The Brutal Truth About Home Services No One Tells You

David Cardenas shares his transition from technology sales to Home Services entrepreneurship, driven by the example he wanted to set for his children. After years researching acquisitions, he made the bold decision to start from scratch rather than wait for the perfect opportunity. Recording from the Fulton County courthouse while handling a collections matter (the reality of entrepreneurship), David discusses his 18-month journey. His strategic pivot from junk removal to restoration services was driven by economics-increasing average ticket from $400 to $5,000-and recession-resilience. He candidly admits his expectations about scaling through digital marketing were "not quite on target," describing Home Services as "15% operations, 85% marketing"-with operations being the easy part. David's technology background proves invaluable, particularly his heavy use of AI tools like ChatGPT and AI-powered apps that assess reconstruction costs from photos. He discusses the alignment between financial incentives and environmental sustainability (getting paid to recycle versus paying to dump), finding quality marketing partners, and targeting B2B relationships with property managers, plumbers, and insurance agents for recurring revenue. His ultimate goal: building a portfolio generating $2 million in EBITDA while proving to his children that ownership beats employment.