I ask every shop owner I talk to: where did your last paying job come from? Google? Referral? A yard sign? LSA? Nextdoor? Most people pause before answering. And that pause is expensive. If you don't know where your jobs are coming from, you're guessing with your marketing budget. Drop it below. Where did your last paying job actually come from?

We want to learn more about your challenges in 2026.

I am building a new classroom module on HVAC emails. Specifically, the ones designed to bring customers back. Most of these emails are boring, and they go straight to the trash. I want to fix that. Send me your current templates. I will rewrite them using tactics that actually get opens and bookings. @BreAnna Singleton @Christopher Evans @Alan Hickox @Jason Kihlstadius You get a free expert rewrite. I get to use the "Before and After" as a lesson in the course.

I'm not in the field, so I rely on news, reports, and my clients. Here's what I've got so far: In 2025, we had plenty of reasons for bad numbers. - We had the refrigerant transition. - We had a canister shortage that stopped installations. - We had a short cooling season. Trane’s leadership confirmed that two of those three problems won't happen again in 2026. And yet? They still predict a flat market. That is the worrying part. Even without the supply chain BS, the organic demand just isn't there yet to support a full recovery. We're exiting 2025 well below the typical replacement pace. Plan this quarter and maybe longer with a budget for stability. Look for opportunities that are low risk / low investment. What has your experience been like and how are you planning right now?

I've been using Perplexity AI instead of Google for quick research, and it's been pretty helpful. It gives you AI-generated answers but shows you the sources with clickable links, so you can verify where the information came from. It's like if ChatGPT and Google had a baby. The free version has unlimited searches. You get 5 "Pro" searches per day that use more advanced AI if you need deeper answers. Hope this helps!