Craig ElliottFollow on X

CRAIG ELLIOTT · VIRGINIA-RAISED · BUILDER

STILL BUILDING.

Portrait of Craig Elliott

I ran my own HVAC company for 15 years and sold it with 40 trucks on the road. These days I build apps at Black Boxx Labs, help trades and small businesses with tech at Fixit, and write large print books.

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  • HVAC TECH AT 18
  • RAN MY OWN COMPANY 15 YEARS
  • 40 TRUCKS AT THE SALE
  • ~2,000 MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS

Who is Craig Elliott?

Craig Elliott is a former HVAC tech who started his own HVAC company, ran it for 15 years and sold it. Today he runs Black Boxx Labs, a small app studio, and Fixit Web Solutions, which builds websites, apps and marketing for trades and small businesses. He also writes large print books for older readers.

JOB 01 / THE STORY

How I got here

01 Baltimore to Virginia

I was born in Baltimore. My mom raised me on her own, and she moved us to Virginia for a better life. She worked hard to give me a good one.

02 The trades

I started at Computer Learning Center to become a computer engineer. I didn't like it, and my mom could tell. She'd had a serviceman out to the house and thought the trades might be a good fit for me. So at 18 I applied for an HVAC job, got hired and got trained. I knew nothing.

It clicked fast, though. The mechanics, how the equipment worked, the engineering behind it. I don't know, I thrived. My real edge was explaining it. I could tell a homeowner what was going on in plain words so they could make a good decision.

18
AGE I STARTED IN HVAC

03 The ceiling

I wanted to be the tech who could fix anything, any call. Good sales numbers, good customer service scores. Almost a unicorn employee. That's what I was going for.

The same year I earned my master license, I got a national top tech award through NATE certification. Then at a company meeting, my boss said there was a pay cap. Nobody at the company could ever earn more than what I was making right then.

So I started my own company.

04 My own company

I bootstrapped it about 20 years ago. Early on I was every role, and I ran a lot of it from the truck. Between calls I was writing down processes and setting up systems.

We had remote agents handling calls, booking and follow-ups from year one. We went from Bella to ESC to ServiceTitan, and we got deep enough in ServiceTitan to build our own automations on its API.

I tried new tools early. Sometimes way too early. We put AI voice on customer service before it was ready, and people hated it.

15
YEARS RUNNING MY COMPANY

05 The sale

After 15 years I sold the company. We had 40 trucks on the road and about 2,000 maintenance agreements.

When the buyer and I talked about what made it worth buying, it wasn't the equipment. It wasn't the customer list. It was the systems: automated scheduling, written processes, and a CRM with years of customer history in it.

It felt amazing.

40
TRUCKS ON THE ROAD
~2,000
MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS

06 Building again

Building was always my favorite part, and I still wanted to help people. The tech is better than it's ever been, and I have the time. So I'm building again.

The full story is coming soon as an X Article. Follow @CraigElliott_jr to catch it

JOB 02 / NOW

What I'm working on (as of October 2026)

Black Boxx Labs · App studio

A small studio making consumer apps that help you stay on top of things and do more.

  • Smilo: an aligner tracker for Invisalign and other clear aligners. On the App Store. Links: smilo.lifeApp Store
  • Sparkle Sort: a cute to-do list app. On the App Store. Link: App Store
  • PinchPal: scan your spice jars into a digital rack. Coming soon to iPhone. Link: Join the waitlist

blackboxx.infoApp support: success@blackboxx.info

Fixit Web Solutions · For trades and small businesses

I used tech to run a service business for 15 years. Fixit helps owners do the same, with custom apps, websites, local SEO, marketing and data analysis built on AI and automation.

fixit.workcraig@fixit.work

JOB 03 / BELIEFS

What 15 years of running a service business taught me

  1. 01No shenanigans.Give people clear options and the truth about what's going on. Then let them decide.
  2. 02Explain it so they get it.If the customer can't follow what you're telling them, they can't make a good decision. That was my edge as a tech.
  3. 03Systemize, automate, outsource. Early.I had remote agents answering our phones in year one. You don't have to wait until you're big.
  4. 04Build something someone would want to buy. Even if you never sell.When my buyer looked at the company, the systems mattered more than the trucks.
  5. 05Try new tools early, and expect some to break.We put AI voice on our customer service line before it was good enough. Customers hated it.

JOB 04 / WRITING

Latest writing

00

What made a bootstrapped HVAC company worth buying, why buyers think that way, and a checklist you can start this week if you're still the whole business.

X ARTICLE · COMING SOON

Follow on X to catch it

JOB 05 / PERSONAL

Off the clock

I've been married to my wife for over 20 years. She's amazing, and I couldn't do any of this without her. We have three kids, a daughter and two boys, and mostly I'm trying to be a great dad.

I play tennis. I'm working on getting into the best shape I can and staying there. I spend a lot of time taking care of our land and our home. And there's Ginger, our cavapoo.

JOB 06 / CONTACT

Get in touch

Email is the best way to reach me. If it's about one of the apps, the support address gets you a faster answer.

Email
Open email
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@CraigElliott_jrDMs open
Fixit projects
craig@fixit.workfixit.work
Portrait of Craig Elliott