The One Mindset Shift That Separates Good Operators From Great Ones
5/22/20261 hr 5 min
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John Block didn't build Unity Partners by being the smartest guy in the room. He built it by making sure he never was. As the founder of one of the fastest-growing private equity firms in home services, John has a framework that most operators never hear — and it has nothing to do with hustle, willpower, or grinding harder than everyone else.
In this episode, John breaks down why chasing revenue is the wrong game, what private equity actually looks for before acquiring a home service company, and the one mindset shift that separates operators who plateau from those who build something that lasts.
If you're running a home service business and you feel like you've hit a ceiling
— this episode is the reason why, and exactly what to do about it. What you'll learn:
— Why being the dumbest person in the room is the smartest move you can make
— The difference between building bigger and building better
— and why it matters
— What PE firms actually measure beyond EBITDA
— The "who not how" principle and how to apply it to your team right now
— Why most operators overestimate what they'll do in a year and underestimate the hockey stick
-- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 --
00:00 - Introduction
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJohn Block· Guest0:00
Just know you should be the dumbest guy in the room. If you wanna be a constant learner and thinking about your future self, you really start to hang around with the best people. You put yourself in the right rooms all the time. How do people think about sharing success broadly? And it's, it's both financial, but when you're in a meeting with someone, are they hogging the ball? Was it all I's, all me's, or are they a we person? That's abundance. That's that kind of concept of being broader. Those are things that we look for that show up in small subtle ways when you spend time with people. Those are the characteristics that I think can take a business from 100 of revenue to a billion of revenue and beyond, like people that think that way.
Tommy Mello· Host0:36
[upbeat music] Welcome back to the Home Service Expert. Today I got John Block visiting us from Dallas. He's an expert in private equity sales business, and he is the founder and CEO of Unity Partners. John is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Unity Partners, a principle-based private equity firm focused on partnering with businesses to accelerate growth while creating value for all the stakeholders. He's a dedicated family man with a third baby on the way, and he's a runner and a passionate cook who values time spent creating and connecting with loved ones.
John Block· Guest1:12
I'm one of the lucky ones today and always. Glad to be here. Uh, you said it, I've got my third on the way, which puts me in the camp of, uh, perpetually lucky as I wake up every day and see my, my two, soon to be three little ones, and have an awesome team of people I'm surrounded with day in and day out at work, something I'm sure you can relate to.