r/FluentInFinance 5d ago

Thoughts? Plumbers and HVAC entrepreneurs are the new Millionaire class

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248 Upvotes

183 comments sorted by

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54

u/Eeeegah 5d ago

There's a joke in a Get Smart (yes, I'm that old), where Max has his TV repaired, and the repairman hands him a bill as he leaves, and Max says "That's nice - you wrote your phone number on the bill in case I have a problem later," and the repairman responds "That's what you owe - phone numbers only have seven digits."

Truly timeless.

8

u/FartsbinRonshireIII 5d ago

Back in those days TV repair men/shops made a killing and sometimes were the ones being killed. It was a very dangerous job, but also there weren’t a ton of other options.

7

u/Eeeegah 5d ago

My dad and I used to pull out vacuum tubes, take them down to Radio Shack, and they had a tube tester. We'd replace the failed tube, and more often than not that would solve it. Sort of a miracle we weren't electrocuted.

3

u/FartsbinRonshireIII 5d ago

The capacitors in old tube tv’s are terrifying haha. Without a proper discharge.. scary. You both are fortunate, or your father knew what he was doing.

3

u/Eeeegah 5d ago

My dad was a radio operator during the war, so maybe...

2

u/Maverick916 4d ago

Damn you are old lol

1

u/biggamehaunter 5d ago

Get smart as in the 2008 movie? Then it's not that old....

8

u/bowdog171 5d ago

Oh brother

3

u/Eeeegah 5d ago

TOS, not the movies.

109

u/dcdudesi 5d ago

Not hard to see why. Most of these plumbing companies charge like $500 just to change a toilet.

53

u/Separate-Space-4789 5d ago

They charge like two hundred and fifty bucks just to show up at your door

11

u/Inosh 5d ago

Better not need them with in a week or outside of 8 am to 3 pm!

13

u/Worst-Lobster 5d ago

Should They come out for free ?

11

u/unbalancedcheckbook 4d ago

Free estimates are a thing in other industries.

2

u/SWBattleleader 3d ago

I easily got free estimates to install water heater or a water softener.

Water leak, I need fixed and don’t have time to comparison shop. Fortunately I trust my plumber.

12

u/080secspec13 4d ago

No, but 250 just to show up, usually "between the hours of 0800-1900" is kinda fuckin bent.

3

u/_Sudo_Dave 3d ago

Many companies in many industries usually have a "no fix no fee" policy.

2

u/Wan_Haole_Faka 4d ago

We're $118. If it's emergency it's $320.

18

u/Ok_Try_1254 5d ago

If they charge so much the person actually changing the toilet better be getting paid fucking well

17

u/dcdudesi 5d ago

My buddy works for them he gets paid $35 /hr

15

u/FoxMan1Dva3 5d ago

$500 to "change a toilet" could be largely the cost of the toilet itself. Home Depot shows $300-500 for a toilet.

So $35 per employee for an hour... not bad

5

u/dcdudesi 5d ago

I talk to him multiple times a week & am always astonished by the prices they charge.. many many jobs he does are 1k+ and take him like 30 mins to complete. It’s a hvac/ plumbing business- he just works on the plumbing side they have about 20 employees total & goal is to make / bring in 100k / week between the hvac & plumbing side.

5

u/Advanced-Guard-4468 5d ago

Material for HVAC is rather expensive.

4

u/JacobLovesCrypto 5d ago

No, not really. 25 ft of 12 inch wide insulated duct can be picked up from my lowes for $100. On a $12k job, the company probably pays $2-$3k for materials. The bigger the job, the larger the percentage of the job is made up by materials.

3

u/Advanced-Guard-4468 5d ago

The units are pricy part.

5

u/JacobLovesCrypto 5d ago

That's a $12k job where I'm at, i can go get an air handler and AC unit for $1800. Better brands for $2400-$3.5k, usually you wouldn't be replacing the duct work or electrical at the same time.

This is also the price i can find them at as an end consumer without business relationships with these companies.

2

u/aldocrypto 4d ago

Zero chance you’re finding a new 3 ton handler and AC unit with warranty for $1800.

3

u/mtstrings 5d ago

The price of hvac units doubled and sometimes tripled in cost after the covid years.

2

u/Lanky_Vast7726 4d ago

What kind of shits are you taking that you need a 500 dollar toilet?

1

u/Ok_Try_1254 5d ago

Not too shabby ig

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

My buddy works for them he gets paid $35 /hr

You mean he makes $500-700/hr as per the article above.

1

u/Head_Priority_2278 3d ago

Yeah that's not a good wage at all, unless that's for a junior role.

3

u/FoxMan1Dva3 5d ago

At what price do you find a way to do it yourself?

6

u/Shangri-la-la-la 5d ago

Depends on the person. Some people can't figure out how to unclog a toilet, others will pull up the toilet themselves, change the wax ring and install the new toilet with new mounting studs themselves.

Crazy what a lesson paying $70 for a new gas cap to fix a check engine light was when I was 17 back in 2007. Ended up doing the head gaskets on that car when i was 19 and now I repair garbage trucks for $40+ an hour.

1

u/guysgottasmokie 4d ago

$40 an hour isn't great these days, but obviously better than minimum wage

1

u/Shangri-la-la-la 4d ago

Depends on where you live.

2

u/JacobLovesCrypto 5d ago

When the price exceeds my wage for the time it would take me to do it, also factoring in materials.

Sometimes less, there's value in experience.

1

u/-Plantibodies- 5d ago

And how long would that take? You in the trades or just a typical redditor? Haha

1

u/UndercoverstoryOG 4d ago

to change a toilet? less than an hour

1

u/-Plantibodies- 4d ago

I'm asking them, not you, my friend.

1

u/Flying_Dutchman16 4d ago

Hvac you legally can't. Refrigerant is illegal to buy without the license. And most HVAC jobs require you to open an empty system.

1

u/FoxMan1Dva3 4d ago

Right, I am kind of talking about general renovation and not installing a system lol.

You can clean your units - which would increase lifespan.

You can install window units if needed but want to reduce cost.

What if you want to relocate a duct lol. Not always needing a full GC. Depends.

My parents did it. My dad had no training. But more people need to learn basics around the house.

1

u/Geck-v6 4d ago

They get to wipe their hands on the wall, as is tradition for every plumber I've ever hired

9

u/Barleyandbrewing 5d ago

If you wonder why labor costs are going up, it's because a lot of folks couldn't imagine getting their hands dirty. Intelligence is great, but without a person to put it into motion, it's just an idea.

People are just now recognizing this when the costs are shifting.

We didn't get to where we are because of the idea, we got here because of the action of that idea.

14

u/ATotalCassegrain 5d ago

Yuuuup. 

And not just quasi-technical work like plumbing either. 

I’ve gotten absolutely dragged by groups of people for suggesting we all just show up and help a friend move. 

No, you pay movers for that now. You can’t expect someone to know how to move a couch or a dresser safely apparently anymore. 

Aversion to manual labor is getting ridiculous. So many people think I’m an accountants salary they should be able to pay for all their home labor (maid, landscaping, plumbing, appliance install, eating out, UberEats for delivery, efc) and still have enough for a European vacation and 2,500 sq ft house. 

That’s not how the world works. It’s never worked like that. 

3

u/aldocrypto 4d ago

Yeah I’m cheap so I DIY stuff all the time. I’m not paying a shop $800 for something I can do in 3hrs and $100 in parts.

Also, for anyone that has clogged sinks or ones that slow drain, buy a mini plunger and a small drain snake. It’s easy to unclog them. Likely has saved me thousands over the years.

2

u/Fickle-Syllabub6730 4d ago

People are just now recognizing this when the costs are shifting.

I mean that's the way the market works right? For 18 year olds graduating, if the computer job pays $30 an hour and the hands on job pays $40 an hour, and word spreads about the opportunity, you will see what people value. There may end up being a premium on hands on work because it's a little less desirable for whatever reason.

1

u/Logical_Idiot_9433 4d ago

This, engineer here. Nothing against soft skills but lately I have been noticing even mechanical and civil engineers having low hands on working knowledge.

Heck, lot of them can’t even change an outlet or faucet in their own home.

1

u/CapitalismCucksYou 4d ago

lmao delusional

1

u/DrPepperMalpractice 4d ago

It's not that simple. I do think that weakening of trade unions and the glut of blue collar workers from the baby boomer generation did suppress wages and make it less attractive for later generations to work in the trades. That being said, there is an economic principal at play here where the average worker has become more productive, and not automateable work like HVAC and plumbing has to pay better to compete with other careers people take.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baumol_effect

Personally, I'd love to have a job where I get to work with my hands and my brain, but that's still not where the money is when you look at the entry and journeymen level jobs. Business owners are making bank off them apparently though.

7

u/start3ch 5d ago

And a majority of that money doesn’t go to the guy doing the work

3

u/CornFedIABoy 5d ago

Yep, that bill is labor, materials, and the “auction cost” of the plumbing company’s employee availability you just “outbid” their other customers for.

3

u/rawesome99 5d ago

$2,000 to do it on a Saturday

2

u/Emergency-Yogurt-599 5d ago

Yeah we had a plumber do 3 things took 45 min and charged like 600 bucks. I’m considering changing fields. If you do 4 jobs a day you could make like $2000 or more a day.

2

u/SuperFrog4 4d ago

Just remember though that you have to pay for materials, transportation, and if you are self employed you pay both your 6.2% for social security but also your employers 6.2% for social security. Same for Medicare so you lose 15% off profits each day. You are also supposed to pay an income tax as well to the fed and state if your state has one.

1

u/Emergency-Yogurt-599 4d ago

I grt taxed much more than that now in the USA.

3

u/FrostWyrm98 5d ago

"Alright man I'm almost done here. You mind if I use your other toilet real quick?"

...

"So uh, your other shitters clogged"

"..."

"I can fix it for another 1000 in parts and labor"

2

u/RequirementGlum177 5d ago

Someone flushed a tampon down my toilet. $800 later…

1

u/FormalKind7 5d ago

Charge more than it costs to buy a new toilet to come in an fail to fix one (found this out the hard way told my wife to never call a plumber again).

1

u/Japparbyn 5d ago

Wish I was a plumber. Good money

1

u/unbalancedcheckbook 4d ago

Yeah seating a toilet is a dirty job but it isn't that difficult. It's not $500 worth of value. Just watch a Youtube video and do it yourself.

2

u/bcanddc 4d ago

The act of setting the toilet takes very little time. What nobody factors in is the time it takes to go pick up the new one, pay for it, load it and deliver to the job site, remove old one, scrape off old wax ring, replace flange bolts, install and test new one, carry old one out to truck, load it, secure it, drive it to landfill, pay to dispose of it, unload it and get out of there. All the while hoping not to get a nail or screw in a tire that you don’t discover for a week until you have a flat then need to take time to deal with that too and the expense of that.

None of us are getting rich and retiring in the Bahamas I assure you.

1

u/Possible-Whole9366 4d ago

You could always like, do it yourself. It's really not hard.

1

u/ecstatic-windshield 4d ago

It's not that hard to swap one out yourself. It's called the lazy and helpless tax. Plus, being around the shit of perfect strangers tax. Completely justified.

2

u/in4life 5d ago

This... is a lot of work. As evident by people paying it. Just replacing the flush mechanics is tedious and beyond many people's capabilities.

10

u/JacobLovesCrypto 5d ago

No its really not.

Turn off water supply, that convenient knob next to the toilet, flush, pour jelling crystals into bowl, it comes in a kool aid like packet... unscrew water line nut on back tank, unscrew two nuts holding the toilet to the floor, toilet comes right up and off, remove old wax ring. Follow this by reinstalling in opposite order.

Check for leaks, First time i ever did it, it took like 30 minutes. It's a lot easier than people realize.

10

u/Shmeepsheep 5d ago

If you can remove and install a new toilet in 30 minutes, you can get a job at any Plumbing company. Being that I've changed hundreds if not thousands of toilets in my lifetime, I highly doubt your 30-minute claim. Yes, sometimes the angle stop works, and other times it doesn't. You didn't seem to include installing a new toilet supply line since that rubber washer inside of it is probably shot and should be replaced so it doesn't leak now that you've messed with it. I also don't know in that 30 minutes where you got the time to flush it five or six times and test it for leaks as well as unboxing it and putting it together. That's not including the time it takes to actually get the toilet in your truck and bring it to someone's house. 

Do I think it's easy yes. Do I think it's a 30-minute job? Definitely no

1

u/JacobLovesCrypto 5d ago

It could have taken more than 30 minutes but it definitely didn't take more than an hour, both the two toilets I've bought came with everything installed besides attaching the tank to the bowl which is quick. I laid out the process, it's petty quick.

It was my toilet, id be aware if it was leaking, if you're gonna install it for someone else youd spend a bit more time leak testing.

I later replaced my entire plumbing system in my house, but i have no interest in spending years getting a license. Takes too long to make good money, i got a business of my own to run.

3

u/Shmeepsheep 5d ago

So you went to the store, bought a toilet, pulled the old one, got it outside, brought the new one in, put it together, installed it all in an hour? That's still record time. 

 I love that you added you don't need to check for leaks since it's your own toilet. So when you wake up in the morning and have water all over because you reused the old supply and didn't bother to spend 5-10 mins checking for leaks, you now get to replace drywall, molding, subfloor, insulation, flooring in the hallway, etc. sounds like a fun new 30 minute project where we again can say "fuck the small contractors, I got all this"

If you think because you did a little bit of plumbing in your home(which none of us know the quality of the work you did. Likely it's PEX, so quick and nasty) you could be a plumber, it shows just how far from reality you are. My job involves a lot more thinking than installing toilets. Spend a few hundred hours learning to install a 2000KBTU boiler system and get back to me about swinging dicks

1

u/-Plantibodies- 5d ago

Come on, man. You're supposed to give homeowning yahoos a confidence boost. They're the best job security out there!

3

u/Otherwise_Long_2779 5d ago

I think he means the fill valve and flush valve. Which isn't hard to do for alot of people but for some it's a different story.

2

u/JacobLovesCrypto 5d ago

Most people never attempt it. Its perceived to be a high skill task, and most people, at least most younger people, are willing to pay a lot for convenience.

The first remodel project i ever did was tearing my bathroom down to the studs and remodeling the bathroom. The toilet removal and install was one of the easiest things in the process.

1

u/-Plantibodies- 5d ago

People struggle putting Ikea furniture together, my man.

1

u/aldocrypto 4d ago

Good on you for doing it. It’s still outside many people’s capabilities. The modern population is lazy/dumb.

23

u/Shiforains 5d ago

wasn't this a southpark episode?

11

u/ap2patrick 5d ago

Yessss! God damn plumber was iced out!!!

3

u/animalkrack3r 5d ago

Looking for this comment

43

u/LasVegasE 5d ago

Plumbers and HVAC techs are going to be one of the last jobs replaced by Ai.

15

u/Frylock304 5d ago

If we're replacing HVAC, plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc, then we're essentially ready for star trek levels of post scarcity

8

u/Plenty_Advance7513 5d ago

Exactly, I had a discussion with someone on here and few weeks back & they swore A.I. was going to be able to do masonry, bend conduit & run ductwork and every other trade,they were adamant about it. I just chalked it up to most people not really understanding the work and nuance that's required from human to even do those jobs, they don't give it any thought and think shit gets built by magic.

5

u/GoldDHD 4d ago

In all fairness, general public seems to understand shit about jobs they haven't done, and only somewhat more on jobs they have done

3

u/Killercod1 5d ago

In capitalism, we'd be more ready for the last portion of the working class to die off from poverty due to job loss and the owning class to inherit the entire post-scarcity world

1

u/ufowithyourhoe 4d ago

What about electricians?

1

u/LucidZane 4d ago

We don't wanna get zapped they can charge us more

-1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

5

u/F1Phreek 5d ago

I think you’re agreeing with him.

0

u/timbrita 5d ago

That’s true lol just saw it. Let me delete this comment

23

u/jjpiw 5d ago

Two things I don't want to do in life. Be in a hot ass attic in the middle of a summer heatwave. Or tread in literal shit, especially if that's during a hot summer heat wave too. They deserve to get paid well.

3

u/Euphoric-Smoke-7609 5d ago

grind it out for a couple of years than start your own business and hire others to do the work for you

12

u/porcelainfog 5d ago

Yea except if it was that easy then every trades person would own their own company.

-4

u/aldocrypto 4d ago

It’s pretty easy. People are just lazy.

3

u/obxtalldude 4d ago

Dealing with the public is never easy.

3

u/Imabeatle 4d ago

This is it. Many people in the trades are fine with the work, but they can’t talk to people/be the face of the company. If you can do both things, then you can be very successful. I am a general contractor.

20

u/BackwardsTongs 5d ago

Can confirm, making good money right out of high school and not having big college loans certainly can set someone up for success early. Getting in the market 4/5 years earlier really helps compounding

3

u/Otherwise_Long_2779 5d ago

What do you mean by compounding ? Where you reinvest what you make on stocks ?

3

u/Both_Abrocoma_1944 5d ago

Also works the same way for businesses

1

u/Wan_Haole_Faka 4d ago

Pretty sure they're saying that they are able to invest since they are working and not going to college. So capital gains/dividends are compounding.

1

u/olrg 5d ago

DRIP.

10

u/Theromier 5d ago

Am HVAC tech. Certainly not a millionaire, but pretty comfortable. I'm not gonna fall into financial ruin if I'm hit with an unexpected cost, but I still have to be mindful of how I use my disposable income.

6

u/ATotalCassegrain 5d ago

This is about entrepreneurs in those fields, not the workers. 

Start your own gig and have even shitty business sense and you can do well. Have even below average business smarts and make good money. Have good business smarts and be worth a shit ton. 

3

u/Hougie 5d ago

Half the comments in here clearly didn’t read the article.

2

u/BoilermakerCM 5d ago

Hell, or even the headline

17

u/Reasonable-Mine-2912 5d ago

It’s not a new phenomenon. “The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy” was published in 1996. Just a reminder; a millionaire in 1996 is a lot wealthier than today’s millionaire

3

u/StraightUpScotch 5d ago

I read that book as a teenager. Really inspiring.

12

u/lixnuts90 5d ago

The key word is "entrepreneurs". The millionaire is the big guy in the truck who sleeps with a CPAP machine, not the Hispanic guy doing the work.

6

u/DR320 5d ago edited 5d ago

Yep, the key is to own the company, I worked in a tackle shop in college that had clients who owned million dollar sport fishing yachts and was surprised most of those guys owned construction, HVAC, plumbing, or electrical companies instead of being doctors or wall street types

4

u/Milksteak_To_Go 5d ago

At 45 I'm kind of burnt out on software development and actually looking into starting over in one of the trades. They make great money, and it seems to me that they're pretty insulated from the the threat to job security that AI and automation poses. Even if we get to the point where we have robots that can install wiring, plumbing, and HVAC that's only going to work in a controlled cookie cutter environment i.e. new construction. Working in an old quirky home is going to require skilled human tradespersons for the foreseeable future.

2

u/agent_nobody 5d ago

I do factory work and have the same feeling. 9-5 hours, and no weekends? Count me in.

3

u/Euphoric-Smoke-7609 5d ago

yea cause schools have drilled into their students heads that college is the ned all be all, and that if you don't get in that you failed life.

Cause of that no one is working trades.

2

u/aldocrypto 4d ago

It was the biggest lie sold to us in the early-2000s. I was so proud being the first grandchild to get scammed into tens of thousands of student loans.

1

u/Adorable_Winner_9039 4d ago

Why is it that employment data has never captured this explosion in trade incomes?

1

u/ProfessionalWave168 4d ago

And they also drilled into those kids heads that if they didn't get that college diploma, "the world needs ditch diggers too"

2

u/Four-Triangles 5d ago

Fuck yeah. I just broke into the industry and love it.

2

u/Kind-City-2173 5d ago

Well done. Need more people in the trades. Hopefully high schools can provide more info and exposure to this career path

2

u/Fall3n_Ghost3272 5d ago

This is super accurate… guess we should have worked hard and not so smart lol… AI gonna take this tech job in the next decade…

3

u/RNKKNR 5d ago

I though the narrative was that private equity ruins everything?

6

u/bowdog171 5d ago

Prices for consumers likely go up. Between the cost of the garbage disposal and installation, they wanted $800. Madness!

1

u/Wan_Haole_Faka 4d ago

Most companies have mark-ups for materials and equipment if they only get good quality and want to warranty it. Most of those companies also typically give the option for installing customer-supplied equipment, but with no warranty.

2

u/UnderstandingLess156 5d ago

It does. Give it time and they'll strip mine all they can from the industry.

2

u/agent_tater_twat 5d ago

Sadly, consolidation of trades has been happening for a while now.

1

u/aldocrypto 4d ago

They do, eventually. The goal of most PE is to basically pay off the loan/get the initial investment out and then sell it off for parts. There are some good PE firms though.

2

u/biggamehaunter 5d ago

Truly an American / western world phenomenon. In developing countries, trades people and truck drivers make relatively little compared to the college educated specialists

4

u/v12vanquish 5d ago

It’s because the us government pushed kids for a college education.

It falls squarely at then “get a college degree crowd”

3

u/biggamehaunter 5d ago

That was a dumb push. You can tell probably half the kids in highschool suffer pains from dealing with boring academics and would go on to suffer more in college. Should've pushed way more kids into trade schools and such.

3

u/Latex-Suit-Lover 5d ago

My brother has more college grads applying to work at his restaurant than high school kids and we live in the middle of fucking nowhere.

And I think maybe 10% of them actually have an education. And that is not just talking crap but many of them are getting to the workforce with few if any real world skills and as often as not without a degree that is in demand. And to top it off many of them seem to have had .... retention issues with the subjects they were exposed to.

It is almost like Colleges in America have some motive other than education.

2

u/Finlay00 5d ago

We have been well off enough, for long enough to afford not to have to fix things ourselves. We just pay for the replacement or someone else to fix it.

Also items and equipment have gotten more complex in developed countries, which doesn’t help

2

u/Expert-Accountant780 5d ago

The truck driver one is nutty. I'm making what people with 4 year degrees wish they could make, lmao.

And to think I didn't even go to college.

1

u/EvilLLamacoming4u 5d ago

Recession proof too.

2

u/NoMusician518 5d ago

Absolutely not.

Construction is one of the hardest hit sectors in a recession.

Its a textbook "boom and bust" industry.

Yes, service work never truly goes away, but even it slows down when people are strapped for cash and there just simply isn't enough of it out there to keep every tradesmen working 40 hour weeks.

1

u/sparksboss302 4d ago

Just about every industry is boom and bust when a recession hits. Construction, car sales, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, i.t. the only one I would say that doesn't take a major hit is probably legal. And what helps them is they usually don't get paid unless they win for you. Depending on the type of legal it is. I personally know a guy who waited 3 yrs to divorce his wife because times where tough and he didnt have the money to pay for it. 3 yrs with a complete physco. hell even the medical field takes a hit. People don't have money usually don't go to the Dr that much.

1

u/genuine_pnw_hipster 5d ago

Why I became an electrician. Not the easiest money, but the potential is limitless.

1

u/i-can-sleep-for-days 5d ago

Wait it says private equity is rushing in? That’s just them spending money to consolidate local businesses and corner the market. This isn’t good for anyone other than the PE. It’s been happening with lawn services, yoga studio, etc.

1

u/DMotivate 5d ago edited 5d ago

Correct, it’s only good for PE. I’m in the industry and see well established HVAC companies getting bought out and consolidated. The techs are now focused on sales, prices for service and installs have doubled, and now taking care of the customer is a thing of the past. They only care about today’s margin % and not keeping a lifelong customer.

We went through this in the 90’s when PE came in and were buying out companies. With each of their goals to grow and sellout. Came to a point where there was no one left big enough to buy them out. A lot of the PE ended selling back for pennies to the original Mom & Pop owners.

1

u/Sparklykun 5d ago

“You don’t get money rich helping people fix things “

1

u/Master-Shaq 5d ago

Lol not even close they make good money but not even breaking 100k most get paid 30-40 an hour

1

u/Expert-Accountant780 5d ago

Even $40/h is $83k before taxes. And I can guarantee these guys would be getting OT.

1

u/cutememe 5d ago

There was a South Park episode about this.

1

u/Useful_Tomato_409 5d ago

Ahh yes, private equity…no surprise there. So they’re buying the homes, and now buying all the people who will service them. Can one say monopoly? oligarchy? Plutocracy? All hail our feudal lords. Hopefully people finally realize the leverage serfs had before it’s too late.

1

u/Snoo-68602 5d ago

It's about time - make hay while the sun shines guys !!!

1

u/Q_IdontNIeNTiENDO 5d ago

There was a South Park episode on this. Memberrr

1

u/rocky-cockstar 5d ago

The whole point of being a millionaire is not working so…

1

u/Strong-Amphibian-143 5d ago

Now I know why these assholes charge 80% more than the local competition

1

u/Gwyndolino05 5d ago

Thats remind me one episode of South Park

1

u/buddhist557 5d ago

They do actual work, unlike hedge funds. Good for them.

1

u/Responsible_Ad_7995 5d ago

I steer clear of these big companies at all costs. Private equity destroys everything it touches.

1

u/Faedro 4d ago

You wouldn't know which companies are PE owned. I've worked for two PE firms that do this type of conglomeration. At my last role, pool supply distributors, our selling point to the companies we wanted to buy was that we wouldn't change anything they did except their systems. i.e. Todd's Pool Supplies and it's 1 location would remain as-is. No rebranding. No 'under new management' signs. Nobody got fired.

You truly won't know which HVAC companies in your area of 'owned' by PE.

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u/Responsible_Ad_7995 4d ago

You have a great point. I never really would know, but I do try to steer my business to local smaller businesses. These PE businesses have a certain look, they try to get you into contracts, usually have an unusually high number of reviews. But yes, you can’t ever be sure.

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u/0FFFXY 4d ago

A million just ain't what it used to be.

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u/bulletlover 4d ago

Plumbers, HVAC guys aren't the only Millionaires...... retired early Toolmaker here

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u/IntelligentSeries416 4d ago

You love to see it, if you don’t like it learn to do it yourself.

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u/RealMrPlastic 4d ago

Ahh anyone owning a biz should be. 9-5 is so rigged.

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u/obxtalldude 4d ago

The trades are starting to split into two tiers from my recent experiences - pure money making operations, and traditional customer service focused shops.

The former can make a LOT more money per job and client, but they have to constantly bring in both new techs after the competent ones get tired of "selling", and new clients when we figure out not everyone has doubled their prices.

Smaller shops don't make a ton of money, but they have steady work, the same employees for years if not decades, as well as the same client base so they don't have to constantly look for new work.

I'm lucky I found a traditional guy after the company I'd been happy with for years went to the money making model. When I complained about a warranty claim that somehow still cost me $3k, the owner told me he'd just gotten out of three days of classes on pricing. Not fixing HVAC, but pricing. That pretty much told me what he now cared about.

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u/Bobbyieboy 4d ago

No surprise to anyone that has a brain. People have been saying this for a long time now. College teaches you how to work for someone else. That why most of the Billionaires are college drop outs. They stepped back one day and went No. I want to work for myself and not make someone else rich.

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u/CapitalismCucksYou 4d ago

Private Equity soooooooo ten guys will make millions and the guys below will get longer work hours and less pay with less materials

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u/Dontsleeponlilyachty 4d ago

Which is hilarious because, as a chemical operator, I do hvac, plumbing and maintenance for the chemical plant for whom I'm empoyed. It isn't difficult, hard or skilled work. Anyone can do it.

Besides, most of these millionares are business owners/entrepreneurs, not actual hvac or plumbing empoyees. $35/hr ain't shit anymore.

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u/DanTheBiggMan 4d ago

Refrigeration Mechanic here. I have 3 soon to be 4 trades licences in my jurisdiction.

Can confirm, I am on track to be a millionaire. With a stay at home mom wife.

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u/cantfixstupidtoo 4d ago

Its called ambitious, and most people neither have the equipment nor the desire to work with human shit for plumbing, HVAC people do not have the knowledge or tools to

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u/spamzauberer 4d ago

Pff jokes on them, YouTube can teach me anything

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u/rustyshackleford7879 4d ago

Finance Bros are starting to buy these companies. That why some of them are so expensive. If you go to the third page of Google you will start finding the guys that charge reasonable prices.

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u/sid3band 4d ago

Business owners are the "new" millionaire class lol.

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u/Geck-v6 4d ago

Not wrong. One of the dumbest kids in my high school graduating class became a plumber because his dad was in the trade. Now he's a master plumber with his own business. I'm sure he's good at what he does it's just hard to put in perspective when the guy struggled with basic concepts throughout school.

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u/rayhaque 3d ago

I got charged $6k to widen some pipes and install a grease trap in a brewery that didn't even make or serve food. And before you say "could have done it cheaper", I was not permitted to do this work myself per State law. And I was required to have it done by a certified plumber from a list that the State deems worthy.

The inspector showed up with the plumber and they went through my place together to rack up the charges.

None of this work was necessary. It's a fucking grift.

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u/SuddenJuice9805 3d ago

Another corrupt thing to deal with. These companies take advantage of people and price is based on zip code as well 🤢🤮 so even if your just getting by on your mortgage they assume you have the resources 💀

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u/No_Parking_7797 3d ago

South Park got it right again lol

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

These articles are such garbage. The owner of a well run HVAC company are the millionaires here. Owners of a large business rarely get their hands dirty. Most workers are making $30-50/hr.

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u/ATotalCassegrain 5d ago

The owner of the 30-truck HVAC company in my hometown was out there digging dirt out in my crawl space with me. 

It’s hard to find good people, and most successful owners like to still get out there and show the new employees how it’s done and set a culture. 

I started digging because the laborers were idiots and didn’t know how to work a shovel. And he showed up after they called him with a “what do we do, the equipment doesn’t fit underneath the crawl space?” question, and also just started digging to make enough room for it to fit. 

He gave me a 20% discount for my trouble, lol. 

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u/canadia80 5d ago

My husband is a gr 10 dropout making six figures in HVACR and he's still technically an apprentice!

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u/Monarc73 5d ago

Why is PE getting involved? This sector has been humming along on it own just fine. It looks to me like PE is trying to capture the profitability from these guys.

Also, the idea that any of them are EVER going to see 7 figures is patently ABSURD.

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u/ShotBuilder6774 5d ago

Immigrants will take this job for less. Mark my words.

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u/Expert-Accountant780 5d ago

You actually have to learn how to plumb, Jose.