In this special “hosts-only” episode of the Huge Transformations Podcast, Sid, Gabe, and Sheila gather to share snippets of their personal business journeys and what led them to the podcast. They reveal how a single chance encounter, a divorce and lawsuit, or a basic need to cover rent all became inflection points pushing them to build thriving home-service companies. Their stories highlight a common theme: early struggles, eventual breakthroughs, and a passion for learning from peers. This dialogue sets the stage for future episodes that dive into transformation stories—from six- to seven-figure (and beyond) businesses—demonstrating that anyone can achieve major growth with persistence, mentorship, and real-world tactics. SHOW NOTES Hosts: Sid (Host): Founder of a successful window cleaning business in Montana, overcame “bare-minimum hustle” to build a system-driven, culture-focused companyGabe (Host): Co-founder of Right Hand Rhino (route work window cleaning across multiple states), started from a random coffee-shop meeting and door-to-door sales backgroundSheila (Guest): Owner of A+ Pro Services in Southeastern North Carolina, turned sudden adversity into a thriving 25-year-old multi-service home care business Key Discussion Points: Unexpected Starts: From a bucket-and-squeegee hustle to a random partnership that led to major growthIndustry Connections: How associations like the IWCA or events like The Huge Convention sparked learning and legitimacyTurning Points: A divorce, a big lawsuit, or new city relocations forced reinvention, leading to serious business-buildingMindset & Mentorship: Hiring coaches, networking, and simply asking questions helped each host overcome hurdlesFuture Focus: Each host aims to spotlight real-life transformation journeys—showcasing both the mistakes and triumphs that shape business success Why It Matters: Encourages new and experienced home-service entrepreneurs to see challenges as springboardsIllustrates how forging strong relationships, mentorship, and a passion for service lead to scalable, sustainable businesses Takeaways: Embrace Industry Support: Events, conventions, and associations can provide mentors and solutionsProgress Over Perfection: Get started with what you have—no business or marketing knowledge required initiallyCelebrate Milestones: Each host recalls going from small revenue to surpassing their old yearly totals in a single weekLeadership Evolution: Early days of “on the truck” eventually transitioned to hiring, delegating, and systematizing FULL, UNABRIDGED TRANSCRIPT (All speaker labels are in the same font size; only bold text used for headings.) Sid (Host): I had to figure out how to record on the first one. Okay, it's recording and we're live. So, hey my friends, it's Sid with the Huge Transformation podcast and I'm really excited today because all of our co-hosts are together. So I got Sheila Smelter, we got Gabe Torres out of Nashville, and we're all just hanging out, catching up. It's a, it's a cold day where we are. Sheila, how are you? It's good to see you. It's been a while. Sheila (Guest): I'm wonderful, thanks Sid. Hey, Gabe. Gabe (Host): Hey, what's up, Sheila? What's up, Sid? It's nice over here in Nashville, too. It warmed up a bit. It was freezing earlier this week. Sid (Host): That's cool. So you guys actually—Gabe, you said, you know, a week or two ago, you had almost eight inches of snow in Nashville. Gabe (Host): Eight inches in one day, and less than 48 hours later, it was all gone, which is why I love Nashville. We get to have fun in it, but we're not stuck in it. Sid (Host): And Sheila, where are you? I know you're in the Carolinas, but what—where are you? Sheila (Guest): Yeah, I'm in southeastern North Carolina on the coast, just north of the South Carolina state line. So I'm sandwiched between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington. Sid (Host): Okay. And how often do you get snow there? Sheila (Guest): Never, except yesterday we got snow. We got three inches of snow, everybody freaked out, schools closed down—it's like anarchy. Sid (Host): Yeah. A great thing to do on a day like that is just stay home, like you don't have any place to go that's not important. That's cool. I'm out—I'm in Missoula, Montana, and it's supposed to be cold and snowy here this time of year, and it's not. It's a little cold, but... But listen, what I want to do—this is the Huge Transformations Podcast, and the whole point of this show is to interview people that have gone from bootstrapped to billions. I'm just kidding. I don't know anybody that's gone to billions cleaning windows, but we've got some really successful friends and associates in business that are—they've got a seven-figure business, we've got eight-figure businesses, and they're doing really well, and we want to share those stories. Sheila, when you interview people, Gabe, when you interview people, it's the same type: it's like, how did you start, what ...
