Running a household with two young boys and two energetic cocker spaniels is a full-time job in itself. But for Ashley and Trevor Mullen, that’s just the start of their daily balancing act.
As the co-owners of Mullen Plumbing, a thriving Long Beach business that has more than tripled in revenue over the past five years, the couple is doing more than just making it work.
Their journey began not as business partners, but first as a couple, then as parents navigating life’s curveballs. Before Mullen Plumbing ever existed, Ashley was designing retail spaces and traveling often, while Trevor was nearing the end of a four-year plumbing apprenticeship. When their first son, Mason, was born, Ashley stepped away from her career to become a full-time mom.
“I realized I couldn't be a mom and a career woman at the same time — at least not in the way I wanted to be,” she recalled.
Trevor passed his contractor's exam when Mason was just three months old. With a new license, a new truck and a newborn at home, he launched Mullen Plumbing on his own. For the next several years, Ashley ran payroll from home while raising their two sons, Mason and Cole.
“I’ll be honest, it was hard,” she said. “Trevor worked seven days a week, usually until 9 p.m. and our first kid didn’t really know him until he was about five.”
That all changed when their youngest son, Cole, started preschool. Ashley decided it was time to join the business full-time—an evolution that wasn’t necessarily met with open arms.
“Trevor was burned out. He told me, ‘If you’re coming on board, you’re managing everything—employees, systems, all of it.’ I said, “Yeah, I'm up for the challenge. I love a good challenge, you know?"
Since then, Ashley has helped turn a $500,000 plumbing business into a $1.5 million operation with six employees and a fleet that’s expanded every year. Today, Trevor handles the technical side—he’s the plumbing wizard bringing cred to the brand — while Ashley runs the day-to-day management of the shop.
Even as the business thrives, parenting remains their highest-stakes role.
“Being a wife, being a mother, being a business owner, I think you kind of have to just be really flexible with your day-to-day,” she said.
The Mullens are a notably active crew. Mason, 9, and Cole, nearly 7, are both sports lovers. The family spends evenings and weekends at baseball fields and skate parks, and often heads to the beach or backyard pool to unwind. “The boys love dirt biking too—we’re that kind of family,” Ashley said, laughing.
Their two dogs, Penny and Betty, are also part of the team. Both cocker spaniels, Penny is just over a year old and Betty is five months. “Penny used to come everywhere with us,” Ashley said. “And Betty will too, once she’s finished all her shots. They go to the skate park, the job sites—they’re part of the crew.”
As for raising children in the context of a family-run business, Ashley takes an open, honest approach. “I teach them more about what it takes to be successful,” she said. “They ask how money works, what stocks are. Mason’s not interested in plumbing at all—he’s creative, like me. But Cole? He’s obsessed. He wears his work boots, digs with Trevor on job sites, and asks him every night what he worked on that day.”
Ashley and Trevor both lead by example. Fitness is a cornerstone of their routine, something they believe instills discipline and mental resilience in their kids.
She says she lifts weights four days a week and takes cardio classes called ‘Wunder Ball.’
“It’s the only cardio I enjoy,” she said. “Trevor lifts too, and we work out together on Sundays with the boys.”
Of course, some days the balance tips too far in one direction.
“It’s impossible to give 100% in every role, every day.”
Looking ahead, the Mullens are currently in escrow on a commercial property—one of Ashley and Trevor’s long-term goals. “We didn’t want to rent anymore. We wanted another asset,” she said. But her big-picture vision goes beyond real estate.
“I want to scale to a $5 million business—and not be the person running it every day. Right now, if we step away, we don’t have a business. That’s not sustainable. I want to build something that can exist without Trevor and I.”
Still, when asked what success looks like in five years, Ashley circles back to the basics: “I just want my kids to be happy and healthy."
(Flex page 10 has a pull quote with a 25 word count.)