Career, Business & Soft Skills

There have been many adaptations of A Christmas Carol over the years, but it all started with a novella written by Charles Dickens in the 1840s. It was early in the Victorian Era, fresh off the heels of the Industrial Revolution. The British were reflecting on past Christmas traditions, like caroling, and exploring new ones […]

As we get older, our understanding of the difference between good and bad—right and wrong—evolves. This understanding often first takes on the form of playing cops and robbers or superheroes and bad guys in our childhood. As we grow, especially as we navigate adolescence and adulthood, we apply the labels “good” and “bad” (or “friend” […]

I wanted to offer some practical advice from Bryan’s last podcast, “White Shirt Techs – Manifesto.” The link can be found HERE. In this episode, Bryan strongly (and rightfully) critiques sales tactics that are divorced from technical skills and meaningful benefits for homeowners.  As a one-man HVAC company, I wanted to offer a suggestion for […]

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Die Hard (1988). If you’ve never seen the film and want to avoid spoilers, I suggest skipping this one or watching the movie first before you read this Christmas tech tip.  Here’s a fun thing to do at Christmas dinner: start the debate as to whether Die Hard is […]

I hired and trained an apprentice who has worked 2 days a week for me over the last 4–5 months. I’ve been in business for almost two years, and I had a pretty good sense that I would need some help this summer. Hauling a few air handlers and furnaces into an attic by myself […]

This tech tip was inspired by a Facebook post by Jason Julian in the HVAC School Group. Jason is the owner of his own HVAC business, Julian Heat & Air, and was part of the 2024 HVACR Training Symposium’s Small Business Roundtable. Thanks, Jason! HVAC work is NOT easy. Some installs (and even service calls) […]

With Father’s Day passing recently, I have been reflecting on my relationship with my Dad and how he has helped shape my journey through HVAC. It is more common than not to find people in residential HVAC to be a second or even third-generation tradesperson. Deciding to get into trade is easy when you grow […]

This tech tip is a companion piece to a recent podcast with Kevin Hart from HAVEN. We’ve already had some record-breaking heat here in Florida, and that’s translated to an overwhelming number of calls. We know our HVAC brethren in other areas have been working their tails off all the same.  Going without air conditioning […]

As many of you may know, Kalos does most of its training in-house. We’re lucky to have people like Bert on our team; he can give classes to several people at a time and is also great at one-on-one mentorship. Many of our managers and directors are also top-notch educators. Unfortunately, these people are still […]