Welcome And Guest Introduction

Julian Placino 0:00

Welcome to the Home Services Success Stories podcast powered by Peakzi, the number one AI platform for growing your home services business. I'm Julian Placino, your host, and we have another great show in store for you today because we have Brham Trim, who is the founder and owner of the Gentleman Pros. Brham, welcome to the show. How are you? I'm good. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. And excited to learn more about you and the business and your story as a home services success leader. So uh so Brham, uh briefly share just a bit about kind of what you own on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes those roles vary being an owner. So tell us what you do on a day-to-day basis.

Brham Trim 0:39

Okay. Um, so we're a plumbing, heating, and electrical company. Um, we started off uh mainly focused around plumbing and it's branched out uh since that time. But um, yeah, my roles are just making sure that um uh things are are going the way that uh they should. Uh my passion is the marketing side of things, and so I uh even though I should let that go, uh that's that's kind of where where I like to involve myself most in most days. Um but yeah, we've got a great team that uh are able to take care of a lot of the other different aspects of what we do on a day-to-day basis, and I kind of am here to to make sure that that all continues to run the way that it should.

Julian Placino 1:17

All right. And and what inspired you to start the business? You're the founder. So what's the Genesis story?

Brham Trim 1:24

So uh uh I grew up in the plumbing industry. My dad was a plumber, my grandpa was a plumber. Even uh I'm told my great-great-grandpa was was uh dabbled in plumbing back in England uh uh at the time. And so we're going back to the early 1900s, uh late 1800s. But um uh there's one thing I knew that uh when I got older, I didn't want to be a plumber. Um, and so when I got out of high school, I uh uh went down the path of uh going to university, going to uh into dentistry, you know, and um a lot of uh some of the reasons I didn't want to be a plumber were the the dumb kids, you know, they they went into the trades and stuff like that, and and I didn't want to be classified as that. But also too, um growing up in the in the trade, you saw kind of the the not the shade, I won't use the word shady, but the the kind of the the rough stuff of it. Um I remember uh going into a a wholesaler one day, I was probably about 16, and there was another gentleman, I don't know if I call him a gentleman, but you know, he was he was letting the whole wholesaler know of his uh experience with his lady friend the night before. And even at 16 years old, I was like, why would why why would we be talking about this in this, you know, in this this kind of atmosphere? So that kind of put a sour mouth in my um or sour taste in my mouth and and um decided that I was gonna go in a different route. And uh and so uh when I got out of high school, yeah, I started uh went to start path of dentistry and got a couple years into that. Um but not realizing that uh one I didn't like it um and I was missing something. And I think the thing that I was missing was working with my hands and and getting that instant gratification when you're fixing something and it works and you know you uh it it makes people happy. And so um, so I was talking to my dad one day and he said, Well, why don't you why don't you start a plumbing company? And uh so dad, you know, I uh I never got indentured, I never signed up for uh for plumbing. He's like, Well, you know, you you're a great plumber, you've got the hours, um, why don't you challenge challenge the exam? And so um I'd recently gotten married um and I uh kind of mulled that over in my mind and then went and talked to my wife about it. She said, you know what, we're young, if it doesn't work, then go back to school and try something else. And so um, so that's that's what I did. I uh I challenged the exam, uh, passed it, and started up uh uh plumbing company, not knowing anything how to run a business or anything at that time, but uh that was the start. Um and uh along the path um we uh uh got signed up with uh different uh other different um groups. One of them was at the time it was called uh um Plumber Success International. Um and uh and now it's called Certain Path. Um also different groups of Nextstar uh like Nextstar as well. But they've uh they've guided us, they've helped us to grow and to learn in different things and to uh give that excellence um in the day-to-day operations. And so so yeah, so it's been a journey, but learned a lot and uh still learning. It's always always things to learn to continue to be uh to grow and to uh be the best that we can be in in uh in the trades. So yeah.

Why The Gentleman Pros Exists

Julian Placino 4:45

Interesting. Yeah, so you kind of grew up in the trades, uh, didn't want anything to do about it, went to go pursue your own path. So dentistry, interesting. Um there was a kind of a moment that you kind of felt like you were missing something, you know, it was working with your hands. Do you remember if there was a particular moment was sort of a slow gesturing back to the trades? I'm really curious about that path, that path back to it.

Brham Trim 5:06

You know, at the time when, you know, after that conversation with with my dad, um it got me thinking again, you know, just uh what I really wanted to do do in life. But looking at all the reasons though I didn't want to be in the trades, um, I thought, you know, if I do, if I do go down this path, I'm gonna make some changes, do do things different. Um, and I think that's where the gentleman side of it comes into it, um, that we've uh um we've kind of stuck to stuck to that, um, doing it a little bit different. Um, so it's not the the rough and the gruff and the the crude, it's it's more, hey, uh somebody with with manners and respect, uh being respectful and and those things in the trade and trying to try to build that on that side of things.

Julian Placino 5:52

Yeah, I was curious about the genesis of the name, also the gentleman pros. And it sounds like you had a very kind of formative experience early on that made you think, hey, you know, well, this isn't the proper decorum of how you know this industry should kind of present itself. And and wow, who knew that would like change the the way that you would you know build a business and conduct business? And I think that's really interesting.

Consistency Through Process And Training

Brham Trim 6:11

Yeah. Yeah, you know, that when I when we first got into it, there's there's a number of things that I thought, you know what, this if if I run my own business, I didn't have all the answers, and I didn't know how we do this. And a lot of it uh through um at that time, Plumber Success International, for example, helped us to kind of guide our our way through. Um, but you know, I it you know, you always hear the jokes about plumbers and the butt crack and that kind of stuff. That was one thing that, you know, I was like, yeah, that's that's not me, that's not what I want to be. Um, and so you know, we our guys, they all wear shirts, we wear ties, um, have a full uniform uh with that. Um it was always too going into a customer's home, and it, you know, it was always that that time where you would present the price at the end and they'd be like, Well, you were only here in an hour and 15 minutes, not an hour and a half, or you know, however that conversation is. So that was always awkward. Uh, wanted to get solutions for that. Um also, you know, just making sure that that when you show up to a customer's house, you have the things that you need instead of uh going back and forth to the wholesaler, so having a well-stocked truck and doing different things like that. And also training guys uh so that they are good at what they do and they take pride in what what what they uh do on a day-to-day basis and it looks good. Um so those are some of the things at the beginning that I I did maybe didn't have all the solutions for uh at the beginning, but I've worked through to gain different ways that we uh can make things better as we move

Speaker 1 7:35

forward.

Julian Placino 7:35

So yeah, and and how how long ago did you start the business? How old is it?

Brham Trim 7:40

Uh so the uh next year's uh we started in 2001. So next year will be our 25th anniversary.

Julian Placino 7:46

Twenty-fifth anniversary. And how big is your team now?

Brham Trim 7:49

Uh so we uh we cover three different cities, um three different areas in the span of they're about uh about two and a half hours apart from each other. Uh there's one in the middle. So um and the population of those cities, um the population of the group that we we service is probably close to about four million now. Um we um, like I said, we do plumbing, heating, and electrical. And uh we do uh we run about 40 trucks uh in those markets uh combined, uh whether it's yeah, electrical, plumbing, or heating. So yeah, a lot, a lot of a lot of fun, a lot of work to do, but uh yeah, that's where we're at now.

Julian Placino 8:29

Not bad for someone who didn't have a business background who's never started one before, right? So congrats on all the success. So I mean, given your track record, 25 years, all the growth that you have had experienced, what do you think truly sets the Gentleman Pros apart? There's so many choices that consumers have. What's what stands that apart in your mind?

Brham Trim 8:48

You know, you always you get that question, it's like, hey, well, you know, what makes you good, what it is, and you always hear, well, we do good work, um, you know, and stuff like that. Well, you know, I think I think everybody uh goes to work each day to do good work and um to you know give a good product to to the customer. Um, but what sets us apart, I think, is the little things that we have to do on a day-to-day basis and continually do them. And um, you know, little things like how you greet the customer, that are you using your floor savers, are you putting out the mats? Are you are you do you look presentable? Are you where you know, do you have a clean uniform? Um, are you wearing your tie? Um Do you do what's best for that customer and give options? Um let them let them choose. I often say to the say to our techs, you know, it's like going into a restaurant. If you don't, if they don't, if you go into a restaurant and you don't have a menu, you don't know what you can order. And when we go into a customer's home many times, they don't know what the options are, they don't know what's possible, they just know that they've got a leaky pipe or whatever the situation is. And so if uh you can give options um and do all of the the little things uh for that customer to give them that great experience, um, then it um I think that's what sets us apart is it's it's always uh being consistent and uh uh doing that. And to be consistent, we do a lot of training. Uh we train three days uh out of the week. And uh a lot of that is the soft skills, some of that are the the technical side of it, you know, whether it's new things that come in the industry, maybe it's things that guys are struggling on with callbacks or different things that we see pop up there. Um, but as a group, we come together and uh try to make each other better. And uh I think, yeah, I think it's the consistency that sets us apart from our competitors.

Background Checks As A Brand Promise

Julian Placino 10:40

So I heard the consistency, the trainee, the overall experience, you know, allowing the customer to be part of the solution by giving them options. Um and also you also mentioned like upfront pricing. No, no homeowner ever wants surprises, right? So I'm sure that adds to the overall experience. I know something that you were quite adamant about was placing a strong emphasis on background checked in-house technicians. So why was that so important to you from the beginning?

Brham Trim 11:04

Yeah, you know, we've always done done that. And and in the beginning, there were there were um a number of people, another number of other companies that would, you know, do criminal background checks and drug drug testing. Today, 25 years later, um, you know, there the thought is that everybody does it. The reality is that very few do it anymore. Um, I've heard numbers out there, for example, that uh 80% of the trades um either have there's a substance abuse problem or uh a criminal record. Um that's that's that that's worrying worrying to me. Um, you know, having somebody in my home that uh had a background like that, uh, I don't think I'd leave alone with my wife or four kids. And uh and so I take the same approach that I wouldn't want to send somebody into somebody's house um that isn't background checked um and drug tested. And um when we do that though, um it does two things. One, it limits our our pool of people that we can pick from. Um but also on the good end, on the on the pro on that, is those that um that do pass a drug test and don't have a criminal background seem to tend to be uh very great guys or girls. Uh we hire a lot of a lot of females as well, and um uh and have that that like and trustability behind them so that we know that we can send them with confidence in the customer's home and there aren't going to be issues there. So big big big differential um with that, with us um in comparison with other people in our market, uh, but something that uh I don't think that we would ever compromise on.

Julian Placino 12:45

Yeah, so it sounds like it's a good kind of starting point or litmus test of what could be a really quality technician. So I think that's great. Any additional screening when it comes to persons that come to someone's home, I think it's always makes a homeowner feel that much more confident, right? So um so one thing that's really interesting about your company is the trust and reputation, which has scaled. You have earned A plus rating on Better Business Bureau, thousands of five-star reviews across multiple cities. So it's one thing to have a small company and be able to protect that culture and be very streamlined and consistent across um, you know, how you deliver that service. But how have you done it with so many now in such a large team? Like, how do you teach your technicians and the people on the ground, boots on the ground from the office experience to build to be trustworthy? You know what I mean?

Brham Trim 13:29

Yeah, yeah. You know, we always talk about doing the right thing. Um, at the end of the day, it comes back. Did you do the right thing? And um uh, you know, we talk about the win-win-win, and the customers got to win, the tech's gotta win, and the company's gotta win. Um, you know, going into a customer's house, it's not what what can I get out of my my van and uh to put into this house, but hey, how can I help you as uh as a customer? You know, I've seen a lot of technicians, um, and I've seen technicians that have that idea of, hey, how much can I sell? Um they do okay, um, but those customers or those technicians that do really well and that have those customers uh ask for them directly are the ones that have the idea of, hey, um how can I help this customer? What is the is in the best interest of this customer? And people they they see they see that um and they build that trust and likability to that that technician. Um and when that technician is taking um the best interest of that customer in mind, um whether it's uh repair, whether it's replacement, um, giving all the options and letting them decide, I think that that's um that that's uh one of the things that that really matter uh when a cut when a technician's going into it. I don't know if I answered the question. I think so.

Hiring For Character And Daily Standards

Julian Placino 14:52

I think so, but we'll go on deeper. So so what kind of tips can you share when it comes to hiring and attracting the right person? Like in the interview process, how do you really suss out that person's character so they are the type of person that you want to build your culture with? Anything you can share there?

Brham Trim 15:06

Yeah, you know, I think like people attract like people. And so, first of all, we we built a culture, and people often talk about culture, culture just doesn't happen, it's something that you have to be very uh purposeful towards. Um, you know, I mentioned earlier that uh we do training each of those mornings, and and that training, you know, guys, if if I had a penny for every time I said, Hey, where's your tie, you know, uh that's my favorite. The guys bug me about that's probably my favorite thing to say, is like, where's your tie? But you know, that that is where it starts, and just little things like that. If you can't do the little things, how am I gonna expect you to do the big things? And um and so, you know, it's just consistency, again, going back to that consistency part of it, to uh to build that culture, um, to attract those guys and remind them of who we are doing the right thing and uh when they're out there. Um and they love to share those those different stories about uh about you know doing the right thing and hey, how they helped out so and so, and and this is what we found, and um, and we share that, you know, we talk about wins and challenges each morning. Um, and um uh uh it's exciting to hear those stories about how they overcame their challenges, um, but also their wins of when uh you know a customer was like, hey, this is what happened, and this is this is how we helped out the helped out the customers. So yeah.

Awards Plus Real Community Impact

Julian Placino 16:26

So you mentioned like attracts like, and also the way that you do some things are kind of the way that you do all things. So things to kind of look after in that regard, I think that's a that's a great tip. So um, so gentlemen pros, you have received multiple consumer choice awards, top rankings across Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer. So what are those accolades when it comes down to it? What do they mean to you?

Brham Trim 16:48

Um, you know, they're they're they're nice and and and I won't lie, you know, it's it's something that we take to our team and say, hey guys, we did it again this year, good job, and you know, uh we we celebrate that. Um, but at the end of the day, I I think the the biggest is is when we're out there, and this might sound corny or whatever, but it's you know, just helping helping people on a on a day-to-day basis uh take care of their problems. Um and I think uh you know, I think that's that's the real thing. When you're in the service industry, um if you don't enjoy helping people and and getting that satisfaction out of that, uh you don't last long in the service industry. Um you go and do new construction or or whatever, because you know that's it's a it's a step up, I think, and there's more expected, but that but there when you're helping people that um there's that reward there of knowing that you helped them and that feels good.

Julian Placino 17:40

And it's not something that you just give lip service to, it's something that you actively engage in because I know that giving back to the community is core to the brand. So from free services for families in need to clothing drives for community involvement. So, like, why give us some some examples and and and kind of like how you look at giving back to the community outside of having a great home services company, like this impact you have within the community. Tell us about that.

Brham Trim 18:04

Yeah, there's a lot of different things that we we we do and try and give back. There's different charities, you know, from uh different things that that um that we try and get involved in. One of the things like right now it's uh uh around Christmas, and so at the beginning of December, uh one of the things that I love, and this kind of gives gives um uh the guys a lot of fulfillment, is we give every single technician a card, and on that card it says, Today uh you've been chosen uh as um I can't word for word, but basically you've been chosen to give our Christmas gift to. I'm dedicating my time, um, and the company's dedicating uh their resources and parts uh for your job today as there's no cost. And um we'll go into we'll see situations, especially during a Christmas time, where maybe somebody's uh a little bit down on their luck or whatever, and they have to get it done, they're kind of stuck. And I think they won't share this with you, but it's picking, hey, get my plumbing fixed, or uh buy you know, buy a present for their kids. And um uh so we'll we'll get them to sign off on it, do the whole thing, and at the end of the job, we'll present that. And there's been some pretty powerful stories that have come out of that, um, where customers, you know, whether and they don't share it to you before but afterwards they they start crying, or or you know what the cake, whatever the case may be. But uh, you know, you hear of of different things. We had a lady um two days ago, uh, one of our technicians gave it to her, and uh turns out that she has cancer.

Julian Placino 19:33

Oh wow.

Brham Trim 19:34

And um uh that you know things were really, really hard for her that year, and it just you know, anything that could go wrong was going wrong. And uh so when the guys are sharing those stories, they kind of get a little bit weepy sometimes too. Um, but pretty cool just to see, you know, the impact that you have on on something as simple as fixing a faucet, you know, and and and what that means to people. And uh, you know, we we try and uh again, part of our culture is that hey, we're important and and we have a big impact on on people's lives. Um, you know, we provide water, we provide electricity, you know, we provide the the means of life in a lot of different situations, but uh, but having those those opportunities to have that direct impact, that direct help out in the community, I think is uh um gives the is a big impact on our our technicians, on people that work here. Um, and it makes it uh, you know, you're you're making a difference.

AI Search Changes And Why Peakzi

Julian Placino 20:27

So yeah, yeah, that's quite inspiring, not just delivering great home services, but also being like a positive force for good in the community. I mean, just imagine if all kinds of industries like had that same sort of philosophy, what kind of impact that could make? So thank you for sharing that. Um so uh so let's talk a bit about Peakzi, and you're a bit of an exemption because we usually only interview Peakzi customers, and you're not a Peakzi customer, not because you don't want to be one, but just we're not available there yet. So um, so first off, uh share where there is, and also what is it that excited you about Peakzi?

Brham Trim 20:58

Okay, so we're we're uh we're in Canada, uh Alberta, uh province of Alberta, and in the three different cities, Calvary, uh Red Deer, and Edmonton. Um I first uh first became aware of Peakzi, it probably was about a year and a half ago, maybe almost two and a while, time flies. Um, and at the time it was it was an urgency. But Peakzi, um uh when I listened to them, uh AI is starting to come in and build more and more, get more of a presence. More of our customers are finding us through AI and and different means by that. And um, and so uh Peakzi, um, when I first heard them, I was like, we gotta have this. That there's so many different areas that they use AI to help us to um generate revenue with our customers for our customers to find us. And as uh one platform switches over and of Google over to AI, and I see that happening, um, we want to be there. And so um, although we're not customers of Peakzi, we've worked with them and and and uh used them as Consulting with them and uh and you know when I say consult with them, I think they've consulted with us too, because that's one of the things that makes Peakzi, I think, uh great to work with is they listen to what we're looking for. They they're listening to what we need. Um and it's not just, you know, probably oh, probably, well, I'm gonna say once a day I'll get an email or a phone call from somebody wanting to do my SEO or or AI or whatever, and they have a bundle, a pre-packaged thing that they're selling. Um, I don't get that from Peakzi. They they want their work, they work with us to see what our needs are, and they're constantly learning themselves as they should, as the AI is just it's constantly changing within the industry. If I go back and look a year and a half ago into where it is now, if you didn't change, you'd be so far left behind. And so um, so that's what you know. I'm excited. Uh, we're very close for uh Peakzi being in Canada. Um, and uh and so I'm excited to finally be able to use all the different tools that they have to provide uh can provide for us uh to get us that edge. Um, you know, it's the it's the new SEO. Um and uh uh we need to be there and not get left behind. And so um that's what I meant, that's what I like about Peakzi, working with them. Um they're always learning, they're they're they're focused on one industry, and that's the AI, uh, to help us to bring in that um those customers. And uh they're constantly learning and changing and evolving.

Julian Placino 23:33

So yeah. Yeah, I think you actually offered a very interesting perspective because you're not on the platform yet, but you talked about the benefits of the team, how they have been, because it's not just like here's the platform, go do with it as you will. But um, but the Peakzi team, they're not just like in AI, but AI for home services. That is the only vertical that they're in, right? So, um, which is a really interesting point, and also just the communication and the consulting and the actual people interaction you get, I think those are all good points. I am curious because you have a love for marketing and um Peakzi has a great marketing application in addition to market insights and also recruiting and all those different things. What did you see about Peakzi that could help you from a marketing standpoint?

Brham Trim 24:14

Yeah. Well, you know, with AI, when when uh uh you know, two, three years ago when people started talking about AI and how it's going to change the industry, it kind of scared me a lot. Um, you know, not knowing, hey, how's this working? What um you know what are we doing doing in the industry? Um and so with uh uh with Peakzi just being in that, it's a it's a platform to get me to the next level uh with it as everything transitions and switches over. Um I think we do a great job at our SEO, I think we do a big great job at our LSA and other different areas, um, whether it's you know uh pay-per-click or whether it's billboards or whether it's radio or all those different things. But this was an area that just really scared me because you I didn't understand it. Um and so um yeah, Peakzi listen to them. They I think that that's the springboard to to get that understanding to get there and to to help to continue to move forward because that's what the future is.

Julian Placino 25:18

Yeah. Yeah, it really does seem like the nature of search is changing, the way people are seeking and acquiring information. It's going from you know, kind of standard search ways to now it's these LLMs, ChatGPT, Gemini. So, what are you doing to be able to be found on these platforms? I think that's a really great point. Um, well, anything else you'd like to share about Peakzi before we we close out the show?

Brham Trim 25:39

Yeah, you know, it's uh um yeah, the the peak the Peakzi from how I understand it, you know, there's just I really enjoy their their focus on that the the service industry and to help contractors like me to continue to understand it, um, but not only understand it, but have the tools to be able to get the most out of uh AI and what it's doing and how people are finding us. Um and uh, you know, it's uh I hesitate on doing different things like this because I, you know, it's like, oh, it's a nice little secret that I have, but uh the reality is is you know, I think it's out there for everybody. And uh uh when you're using it and utilizing it and being consistent, um, yeah, it's exciting stuff. So happy, happy to be, happy to happy to have found Peakzi.

Legacy Vision And How To Connect

Julian Placino 26:25

So well, we appreciate your words and we're excited to be in your market and seeing how we can help you continue to level up uh in the business and LC in the industry. So uh so Brham, I guess kind of close us out. So you've had a tremendous track record of success already. So what is the long-term vision? What is the legacy that you hope to leave behind with the business?

Brham Trim 26:44

Okay. Um, you know, I guess um my goal is to continue to grow and to to learn and and and to be able to uh to to transition change. Um there's a lot of change that I think we're seeing now, and we'll continue to see that. Um, you know, we were talking the other day about the Jetsons. I don't know if you know who the Jetsons are, but of course I do, yeah. There you go. I didn't want to age you, but uh you know, we're we're we're in that. We're basically other than flying cars, we're there with the Jetsons. And um uh, you know, I I think as we continue to change, as we continue to evolve, um, you know, one of the things that I think uh uh we're not exempt to AI because there'll be major impacts, but being able to work with our hands and and be have that that uh customer interaction, I think will be there for a long period of time. Um my hope, my legacy is that we continue to be the gentleman, um, to have that uh uh I guess that when people look at us that they can there's that like and there's that trustability because we are uh trustworthy and we are the gentlemen out there and doing things a little bit different. So um, you know, I'm I'm excited uh to be in the industry. Uh I can plan on being here for a long period of time and because I enjoyed that. I like coming to work each day. Uh it's fun for me, and uh hope to continue to be to be there moving moving forward. So yeah.

Julian Placino 28:18

I think that's great, and I think you certainly do stand out as a home services uh leader. So thank you so much for sharing your story with us today. Uh close us out by sharing your website, your social handle handles. How do folks connect with you?

Brham Trim 28:30

Okay. So uh the Gentleman Pros, uh www.uh the gentlemanprose uh dot com or.ca, uh depending if you're in the States or in Canada, I guess it all goes to the same place. Uh you can find us on Facebook, I believe, under the jump the Gentleman Pros and also Instagram. And uh yeah, so you can check us out there, find us there, and um yeah, that's who we are.

Julian Placino 28:52

And we'll make sure to have all your contact information in the show notes. So, Brham, thank you so much for your time and sharing your story with us today.

Brham Trim 28:59

Great, awesome.

Julian Placino 29:00

Thanks, thanks for having me. And that is it for today's episode, and we'll see you next time on the Home Services Success Stories podcast powered by Peakzi, the number one AI platform for growing your home services business.