He Beat Cancer And Says Most Owners Are Selling For The Wrong Reasons | Michael Werner

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Michael Werner has lived several business lifetimes: Goldman Sachs M&A, president of Werner Ladder at $500 million plus, the Gerber turnaround from $100 million to $700 million, and founder of HomeX, where he sold Schedule Engine to ServiceTitan for nine figures. Twenty years ago, doctors told him he had about four years left. In this episode, he and Tommy break down private equity done right, why ownership changes how people work, the three things that motivate every employee, and the four trends that will decide which home service companies survive the next decade.

Connect with Michael ⟶ michael@homex.com

-- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 --
00:00 - Introduction
02:02 - Why He Asks Everyone Their Origin Story
04:19 - Goldman's 15 Minute Rule
06:05 - Growing Werner Ladder Past $500 Million
08:49 - Too Entrepreneurial To Stay
12:07 - The Gerber Turnaround: $100M To $700M
14:30 - Satisfy Customers Or Delight Them?
19:41 - Trust, Time, Transparency: The HomeX Idea
23:30 - Why He Took A Minority Partner
29:09 - The Rental Car Ownership Test
32:29 - The Three Things That Motivate People
36:19 - Did The Trades Give Him Cancer?
38:53 - Hold The Mirror Up Before You Sell
42:39 - Never Say Retirement
47:15 - Four Trends That Decide Who Survives
50:33 - The David And Goliath Strategy
53:00 - Where He'd Put His Money
59:39 - The Death Sentence, In Full
1:02:10 - Long-Term Greedy: Final Advice

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