On this week’s episode of the Area of interest Pursuits podcast, Chad Howard and I talk about how he left a decade-long company profession and constructed Halftime Leases right into a fast-growing porta potty rental enterprise. It is not a flashy enterprise, but Chad’s story reveals how a easy service firm can develop shortly when the founder strikes quick, serves prospects effectively, and takes daring motion.
Launched in mid-2024, Halftime Leases is already on tempo for about $4.5 million in annual income. The corporate has almost 1,900 models beneath lease, 9 full-time service vehicles, 15 workers, and a mean EBITDA margin of round 30% over the previous six months.
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From Company America to Porta Potties
Chad’s path into entrepreneurship did not start with a lifelong dream of renting transportable bogs.
He spent 10 years at Procter & Gamble, the place he moved by way of totally different roles, lived in 8 states, and constructed a profitable company profession. For a very long time, he thought that profession path is likely to be his future.
The porta potty thought first got here to him by way of his now-business companion, Austin. Austin had been concerned in blue-collar search-fund work and had regarded carefully at portable-toilet companies. He noticed the financials, studied the mannequin, and saved encouraging Chad to contemplate launching one.
For years, Chad disregarded the concept. On the time, he was making good cash and climbing the company ladder. Leaving that behind for a messy, hands-on service enterprise felt like a significant bounce. A couple of issues ultimately modified:
- Chad reached a breaking level with company life
- He turned extra fascinated by proudly owning his personal firm
- He shadowed current porta potty companies
- He noticed that the mannequin had clear demand
- He realized the enterprise didn’t must be reinvented, solely run higher
By early 2024, Chad had raised cash from family and friends. By the summer season, he had stop his job, moved to Charlotte, and launched Halftime Leases.
Going All in From Day One
Many entrepreneurs construct on the facet earlier than leaving their full-time job. Chad took a unique route. He stop first, raised capital, moved cities, and gave the enterprise his full consideration from day one. That method carried threat, and he knew it.
For Chad, the choice got here down to 2 foremost components. First, he knew his personal persona. He did not need one foot in company life and one foot in entrepreneurship. Second, the enterprise required native, hands-on consideration.
This wasn’t an internet site he might work on at night time from one other state. He wanted to be in Charlotte, assembly with prospects, delivering bogs, resolving truck points, and constructing routes throughout regular enterprise hours.
His choice was additionally formed by the recommendation he acquired. When he talked with individuals older than him, particularly these over 50, he saved listening to the identical message. They instructed him to take the possibility, typically saying they regretted not betting on themselves earlier. That repeated recommendation made an influence.
The Six-Month Setup Earlier than Launch
Though Chad made a daring bounce, he did not rush into the enterprise unthinkingly. He spent about six months making ready earlier than launch. Throughout that point, he labored by way of the main points so that when he was prepared, he might transfer shortly. His preparation included:
- Selecting the best software program
- Shadowing different transportable bathroom operators
- Studying what he preferred and disliked in regards to the business
- Establishing the web site
- Selecting suppliers
- Planning truck and bathroom purchases
- Constructing sufficient confidence to behave shortly
As soon as he made the ultimate choice, he was in a position to place orders and set the corporate in movement inside a couple of week. That preparation mattered. Later, when a significant disaster created sudden demand, Chad already had the mindset and provider information wanted to maneuver at velocity.
The Early Days With no Security Internet
Chad got here from Procter & Gamble, an organization with construction, course of, and assist. Then he entered a enterprise the place on daily basis regarded totally different. Some days he was in a truck. Different days he was cold-calling, emailing prospects, visiting job websites, fixing tools, or making an attempt to determine who to rent.
The toughest half early on was the uncertainty. He needed to create his personal schedule, his personal methods, and priorities. There was no division to name when one thing broke.
That early stretch pressured him to study by doing. He needed to clear up issues he had by no means confronted earlier than. He additionally needed to get snug with the truth that a service enterprise hardly ever offers a wonderfully regular day.
Hurricane Helene because the Turning Level
A couple of months after launching, Halftime Leases was nonetheless tiny. Chad estimates the corporate had about 100 bogs rented out and just one truck working. Then Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina.
On a Sunday morning, Chad was selecting up bogs from a Carolina Panthers tailgate when he acquired a name from Dwelling Depot’s company workplace. They wanted transportable bogs for shops within the larger Asheville space so they might open and assist restoration efforts.
At first, Chad mentioned no. Asheville was about two hours away from Charlotte. The request meant loading bogs instantly, driving right into a catastrophe zone, and delivering them in time for shops to open the following day.
Then he reconsidered. He known as again, quoted a premium worth, and Dwelling Depot accepted. That one choice modified the course of the corporate. The unique order was roughly 10-12 bogs per retailer throughout 4 shops. For a corporation with about 100 bogs, that was an enormous order. The subsequent 24 hours have been intense:
- Chad and Austin loaded bogs themselves
- They delivered into Asheville with a police escort
- His cellphone quantity was now in entrance of Dwelling Depot prospects
- The subsequent day, he had greater than 200 voicemails
- Demand exploded from shops, eating places, aid teams, and main retailers
Chad moved quick. He financed a number of vehicles in a single day, secured 500 bogs, discovered a spot to stage them at a neighborhood faculty car parking zone, rented an RV, and slept on a pal’s goat farm whereas responding to requires as much as 20 hours a day.
It was chaotic, disturbing, and stuffed with threat. It additionally turned the catalyst that helped flip Halftime Leases from a tiny startup right into a a lot bigger operation.
Velocity, Threat, and First-Mover Benefit
The Hurricane Helene response not solely created a short-term income spike. It modified how Chad thinks in regards to the enterprise. After responding to a pure catastrophe just a few months after launch, giant emergency orders not really feel as intimidating.
His default response turned sure. That mindset helped the corporate tackle pressing jobs that opponents may ignore. It additionally helped Halftime Leases construct credibility with brokers and main retail companions.
Financially, the influence was large. Chad mentioned that one month allowed the corporate to money circulation almost the entire belongings it added in the course of the catastrophe response. That included a number of vehicles and a whole bunch of bogs.
The expertise additionally created relationships that adopted the corporate again to Charlotte.
Among the brokers calling in the course of the emergency labored with main retailers like:
- Walmart
- Goal
- Dwelling Depot
- Lowe’s
- Salvation Military-related wants
- Different giant business accounts
After serving these prospects in Asheville, Chad adopted up in Charlotte. He mentioned that Halftime Leases had already helped them throughout a high-pressure second. That opened doorways.
Why a “Boring” Enterprise Can Be Something However Boring
Chad finds the time period “boring enterprise” humorous now. From the surface, transportable bathroom leases look easy. You ship the unit, service it weekly, and choose it up when the job is finished. Contained in the enterprise, the day-to-day is way extra complicated.
There are vehicles, routes, repairs, buyer complaints, emergency deliveries, scheduling challenges, and a whole bunch of energetic job websites. Chad mentioned he can in all probability rely on one hand the variety of actually boring days he has had at Halftime Leases.
Nonetheless, the mannequin has clear benefits. The enterprise already exists. Demand already exists. Clients already know they want the service.
Chad does not should persuade the market that transportable bogs are helpful. He solely has to ship the service higher than opponents. That may be a main a part of what attracted him to the chance. The market additionally has built-in demand drivers:
- Charlotte and the Southeast proceed to see building exercise
- Job websites are legally required to have transportable bogs
- The product is a necessity, not a luxurious
- Extra building means extra rental demand
- Clients worth reliability when the service impacts day by day job web site operations
That mixture made the enterprise easy in idea, but extremely enticing when run effectively.
Advertising and marketing That Makes a Utility Enterprise Memorable
Chad credit a lot of Halftime Leases’ development to 3 advertising and marketing and gross sales engines. The primary is persistent promoting. Chad, his enterprise companion, and his gross sales supervisor preserve displaying up, following up, and staying in entrance of prospects.
The second is Google Maps. Halftime Leases is listed as open 24/7. That made a significant distinction throughout Hurricane Helene, since opponents weren’t listed as open on a Sunday. It nonetheless issues at this time.
When somebody searches for transportable bathroom rental after 5:00 PM or on a weekend, Halftime Leases is commonly the corporate that seems obtainable. That creates emergency jobs, new relationships, and higher-value orders.
The third engine is model persona. Halftime Leases has leaned into humor and memorable merchandise. Their hats and shirts use phrases like “get shit executed,” which has helped the corporate stand out on job websites.
That branding works as a result of it feels genuine to the enterprise. It offers individuals one thing to recollect, speak about, and ask for. Chad mentioned he has walked onto job websites the place individuals already know the hats and request one. For a small a part of a building web site, that type of recognition issues.
Evaluations as a Native Progress Engine
Evaluations have been certainly one of Halftime Leases’ most vital native advertising and marketing belongings. Chad created a easy incentive program for drivers. When a driver will get a Google evaluate that mentions their identify, they obtain a $25 Amazon reward card.
That system offers drivers a motive to ask blissful prospects for evaluations. It additionally connects the evaluate to a particular worker, which reinforces accountability and satisfaction. Some drivers have embraced this system a lot that Chad mentioned one has earned greater than $3,000 in Amazon reward playing cards. This method works as a result of it advantages everybody.
- Drivers earn additional rewards.
- Clients point out particular service moments.
- The corporate beneficial properties extra evaluations.
- Google Maps visibility improves.
- The most effective workers get public recognition.
Chad additionally tracks native search efficiency utilizing Native Falcon, which reveals the place Halftime Leases ranks throughout totally different elements of Charlotte.
That helps him see the place the corporate wants extra evaluations, images, or exercise on the Google Enterprise Profile. The purpose is easy: present up first when prospects want a transportable bathroom rental.
Buyer Service From the Driver’s Seat
Chad sees his drivers because the face of the corporate. Clients normally do not see Chad within the workplace. They see the particular person delivering, cleansing, servicing, or transferring the bathroom on-site. Because of this, Chad makes it clear that drivers are customer support representatives.
That mindset has formed the corporate’s tradition. Drivers are inspired to construct relationships, take satisfaction within the work, and clear up issues on-site. Chad additionally tries to create an atmosphere the place workers take pleasure in their days.
He believes that when drivers are handled effectively, paid effectively, and appreciated, they put out a greater product. That creates higher buyer interactions and, in flip, stronger evaluations and repeat enterprise.
The corporate additionally makes use of constructive incentives. For instance, Halftime Leases performs “drop-ins,” the place somebody inspects a serviced bathroom. When the unit meets the corporate commonplace, the motive force can earn a $50 bonus for that day.
New driver coaching lasts a couple of week. Throughout that interval, new hires experience with totally different skilled drivers. These trainers additionally obtain bonuses as a result of Chad needs them to acknowledge the long-term influence of setting a excessive commonplace.
Chad’s Function because the Firm Scales
Within the first 8 to 12 months, Chad spent most of his time in vehicles. He was pumping bogs, cleansing models, selecting up stock, and making deliveries. He estimates that round 80 % of his days concerned some type of guide labor.
That has modified as the corporate has grown. He nonetheless will get in a truck when wanted, though he now has sufficient drivers to spend extra time on higher-level work. He estimates that getting out of the truck has given him again 2 to three hours per day. His present time is split throughout three foremost areas:
- Supporting drivers and serving to clear up day by day issues
- Coaching individuals into bigger operational roles
- Promoting and following up with prospects
Chad needs the enterprise to maintain operating even when he steps away. Which means placing individuals and processes in place so the corporate will not be depending on him for each choice. On the similar time, he stays closely concerned with the workforce and the gross sales course of.
The Subsequent Stage for Halftime Leases
Chad’s near-term purpose is obvious. He needs Halftime Leases to turn into the biggest and greatest transportable bathroom firm within the larger Charlotte space. He believes the enterprise can double or triple within the subsequent 2 to three years.
For now, he is staying targeted on Charlotte. He does have curiosity in increasing to different Southeast markets later. One concept that excites him is investing in individuals who need to depart company America and serving to them launch Halftime Leases in different cities.
That imaginative and prescient can wait. Proper now, the main focus is market dominance in Charlotte. Chad needs to win there earlier than including new areas or new service traces.
Classes Chad Realized the Simple Manner and the Exhausting Manner
One factor Chad believes he received proper was having a companion. His enterprise companion, Austin, helped him by way of the toughest early days. Chad mentioned he might need stop or misplaced momentum with out somebody beside him within the trenches.
That assist mattered in the course of the launch. It mattered much more in the course of the Hurricane Helene response, when the corporate needed to make giant selections beneath stress and execute them instantly.
One factor Chad would change is transferring sooner on personnel selections. He mentioned he waited too lengthy to let go of workers who weren’t the correct match for the corporate. He wished individuals to succeed so badly that he ignored what he already knew.
Wanting again, he believes the corporate might have reached its present stage sooner with higher individuals in the correct seats earlier. That lesson is easy:
- The workforce units the tempo
- Delayed selections create hidden prices
- Hope will not be a hiring technique
- Tradition will get simpler when the correct persons are in place
Closing Ideas
Chad Howard’s story is a superb instance of what can occur when a founder combines preparation, velocity, service, and a willingness to take threat. Halftime Leases was just a few months outdated when Hurricane Helene created a large want.
Chad might have handed on the chance, and nobody would have blamed him. As a substitute, he mentioned sure, figured it out, and constructed momentum that modified the corporate’s trajectory.
The enterprise works as a result of the basics are clear. Clients want the service, the market demand is established, and lots of opponents depart room for higher communication, sooner response instances, and higher buyer care.
Chad did not invent a brand new class. He entered an current one and targeted on doing the fundamentals higher, from answering emergency calls to rewarding drivers for excellent work. That method has helped Halftime Leases attain almost 1,900 models on hire and a projected $4.5 million in annual income in beneath two years.
For anybody eager about leaving company America, shopping for or constructing a service enterprise, or taking a severe shot at entrepreneurship, Chad’s story affords rather a lot to consider.
Typically the chance is not glamorous. Typically it is sitting in a blue-collar business that others overlook. And generally, the distinction comes all the way down to answering the cellphone, saying sure, and getting the job executed.
