessons onto others through both experiences and tactical strategy for business professionals, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. To get more of the Success Story podcast, go to www.successstorypodcast.com.