$1.3M Home Service Business Added Another $1M in 12 Months
$1.3M Home Service Business Added Another $1M in 12 Months
Growing a home service business past the million-dollar mark is no small feat. But scaling from $1.3 million to $2.3 million in just one year? That requires a fundamental shift in mindset, leadership, and execution.
In a recent conversation, with Kevin McCarthy, owner of Legacy Wardrobes & Closets in Philadelphia, to unpack exactly how he made that leap, and what other home service business owners can learn from it.
Meet Kevin McCarthy and Legacy Wardrobes & Closets
Kevin is the founder of Legacy Wardrobes & Closets, a Philadelphia-based company specializing in custom closets, wardrobes, and home storage solutions. While the business has been operating in its current form for about five years, Kevin’s journey started long before that.
Like many owners in the trades, Kevin didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. He was a skilled tradesman who struck out on his own out of necessity, working full-time, taking side jobs at night and on weekends, and doing whatever it took to support his family.
I didn’t even know I was an entrepreneur, Kevin shared. I just had to work and make money.
The Grind to the First Million
For years, Kevin lived in what many home service owners know all too well: the grind.
He hired helpers, scaled up briefly, then fell back down to doing everything himself, sales, admin, estimating, and production. Rinse and repeat. By the time the business approached $1 million in revenue, it was clear the model was unsustainable.
“I realized I was never going to get out of that grind if I kept doing what I was doing,” Kevin said.
That realization led him to hire a business coach, his first major turning point.
Learning to Be a Business Owner (Not Just a Craftsman)
One of Kevin’s biggest early wake-up calls? Learning what gross profit actually was.
His old mindset was simple: If there’s not enough money in the bank account, I need to work more hours. Through coaching, goal setting, and frameworks like EOS, Kevin began to understand the difference between working in the business and working on the business.
He also did something many owners skip entirely: he started setting specific goals.
Not vague goals like “grow 20%,” but concrete ones:
- Exact revenue targets
- Required number of estimates
- Close rates needed to hit those numbers
That clarity became a foundation for growth.
The Hardest Shift: Letting Go of Control
When Kevin and our team first met, he was doing everything, answering phones, running estimates, managing the shop, and putting out fires.
At around $1–$1.3 million, that can still work. At $2–$3 million, it breaks.
“The hustler has to die, and the leader has to be born.”
For Kevin, this was deeply personal. His identity was tied to being the craftsman, the hardest-working person in the room, first in and last out. Stepping back felt wrong.
But growth demanded it.
Hiring (and Mis-Hiring) Salespeople
One of the biggest bottlenecks between $1–$2 million is sales. Owners are often the best salesperson, but that’s also what keeps them stuck.
Kevin’s first attempt at hiring a salesperson didn’t go well.
“We had no system,” he admitted.
“Come with me on some estimates. Watch how I do it.”
The result? A painful learning experience and a brief retreat back into doing all sales himself.
But Kevin didn’t quit.
On his second attempt, he hired a true A-player, and it changed everything. That hire helped fuel 40–50% year-over-year growth for multiple years in a row.
Today, Kevin is taking hiring more seriously, including:
- Personality assessments (Predictive Index)
- More intentional screening
- A growing focus on systems over heroics
Building a People-First Business
One of the most profound mindset shifts Kevin made was realizing:
“I’m not in the closet business anymore. I’m in the people business.”
That meant:
- Hiring people who wanted to build something, not just collect a paycheck
- Investing in culture and communication
- Empowering managers to make decisions without him
A major win? Kevin’s install manager recently hired a new installer without Kevin needing to step in at all.
That was huge,Kevin said. That’s what real growth looks like.
Culture, Meetings, and Letting Go of the Ego
Meetings used to feel too corporate to Kevin. Now, they’re non-negotiable.
Every Monday, the team meets to:
- Review last week’s projects
- Talk openly about what went wrong and what went right
- Give installers and shop staff a real voice
This transparency builds ownership, and creates a culture that’s largely self-policing.
“If someone doesn’t fit our values, the team knows it right away,” Kevin explained.
Leveraging Content to Drive Trust and Leads
Long before working with us, Kevin leaned into Instagram as a marketing channel, and it paid off.
Simple before-and-after posts turned into a powerful flywheel:
- People see the work
- They engage with the brand
- They become customers
- Their projects become new content
More recently, Kevin has shifted toward story-driven content, shop tours, behind-the-scenes moments, and growth milestones.
“It’s emotional,” he said. “And people feel that.”
Radical Transparency with Pricing
Another major growth lever was implementing a pricing calculator on the website.
Instead of hiding prices, Kevin chose transparency:
- Customers get a realistic ballpark upfront
- Lead quality improves dramatically
- Time isn’t wasted on poor-fit prospects
“It’s a buffer,” Kevin explained.
“Is this right for them? Is it right for us?”
The result: better leads, better conversations, and a smoother customer journey.
The Real Secret: Asking for Help
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Kevin’s story is this:
Growth accelerated when ego stepped aside.
Kevin credits much of his success to partnerships, with vendors, his business coach, and our team at Phlash.
“I was always the guy who did everything himself,” he said.
“Letting go and asking for help was the most important thing I did.”
Final Thoughts
Kevin’s journey from tradesman to CEO wasn’t about a single tactic. It was about:
- Releasing control
- Building people and systems
- Setting real goals
- Choosing partners over vendors
- Leading instead of hustling
And most importantly, deciding he was done suffering.
If you’re a home service business owner stuck between $1–$2 million, Kevin’s story proves there is a way through the swamp, and the other side is worth it.