Episode Details

In this episode, Chris welcomes back the legendary Ken Goodrich, founder of Goettl and now the force behind Generator Partners and the Kenerator brand — “your personal power plant.” Ken dives deep into the current home services landscape, the evolving generator market, and why he believes the next big wave for contractors is already here.

From navigating uncertain economic times to the power of brand storytelling, this conversation is packed with insights from one of the trades’ most experienced leaders. Ken shares how he’s applying decades of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical knowledge to an entirely new industry — and how business owners can position themselves for growth even in tough markets.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• How Ken scaled during past recessions and his advice for thriving in tough markets
• Why the generator market is the “next HVAC” opportunity for contractors
• The story behind the Kenerator and its emotional brand strategy
• How AI, energy insecurity, and the aging power grid are reshaping home services
• Building and executing a thousand-day plan for business success
• Lessons in leadership, systems, and scaling from one of the best in the industry

🕒 Timecodes

00:00 – Welcome back, Ken Goodrich

04:00 – Market outlook: 2025–2026 and what contractors should prepare for

07:00 – How Ken grew during recessions by pushing forward, not pulling back

10:00 – Introducing the Kenerator and the personal power plant concept

17:00 – Why Ken moved from HVAC to generators — and what he saw coming

22:00 – The rise of home energy independence and the generator boom

27:00 – Systems, processes, and the “thousand-day plan”

33:00 – Retail vs. relationship sales in the trades

39:00 – Using AI for business and process building

46:00 – Selling the unseen: how to market products customers don’t know they need

50:00 – The wave of private equity in home services

53:00 – How roofing, HVAC, and generators are intersecting industries

1:00:00 – Final insights from Ken and closing thoughts

🔗 Resources & Mentions

• Kenerator — https://kenerator.com
• TradeEngage: https://www.tradeengage.com/
• Follow Ken Goodrich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-d-goodrich-ba580427/
• Listen to more To The Point episodes: https://rynoss.com/podcast/

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Rilla: https://www.rilla.com/tothepoint

Chiirp: https://chiirp.com/

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com/ryno/

Bluon: https://www.bluon.com/get-demo?referral_code=ToThePoint

Avoca.ai: https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

💬 Join the Conversation

If you got value from this episode, drop a comment with your biggest takeaway!

👍 Like the video, 🔔 subscribe for more real-world home service insights, and share this episode with someone in the trades who needs to hear it.