Today we’d like to introduce you to Tobias Sommer.
Hi Tobias, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Advanced Electrical Services in Omaha in January 2003. At the time, I was working as an electrician on a large industrial project. When that project ended, my choices were to travel out of state for work or return home and take a significant pay cut. I believed I could pass the contractor’s exam and create a better opportunity for my family, so I borrowed against my house, earned my contractor’s license, and started the business.
There was no grand business plan in the beginning. My first goal was simply not to go broke. I took nearly any electrical work I could find, from residential service calls to large commercial projects. We experienced some early success, but I was learning how to run a business through trial and error.
That journey included some very difficult years. I made hiring and partnership decisions that did not work out, lost a substantial amount of money, and eventually found myself starting over from my basement during the financial crisis. I lost many of the assets I had built, but I gained knowledge that continues to shape how I lead today. I learned to trust my instincts, watch the financial details, choose the right people, and never assume that growth by itself means you are building a healthy company.
Our path into the generator industry began around 2009. In 2011, Generac approached us about helping develop the standby-generator market in our area, and that opportunity became the foundation for Generators for Sale.
For several years, we continued doing general electrical work while slowly growing the generator business. Then, in 2020, demand increased dramatically. We had to decide whether to continue being everything to everyone or concentrate on the work we did best. We chose to focus entirely on standby generators.
That focus changed the company. Over the following five years, we grew from approximately $1 million in annual revenue to nearly $10 million. More importantly, we developed a team and repeatable processes centered on one goal: providing reliable, professionally engineered power solutions for families.
As we grew, Kansas City became a natural place for us to expand. We saw a large community of homeowners who valued reliability, wanted to protect their homes and families, and deserved a company specializing in generators rather than treating them as a sideline. We opened our Kansas City operation in 2023, bringing the experience and support systems of an established Midwest generator company while continuing to build a genuinely local team.
Today, we serve customers through Omaha, Kansas City, and Cedar Rapids and are among the leading Generac dealers in the country. However, I still remember that the business began with one electrician trying to support his family.
Our story has not been a straight line. It has involved mistakes, rebuilding, hard lessons, and learning to focus. That is probably the most important lesson I could share with another entrepreneur: setbacks do not have to be the end of your story. Sometimes they are what force you to become clearer about who you are, what you do well, and what kind of company you want to build.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Like many entrepreneurs, I started because I understood the work—not because I knew how to run a company. I had to learn hiring, leadership, finances, sales, and operations while also serving customers and supporting my family.
Along the way, we faced several significant challenges:
An early employee-related tragedy that changed how I viewed hiring, risk, and responsibility.
A business partnership that did not work out and resulted in a substantial financial loss.
Rebuilding the company from my basement during the financial crisis.
Learning that expanding without the right leadership and systems can stretch a company too thin.
Managing the challenges that come with rapid growth, including hiring, training, and developing processes that do not depend entirely on the owner.
Those experiences taught me to trust my instincts, understand the numbers, choose people carefully, and stay focused on what we do best. The journey has included mistakes and difficult seasons, but each one helped shape the business and leader I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Generators for Sale specializes in complete residential standby-power solutions. We help homeowners select the right generator, design the system, complete the electrical and gas installation, coordinate permitting, and provide ongoing maintenance and service. Instead of treating generators as a side offering within a general electrical company, this is our primary focus and area of expertise.
We are known for finding the right long-term solution rather than simply selling a piece of equipment. Every home is different, so we look at the customer’s priorities, electrical needs, property layout, and budget before recommending a system. Our goal is to make the entire process understandable, professional, and as seamless as possible.
What sets us apart is our combination of specialization, transparency, and reliability. We provide clear proposals, communicate throughout the project, and work hard to prevent hidden costs or surprises. We have also developed dedicated teams and repeatable processes for generator installation and service, allowing us to deliver consistent quality as we grow.
I am most proud of the team we have built and the knowledge we have developed together. What began with one electrician has grown into a company serving homeowners across the Midwest through Omaha, Kansas City, and Cedar Rapids. We have become one of the leading Generac dealers in the country, but I am proudest when a customer tells us our team made them feel informed, respected, and confident that their home will have power when they need it most.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned is the power of focus. For years, I tried to be everything to everyone and accepted nearly every kind of electrical work available. We stayed busy, but being busy did not always mean we were building a strong or sustainable company.
Once we focused entirely on standby generators and committed to becoming exceptional at one thing, the business changed. We were able to build better processes, train our team more effectively, and provide a more consistent experience for our customers.
I have also learned to trust my instincts, choose people carefully, and understand that setbacks are often lessons rather than failures. You do not need to have every answer before moving forward, but you must be willing to learn, adjust, and keep improving.
Pricing:
- Readers interested in current pricing can visit HomeGeneratorsForSale.com or contact our Kansas City team for a personalized consultation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://homegeneratorsforsale.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/generatorsforsale
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Generatorsforsale
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/generators-for-sale
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeneratorsByAES
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HomeGeneratorForSale/feed
