February 5, 2026
Tom Howard did not set out to write a book about becoming a multi-millionaire. He set out to prove that the trades deserve the same respect, the same coverage in business publications, and the same cultural recognition as any tech startup or corporate career path. Because the numbers support that story — and most people in the industry have never seen them laid out the way Tom lays them out.
The False Stigma and the Real Numbers
Tom recounts standing in an airport and flipping through Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine, looking for articles relevant to his business. There were none. Everything was tech startups, digital businesses, and venture-backed founders. The trades — industries that heat and cool homes, fix pipes, wire buildings, and keep the basic infrastructure of modern life functioning — were completely invisible in mainstream business media.
He makes a specific comparison: the trades have produced individuals who have sold companies for more than the $175.8 million Elon Musk received when he sold PayPal. That is not hyperbole. That is documented fact. Large private equity firms are now actively acquiring HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses, paying 10 to 12 times annual profit for well-run companies. A trades business generating $5 million in annual EBITDA is worth $50 to $60 million to the right buyer.
The stigma that the trades are for people who “couldn’t do better” is not only insulting — it is factually wrong.
What the Trades Offered That Other Careers Did Not
Tom’s own story begins at age 15, sweeping floors for a refrigeration mechanic. He parlayed that into a $1 raise by enrolling in HVAC classes at his high school. He got his EPA certification and several other certifications before graduating. He worked trades jobs through college — funding a finance degree at BYU, supporting a wife and child, graduating without student loans.
When he graduated and looked at finance industry salaries versus what he could earn in the trades, the trades won. He went back. He became a general manager at a company he eventually bought on a seller-financed note, making monthly payments with no money down. That company is now doing over $100 million in annual revenue.
The trades provided Tom with income, skill, and ultimately capital — at every stage of his life. What he wants young people to understand is that the path he walked is available to anyone willing to start where he started: sweeping floors and taking classes.
The Marathon Mindset: Why Consistency Beats Intensity
As the summer wound down at Fetch-a-Tech and the team began to sense the finish line, Tom noticed something dangerous: the pace started to relax. He had seen this before. Teams ahead of budget begin to feel like they can coast. Call centers that are flooded with inbound calls in summer start to reduce outbound effort in fall. The logic feels right — “we’re ahead, we’ve earned a break” — but the math is brutal.
Tom’s rule: run through the finish line. In the off season, when inbound calls drop, the call center’s goal does not change — it simply shifts from primarily inbound to primarily outbound. The target number of jobs on the board each day stays constant. The method changes, not the standard.
He frames it as the difference between a sprint and a marathon. The businesses that win long-term are not the ones with the most spectacular individual months — they are the ones that maintain high performance standards through both peak and off-peak seasons, year after year, without letting up.
Building Something Bigger Than a Job
Tom’s message to trades business owners is not “grind harder.” His message is “build smarter.” There is a specific set of decisions — a budget, a team, a brand, financial systems, a process for selling — that transform a business from a job that pays the owner into an asset that pays everyone and eventually generates generational wealth upon exit.
The Fetch-a-Tech story happened in 16 months. Lee’s Air took decades to reach $100 million. Both paths are valid. What matters is the intentionality behind the decisions: Are you building for cash flow this year, or are you building for an exit in five years? Are you hiring people who can replace you, or people who need you in the room to function? Are you investing in systems that scale, or managing chaos manually?
These are not rhetorical questions. They are the questions that separate owners who sell for $50 million from owners who sell for book value — or never sell at all.
The Bottom Line
Tom Howard donates 100% of the profits from Fetching Million$ to charities related to the trades. That decision says something important about why he wrote the book. It is not a flex. It is an invitation. He wants more people to walk into the trades with their eyes open to what is possible — financially, professionally, and personally. The American dream that Tom describes is not just alive; it is available right now to anyone willing to start by sweeping a floor and taking a class. The question is not whether the opportunity exists. The question is whether you are ready to take it seriously.