Dear Reader,

I spent a full day at the table with Jayni Fontaine and her daughter Danielle before we ever turned on a microphone. Danielle had the spreadsheets out. She knew every number by heart. Somewhere on that day, I stopped seeing a mother and daughter and started seeing two halves of one very good operator.

Jayni is the owner, and she sees ten steps ahead. She runs the worst-case scenario, pokes holes in it, and decides if she can live with the downside before she takes the risk. Danielle jokes with the office about it… “she’s right again.” Not luck. Just the quiet work of thinking it all the way through.

Danielle is the other half. She runs the company as general manager. Analytical, relentless, the kind of mind that needs a problem or goes looking for one. Jayni brings the idea. Danielle figures out how to build it.

Danielle named something most owners and managers will never say out loud. The better she gets at delegating, the less stimulated she feels. She misses the doing. She was the one with her hands in everything, the long list she worked through herself, and now the job is asking her to hand that list to other people… and trust them with it.

I have watched a hundred owners hit that wall. It does not feel like growth. It feels like loss.

In this episode, we talk about what it costs to work with the people you love, how Jayni learned to be hard on her daughter without breaking her, and the day your job stops being “what did I get done” and becomes “what did my team get done.”

We talk about hiring people better than you. A 13,000 square foot building that used to be a Goodwill, about to become a growth center. Twelve employees to fifty, $3.6 million to fifteen, in four short years.

But the lesson underneath it all is this. You do not scale by doing more. You scale by becoming a multiplier. The great technician runs three calls a day. The great leader oversees eighty. Same person. Different identity.

If you are the owner who still does everything… this one is for you.

Todd Liles

Ready to make the shift from doer to multiplier?

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In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why “the more I delegate, the less I feel stimulated” is the wall every owner hits — and how to get through it without going backward into the work
The multiplier shift that changes everything at your level — moving from “what did I accomplish today?” to “what did my team accomplish?” (a great tech runs 2–3 calls a day; a great leader oversees 40–80)
How to run a risky decision the way Jayni does — playing out the worst case fully, before you commit, so the risk stops feeling like a gamble
What it actually takes to work with family in the business — holding someone to a higher standard behind closed doors while protecting the relationship
Why hiring people better than you is the fastest path to growth — how the confidence to hire talented people took them from 12 employees to 50
How to buy and grow into a building without draining your cash — treating a 13,000 sq ft space like land you develop in phases, not all at once
What the climb from $3.6M to $15M in four years really requires — moving from doer, to builder, to architect

Episode Chapters & Summary

Two Halves of One Operator: Working With Family

Todd sits with Jayni Fontaine, owner of Advanced Plumbing, Heating & Air, and her daughter Danielle, the general manager. They unpack a working relationship where Jayni is the visionary and Danielle is the analytical builder who turns ideas into action.

Jayni wanted Danielle to become a pharmacist; it took about six months of convincing before Jayni backed her daughter's choice to join the business.
Danielle earned a doctorate in pharmacy and did the company's books remotely from Arizona before coming back full-time.
They describe themselves as “yin and yang” — Jayni brings the ideas, Danielle figures out how to execute them.

How Jayni Plans the Worst Case Before Taking a Risk

The conversation turns to decision-making. Jayni explains the discipline behind her instincts: she plays the worst-case scenario all the way out and decides whether she can live with the downside before committing.

Jayni runs worst-case scenarios in her mind and balances the risk before acting.
Danielle admits her mother is “right again” so often it's become an inside joke with the office manager.
Todd adds a caution from his own experience: sometimes what feels like pattern recognition is really old fear talking.

Being Hard on the People You Love

Todd opens up about being easier on his daughter and harder on his son, and asks Jayni directly whether she's too hard on Danielle. Jayni explains the higher standard she holds her daughter to, and why.

Jayni holds Danielle to a higher standard because she wants her prepared to lead one day: “It's not going to be handed to her.”
Jayni worries about what the pressure can do to Danielle — time away from family, stress on relationships.
Danielle tends not to show stress; Jayni wants to see it so she knows what matters to her is landing.

The Delegation Wall: “The More I Delegate, the Less I Feel Stimulated”

This is the heart of the episode. Danielle names the trap of the owner who does everything well — and the strange grief of handing that work away.

Danielle describes the “Jack of all trades, master of none” stage where she and Jayni did everything themselves.
She's honest that delegating leaves her feeling less stimulated and less consistent as she searches for her newly established role.
A strong team makes delegation easier because the work comes back done — often better than she'd have done it herself.

Becoming a Multiplier: The Identity Shift That Scales a Business

Todd reframes Danielle's struggle as the central leadership shift. He shares a coaching session with former-technician managers to make the point concrete.

Todd's reframe: stop measuring your day by “what did I accomplish?” and start measuring “what did my team accomplish?”
A great technician runs 2–3 calls a day; a great manager overseeing 20 techs can oversee 40–80 calls a day.
The identity of “multiplier” is what carries an owner to the next level — and it's hardest for high-control people.

Hiring People Better Than You: 12 Employees to 50

Jayni and Danielle credit their growth to the confidence to hire talented people across every seat, from CSRs to installers to eight department managers.

The company grew from 12 employees to about 50, and from $3.6M to roughly $15M, in four years.
They developed eight managers across eight departments, starting from just the two of them in 2022.
Their adopted principle: hire people better than you at the task, and you can't go wrong.

The 13,000 Sq Ft Growth Center: Building for the Next Stage

The episode closes on their newly purchased building (a former Goodwill) and Todd's advice on how to grow into it without overextending.

The plan is an apprenticeship program and in-house training facility to grow their own talent, since recruiting is hard.
Todd's “land, not building” reframe: modularize the 13,000 sq ft and build out only what you need, using the rest as room to expand and a way to preserve cash flow.
He points to how larger operators phase their facilities as they grow, rather than building everything at once.