From Bull Riding to Building a $92M Marketing Empire: Chris Yano

Feb 17, 2025

I recently sat down with Chris Yano, a legend in the home services marketing space. He’s the founder and now CMO (soon-to-be CSO) of RYNO Strategic Solutions, one of the biggest digital marketing agencies for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing companies in North America.

The guy’s story is wild. From wrestling and bull riding to partnering with Gary Vee and building a $92 million agency, Chris has lived a life most entrepreneurs only dream about.

Here are the biggest lessons, insights, and takeaways from our conversation.

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Chris Yano’s Crazy Backstory: Bull Riding, Race Cars, and Sales

Before he was the OG of HVAC marketing, Chris was literally riding bulls and racing cars.

Grew up in rural Indiana.
Wrestled in high school (learned grit).
Tried bull riding in Arizona because “he had good balance.”
Racing was in his blood, thanks to the Indy 500 culture.
Learned early on: high risk = high reward.

Chris didn't fall into entrepreneurship—he built his way into it. After realizing he wasn't going to make a living on bulls or race tracks, he figured out he was great at sales and leaned into that.

💬 “If I just did HVAC every single day, nobody would be better than me.”

How RYNO Was Born (In a Cold Indiana Winter)

Chris and his wife Anna launched what became Rhino in 2008, starting from absolute zero.

Started in Yellow Pages sales, where he got obsessed with tracking and data.
Saw a gap: lots of people were selling marketing, but nobody was executing well.
Moved from Phoenix back to Indiana to be “early” to the digital game.
Cold called, pitched, built websites, ran SEO, tracked calls—all from scratch.

One key decision? He nichified early—doubling down on HVAC and owning that vertical.

💬 “We were listening to every call, tracking ROI, and actually proving results before anyone else.”

The $92M Scaling Journey: Private Equity, Mergers & Playing a Bigger Game

Fast forward to today: RYNO is now a $92 million business after merging with Blue Corona and two other agencies under the same private equity group.

Chris got real about how tough it is to scale:

$1M is hard.
$5M is harder.
$10M–$20M? Even harder.
Scaling beyond that? You need outside help.

That’s why they brought in private equity—not to sell and leave, but to grow responsibly. The merger with Blue Corona helped them become a full-blown powerhouse in the space.

💬 “At a certain point, it’s just responsible to bring in people smarter than you.”

Partnering With Gary Vee: A Lesson in Hustle and Being Ready

Chris didn't just follow Gary Vee—he partnered with him for three years.

He chased Gary down, cold DMs, emails, networking.
Got into a private dinner, pitched Gary face-to-face.
They made a handshake deal and signed a contract months later.
That led to insights on voice search, operational structure, and launching Chris’s podcast.

💬 “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I just made it happen.”

Being a True Partner, Not Just Another Vendor

This hit home for me. Chris said most marketing agencies just sell leads—but RYNO is built to be a partner.

They listen to calls.
Analyze performance data.
Coach clients when their booking process—not the leads—is the problem.

That’s why their clients stay.

💬 “We don’t just say we’re partners. We act like it. That’s what lowers churn and drives real results.”

Biggest Lesson in the Past Few Years?

Chris got vulnerable here:

💬 “Pride is the enemy. Be okay with not knowing. Let smarter people lead in areas they’re better at.”

If you want to scale, you have to evolve—from the scrappy solo operator to someone who can build teams, systems, and step back when needed.

Final Thoughts

This conversation was a masterclass in entrepreneurship, grit, and scaling a service-based business. Whether you're in home services or running a marketing agency, there’s so much to learn from Chris’s journey.

And the biggest takeaway?

📌 Don’t be afraid to go all-in, bet on yourself, and do what others aren’t willing to do. The rewards are on the other side of the grind.

Thanks again to Chris Yano for coming on the show—check out RYNO Strategic Solutions and his podcast To The Point if you want more gold.

P.S. Check out the full episode here: