Mother Plumbing started as a one-plumber shop doing $15,000 a month. No fancy trucks. No backlog of calls. Just a licensed plumber, a helper, and a small book of five-star reviews.
That’s when Dustin Marx stepped in. He wasn’t a tradesman. He’d built and sold a tech company that connected contractors to property managers. He knew how to scale systems and people, not pipes.
But he also knew that the trades were ripe for disciplined operators who could build real companies.
So instead of starting from scratch, he went looking for someone who already knew the work.
Finding the Operator
Dustin found his entry point through a podcast. He reached out to a plumber named David who had built a division for a large DFW company. David introduced him to another plumber, Steven, who had left to start his own business called SND Plumbing.
Steven was sharp, honest, and talented, but like most technicians who go out on their own, he lacked structure. Prices were too low. Processes didn’t exist. Dustin saw the opportunity immediately.
He didn’t just buy a business. He partnered with a craftsman. The deal was small, but the goal was clear: combine Steven’s technical skill with Dustin’s operational playbook and build something durable.
Building Like a Company From Day One
Before the ink dried on the deal, Dustin already had ServiceTitan lined up. He branded, systemized, and instrumented everything as if the company were already ten times its size.
He renamed SND Plumbing to Mother, a brand built around care, empathy, and quality. It stood out in a market full of last names and initials. The message was simple: “We care for your home like a mother would.”
By the first week, Dustin and Steven were reviewing profit and loss together. Every plumber forecasted their truck’s revenue and margin. They met weekly for open-book management and budgeting.
Then came the big differentiator: profit sharing. Fifty percent of company profits went back to employees. It created ownership, alignment, and loyalty. The team operated like entrepreneurs, not just technicians.
Growth Through Alignment
They focused only on residential service. No construction. No commercial work. Every decision centered on quality and speed.
In 14 months, the company grew from one plumber to more than twenty employees and ten trucks. Monthly revenue jumped from $15,000 to nearly $700,000. That’s an $8 million annual run rate.
The foundation was intentional, not accidental. They built a brand customers loved, a culture technicians trusted, and a system that rewarded performance.
The Next Phase
Dustin isn’t chasing a hundred million in revenue. He’s building a company that lasts decades. One that his kids can inherit.
The plan is to grow through people, not acquisitions. When a technician becomes ready to lead, they can open their own Mother location. It’s not a franchise model. It’s a partnership model built on ownership and trust.
Every Friday, the team opens the books, forecasts next week’s numbers, and reviews performance. Each truck is its own small business. Each plumber knows exactly how they contribute to the whole.
The Takeaway
Dustin didn’t buy a plumbing company. It was much more than that. He bought a relationship, then built a system around it.
- Find alignment before you find scale.
- Hire for skill, then share success.
- Brand for emotion, not ego.
- Track everything.
- Play the long game.
Mother Plumbing proves that you don’t need a big starting line. You need the right partner, a clear system, and the discipline to build slow before you grow fast.
