Welcome to Money Making Story,

Today, we’re thrilled to share the story of Stephen, who turned $12 and a bold decision into a $30 million home services empire.

In this discussion, we’ll discuss his:

• Top Advice

• From College Dropout to Entrepreneur

• Building a Business, One Door at a Time

• Hustle Meets Strategy

• Hustle Meets Strategy

• Maslow’s Hierarchy for Team Building

• Scaling Through Smart Franchising

• Crucial Steps to Business Success

• Creating an Unforgettable Customer Experience

• The Biggest Mistake That Loses Customers

• Leadership and the Role of Accountability

• Why It’s Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

• For Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• A Story Worth Reading

Top Advice:

“Relentless hustle, strategic partnerships, and an obsession with customer experience can turn a struggling startup into a thriving company.”

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Founded by entrepreneur Stephen, Resi Brands has grown into a 30-million-dollar revenue-generating home services empire in just three years. His vision was simple yet ambitious: build a trusted and scalable business model in the home services industry by providing high-quality, customer-centric services while helping franchisees achieve business success. Within just a year of franchising, Resi Brands had already crossed the 100-franchise milestone, highlighting both rapid expansion and strong market demand.

What makes Stephen’s journey truly remarkable is how he started with just $12 in his pocket and turned his struggle into a thriving business. By identifying key market gaps and filling them with precision, he created a brand resonating with homeowners nationwide. Leveraging his hands-on experience and relentless hustle, Stephen built a franchise model that empowers entrepreneurs while delivering exceptional service to customers, making Resi Brands one of the fastest-growing names in the home services industry today.

From College Dropout to Entrepreneur

At just 21 years old, Stephen had twelve dollars in his bank account and a vision. While doing subcontracting work pressure-washing homes, he realized he wanted to create something of his own. With no savings or safety net, he decided to leave his job and start his first painting business, One Painter.

His strategy was simple—hard work and persistence. By delivering quality service and immediately reaching out to neighbors, he gradually built a reputation that laid the foundation for what would later become a nationwide franchise network.

Building a Business, One Door at a Time

Determined to make things work, Stephen started knocking on doors until someone hired him. He took every opportunity to upsell his services and asked satisfied customers for referrals. His approach paid off. In his first year, he generated over $100,000 in revenue. Over the next few years, that number climbed to half a million.

One major turning point came when he realized he was spending too much time micromanaging. Instead of allowing his painters to do their jobs, he often took over. Learning to trust his team was a major step in scaling his business.

Hustle Meets Strategy

Stephen’s relentless effort paid off quickly. By knocking on doors and focusing on customer satisfaction, he was able to generate continuous business through referrals.

Over the first few years, his business grew steadily. In the first year, revenue surpassed $100,000. As he refined operations, he scaled to nearly half a million dollars in annual revenue. Implementing a CRM system, streamlining operations with standard procedures, and doubling his workforce allowed him to accelerate growth even further. By 2021, he transitioned to franchising, and within three years, Resi Brands had expanded to nearly 500 locations across multiple home service sectors.

From Painting to Franchising

After a decade of running a successful painting business, Stephen decided to franchise in 2021. In just three years, his company grew to nearly 500 franchise units across multiple home service brands, including painting, garage services, and window cleaning. Two more brands—a handyman service and a roofing concept—are now on the way.

Franchising, he realized, was the best way to scale. Rather than opening corporate locations himself, he saw an opportunity to empower others to own and operate their businesses under his brand. His inspiration came from reading The E-Myth, which convinced him that the best product isn’t the service itself—it’s the business model.

Maslow’s Hierarchy for Team Building

Scaling Through Smart Franchising

Stephen initially planned to expand by opening corporate-owned locations in various cities. After reading The E-Myth, he realized franchising offered a more effective approach. Instead of managing employees across multiple regions, he could empower others to build their own businesses using his established systems.

This strategy allowed rapid growth. Today, Resi Brands includes multiple service-based franchises, such as One Painter for painting, Garage Up for garage renovations and repairs, and Pinks for window cleaning, with additional ventures in handyman services and roofing on the horizon.

Crucial Steps to Business Success

Stephen attributes his success to what he calls the “5 R’s of Revenue”:

1. Real Estate Agents – Building relationships with realtors led to consistent referrals, as home painting and renovations are often needed when homes are bought or sold.

2. Referrals – Happy customers referred new ones, fueling his business’s growth without the need for paid advertising.

3. Repeat Business – Even though painting isn’t a recurring service, customers often need different areas of their home painted over time.

4. Reputation – Online reviews played a critical role in establishing trust and credibility.

5. Relationships – Never being afraid to take jobs from friends and family provided the initial customer base and necessary practice to perfect his service.

Creating an Unforgettable Customer Experience

Stephen believes that delivering high-quality service alone isn’t enough to ensure repeat business. To stand out, a company must create an experience that leaves a lasting impression.

One of his most memorable success stories involved painting an entire 40-home neighborhood. After completing a single job, he made small but meaningful improvements for the homeowner, like changing lightbulbs and caulking minor cracks, at no additional cost. The homeowner was so impressed that she introduced him to the neighborhood’s HOA president, leading to contracts for nearly every house in the community.

The Biggest Mistake That Loses Customers

One surprising lesson Stephen learned was that simply doing a good job isn’t enough to guarantee a five-star review. While customers are quick to leave one-star reviews for bad experiences, they don’t always think to leave a positive review for a great service—unless asked directly.

Stephen’s strategy? He texts customers a review link while still with them, asks them to open it, and walks them through leaving a review in real time. This hands-on approach has significantly increased his company’s online reputation.

For Stephen, closing sales requires consistency. His team follows a structured 21-touchpoint process to maintain communication with potential clients. They use methods such as double-dialing instead of leaving voicemails, immediately sending text messages and emails with updated quotes, and adjusting email subject lines to maintain engagement. The final follow-up explicitly states that the quote will no longer be valid, a tactic that frequently prompts hesitant customers to take action.

Leadership and the Role of Accountability

Stephen credits much of his success to learning strong leadership principles, particularly from his mentor, John Maxwell. One of the most valuable lessons he has applied is the importance of momentum and accountability in sustaining business growth.

Maintaining high expectations and holding both himself and his team accountable has been essential in building a successful and scalable business.

Overcoming Fear and Taking Risks

For those hesitant to leap into entrepreneurship, Stephen emphasizes that the regret of missed opportunities is far more costly than the risk of failure.

His experiences growing up as a missionary child, traveling to 27 countries before the age of 14, instilled in him the ability to adapt and embrace change. This mindset has been instrumental in making decisive moves and managing rapid expansion.

Standing Out in Sales and Customer Outreach

To avoid being ignored by potential customers, Stephen’s team takes a creative approach to follow-ups. They use humor and personalized messages, such as sending memes featuring ghosts to playfully remind clients not to disappear or delivering small gifts with notes like,

"I’m going nuts waiting to hear from you!"

These small efforts help his team maintain engagement and stand out from competitors.

The 21 Touchpoints

Stephen’s sales philosophy is aggressive but effective. His company follows a structured 21-touchpoint system to ensure that no lead goes cold:

• Double dial – Call a prospect twice in a row.

• Immediate follow-up – Send a text and email right after a missed call.

• Consistent touchpoints – Repeat the call, text, and email sequence seven times.

• Urgency in the final message – The seventh and final message informs the prospect that their price will no longer be valid if they don’t respond. This often triggers action from potential customers.

Why It’s Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

Stephen believes that marketing alone won’t make or break a business. Instead, he stresses the importance of delivering exceptional service first and using marketing as a tool to enhance an already strong foundation.

Instead of relying solely on digital advertising, he prioritizes a well-defined brand identity, an outstanding customer experience, and strong relationships that generate organic growth.

One of the biggest misconceptions in entrepreneurship, according to Stephen, is that marketing alone will make a business successful. While marketing is important, it’s not a substitute for exceptional service. A great brand, excellent customer service, and strong referrals will always outperform any ad campaign in the long run.

For Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Stephen has one piece of advice:

For Stephen, the greatest benefit of building a business is the autonomy it provides. Despite the challenges and long hours, he values the ability to control his time and future.

More About Stephen

For anyone considering entrepreneurship, Stephen’s story proves that even with just $12 in your pocket, the right mindset and hard work can turn it into millions.

From knocking on doors with only twelve dollars to leading a business empire generating $30 million in revenue, Stephen’s story is a testament to the power of determination, smart business strategies, and a relentless focus on customer relationships.

Final takeaway

Build a business that people truly need, create systems that allow for growth, and focus on leadership. Success isn’t about overnight wins—it’s about consistency, relationships, and always striving to improve.

A Story Worth Reading

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