From 21 to 500 Employees: Lessons on Scaling with Chad Peterman

After the First Million

Writing down your vision sets the course, but communicating it is what gets everyone on board.

Chad Peterman knows this well. As President and CEO of Peterman Brothers, he focused on building a strong company culture. This helped scale the family business from 21 employees to over 500 across four states—Peterman Brothers is now one of the fastest-growing family-owned businesses in the country. Along the way, they also launched initiatives like the Peterman Top Tech Academy to address the talent gaps in the industry.

Chad opens up about the strategic moves that helped their home services business thrive, including hiring specialists to support growth, ensuring a strong culture fit for both employees and clients, and carefully managing change within a rapidly expanding organization.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Communicating goals is key: Clearly defining and communicating your company’s long-term goals with your entire team creates alignment. When everyone knows where the business is heading, they’re ready to contribute.
• Culture fit drives success: Finding people that align with your company’s culture is essential for success. Employees and clients who share the same values as the company’s end up feeling more satisfied.
• Managing change is critical: Carefully managing transitions and effectively communicating the reasons behind change helps prevent disruption—it’s what keeps everyone on the same page as the business evolves.

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Meet Chad Peterman
(03:54) Scaling to 520 employees
(06:14) The power of a vivid vision
(11:11) Communicating goals and changes in a large organization
(16:21) Launch of Peterman Top Tech Academy
(19:09) Prioritizing culture fit for employees and clients
(26:02) “Go slow to go fast”
(29:57) Personal growth as a leader
(33:38) Hire specialists early
(35:34) Matt’s takeaways