What Two Home Services Operators Learned About PE, AI, and Staying Ahead

Two forces are reshaping home services at the same time: private equity is entering the industry, and AI is changing the way businesses operate.

Ivana Prstic, who leads Avoca's Strategy & Operations, recently sat down with Josh Campbell and Michael Hirsh from Rescue Air, who've lived on both sides. They built a company, ran a PE partnership process that drew 20+ offers, and were one of the first operators to deploy AI across their front office, partnering with Avoca more than 3 years ago.

Here's what they think every operator should know right now.

1. The Operators Who Stay Curious Are the Ones Winning

Josh built his first company, watched it stall, and eventually had to walk away. The lesson: operators who resist change are the ones who get stuck.

The second time around, he did the opposite:

• When PE entered the space, he read The Private Equity Playbook, ran his numbers, and realized the value already sitting inside his business.
• When AI started showing up at industry events, he didn't dismiss it. He became one of the first to deploy it.

The operators getting the best multiples right now aren't just running solid businesses. They're showing buyers proof they've built something repeatable and scalable.

Josh's advice: "Don't wait until you have to do it…try to do it all proactively."

2. Your AI Strategy Can Directly Increase Your Company's Value

When Rescue Air went through their PE process, buyers didn't only look at revenue and EBITDA, they noticed the AI tools in place.

"When they saw we had a bunch of AI products in place, they were like, 'Who are these guys? How are they using them so effectively?'"

PE buys playbooks and scalability. Rescue Air had already figured out AI in the front office, and that playbook could spread across their entire portfolio. That potential drove real valuation upside.

Strong sales process, good close rates, clean financials are table stakes. Your AI strategy might be the thing that sets you apart.

3. Picking the Right Partners — PE and AI — Comes Down to the Same Principles

Their advice for evaluating both PE and AI partners is strikingly similar: pick the best, hold yourself accountable, don't look for shortcuts.

On PE partners:

• Invest in the right deal team. "Get an amazing investment banker, an amazing deal attorney, the best accountants possible. Don't save money on those things."
• Don't buy the negative narrative. "I'm a big fan of PE because it gives us a real opportunity to actually realize the value in our companies."
• Stay open. It's a chance to grow in ways you couldn't on your own.

On AI partners:

• Skip the imposters. Find the best partner in the category and go deep. Don't spread thin across mediocre tools.
• Stay in your lane. "Don't try to compete with somebody who's doing something great already." Don't try to build AI yourself, build an AI-native team instead that knows how to leverage these tools to their full potential.
• There are no easy buttons. "You're going to have to work with it, you're going to have to grind with it and train it."

The implementation piece is critical. They recommended weekly meetings with your AI partner, consistent feedback, and treating AI like any other critical workstream in your business. It’s not a product you set and forget.

The Bigger Picture

The through-line in their story isn't PE or AI specifically, it's how they have approached changes. The market is moving. PE is here. AI is here. Neither is going away. The operators who lean in, pick the best partners, and put in the work are the ones who come out ahead.

Rescue Air is an Avoca customer and one of the first home services companies to deploy AI across their business.

‍