Home services · General Manager
Home services general manager recruiters
We recruit general managers who can run a location or a market on their own, for founder-led companies, PE-backed platforms and franchise operators.
The role
The leader in the building when the founder can't be
Every multi-location home services company reaches the point where the founder can't be in every building. The general manager fills that gap. They own the P&L, the team and the standard in their market.
When something goes wrong at 6am on a Tuesday and headquarters is three states away, the team looks to the GM. A good one turns a new market into a well-run, profitable location. A poor fit can set it back further than an empty seat would.
Why it's hard
Why the GM hire is hard to get right
The job asks for four strengths at once, and most candidates bring two. The GMs worth hiring are also busy running their own operations, so they rarely see a job post.
- Operations: technicians, dispatch, fleet and facility costs, every day.
- Finance: they own a P&L and read it like an owner.
- People: hiring, developing and keeping field talent is on them.
- Culture: they represent the company in a market the founder may rarely visit.
What we look for
What a strong home services GM looks like
We test for four things, in interviews and in references from the people they've managed.
- They run the P&L like the money is theirs and know their numbers: cost per lead, close rate, average ticket, tech utilization.
- They make the team they inherit stronger, and they keep their best technicians.
- They hold the company's standards in the location furthest from headquarters.
- They learn what's working before they change it, which matters most after an acquisition.
Two common situations
After an acquisition, or when a founder steps back
On a PE-backed platform, each acquisition needs a GM who can run the location and work inside the platform's reporting and systems, usually on a 90-day timeline. We run confidential searches, and several at once when a platform is buying quickly.
In a founder-led company, a GM search is often the first step of a succession. The team has known one leader for years. The right GM earns that trust over time and brings the structure the next stage of growth needs.
How it works
How the search runs
The Bullseye Meeting
We sit down with your leadership team, and the operating partner on a PE-backed platform, and agree on the P&L expectations, the market, the team, and who makes the final call.
Mapped search
We approach general managers running strong operations in home services and nearby industries. Most aren't looking, so we give them a real reason to talk.
Mutual-fit assessment
We assess operations, financial judgment, people leadership and fit with your culture, and we reference well beyond the list a candidate hands us.
Onboard & follow through
We handle the offer, coordinate with PE partners on equity and bonus where needed, and stay in touch through the first 90 days.
Questions
General manager search: common questions
A general manager owns one location or market and its P&L. A Director of Operations owns how every location runs, working through the GMs. We work out which seat you're hiring for in the Bullseye Meeting.
Typically one to three weeks to calibrate, candidate recommendations from around week four to week eight, and an offer to your top candidate between weeks eight and twelve for a leadership role or twelve and sixteen for an executive role. Searches finish faster when you're ready to move as soon as the right person surfaces.
You pay a deposit to launch the search, nothing more until you hire, a payment at hire, and a final payment thirty days after your new leader starts. Fees depend on the role, and we quote them plainly in the first conversation.
Every FireSeeds search carries a guarantee. If the placement doesn't work out within the agreed period, we re-run the search. The specifics are set out in the engagement letter before we start.
Hiring a general manager?
Tell us about the seat you need to fill. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team to fill it.