6 REAL Reasons Why You Need A Mobile-Optimized Website
We’ve all heard the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” But what about that other saying: “If you build it right, they&...
Starting a home service business today feels impossible. The market is saturated, customers are price-shopping online, and every contractor seems to be fighting for the same scraps.
But Chris Scoville sees opportunity where others see obstacles.
With 31+ years in home improvement lending, Chris built Improvifi from a back-of-napkin idea into a financing platform serving 775+ contractors in just 18 months. He’s also the kind of entrepreneur who gets genuinely excited about untapped markets and blue ocean strategies, the type who can spot a business opportunity while walking his dog.
When asked what he’d do if starting fresh today, Chris didn’t hesitate. His answer reveals a blueprint that any home service entrepreneur can follow to build something meaningful, profitable, and scalable.
This show is sponsored by Blue Crocus Solutions, a web design and SEO agency focused on helping home service companies grow.
Chris’s hypothetical business choice surprised everyone: generators in Utah.
“I’m going to pick something that I haven’t seen in Utah at all. I’m going blue ocean strategy on everybody here. I am going to sell generators. I’m gonna be the generator king in Utah.”
This wasn’t random. Chris identified a market with clear demand but limited competition. People in mountainous areas lose power regularly, yet few contractors specialize in backup power solutions.
His approach would be systematic: learn everything about generators, identify customer pain points, master diagnostics and repairs, then become impossible to ignore through consistent marketing.
To find your own blue ocean market, start with local research. Use Google Maps to search for service providers in different niches within a 20-mile radius. Count the competitors. Check their Google reviews and website quality. Look for markets with fewer than five established players but clear search demand.
The sweet spot is a service people need but few providers offer professionally. That’s where you can build something sustainable without competing solely on price.
“I am going to learn everything about generators that I can. I am gonna go out there and find the pain points of what people face when their power goes out.” – Chris Scoville
Most new businesses try to serve everyone everywhere. Chris advocates the opposite approach.
“I’m not gonna do the entire state though. I’m gonna take five miles. I’m gonna become five mile famous.”
This geographic focus creates multiple advantages. Your marketing dollars work harder when concentrated in a small area. Word-of-mouth spreads faster in tight communities. You can build genuine relationships with local referral sources. And you become the obvious choice when people in that area need your service.
Chris calls this the “Truman Effect”, like Jim Carrey’s character who lived in a perfect bubble. You create a world you completely dominate, then systematically replicate it.
To implement this strategy, choose a five-mile radius around your home or office. Map out every potential customer in that area. Identify the local businesses, community groups, and gathering places. Then commit to becoming the most visible, helpful service provider in that specific geography.
Once you’ve perfected the system and built a team to run it, expand to the next zip code using the exact same playbook.
“I’m gonna be the generator king in the Truman bubble. And then once I’ve dominated this and learned the market organically… I’m gonna just duplicate it and duplicate it and then scale.” – Chris Scoville
Chris didn’t beat big banks with better rates or more capital. He won by offering what they wouldn’t: genuine partnership.
While competitors treated financing as a commodity, handing contractors rate sheets and saying “go sell”, Chris built four pillars they ignored: lending, training, support, and technology.
This framework applies to any home service business. Look at what everyone in your market provides, then identify what they consistently ignore. That gap becomes your competitive advantage.
For a generator business, this might mean offering comprehensive maintenance programs while competitors only do installations. Or providing 24/7 emergency service when others work banker’s hours. Or creating educational content about backup power while competitors just push products.
The key is choosing pillars that matter to customers but require effort most competitors won’t invest. Then build your entire business model around delivering those differentiators consistently.
Document what makes you different and train your team to communicate these advantages in every customer interaction. Your pricing can be higher when your value is clearly superior.
“All I did was the four pillars that nobody else does.” – Chris Scoville
Chris’s referral strategy starts with a simple insight: other home service businesses face the same challenges you do.
“If I’m in the generator business and there’s air conditioning companies within my five mile famous bubble… they don’t do generators, but they also suffer the same marketing people training, scaling issues that we deal with.”
His approach is refreshingly direct. Spot an HVAC truck at a gas station. Walk over and introduce yourself. Find out where they get coffee in the morning. Schedule a 20-minute meeting to explore mutual referrals.
The conversation framework is simple: “I don’t do HVAC, man. We do generators and you do HVAC. I think we might be able to help some of these people, and I want you to learn about how I treat people at the point of sale so you’re comfortable building a referral program with me.”
To build your referral network, create three lists: complementary trades that serve your customers, professionals who influence buying decisions (realtors, insurance agents), and local businesses your customers frequent.
Then systematically reach out with a specific value proposition. Don’t ask for referrals immediately. Instead, offer to refer business to them first. Build the relationship before expecting returns.
“We suffer the same problems. We’re in the home service business, so we feel the same thing.” – Chris Scoville
Chris learned the “fat dancing bear” concept from Alex and Leila Hormozi, you need to be so different and memorable that people can’t ignore you.
For Chris, this meant going live every morning while walking his dog, talking about financing opportunities he saw in every neighborhood. People started calling him “the bald guy that does financing” or “the guy that walks his dog every morning.”
The strategy worked because it was authentic, consistent, and valuable. He never pitched directly. Instead, he educated and helped. When contractors needed financing advice, they tagged him in Facebook groups without him ever posting sales content.
To become your market’s fat dancing bear, choose one platform and commit to daily content. Document what you’re already doing; job sites, customer interactions, industry insights. Share genuine observations and helpful tips.
The goal isn’t to go viral. It’s to become so familiar and helpful that when people need your service, you’re the first person they think of.
Pick a consistent time and format. Maybe it’s a Tuesday morning job site walkthrough. Or Friday afternoon tips for homeowners. The specific format matters less than showing up consistently with value.
“I don’t post in groups and go, ‘Hey, you guys should offer financing.’ I sit back and wait for people to tag me.” – Chris Scoville
Most home service businesses treat financing as an afterthought. Chris sees it as the ultimate competitive weapon.
“Your customers are sitting there waiting, expecting for you to present a financing low monthly payment option, affordability solution.”
Customers finance everything: $200 sneakers, groceries, cell phones, furniture, cars, and homes. Yet contractors expect them to write $16,000 checks for roofs or HVAC systems.
Chris uses a simple analogy: if he offered a $10,000 watch for $1,000, you’d buy it instantly. At $9,500, you’d hesitate. Everything comes down to price and payment.
Financing doesn’t just help customers afford your services, it eliminates discount requests and makes higher prices palatable.
To implement financing effectively, partner with a reputable provider and train your team to present options consultatively. Chris’s approach: “How do you wanna pay? Do you wanna use your money? Would you like to use ours?”
Present financing early in the sales process, not as a last resort. Include payment options in your marketing materials and website. Make it clear that you offer solutions for different budgets and preferences.
The key is offering choices, not forcing decisions. Some customers will pay cash, others prefer credit cards, and many will choose financing. Your job is to accommodate all preferences professionally.
“Everything comes down to price. Financing makes it affordable for people to buy the things they never wanted to buy anyway.” – Chris Scoville
The biggest trap for new business owners is trying to do everything themselves. Chris learned this lesson the hard way.
“I thought I had to do everything. I had to do the sales calls, I had to do the negotiating… I tried to do everything myself.”
This creates “key man risk”, the business depends entirely on the founder. Growth stalls because everything flows through one person.
Chris’s breakthrough came when he started building systems and delegating: “The moment we started scaling controllably and bringing a team in and I started letting go is when we really became a company.”
Start by documenting every process in your business. Write down how you generate leads, qualify prospects, deliver services, and follow up with customers. Create checklists and standard operating procedures for each step.
Then identify which tasks only you can do versus which tasks someone else could handle with proper training. Begin delegating the routine work while you focus on growth activities.
Build accountability systems that let you monitor progress without micromanaging. Set up regular check-ins, performance metrics, and reporting structures.
Test your systems by taking time off. See what breaks when you’re not there, then fix those processes before expanding further.
“I can go on a five-day vacation now and the company runs.” – Chris Scoville
Every entrepreneur faces moments when quitting seems easier than continuing. Chris has a simple philosophy: go three more yards.
When Chris felt ready to quit, his wife suggested building a training program. He resisted: “Nobody will pay me for that.”
She insisted: “Build it.”
Two weeks later, he had a $5,000 program where he’d fly to contractors’ offices for nine-hour financing intensives. He sold five in five days, $25,000 in a week.
“You’re three yards away from either quitting or getting there. You’re three yards, man.”
To apply this principle, identify where you are in your business journey. What specific actions could you take in the next 30-90 days to push forward? Commit fully to those actions before making any major decisions about your business direction.
Set a clear decision point. After going three more yards with complete effort, honestly assess whether to continue or pivot. The key is ensuring you’ve truly exhausted your current path before changing direction.
Most businesses fail not because the idea was wrong, but because the owner gave up too early. The three-yard rule helps you push through the difficult middle phase where success is possible but not yet visible.
“If you’re grinding and you’re finding it difficult, you’re literally three yards away, man.” – Chris Scoville
Chris predicts significant changes coming to the home service industry over the next five years.
More contractors will adopt better systems and technology, creating increased competition and market noise. Venture capital will continue consolidating smaller operators, though many acquisitions will fail due to poor operational understanding.
In this environment, businesses that win will differentiate through culture, mission, and values, not just efficiency or price.
“You cannot be mediocre. You have to be excellent at what you do… It starts with your mission, your values, how you install, how you care, how you follow up.”
To prepare for this future, strengthen your company culture and clearly define what makes you different. Invest in systems that can scale and adapt to new technology. Focus on building genuine relationships with customers and team members.
Develop your team’s skills and leadership capabilities. Great people become more valuable as competition increases. Create an environment where talented individuals want to stay and grow.
Most importantly, never lose sight of the human element. In a world of increasing automation and corporate consolidation, businesses that genuinely care about their customers and communities will stand out.
“You have to show up differently. It starts with your mission, your values, how you install, how you care, how you follow up.” – Chris Scoville
At 55, Chris isn’t slowing down, he’s accelerating.
His perspective reframes entrepreneurship as a long-term journey rather than a sprint. The experience, relationships, and wisdom gained over decades become competitive advantages that younger competitors can’t match.
This mindset applies regardless of your age. Every challenge you’ve faced, every skill you’ve developed, and every relationship you’ve built can contribute to your business success.
The home service industry needs more businesses that combine professional excellence with genuine care for customers. The opportunity exists for entrepreneurs willing to do the work consistently and authentically.
Start with your five-mile radius. Become the fat dancing bear in your market. Help first, sell second. Build systems that scale. And when you want to quit, go three more yards.
The market is waiting for someone who cares enough to do it right.
“The first 50 years were just practice. The next 50 years I get to go play the game.” – Chris Scoville
Want to learn more from Chris?
Connect with Chris Scoville on Facebook, subscribe to his YouTube, or request a connection on LinkedIn.
This Podcast is sponsored by Blue Crocus Solutions, a marketing agency offering website design, branding, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services for Home Service businesses.
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