Business Operations

Inside the Journey of a Top-Tier Service Business

Chris and Kirk from The Trusted Toolbox share how to build a scalable, accountable team and grow your business without micromanaging.

Jul 22, 2025

Ask a Pro is our live webinar series where we sit down with experienced trades professionals to talk real growth, hard-earned lessons, and what it takes to run a modern service business.

In this session, we spoke with Chris Lalomia and Kirk Sweet, the Founder/Owner and General Manager at The Trusted Toolbox , a FieldPulse customer and award-winning handyman and remodeling company in Atlanta. Chris brings corporate experience and over 17 years in the trades. He’s also the author of From the Zoo to the Wild, a book about his journey from corporate to the trades.

With backgrounds in corporate leadership and operations, Chris and Kirk bring unique insights into building a scalable business, creating a culture of accountability, and empowering your team to succeed without constant oversight.

From hiring for attitude over skill, to training your team at scale, to implementing the right systems and workflows, this conversation was full of practical strategies and honest advice for service business owners who want to grow without micromanaging.

Watch the full webinar here.

Quick Takeaways

Here are 5 standout insights from the conversation:

Hire for attitude, train for skill.

Skills can be taught, but a bad attitude is a dealbreaker—start with the right mindset.

Training and culture are non-negotiable.

Regular hands-on and classroom-style training keeps your team engaged, aligned, and improving.

Better is better—not just bigger.

Focus on improving quality, customer service, and team performance over chasing size.

Systems create freedom.

Processes, workflows, and tools like FieldPulse and Notion enable the owner to step back and the team to operate effectively.

Use tech to improve—not overwhelm.

Lean into tools like FieldPulse, CompanyCam, and even AI to enhance efficiency, but train thoroughly and get team buy-in first.

About Chris & Kirk and The Trusted Toolbox

The Trusted Toolbox is a professional handyman and remodeling company based in Norcross, Georgia, serving homeowners with home repair, maintenance, and renovation services. With a team of over 30 employees across Atlanta and Athens, they pride themselves on delivering quality work and exceptional customer service.

Chris, founder and owner, brings corporate experience and over 17 years in the trades, while Kirk, general manager, brings expertise in systems, workflows, and scaling operations. Together, they are passionate about creating a business where employees thrive and customers come back.

Full Recap

1. Hire People, Not Just Hands

Chris started the conversation by emphasizing that skills can be taught, but attitude cannot.

“You can’t train someone to care about your customers, but you can teach them how to install trim.”

They use situational interview questions and even DISC assessments to evaluate candidates and hire team players who align with the company’s mission.

2. Train Often, Train Well

Kirk outlined how their twice-monthly team trainings—both hands-on and classroom—keep everyone aligned.

“Our guys are artists. They learn by doing, not sitting. Short, engaging videos and practice sessions stick better.”

They also run Saturday trainings for new hires, covering technical skills and FieldPulse workflows.

3. Better Is Better

Chris challenged the idea that “bigger is better,” explaining that unchecked growth can hurt quality if processes aren’t in place.

“We grew fast after the recession, but I had to take a step back and fix myself and my processes first.”

Their focus on quality and customer experience has led to over 1,150 Google reviews and strong retention.

4. Plan for Uncertainty

From the 2008 recession to COVID, Chris shared how staying agile, watching leading and lagging indicators, and preparing to solve problems every day kept the business alive.

“You wake up knowing you’ll solve another problem today. That’s just business.”

5. Systems & Tools Empower Teams

Kirk detailed how they implemented FieldPulse, Notion, CompanyCam, and AI-driven tools to create an efficient, scalable operation.

“FieldPulse touches everything—from lead to estimate to payment and reviews. It’s our backbone.”

They use templates, tags, workflows, and dashboards to track KPIs, standardize pricing, and empower the team.

FieldPulse: The Backbone of the Business

Chris and Kirk highlighted how FieldPulse supports their team at every stage:

Custom dashboards to track leads, sales, estimates, and production

Templates and price books to standardize estimates

Workflows to coordinate jobs across zones and divisions

Mobile app for field teams to stay connected and collect payments

Tags to measure ROI on campaigns like CHIIRP integration

Real-time comments, notes, and customer updates to reduce miscommunication

“FieldPulse helps us scale without losing control. It’s improved everything from sales to reviews to scheduling.”

FieldPulse Communities

They also stay engaged in FieldPulse's Facebook Communities, learning from other users and sharing their own insights with users and trades pros.

Join the FieldPulse Communities here:

Final Thoughts

From Chris and Kirk’s experience, one thing’s clear: you can’t scale a business if you’re babysitting everyone. Whether you’re building your first team or managing dozens of employees, your ability to hire the right people, train them well, and give them the tools and autonomy to succeed is what sets great businesses apart.

The trades pros who thrive don’t just work in their business—they build systems and a culture that let them work on it.