108. From Rock Bottom to a $20 Million Business: The Relentless Journey of John Karpov
At just 17 years old, John Karpov immigrated alone from Kazakhstan to Canada, barely speaking English and with no safety net. When a scam wiped out his savings and left him contemplating suicide, one phone call saved his life, and set off a chain of events that would redefine what grit and perseverance look like.
In this powerful conversation, Dwayne Kerrigan sits down with John to unpack how he went from a desperate student to the founder of Action Home Services, a multimillion-dollar landscape construction company. John shares how he learned English, mastered sales by necessity, and built a thriving business one door knock at a time.
This is a masterclass in resilience, risk, and the immigrant mindset that fuels unstoppable entrepreneurs.
Timestamps
00:00 - John reflects on fear, scarcity, and the pain that still drives him 11 years later.
01:00 - Dwayne introduces John Karpov, founder of Action Home Services.
03:00 - John’s early life in Kazakhstan and decision to immigrate to Canada at 17.
05:00 - Struggling to understand North American English and adapting to culture shock.
06:00 - Losing his financial support — and falling victim to a fraud that wiped out his savings.
08:00 - A near-suicidal moment and the phone call that changed everything.
10:00 - Finding a commission-only job selling driveway sealing — and having no clue what it was.
15:00 - Knocking doors for 8 hours with no sales — until a breakthrough changes everything.
17:30 - A confrontation, courage, and earning $400 in a day — more than a month’s pay back home.
19:00 - What kept him from giving up — the mindset shift from failure to relentless drive.
23:00 - Outworking everyone and learning the power of necessity.
25:00 - Starting his first business with no money, no truck, no driver’s license — and no experience.
31:00 - Working 60 hours a week while in college — the early years of survival.
34:00 - Transition from driveway sealing to landscaping and scaling beyond himself.
38:00 - Dwayne and John break down the principles of sales: activity, energy, and hunger.
41:30 - The scarcity mindset that still lingers — and how fear drives discipline.
47:00 - Risk, safety, and how to protect a growing business through systems and liquidity.
53:00 - Building systems, crews, and leadership while finishing college.
1:03:00 - Growing past chaos: when your living-room floor becomes your job-scheduling system.
1:07:00 - Bringing his wife into the business — and the promise to be home by 5 p.m.
1:13:00 - Her immigration story — and how persistence beat three rejections.
1:14:00 - Dwayne’s closing reflections: from scarcity to abundance — and what’s coming in Part 2.
Key Takeaways
- Necessity builds resilience. When failure isn’t an option, resourcefulness becomes instinct.
- Work ethic beats experience. John outworked everyone — before he even knew what he was selling.
- Systems are survival. Growth without process leads to chaos (and lost contracts under the carpet).
- Scarcity can ignite hunger — but abundance sustains growth. Learning when to move from survival mode to strategy is essential.
- Leadership evolves. From door-to-door hustler to CEO, John learned that empowering others fuels exponential scale.
Quotes:
“The moment I start knocking those doors, the flame inside of me started, and I just knew I cannot give up. I need to actually get back on track. I cannot fail my parents because they gave me this opportunity to come in.” John Karpov
“For me, grow, it's in my DNA, like it's in my blood. I would never stop growing.” John Karpov
“I think it is still
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