#468 Scaling Smarter: Tyler Dunagin on Building 7-Figure Service Businesses with Purpose

In this episode, Mehmet is joined by Tyler Dunagin, Founder & CEO of Turnserv, a platform powering multiple tech-enabled service brands in the multifamily housing sector. Tyler has scaled five brands to 7-figure revenue, secured private equity backing, and earned a spot on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies. From building within arm’s reach to leading with culture and equity, Tyler shares hard-won insights into scaling non-obvious businesses with discipline and purpose. ✅ Key Takeaways • Why tech isn’t the only path—service businesses can scale fast if built smart • The “within arm’s reach” framework for discovering untapped opportunities • Why specialization beats generalization in early-stage business models • Scaling operations through playbooks, KPIs, and culture codes • Fundraising lessons: services vs. software, and earning trust before capital • The underestimated power of personal branding for founders ⸻ 🎧 What You’ll Learn • How Tyler built multiple 7-figure businesses with low ego and high focus • The hidden challenges of growing service companies (and how to solve them) • When founders must delegate—and how to do it without losing control • A real founder’s mindset on burnout, motivation, and purpose • How to align your team with equity, not just expectations 👤 About the Guest Tyler Dunagin is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Turnserv, a tech-enabled service platform for property management. He has directed $250M+ in asset management, developed patented products, and been nominated for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Tyler is also a strong advocate for founder mental health, team equity, and personal branding done right. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerdunagin/ https://dunagincollective.com/ https://www.turnserv.com/ Episode Highlights (Chapters) 00:00 – Introduction & Tyler’s journey 03:00 – Building within arm’s reach 06:00 – Frameworks for fast, focused scaling 10:00 – Bottlenecks and solving for scale in service businesses 15:00 – Scaling company culture with speed 21:00 – Delegation, burnout, and breaking founder bottlenecks 27:00 – Managing $250M in assets and applying it to entrepreneurship 30:00 – Fundraising for service businesses vs. tech 35:00 – Personal branding and its impact on recruiting, sales, and trust 44:00 – The founder mindset: staying grounded through uncertainty 49:00 – Final reflections and how to connect with Tyler