Where Things Were Heading
When I sold Gaskets Rock in May 2015, I saw an opportunity to pivot into commercial real estate. My aim was to practice it alongside the advising and consulting work I’d already been doing with Palermo Business Solutions, this time more formally, with the hope that it’d eventually lead to business brokerage.
After I obtained my license, I began exploring other businesses and franchises that were for sale. Through that process, I developed the idea for HomeRun Maintenance, a one-stop shop for home repair services. With my connections in the real estate industry, we got busy fast.
The work in real estate fed the home repair business. Then those residential real estate leads evolved into small business leads for advising and for owners seeking to prepare their companies for sale. I started leveraging PBS to help them get ready for listing.
The Reset Button
But by summer 2017, I was burning out. Personal struggles and some health issues surfaced, and being pulled in multiple directions, HomeRun, real estate, PBS, I realized I wasn’t living on purpose anymore.
Everything had shifted to focus on things that didn’t truly matter to me deep down, things that didn’t serve a purpose and were not fulfilling. That’s not the person I aspired to be.
That fall, I picked up The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson. It’s not a business book, but it is about clarity. It’s about choosing what’s worth caring about and letting go of everything else. And at that moment, it hit me. I was spread thin, chasing too many things that didn’t matter to me. The book didn’t change my life, but it was the right read at the right time. It helped me name the tension I’d been avoiding, that I was living reactively, not intentionally. It gave language to what I was already feeling: that it was time to start living and working on purpose again.
I took a trip from North Carolina to visit a friend in Denver and a family member in Boulder. I fell in love with Boulder. After visiting Colorado, I took a business trip to Park City, UT. I also met with a friend in the Phoenix area, an ASU professor, with whom I discussed partnering on PBS and just exploring ideas. But really, I just needed to hit pause.
So, in December 2017, I relocated to Colorado.
Starting Over, Again
I took things slow in 2018. I picked up some light consulting work, which led to home repair work, which eventually turned into relaunching HomeRun Maintenance in Colorado. It wasn’t planned; it happened organically.
The work kept coming. I gave quotes, people accepted them, and the phone kept ringing.
But something was missing. I wasn’t interacting with people the way I was before with PBS. I missed that consulting energy, the sense of fulfillment that comes from helping business owners and teams. It was clear to me that I’m wired to be helpful. To offer real solutions to people working through real challenges. That’s always been my sweet spot.
Going Back to My Roots
I kept tabs on the automotive collision industry, given my extensive background in the field. Around this time, I noticed a major merger happening between two of the big players. One had a strong focus on culture, while the other was known for its tight processes. Those two things —culture and process —are where I’ve always felt most at home.
Even though I’d been doing a lot of financial consulting through QuickBooks, what really moved me was the culture side. That came from my own personal development, my coaching background, and my interest in emotional wellness. And few industries need cultural work more than the collision repair industry.
So, I reached out to learn more about the merger, and it felt like a place I could make an impact. I re-entered the industry and helped open the first joint shop in Denver.
Hitting a Wall
But it didn’t take long to realize the issues were worse than I remembered. Trust was low. Communication was poor. Follow-through was shaky. Ego got in the way of accountability. Core principles were more decoration than practice.
Every time revenue took precedence, values got tossed aside. It wore on me.
I made a few internal moves, trying to find where I could be most useful. But by summer 2019, after less than two years, I resigned again. And this time, the focus was clear: rebuild PBS.
Laying the Foundation Again
I centered PBS on the four core areas I’d learned mattered most through all my ventures: culture, operations, sales, and financial management. These were my strengths. We formalized the model, and in the summer of 2019, a new version of PBS was born.
Soon after, I was recruited by a colleague to join a collision company in Maryland. They saw the results I’d been getting. I agreed to the role on one condition: that I could practice the PBS model internally, starting with culture as the foundation. They needed it. SOPs were lacking. No employee manual. They had grown but didn’t have the infrastructure to scale.
So, I said yes.
Testing the Model in Real Time
I moved to Maryland in fall 2020 and hit the ground running. On day one, I knew how steep the climb would be. My first location was in inner-city Baltimore, and the environment was rough.
Still, I trusted the COO I was working with. We shared values, and I believed in the mission. We were making progress, but it was clear the trust we were trying to build had never existed to begin with.
We started making progress on SOPs, manuals, and trust-building, but it was slow and uphill. Then the COO left for Tesla, taking some of our strongest people with him.
Now I had more influence, but also more visibility.
When Growth Isn’t the Goal
Eventually, the company was sold to a private equity–backed firm. More growth, faster scaling, more pressure. But it wasn’t aligned with how I wanted to lead.
I’m a small business guy. I believe in small business. These big rollups and corporate giants? Not for me.
So, I resigned.
Around the same time, a potential partner emerged, an accountant who believed in the PBS model. We began offering more comprehensive accounting and bookkeeping services. They were supposed to head up that department. We added 10–12 new services.
But the partnership didn’t work out. We added clients, and I ended up becoming the accountant.
And that was never the vision.
Back Where It All Started
I moved back to North Carolina and got involved with an old employee who became a friend, and he started his own company in the commercial refrigeration gasket industry. Some real estate friends encouraged me to reenter that space. Others asked if I’d bring back HomeRun Maintenance.
I planned to focus on PBS, but some old contacts needed help. I took on a few jobs, and before long, HomeRun was back up and running. Organically. Again.
The demand was there, and I showed up. I was filling a need, not a passion.
Next up: Blog 3 – A Full Stop in Hawaii
