The One About Selling, Scaling, and Starting Again with Jamie Gerdsen | Ep. 24
Jamie Gerdsen, founder of G5 Ventures, shares his path from third-generation HVAC roots to sales leadership, business ownership, private equity, and building his next chapter with G5 Ventures. We dig into what actually drives growth in the trades: hiring, lead flow, culture, cash flow, and putting people first.
Jamie also breaks down why great sales still comes back to trust and follow-up, what owners underestimate about scaling, lessons from a near payroll crisis, and why he ultimately chose Main Street entrepreneurship over corporate life.
Timestamps
00:00 – Opening and women in the trades 01:52 – Why technicians underestimate business ownership 04:07 – Jamie’s third-generation HVAC roots 07:18 – Residential sales and lead generation 09:32 – Building a systematic sales process 13:42 – Hunger, responsibility, and sales performance 15:06 – Authenticity and trust in selling 18:12 – Making it easier for customers to buy 21:55 – Growing up in the trades 24:36 – Hiring, apprenticeships, and scaling 29:11 – Fixing culture and putting employees first 33:04 – Leadership lessons from rowing 36:51 – The cash flow scare 38:50 – Why Jamie sold his company 41:45 – Moving into private equity and Turnpoint 45:40 – Launching G5 49:44 – From operator to systems architect 53:24 – Why perceptions of the trades are changing 59:06 – G5’s five-year vision 63:03 – Wealth, freedom, and defining “rich”
65:11 – Advice for young people 68:12 – Giving back and learning from failure 69:24 – Apprenticeships and the future of the trades 72:16 – Closing remarks
Connect with Jamie Website: https://g5ventures.com/ https://www.jamiegerdsen.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiegerdsen/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/g5ventures/
Connect with us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebluecollarrecruiter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbcr_vts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-blue-collar-recruiter-virtual-trade-school
Have a question, an idea for the show or know someone we should have on? Reach out, we’d love to hear from you!
Key topics
· Why field experience alone doesn’t prepare you to run a business
· Old-school sales habits that still work: curiosity, objection handling, notes, and follow-up
· Why authenticity beats pushing the most expensive option
· Hiring ahead of growth and building a people-first culture
· The cash flow mistake that nearly created a payroll crisis
· Lessons from selling his company and moving into private equity
· Why Jamie returned to entrepreneurship and launched G5
· The growing career opportunity in the skilled trades
· Building businesses that create long-term opportunity for employees and families