The $11M Secret: How Kelson Carter Built His Plumbing Company Debt-Free

Plumbing

January 5, 2026

Kelson Carter, the owner of Carter’s My Plumber, has successfully scaled his company to an $11 million business while remaining completely debt-free. Located in Greenwood, Indiana, Carter’s My Plumber focuses 100% on residential plumbing service.

In a recent webinar, Kelson shared the critical strategies, hard lessons, and team-building philosophies that fueled this explosive, yet stable, growth.

The Foundation: From New Construction to 100% Service

Kelson is a third-generation plumber who started in the trade around 2009. His family history in the business, particularly his father’s experience, provided a foundational lesson that shaped the company’s model: the problem with new construction is cash flow.

Kelson quickly realized that waiting for money in new construction could lead to severe business headaches, a lesson his father learned the hard way

. His father, after joining a contractors’ group and transitioning to 100% service, passed on the fundamentals that allowed Kelson to build a financially stable company from day one

Why Service Wins Over Construction Cash Flow: The biggest lesson Kelson learned was the importance of strong cash flow, which is inherently better supported by a residential service model.
A Solid Start: From the beginning, Kelson was given the tools necessary for proper business management, including a professional price book and an understanding of the Profit & Loss statement.

The Brand Promise That Drives Growth

Growing a business requires taking risks, generating leads, and making sales. Carter’s My Plumber has differentiated itself in the market with a bold, customer-focused brand promise that puts its name out there: “Hot water day or two week pay”.

The Hot Water Heater Guarantee: The company guarantees that if a customer calls in for a hot water heater by 3 p.m., they will have it installed the same day

. If they fail to meet this deadline, the customer receives $500

Embracing Disruption: Kelson notes that this aggressive guarantee leads to a high volume of calls and sometimes even “hate mail” from competitors, but it consistently drives in leads

Scaling the Team: Leadership and Hiring

As an entrepreneur who has always enjoyed working for himself, Kelson understands that scaling a business means letting go of the idea of the “perfect” person walking through the door. He stresses that leaders will always make some wrong decisions in hiring, but avoiding the decision entirely is the biggest mistake.

The 3 Must-Haves for Every Hire: When evaluating a potential team member, Kelson focuses on three core criteria

Do they get it? (Understanding the job/role).
Do they want it? (Motivation and drive).
Do they have the capacity to do it? (Ability/Skill).

The Manager vs. The Top Tech: Kelson emphasizes the importance of promoting the right type of person into management, which is often not the top-producing technician.
- A manager’s role is to be a team builder and a “quarterback” who puts the right people in the right seats under them.
- Managers should not be focused on being a “buddy” or the “ring leader” and must prioritize the team over their personal sales numbers.
The Owner’s Self-Improvement: Owners and leaders must always be working on themselves because if they aren’t improving, the team cannot grow.

Operational Excellence: Capturing and Converting Leads

Kelson’s team operates with an intense focus on lead conversion, knowing that “every lead matters” because marketing is expensive.

Maximizing the Booking Rate (93%): The company achieves a high booking rate of 93% by utilizing specialized roles and efficient technology.
- CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) are focused solely on booking the call and saving leads that might otherwise hang up and call the next person.
- They use technology like ServiceTitan chat to have homeowners upload pictures of the job site (e.g., the current water heater, hallway clearance) to confirm job details and secure the estimate.
Sales Response Time: The company employs true salesmen who run strictly free estimate calls. Once a lead is confirmed and photos are received, the salesperson is guaranteed to respond within 60 minutes.

To hear Kelson’s complete discussion on the path to $11 million, including more details on team structure, in-house training, and financial philosophies, check out the full conversation on The Successful Contractor Podcast.

Listen to the full podcast here: How Kelson Carter Built an $11M Plumbing Company Debt-Free