🎙SMB15: Lessons 4 Months In with Scott Crosby, Owner of American Services

From tech sales to running a commercial HVAC company, Scott Crosby is four months into ownership and already has plenty of lessons to share.

Author

William Fry
August 27, 2025

This is SMB15, a rapid-fire interview series featuring small business owners, investors and service providers. We dig into different industries, business models, and SMB topics. Hosted by Will Fry, founder of Mainshares.

Listen now on Spotify or YouTube.

After getting stiffed on a big commission, Scott Crosby decided he’d never work for someone else again. Within a year, he bought American Services, a 30-year-old commercial HVAC and refrigeration company in St. Louis. In this episode, Scott talks about building trust with his team, the nonstop nature of B2B service work, and why he believes culture is the ultimate competitive edge.

Some takeaways:

  1. Trust comes from follow-through. In his first 90 days, Scott made a point of never overpromising and always delivering. Uniforms, pay raises, and a new CRM all rolled out exactly when he said they would, showing his techs he meant what he said.

  2. Culture first, revenue second. Letting techs take family vacations in the summer, renovating the office, and paying above-market wages set the tone. Scott’s bet is that putting people first creates a stronger, more sustainable company.

  3. Commercial HVAC = constant backlog. Unlike residential, there’s no slow season. Senior living centers, restaurants, and daycare chains always need service. The real constraint isn’t sales, but how many technicians you have.

  4. Avoid rookie mistakes. Scott’s biggest regret was trying to switch carriers week one, losing precious time and even his main phone number in the process. His advice: inherit the basics and only rip out systems once you’re stable.

  5. Think like an asset manager. Instead of just fixing broken equipment, Scott’s vision is to guide clients on lifecycle management — when to budget for replacements, how much they’re spending on maintenance, and how to plan ahead.

  6. Cash flow is king. Even with steady demand, B2B service means long payment terms. One surprise six-figure job in his first week taught Scott the importance of forecasting and preparing working capital.

Where to find Scott Crosby and American Services:

In this interview, we discuss:

  • 0:00 Intro & Path to Buying a Business

  • 3:36 Overview of American Services (Commercial HVAC)

  • 5:36 Maintenance Programs & Asset Management Approach

  • 8:05 Supplier Relationships & Reason why acquire HVAC?

  • 11:28 Team Structure & Balancing Installs vs. Service

  • 13:04 Hiring Standards & Building Culture

  • 16:31 Building Trust in the First 90 Days

  • 18:22 Lessons from Transition Mistakes

  • 23:04 Working with a Partner & Scaling the Model

  • 25:00 Biggest Surprises: Vendor Portals & Cash Flow

  • 27:19 Constant Demand in B2B HVAC

  • 30:53 Investing in People & Building Culture

  • 32:11 Do’s and Don’ts for Buying in HVAC