Ep 124: PPFF | From Ceiling to Cashflow: How John Broke Past the Restoration Plateau With 1 Tom Plumber
Wed Dec 31 2025
If you want more information about the 1 Tom Plumber franchise opportunity, visit:
1tom.restorationdomination.com/pink-plunger-ep2
This episode is part of The Pink Plunger Freedom Files, a special series featuring real 1 Tom Plumber owners and the transformations behind what I call The Pink Plunger Effect.
In this conversation, I sit down with John Gabriele, also known as Johnny Gabe. John shares a raw story of going from chaos and survival mode to building real companies and then hitting the ceiling that most restoration operators eventually run into.
He and his wife scaled a residential construction business, then moved into restoration through a franchise model and grew it to 2.8 million. But the deeper they went, the clearer it became that bigger revenue did not automatically mean better margins or better life. Reconstruction was busy work with thin profit. Commercial accounts were controlled by legacy players. Sales efforts felt like fighting uphill for plan B status.
Then he heard something that changed everything. Plumbing meant getting paid today, not waiting 60 to 120 days. He explored 1 Tom Plumber, visited HQ, and had the full “this feels different” moment. Within weeks of launching, the phones started ringing hard and they have not stopped since.
We talk about:
• why restoration companies hit a ceiling at 2 to 3 million and still feel stuck
• how reconstruction can look big on paper but barely move net profit
• the real advantage of plumbing, paid today, strong margins, and far more touch points
• how wearing a plumbing logo opened doors that a restoration logo could not
• why there is massive demand right now, including a real story where 21 plumbers did not respond for three days
• what it takes to make plumbing feed restoration, and why training is the multiplier
• the numbers: 2.1 million plumbing revenue in their first calendar year so far, plus roughly 750K in water and mold attributed from plumbing leads
• why he says if there is not already a 1 Tom Plumber in your area, you should at least go see HQ before someone else locks it up
If you are a restoration contractor looking for a more predictable cash flow model, a stronger entry point into commercial accounts, and a real path to stable growth, this episode will reframe how you look at the game.
Real owners.
Real stories.
Real freedom.
This is The Pink Plunger Effect.
More
If you want more information about the 1 Tom Plumber franchise opportunity, visit: 1tom.restorationdomination.com/pink-plunger-ep2 This episode is part of The Pink Plunger Freedom Files, a special series featuring real 1 Tom Plumber owners and the transformations behind what I call The Pink Plunger Effect. In this conversation, I sit down with John Gabriele, also known as Johnny Gabe. John shares a raw story of going from chaos and survival mode to building real companies and then hitting the ceiling that most restoration operators eventually run into. He and his wife scaled a residential construction business, then moved into restoration through a franchise model and grew it to 2.8 million. But the deeper they went, the clearer it became that bigger revenue did not automatically mean better margins or better life. Reconstruction was busy work with thin profit. Commercial accounts were controlled by legacy players. Sales efforts felt like fighting uphill for plan B status. Then he heard something that changed everything. Plumbing meant getting paid today, not waiting 60 to 120 days. He explored 1 Tom Plumber, visited HQ, and had the full “this feels different” moment. Within weeks of launching, the phones started ringing hard and they have not stopped since. We talk about: • why restoration companies hit a ceiling at 2 to 3 million and still feel stuck • how reconstruction can look big on paper but barely move net profit • the real advantage of plumbing, paid today, strong margins, and far more touch points • how wearing a plumbing logo opened doors that a restoration logo could not • why there is massive demand right now, including a real story where 21 plumbers did not respond for three days • what it takes to make plumbing feed restoration, and why training is the multiplier • the numbers: 2.1 million plumbing revenue in their first calendar year so far, plus roughly 750K in water and mold attributed from plumbing leads • why he says if there is not already a 1 Tom Plumber in your area, you should at least go see HQ before someone else locks it up If you are a restoration contractor looking for a more predictable cash flow model, a stronger entry point into commercial accounts, and a real path to stable growth, this episode will reframe how you look at the game. Real owners. Real stories. Real freedom. This is The Pink Plunger Effect.