In This Podcast:

Weldon Long, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, motivational speaker, and former HVACR contractor shares how he built an HVACR empire from nothing to $20 million in less than five years.

Q: Can you share a bit about your story and how you rose to success?

A: In 2004 I opened a little heating and air conditioning company and had great success. In 2009, that company was selected by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America. The real part of my story you’re referring to is the 13 years I spent in prison. From 1987 until 2003 I spent 13 years in prison. Really, I spent 25 years of my life broke, homeless, and desperate. In 1996, while incarcerated, I had a moment of clarity. I got out of prison seven years later, got into the residential HVAC business, and now I’m a speaker, writer, and HVACR trainer.

Q: So you went from the jail cell and transformed yourself into one of the most successful HVACR contractors in the nation? How did you accomplish this?

A: When I had that transformation seven years before I got out of jail, I came to the realization that success is preceded by the right thoughts. We become what we think about all day long. I began to study success and sales principles, and read and studied some of the most profound thinkers in the nation, such as Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, and Tom Hopkins. I walked out of prison and got a job as a residential HVAC salesman. After about a year, I realized that there is so much opportunity in this industry and I opened my own company in 2004 applying the principles I learned and it all seemed to work.

Weldon Long
Trainer, author, and former HVACR contractor
www.weldonlong.com

Interested in hearing the remainder of the conversation? Visit The NEWS’ podcast page.

Publication date: 9/2/2013