Episode 36: From Gmail Dispatching to 22,000 Service Calls a Year | Sam Puleo & Ryan Larrimore

What happens when a high-volume drain company is still dispatching thousands of jobs through Gmail — and someone decides there has to be a better way? In this episode of Let’s Talk Shit Show, Shaun Carlyon sits down with Sam Puleo, co-founder of Shwego, and Ryan Larrimore of Express Drains to talk about building businesses, simplifying field service management, taking major entrepreneurial risks and solving real problems for people working in the trades. IF you want to be on the podcast, contact us at LetsTalkShit.info@gmail.com Shwego started after Sam met Ryan while running a digital advertising company. Ryan’s drain business was already handling serious volume, but the company was still dispatching technicians through shared Gmail accounts. Existing field service platforms felt too complicated and expensive for what Ryan actually needed, so Sam offered to build something simpler. The conversation covers: • How Shwego started from a real-world business problem • Running a drain company without traditional field service software • Why simplicity matters for technicians in the field • Quotes, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing and payments • Building software specifically for service businesses • Growing Express Drains from a $20,000 startup • Starting out charging roughly $65 per drain • Scaling to 14–15 trucks and nearly 100 calls on a strong day • Completing approximately 22,000 service calls in a year • Why documentation, photos and videos build customer trust • The problem with overcomplicated software • Building features people will actually use • Cashing out retirement savings to fund a business • Taking calculated risks as an entrepreneur • Why success looks like luck only after the hard years are over • Keeping your word in business • Working hard without forgetting your family Ryan started his drain-cleaning business in 2008 after losing his previous work during the economic downturn. With a mortgage, two kids and no job, he invested around $20,000 into a truck and equipment and started cleaning drains. The company kept growing, training technicians in-house and adding trucks as demand increased. When Sam built the first version of the software, Ryan says it changed the way the entire operation worked. Instead of managing jobs through email, technicians could see their schedules, update calls and keep information organized in one place. Ryan says the company was eventually handling close to 100 service calls on a good day and completed roughly 22,000 calls in the previous year. That experience became the foundation for Shwego. Sam’s goal is not to build software filled with features just because they sound impressive. He wants to build tools that solve actual problems, save time and make life easier for the people using them every day. That belief came with risk. Sam talks about cashing in retirement accounts to pay software developers while his accountant warned him about the cost. His mindset was simple: he was not just investing in another company — he was betting on himself. Ryan also shares the reality behind entrepreneurship. People often see the trucks, employees and success after the fact, but they do not see the financial risk, mistakes, long days and pressure required to build it. For both guests, business comes back to a few fundamentals: keep your word, work hard, stay committed to what you do, deliver quality work and make sure success does not come at the expense of your family. This episode is for plumbers, drain and sewer professionals, septic companies, contractors, service-business owners, software founders and entrepreneurs looking for practical ways to make their businesses more efficient. Guests: Sam Puleo — Co-Founder, Shwego Website: https://shwego.com Ryan Larrimore — Express Drains Website: https://expressdrains.com/ Follow Let’s Talk Shit Show: Instagram: @letstalkshitshow TikTok: @Lets Talk Sh*t DLK Septic Services Regular Business Hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM–5:00 PM Emergency septic services available 24/7. Services include septic pumping, emergency septic pumping, septic inspections, new septic system installations, septic rejuvenation and septic education through the DLK Blog. Connect with DLK Septic Services on Facebook and Instagram.