Week 19 – I Burped a Little After Ingesting the Cost (and the Business Grew)

This week I leveled up—big time:

I finally knocked out training for mold testing, radon testing, air quality monitoring, and lead paint screening. These weren’t just line items on my to-do list—they’re major additions to the services I offer. And they came with a price tag that made me wince a little… okay, a lot.

Buying the equipment wasn’t cheap. Air quality meters, mold cassettes, lead paint detection devices, CRM-compatible radon kits. It adds up fast. But I’ve learned something critical: these aren’t expenses—they’re revenue engines. And adding even one of these services to an inspection bumps the average ticket significantly.

Why this investment matters now:

I’m starting to get more confident clients. Bigger homes. Higher-end Realtors. And with that comes higher expectations. People want a one-stop shop. They don’t want to schedule multiple specialists. If I can handle it all—professionally, properly, and with the right certifications—I become more valuable *instantly*.

More importantly, I can serve people better. No guessing. No shrugging. No “you’ll need to call someone else.” I can now say, “I can handle that,” and back it up with clean results and clear reporting.

What surprised me about these services:

They’re not just technical add-ons—they’re emotional ones. Mold freaks people out. Radon confuses them. Lead makes buyers nervous. Air quality? That’s suddenly personal. Being trained to speak calmly and clearly about all of it has made me feel more like a consultant, not just an inspector.

Plus, when clients ask, “Can you test for that?” and I say yes—it’s not just about revenue. It’s about confidence. Credibility. And control over the experience.

The financial pill I had to swallow—and why I’m glad I did:

Yes, this stuff cost real money. Thousands, all told. I hesitated more than once while filling out order forms. But I kept coming back to one question: What’s the ROI on being the most capable inspector in my market?

The answer? Long-term client retention, higher per-inspection averages, more referrals, and the ability to say yes more often. That’s worth the up-front hit.

The franchise support that made this easier:

Curt didn’t push these services. He laid them out, explained the pros and cons, and helped me figure out what made sense *for my market*. When I decided to move forward, he pointed me to trusted vendors, shared gear recommendations, and helped break down pricing strategies.

Having a system behind the scenes means I’m not making blind guesses. I’m building on tested ground.

Next step: market the new services (smartly)

Now that I have the capability, it’s time to educate. I’ll be updating my website, adding one-pagers for Realtors, creating short social posts, and working these options into my inspection walk-throughs. Not hard selling—just informing. That’s the lane that works best for me.

What I’ll do again in the future (no hesitation):

Invest in capability. If it makes me more helpful, more credible, and more valuable to the client? I’ll find the money. Because nothing builds a business like saying, “Yes, I can handle that” and actually meaning it.

→ Next up: Week 20: First Call from a Lawyer — What Happened, What I Did

← Watch the brand build itself: Week 18: I Got a Referral from a Referral — That Felt Amazing

Curious what it’s like to build your own home inspection franchise from the ground up?