Aaron Rice is a plumber with two special tattoos on his left leg. One tattoo represents the plumbing business he started over ten years ago, and the other shows the name of a company that recently bought it. Rice works in Tucson, Arizona, where summer temperatures often soar to 100 degrees. This makes local plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning services incredibly important for residents who need relief from the heat.

For years, Rice was wary of offers from investors outside of Arizona...