Steve Miles’ Strategies for Excelling in an Unpredictable Home Services Market

Heading into the holiday season, there’s lots on our minds. It’s not just turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie – it’s how we’re going to approach 2024 and position ourselves for success. We’re excited to have Steve Miles, Vice President of Jerry Kelly Heating and Air Conditioning on to talk about his journey through the trades, what he’s learned, and what he’s focused on to crush the coming year!

From Electrician to Running a Family Business

Out of high school, Steve had no interest in pursuing college. He immediately jumped into laborer work like flatwork and roofing, but wanted something less physically taxing. He ended up getting a job as an electrician, and did that for over a decade until he married his wife, who happened to be the daughter of Jerry Kelly. He joined the company, started out as a dispatcher and worked his way up to sales manager.

In 1998, the first big wave of consolidation was hitting the industry. Jerry Kelly was being approached, and Steve took a shot and asked if he could buy the company. Steve became the GM, and the rest is history. Now celebrating the company’s 46th anniversary, Steve reflects on growing the business from around 1.5MM in 1998 to over 15MM this year.

• Getting rid of your “head trash” and putting your head down to get the job done
• Finding the right people & talent for your business
• Providing value so that people will buy from you
• Understanding your numbers to make better decisions
• Not cutting back on your marketing
• Being a great leader by believing in yourself
• Pricing your services properly to make the profit you deserve
• And more!

Position for Success

Recently inducted into Contracting Business’ HVAC Hall of Fame, Steve’s career is one of doing the right things with the right people. If you’re trying to get your mindset ready for next year, he has some great advice.

First, understand that sales and marketing play a big part. You have to know what your target is every month, and break that down daily to know if you need to shift gears. Once you have your goal, you have to be priced properly. Know your cost of doing business, your overhead, and all those “simple” numbers that will allow you to be as profitable as you want to be. Most importantly, though, you have to take the step past setting goals…and implement them!

Have any questions for Steve? Shoot him an email at [email protected]!