When Brandon and Caitie Brown established Spot On Plumbing in 2017, they hoped to revolutionize the plumbing service industry in Tulsa. Today, they’re ranked in the top 14 percent of companies in the United States, which they consider one of their greatest career accomplishments – a moment that helped them realize the work they do every single day matters, inspiring them to keep going.
Built on Integrity, Driven by Service
After working for several companies, Brandon was dissatisfied with the plumbing industry’s propensity to put profit ahead of people. He believed in recommending cost-effective solutions built to last, rather than quick fixes or unnecessary replacements. Spot On Plumbing was the result of his straightforward, but effective, goal of providing trustworthy, sincere plumbing services that genuinely work in the best interests of the homewoners.
Having gleaned more than fifteen years of practical experience in the plumbing industry, Brandon brings a wealth of industry knowledge and a dedication to quality to Spot On Plumbing. Since its founding, the firm has distinguished itself by emphasizing honesty, professionalism, and doing things the right way, even if it isn’t the quickest or easiest option.
Today, Spot On Plumbing serves Tulsa as well as the neighboring communities of Broken Arrow, Bixby, Owasso, Glenpool, Catoosa, Sapulpa, and Sand Springs. They have a reputation for being on time, respectfully handling customers’ homes, and completing tasks correctly, whether they are scheduled repairs or late-night emergencies.
Building Trust Through Transparency
The team at Spot On Plumbing considers every job, big or small, as an opportunity to build trust. With a 100 percent happiness guarantee, they aim to exceed expectations and leave every customer confident in their service, guided by a core set of values:
- Integrity: They offer straightforward advice, never upselling or overcharging. If a mistake is made, they own it and fix it at no cost.
- Cleanliness: Every job is wrapped up with care. Customers never have to clean up after them.
- Dependability: Calls are returned, appointments are honored, and if delays happen, customers are informed in advance.
- Continuous Improvement: The team stays current with evolving plumbing codes, technologies, and tools through ongoing education and training.
Spot On Plumbing refunds 100 percent of the money to the customer if they’re not happy, proving that they’re a company that lives up to their word. “Our entire team knows that you learn something new every single day, and the way you’ve done it for so long might not be the best, and it’s OK to keep learning new strategies and new ways to do things,” she adds.
Rooted in Purpose, Led with Heart
Caitie wears many hats at Spot On Plumbing, but she traces one of her most defining experiences back to a time before they started the company – their journey to debt freedom. “It has taught us endurance, discipline, and reward. Becoming debt-free allowed our family to focus on what mattered to us and gave us the freedom to start our business,” she reflects.
The first major change Caitie made when she took over the role of chief marketing officer was to fire their 3rd party marketing agency. They were a third-party vendor, and she quickly realized that they did not share the same values as the company, nor did they understand the local Tulsa market the way she did as a member of the community.
In her dual role overseeing financial planning and team development, Caitie realized that their people were the most important investment they could make as an organization. Every financial decision made as a company was done with the team in mind, with the goal that their people should be taken care of, and keeping their team members at the forefront of every decision.
“We foster a culture of transparency and accountability by doing it within the leadership first. We allow our team to be honest without the risk of hurting their careers at our company. The trust we have with our team allows them to give us honest feedback, and how we receive that helps the team know we’re just like them,” Caitie shares.
“When we make mistakes, we own them. We allow our team to make mistakes, but we also allow our team to see how we correct those mistakes. Knowing that they’re safe and that it’s OK to mess up allows us to be transparent with one another, and it has developed a team of humble students,” Caitie points out.
Recognizing that some parts of the plumbing industry can struggle with pride, Caitie is passionate about creating a team culture built on humility, continuous learning, and the confidence to acknowledge and grow from mistakes. “When budget cuts are necessary, we cut everything but team development and team culture,” Caitie shares. This approach ensures the heart of Spot On Plumbing stays strong, no matter the challenges ahead.
Creating Wealth and Dignity for the Trades
Caitie’s motivation to build a structured HR department was inspired by Simon Sinek and her father, who worked as a truck mechanic for 40 years, and “literally broke his body for his work.” This inspired her resolve that if she were ever in a position to honor the trades and the blue-collar workers, she would treat her employees in a way that would honor her father and his legacy of blue collar success.
“I want them to have healthcare. I want them to have physical fitness. I want them to have benefits very early on, and I want them to be able to retire with dignity. My dad really inspired me to make that happen, because he got to do that. It was very inspiring because so many people in the trades have to work for a really long time. I want to be an asset and help them retire rich, because they deserve to be wealthy,” Caitie insists.
She emphasizes that blue-collar workers deserve these opportunities because “they’re breaking their bodies for our community, so that we can have a better life, live in beautiful homes, and have nice roads.” This sacrifice drives her commitment to ensuring that they retire wealthy and be able to give back to their children and their grandchildren.
Breaking Stereotypes, Building a Legacy
Caitie notes that some of the challenges with being a woman in a plumbing company are being seen as an asset. Less than five percent of women work in the trade industry, according to Lincoln Tech. “Being in a position of leadership as an owner does make it easier, but it’s more of an impostor syndrome that my personal hangups really hold me back as a woman in a leadership role,” she admits.
Caitie emphasizes the need to be assertive and very direct and decisive in this role, and points out that with those strengths comes certain labels. “Some of those labels may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but at the end of the day, I have a job to do, and that requires me to have those personality traits which help my company. It helps my team members, and it also helps my customers, so that’s who I’m fighting for at the end of the day, and that’s all that matters,” she states unapologetically.
Driving Growth in a Competitive Market
Caitie observes that the plumbing market and many other markets throughout the United States have been invaded by private equity buying small businesses, driving up marketing costs exponentially. She reveals that one of the marketing strategies that helped their company at a difficult time was figuring out how to lower their cost per acquisition and target the right customers to boost their conversion rate.
“We had to get very creative and very bold with our marketing so that we would have a chance to make it, thrive within our community, and maintain being profitable. We put a very structured marketing plan together where the key foundation was always consistency. Finding marketing strategies that worked and that we could repeat in different parts of our communities, where we could find the right customers and convert higher, changed our entire company,” she shares.
Caitie’s top priorities for strengthening Spot On Plumbing’s marketing and financial success are to continue to lower their cost per acquisition and increase conversions. “We will continue to keep our debt low and our assets high,” she insists.
Where Entrepreneurship Meets Everyday Life
Caitie and Brandon are the proud parents of their son, Caidon, who plays basketball and is an honor student at Lincoln Christian School. As active members of Church on the Move in Tulsa, honesty, service, and community are the cornerstones of everything they stand for.
Brandon notes that owning their own company makes work-life balance impossible; however, it has its benefits. “My work is my wife, and my family is in this business, and we work in the business together every day. I get to spend time with my kid, and he gets to learn entrepreneurship. He gets to learn communication skills, and he gets to learn leadership, and that gift for my family will live forever,” he says.
Brandon’s key to work-life balance involves block scheduling, making sure he’s there to pick up his son, take him to school, and that he’s present at all of his extracurricular activities and sporting events. It also includes alone time so that he can renew his mind and replenish his energy.
“My work gives me a lot of energy, and I love what I do, so when I’m working, I’m happy, and that is something I’m very grateful for. I think every person should strive to have a career or a job that gives them energy. So much of the world can deplete you, but if you have a job and a workplace where you get filled instead of emptied, I believe you’ve won the lottery,” Brandon reflects.
Advice to Women Leading in the Trades
Caitie’s advice to any woman pursuing a career in the trades as a leader is to “be the dumbest person in the room and make sure you get around women who truly want to see you succeed.” She notes that, unfortunately, some women will not love you when you outperform them, but those are not your women.
“Women have a unique gift that’s going to be an asset to the trades. We are creative. We have a sense of compassion, and our empathy towards customers is a lot higher than men. Women tend to be more organized and have a knack for productivity. I would also say that you need to read so many books that you think your brain is going to explode. You can never read too many books,” she encourages with conviction.
Marketing with Purpose, Giving with Heart
Caitie observes that while industry trends, like artificial intelligence, are great in the marketing world and help boost visibility, certain aspects of marketing will never die. “Your marketing strategy should align with your company’s goals, not what your competitors are doing, which is not always going to work for you. Don’t make the mistake of copycatting just because it works for them. Stay focused, know your goals, and only pursue strategies that will help you achieve them,” she advises.
Passionate about canine welfare, Caitie hopes to make Spot On Plumbing a very generous company within their community and to be able to give back to pet rescues and animal shelters. “Dog training is a huge passion of mine, and I would love to see more animals with anxiety and aggression issues find good homes with the proper training, and evolve into amazing dogs that are great for families within our local communities. I want my community to see Spot On Plumbing as a positive, generous, and fun company!” she says with heart.
Conclusion
As a woman leader in the trades, Caitie Brown demonstrates that it is possible to be both empathetic and assertive. Her direct, values-driven, people-first way of leading has changed what it means to run a blue-collar business in today’s world. Caitie’s journey is evidence that strong leadership doesn’t have to mean giving up compassion. She’s building a humble, high-performing team culture and fighting for women in the trades and community impact. She’s not just starting a business; she’s leaving a legacy of service, honesty, and real change.
