Chris Larsen

If you are in the trades, this is how you never miss a call.

Legacy CRMs: 6-month setups, expensive consultants, endless hand-holding. Our shop switched last year to smart voice agents, automated dispatch, and crm with lead qualification set up in days. The era of paying someone to babysit your software implementation in the trades seems outdated. Software is moving away from being a clunky system of record to becoming a system of action and intelligence.

The best money you'll ever spend on your CRM is paying someone else to set it up. I'm serious. Every business owner does the same thing. They buy the CRM, watch a couple YouTube tutorials, drag some stuff around for a weekend, and call it done. Then 6 months later they're running their whole company off a system that's half built. Leads falling through the cracks. No automations. Pipeline stages that make no sense. Reports that don't tell you anything. And they're sitting there going "CRMs don't work" when the real problem is they did a half-ass set up. These platforms are way deeper than most people realize. The automations, the workflows, the reporting, the integrations with your phone system and your email and your invoicing. There are guys who spend years learning how to build that stuff properly. Pay one of them $2K-$5K to set it up right from day one. Get your pipeline dialed. Get your follow-up sequences automated. Get your reporting clean so you actually know where your money is going. That one investment will make you $100K+ within a year because you'll stop losing the leads you're already paying for. The CRM USUALLY isn't the problem. The person who set up the CRM for you is!!

I was quoted $10,000 to install two dehumidifiers in my crawlspace. I saved $7,500 by designing a DIY custom crawl space dehumidification system with Claude 🤑 I am not an HVAC professional. Here’s how I did it. Our story begins with the discovery that our new home needed a dehumidifier installed in the crawl space to prevent mold. The professionals told me it would cost $10k, since I’d need one unit on each end due to the size of the space, plus a second drain line installed. “Can’t we just use fans to move the humid air from one side toward the dehumidifier?” They wouldn’t do that. Enter Claude… I uploaded a floor plan of my crawl space and air volume dimensions, telling Claude what I was trying to do. It researched the best dehumidifier sized appropriately for my air volume (100 pints apparently). Found me the best price - $1,500. Now it was time for fans 💨 I had originally envisioned the single dehumidifier at one end of the space, with fans on the opposite end. Claude taught me that would just draw more moist outdoor air in through the vents on that side, creating a linear flow through the crawl space. Instead it modeled the air flow and suggested a circular vortex with 4 fans, one on each wall, in a circle. That sucks in minimal outdoor air, keeping cool dry air circulating. I told it to research appropriate fans. It found four 20” sealed bearing fans on Amazon (impervious to dust), with DC drive motors (more energy efficient than AC apparently). $120 each. 🔌 It told me to buy a smart plug for each fan and a few internet connected humidity sensors. Another $200. Claude mapped where to install everything in the crawl space. Here’s how it works - the humidity sensors monitor the crawl space air continuously. If it ever exceeds 60% humidity, the smart plugs switch on all 4 fans, circulating the air in the crawl space past the dehumidifier until the humidity is below 50% 🔃🔃🔃 Total cost ~$2,500 for everything and one Saturday of work for me. I saved $7,500 vs. the original quote because I didn’t need two dehumidifiers, and Claude tells me my version is nearly twice as energy efficient. Plus I learned a ton about my home and had fun. I didn’t know anything about dehumidifiers, fans, or air flow dynamics before starting. AI can do so much more than write code - the applications are endless.

This is wild HVAC company trading for 26x EBITDA 86% of revenue is construction All commercial and industrial projects EV/EBITDA multiple has increased nearly ~10 turns over the last year Commercial HVAC is trading like a tech company Comfort Systems $FIX is getting bid up as a derivative AI play through its heavy exposure to data center construction Source of trading data: Origin Merchant Partners

Been down that road and it's painful. way over priced for ST. 2015 era software. contract lock in friction. needed to hire a "certified" expert to just to run the damn thing. It eats into margins and penalizes you as the shop grows with a per tech costs. There are much better solutions now.

Only on Service Titan for 1 day but the improved view into the data is already clear. Red line is my acquisition date... Feb isn't over. Let's go!

@noahiglerSEO We just use AI agents with integrations into GBP and Google Ads LSA. plugin @ServiceSocket and hook it up to our crm. 200+ leads every month on auto pilot.

This landscaping company was getting 5 calls a month from Google. After 8 months of SEO, they hit 286 leads in a single month. Here's the full breakdown of what we changed: (Bookmark this)

If you are in the trades, then you should check out @ServiceSocket 🛠️

@nick_white @recap_david @ServiceSocket We use @ServiceSocket and it works great!

The added abstraction of the n8n + ElevenLabs STT→LLM→TTS pipeline introduces noticeable latency that kills natural flow on live calls and won’t scale. True real-time audio-to-audio is the way forward. check out @servicesocket. Best one I have seen so far. It can speak like 100 languages fluently. Delivers ultra-low latency, natural-sounding voice agents with seamless integrations to over 50+ tools, including Google Sheets.

$24,000 per year from this simple AI Dentist Voice Agent (and why I’m probably insane for giving it away for free) One dental practice was bleeding $6,000+ every month from missed after-hours phone calls. That’s 20–25 potential new patients disappearing simply because no one was there to answer and book. So I built an AI voice receptionist that books dental appointments 24/7, powered by n8n + ElevenLabs, and guided by the clinic’s internal rules and real scheduling availability. Here’s what the system handles automatically: → Picks up calls with a natural-sounding AI receptionist → Captures patient info + insurance details → Checks live calendar availability → Schedules appointments instantly → Logs every interaction into a Google Sheet The wild part? A nearly identical AI voice system was sold to a dental practice for $24,000 per year by another founder. And this isn’t limited to dentists. Any service business losing revenue from missed calls can deploy the exact same setup. Want the full n8n workflow template? 1. Retweet & Like 2. Follow me 3. Comment “ASSISTANT” I’ll send you the entire system for free, plus a step-by-step setup video — including all the ElevenLabs automation pieces. (must be following so I can dm you)

This is the best voice agent i have tried. If you run a services business and don't want calls slipping through the cracks, then this is it. plugs right into my CRM and calendar.

🚨Architects are going to hate this. Someone just open sourced a full 3D building editor that runs entirely in your browser. No AutoCAD. No Revit. No $5,000/year licenses. It's called Pascal Editor. Built with React Three Fiber and WebGPU -- meaning it renders directly on your GPU at near-native speed. Here's what's inside this thing: → A full building/level/wall/zone hierarchy you can edit in real time → An ECS-style architecture where every object updates through GPU-powered systems → Zustand state management with full undo/redo built in → Next.js frontend so it deploys as a web app, not a desktop install → Dirty node tracking -- only re-renders what changed, not the whole scene Here's the wildest part: You can stack, explode, or solo individual building levels. Select a zone, drag a wall, reshape a slab -- all in 3D, all in the browser. Architecture firms pay $50K+ per seat for BIM software that does this workflow. This is free. 100% Open Source.

Quick question... How realistic is it to get a DBA/legal name change to something more keyword-heavy without Google suspending the profile, and would that move the needle more than grinding out another 50-100 reviews? (I'm already posting job photos weekly, responding to every review with city + service keywords, and have consistent citations, but still fighting uphill.)

one of the best interview questions you can ask an SEO agency is to explain black hat SEO to you not because you want them doing it to your website but because the ones who truly understand the algorithm can explain exactly how it gets manipulated if they look at you with a blank stare or get uncomfortable, that tells you something it tells you they learned SEO from a youtube video and a blog post and have never actually gone deep on how the machine works the best SEOs i know understand black hat tactics in detail they know how people build private blog networks, how they manipulate review counts, how they use exact match everything to game relevance, how they build spammy links at scale they know all of it and because they know all of it, they understand the algorithm at a level that someone who only plays by the book never will you want someone who has gone down every rabbit hole, tested things they probably shouldn't have, broken a few things along the way, and came out the other side with a complete picture of how google actually works then you want them implementing everything completely clean on your business this is true in every marketing channel by the way the best google ads people understand the behind it fraud inside and out the best meta ads people understand how accounts get banned and why mastery of any channel requires understanding the dark parts of it. dont get me wrong, i am not advocating your agency does anything illegal / immoral you just want someone who knows not only what the rules are but also why they exist cookie cutter agencies are dangerous because they are just repeating what someone else told them you want someone who figured it out themselves, and then implements all the good on your assets

@therobertbrooks Keep killing it, brother.

2024 - $1.85M 2025 - $2.4M *acquisition in June 2026 Goal $3.5M 2026 YTD $850k March is supposed to be our slowest month but we will probably beat Feb revenue and Feb beat last July 🤷 With seasonality in mind, that puts us at a run rate of $5.4M for 2026. Still early innings.

@nick_white @bradmillscan Some guy tried to sell me some open claw service. they promised to automate the "back office". Complete waste of time.

OpenClaw is a distraction targeting people with less technical depth. The same folks that are often susceptible to 'shiny new tool syndrome' and 'hive mind' mentality. You are sold the idea of “10 agents run my whole company on autopilot”. In reality, its nothing more than an painful exercise in API orchestration. What will actually end up happening is you will waste many hours debugging OAuth, rate limits, and configs instead of just shipping real work.

How in the hell are these accounts claiming to run entire companies w/ OpenClaw. I just spent 1.5 HRS trying to get my claw to use X API for reading tweets. FAIL We have a whole SOP documenting exactly how to do it from previous failures. I can’t imagine running 10 of these…

@nick_white @WalkerAmerica We have been using @Tradecraft_AI. It handles calls, emails, job bookings, quotes and invoices. We configured a workflow where it matches jobs to technicians based on skill, availability and location.

@WalkerAmerica Having a plumber waste weeks of time and money setting up and maintaining an OpenClaw agent is a horrible idea. There are tons of legit AI native systems being built for use cases like this. The "Plumber" should simply use a plug and play setup and focus on plumbing.

called a plumber to fix a leak in our ceiling. he arrives. $250 just to "diagnose" turns out it's some valve thing. easy fix. i see him writing out a paper invoice. i chuckle. so quaint. i tell him "you should be using AI for that." "what?" he says. "yeah, you should get a mac mini and set up openclaw and automate all of this with your own personal ai agents" i say. "huh?" he says. clearly he's not getting it... I clarify in simple terms: "you're writing invoices by hand using paper. you're handing me a physical piece of paper for my invoice. this should all be digital. you can have your ai agents automatically generate invoices you verbally dictate into your phone via a telegram chat with your own personal ai workforce. they can handle billing too. this is just really inefficient and you're wasting time. time is money, after all." "ok. i'm going to go fix your leak now" he says. maybe he's finally starting to get it?? the job takes 15 minutes. he hands me the invoice. it's $2500. plus the $250 "diagnosis." i stare at the total. $2750. he looks at me and says “you’re right, time is money.” then he adds one more line to the invoice... a discount... $5 off for “AI consultation fee”

@theseoguy_ makes sense

get a Google Workspace account before setting up your GBP. Google trusts you more. your business name on your GBP has to match your LLC. if you get suspended and the docs don't match, you're done. fill your GBP description to the 750 character limit. include your keyword and service areas naturally. if you don't have a physical address on your GBP, you are fighting an uphill battle you will likely lose. write your own Q&As on your profile. include keywords in the answers. reviews from local guides are worth more than reviews from random accounts. reviews with photos and detailed descriptions carry more weight than "great service 5 stars." do not get 30 reviews in one day. spread them out. a few per week looks natural. avoid reviews from people with the same last name. Google catches that fast. avoid reviews from people who have never been anywhere near your city. those get flagged. don't let every review say the exact same thing. variation matters. your meta title format should be keyword | brand name. example: Las Vegas DUI Attorney | Smith Law Group. every city you want to rank in needs its own dedicated page on your website. one page for one city. no exceptions. do not use the same generic copy on every location page with just the city name swapped out. Google sees right through it. mention landmarks, neighborhoods, things specific to that area. stop redirecting exact match domains to your main site and wondering why nothing happens. build a real site on it. if your competitor has an exact match GBP name and more reviews than you, plan on doubling your effort to beat them. get yourself listed on Uber. one of the most underrated citations you can build. have real photos on your site. not stock images. Google wants to see that you actually exist. create an about us page with real names and real pictures of your team. create a terms page and a privacy policy page. trust signals matter. build social media profiles even if you never post. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. the backlinks from these platforms tell Google you are a real brand. add schema markup so Google knows exactly who you are, what you do, and where you operate. turn on driving directions to your office every time you drive there. every single day. have your employees do it too. if someone ranking above you has a DR of 0, you can beat them with a handful of quality backlinks and some focused effort. check your competitor's backlink profile in AHRefs. sort by date found. if they aren't acquiring new links every month, they are sitting ducks. do not sign up with a mega agency. you will be a number. the person running your campaign will be fresh out of college making 40k a year. find someone who actually gives a damn. do not fire your SEO agency at month 3. you didn't give them enough time. 6 months minimum. do not pay for SEO services on Fiverr or Upwork. there may be exceptions but the odds are not in your favor. if your agency is building you backlinks, ask them what their indexing strategy is. links that Google never crawls are completely worthless. if your agency is bragging about how many keywords you rank for, they are probably ranking you for blog content that will never convert. ask them how many transactional keywords you rank for. if you own multiple businesses in the same area, link the homepages to each other. homepage links are the most powerful links in Google's eyes. invest in professional photography for your GBP. click through rate is a ranking factor. better photos mean more clicks. more clicks mean better rankings. respond to every single review. positive and negative. Google is watching how fast you reply. upload photos and videos to your GBP weekly. Google wants to see that you have a pulse. include your keyword and location in every single GBP update. "just finished a beautiful roof replacement for our customer in Scottsdale" beats "check out our latest project" every time. fill out the product section on your GBP with your services even if you don't sell physical products. your phone number needs to be visible on your website above the fold. do not make someone scroll to find out how to call you. build your website for mobile first. more than half your traffic is on a phone. 500 words of quality copy on each service page. hit your keyword in the H1, the meta title, and the URL. 80 to 90% of your backlinks should point to the homepage. it looks the most natural. use branded anchor text for the majority of your links. it is the safest and most effective strategy. do not spam exact match anchors or you will wreck your site. do not build two pages targeting the same keyword. Google gets confused and ranks neither. make sure every page on your site is indexed. if Google can't find it, it doesn't exist. check for 404 errors weekly. broken pages kill trust. if Reddit is ranking above you for your target keyword, you have serious work to do. get listed on Bing. ChatGPT and Perplexity are pulling from it. this is no longer optional. get listed on Yelp with a fully built out profile. LLMs are citing Yelp constantly when people search for local services.

It’s 2:00 PM in July. You’re belly-crawling through blown-in insulation in a 150-degree attic. You find a mummified squirrel and a leak that’s been there since the Nixon administration. You check your phone and see a notification: "Your AI agent just booked a $12k install from a Google LSA lead." Suddenly, the itchy insulation doesn't feel so bad. Actually, no, it still sucks. Get me out of here. 🥵💧

@therobertbrooks @ServiceTitan We switched to this new platform @Tradecraft_AI. It's fast to onboard and uses AI agents to respond to all my google LSA leads. It has a built in crm, fsm and mobile app. night and day difference on usage pricing. It doesnt charge a license fee for every seat.

Well.. I'm supposed to be onboarding with @ServiceTitan tomorrow and nobody was reaching out to schedule the work. Find out my implementation "manager" was out or something like that, and when I called him he acted like I was some random guy calling his cell phone - "Hello" So I called him on it.. and guess what.. his phone is forwarded to his cell phone. He has no idea who I am, then proceeds to tell me the date I have is incorrect (its not.. I have the emails to prove it) I don't expect much from them after its all turned on.. but I at least need some help getting it all turned on. This is not a great start...

Is it really a successful supply house run if you don't walk out with at least one tool you definitely didn't need but 'might' use once in three years? My van is reaching maximum capacity, but that new diagnostic kit was calling my name.

If I can navigate a crawlspace in July without losing my mind, I can probably figure out how this app works.