DYB Podcast

In this episode we are joined by Nick Slavik, owner/operator of Nick Slavik Painting & Restoration and new member of This Old House.

Nick started working in his family’s painting business at 10-years-old. His father would get Nick to help with the business any time that he wasn’t in school.

After serving in the Army, during two-and-a-half years at university, Nick got a bachelor’s degree and two minors.

Along with these credentials and his painting experience, he wanted to become a partner in the family business alongside his father and brother.

However, he faced resistance from his father which caused a huge argument. Eventually, this led Nick to start his own business.

Nick takes us through how he has grown his business into what it is today, including how he provides customer service, how he selects employees, and how he builds a great company culture.

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• The importance of providing an excellent customer experience
• Why you should keep asking yourself “why”
• When you should begin hiring employees
• A successful approach to social media
• How to build a great company culture

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“My business plan was basically ‘crush your father,’ which was a horrible way to go through life and a very, very immature thing to do.”

“I painted a house, I made a list of ten ways to make it better and faster, and not only did I act on those: I found another five on the second house.”

“I just put cool stuff out there [on social media] in the hopes that people will understand ‘this guy also owns a painting business and he loves his job.’”

“Nobody who has ever worked for me went on to work for another painter or started their own painting business. Everybody has gone on to something that I would usually consider bigger and better.”

“Over the last eighteen months, I’ve gone through a self-imposed rehab on myself trying to say “How am I acting like my father? How am I acting like a poor businessperson? How am I acting like a poor leader? A poor human?”

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[02:25] How did Nick get into this business?

[07:12] What did Nick’s “glorious experiences” look like that opened his horizon to the business?

[15:20] What did the first and second years of Nick’s company look like?

[21:30] Moving forward and bringing on employees.

[26:52] How was Nick generating leads?

[31:39] What types of projects is Nick working on?

[37:22] What has been the biggest paradigm shift for Nick to get to the level he is today?

[44:54] What is Nick’s vision moving forward?

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Nick Slavik Painting & Restoration on Facebook

EP36: Highlights from 2018 AST from the DYB Coach Team

EP37 Doug Imhoff: The Importance of Delegation in Order to Maximize the Growth of Your Painting Business

EP07: Marc Poulos

EP38 Jason Paris: $3M + 31yrs old = CRUSHING Millennial Stereotypes

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In this episode of the DYB podcast, Steve shares the mic with Jason Paris; Owner & Operator of Paris Painting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formerly in the corporate world and tired of the 9-5 grind, Jason decided to leave his job and start his current business; which is estimated to pass +$3 Million in sales this year. As a young founder at the ripe age of 30, Jason has gained a lot perspective on leading & growing a team of millennials through the years, as well as the amount of opportunity in the trades. Enjoy this episode as both talk culture, tech, and the future of painting!

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- The struggles businesses hit in different stages of growth

- How to overcome the mental hurdles that inevitably come from running a business

- How to form company values that work for you & your team

- How to cultivate a unique, unreplicable company culture

- Tips for sourcing incredible, young talent

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“Just my lack of perspective was probably the biggest hindrance to growth.”

“Don’t let the head games or head trash get to you. Head trash happens through lies that you tell yourself -- and the best way to combat it is truth.” “If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got to have passion.” “Company culture is the only thing that can’t be replicated or stolen.” “Decide on the level of success you want to work for.” “The result of an experiment, whether a failure or success, is a successful experiment. An unsuccessful experiment is when you don’t know what the results were and don’t know why.”

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[9:57] Why was 2015 the most difficult year in terms of growth for Paris Painting?

[18:29] Jason goes over some of his team’s background

[21:49] What is Jason’s vision for the company?

[30:38] What is Jason’s company values?

[33:50] What has been Jason’s biggest paradigm shifts that led to his success?

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In this episode of DYB, Steve shares the mic with Doug Imhoff, owner/operator of Imhoff Fine Residential Painting.

Doug started working at a young age. He was paid $1 an hour to work as a busboy in his father’s restaurant – that experience led him to entrepreneurship later on.

After doing a couple of businesses like trading internationally, and after marrying his wife, Doug’s father called him up for help in his painting business.

Doug flew his new family over to Minnesota and served the family business for 9 years before finally setting out on his own in Denver in 2006.

Today, Imhoff Fine Residential Painting is known to be one of the most professional painting contractors in Denver with a specialty in re-toning wood finishes.

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- The importance of recognizing and embracing vulnerability - How female employees change your business - The importance of delegation in teams - How the owner/manager affects team culture - Why entrepreneurs need to give themselves compassion and generosity

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“It was one of the first times in my business life, and in my life in general, that I recognized, embraced, and employed the concept of total vulnerability.”

“I worked in dad’s painting business, started in the field, and eventually moved in to estimating for about 9 years.”

“Having women employees has changed how I think of my company, and our position in the market and what we’re doing im my philosophy about being a business owner. [It] has had a lot to do with who have I become in a way.”

“You just can’t grow beyond a point if you insist on being everything. You just can’t be everything.”

“Entrepreneurs and particularly, painters, in the building trade are super hard on themselves. And I think that they are richly deserving of some self-compassion and some generosity.”

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[00:25] How did Doug recognize the concept of total vulnerability? [07:35] When did Doug started working for his dad and it’s psychological effect to him? [10:41] What was the start of Doug’s entrepreneurial stint? [17:24] Why Doug’s father called him for help? [18:15] How AST - Advanced Shop Talk helped Doug in starting his business? [22:27] Why Doug changes his business owner philosophy? [26:12] What was the role of DYB in Doug’s business? [30:08] How did DYB help in changing the team culture? [36:31] What are the effects of having women in a trade environment?

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In this episode of the DYB Podcast, The DYB Team including Steve, Ron Ramsden, Scott Lollar, Dalton Tomlinson, and Nadia Burnett, discuss highlights and favorite moments from the AST conference this year.

You’ll be able to hear all about the panels and speakers, including talks from famed DYB members!

Enjoy this episode as we step into the shoes of AST attendees this year.

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-What’s in store for the future of painting

-What it’s like to attend AST this year

-Details of the next upcoming AST conference

-Biggest takeaways from the AST conference

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“What gets you to the next level will eventually break, and you’ll have to go to the next step.”

“Culture is your ultimate key differentiator.”

“If you focus on your culture by trusting and tracking, you will have the ultimate advantage.”

“I was truly blown away by everyone’s story at AST.”

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[6:57] Rick Holtz -- Culture & Hiring

[10:42] Mark Paulos -- Be The Hero

[14:12] Jack West -- Drive Safe

[18:02] Sponsors Speed Dating

[20:13] Tech in the Workplace Panel Discussion

[24:42] Sherwin-Williams Lake Minnetonka Cruise

[26:43] AST Awards & Election of Officers

[27:52] Contractor Spotlight -- Nick Legrazio

[29:52] Nick Slavik -- The Modern Apprenticeship

[32:39] Contractor Spotlight -- Jason Parris

[38:08] Big vs Small Panel Discussion

[41:23] Jeff Sommers -- Systems for Growth

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Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

FREE!

How many of you like free stuff that is actually worth something?

I am Ron Ramsden, a DYB coach, and a painting contractor in Massachusetts.

I like things that are free, as long as they are going to help me save time or help my business down the road.

What am I talking about?

I am talking about Banana-Tag.

Some of you might be thinking, “What is Banana-Tag?” and some of you might be thinking, “I already use Banana-Tag.”

There are 3 different perks of Banana-Tag.

I am only going to talk about the free version today, to get the most out of it.

What is Banana-tag?

Banana-Tag tracks emails, lets you schedule emails, and it also gives you email templates.

These are the three points we are going to look at today.

What is it and where do you find it?

Go to Google chrome store and type in “Banana-Tag”.

You open it and you just hit install.

It works both with Gmail and Outlook.

I use Gmail but you can also use it for Outlook.

When you’ve installed the plugin, it will automatically sync with your Gmail account.

You can turn it on and off anytime.

You’ll find the Banana-Tag symbol right at the top and if you want to turn it off, you can slide the little bar and it would shut itself off.

What is it going to do for you that’s going to make your life easier?

The following are a few points that will help you understand it better:

1. Schedule Emails

Why would you want to schedule an email?

Maybe you’re up late at night or up early in the morning and you are doing your jam session.

A jam session is a time when you really concentrate on a few things in your business and get them done without any distractions.

So maybe you send something out at 5 o’ clock in the morning, there is a good chance that the person you are sending it to might have gotten 30-50 emails over the evening, depending on what kind of job they have, and yours could possibly get lost in the shuffle.

You might want to send it at 8:15 or 10:30 or 11 o’ clock.

You might be typing something which is not important and they shouldn’t actually get it until Wednesday or Thursday of this week, you can schedule it out to be sent at that time.

It’s free and it works great!

2. Track Emails

When you have installed the Banana-Tag plug-in and you see an email, there is going to be a little check box at the bottom you check off for tracking an email or not.

For the free version you can use this 5 times per day.

If you want to do it more than that then you would have to upgrade.

I believe it’s $20 a month and that will give you 200 emails tracked per day. You might have 5 emails that you think are the most important ones, you can track them using this plug-in.

You might be sending someone an invoice and you want to make sure that they got it.

You are not only tracking it but when they open that email, Banana-Tag is going to send you an email back and tell you that they have opened it.

Whether you are sending a proposal, an email, payroll or you’re sending something to your lawyer, and you want to make sure that they’ve received it, it’s only the click of a button.

It’s a possibility that you might have sent a proposal through Gmail, for whatever reason, and you haven’t heard from them in quite a long time.

If they ever open up that email again, you are going to find out that they’ve opened up that email again, automatically.

They might have opened it up 6 months ago, but if they open it up now you’ll be notified by Banana-Tag immediately.

I have actually received email notifications of opens that are over a year and a half old. When you get something like that, maybe it’s time to send that person an email at that point and say, “whoa, what a coincidence!”

3. Templates

If you are like me, some of the emails you write will be the same.

Today I was asking someone for a Google review and the subject of my Google review email says “Could you do me a small favor?”

After that I tell them how important reviews are and then I put a link in there so they can easily click through it.

A few years ago, I used to have this format and I would just copy and paste it.

Now, I just write a template for it and when I want to send an email, I just put their name in the subject line, go over to the template bar and I click the template.

It drops down the few emails I have I there.

I click on it and it auto-fills the entire email for me. So easy!

It’s a great way to save time if you are sending the same emails over and over.

It might be an email you only send once a week, or an email to your payroll company.

It can be an email to your entire crew, it can be a newsletter, or it can be something you want to send to your past customers.

It might be a “thank you,” email or something like that and you are sending the same one over and over, then why write it?

It’s a template and it’s free.

These were the 3 different points I wanted to explain.

You can track your emails.

You can track them from now and as long as you have that tag on it, it will just keep telling you every time they open it.

You can schedule an email.

Great times so you don’t get lost in the midst of things.

Then last but not the least, your template, so you are not writing over and over again.

If you do use Banana-Tag, check these out and make sure you are utilizing these three options.

If you haven’t used it, please check out Banana-Tag. It’s free.

If you have any questions or you want to talk about something in your business, send me a message.

I am Ron Ramsden and I am a DYB coach.

You can find me at [email protected]

You can find out more about DYB at joindyb.com

Find me on Facebook and we can chat there as well.

Save your time with a little tip from Ron here.

Have a great day!

P.S. Here's 52 Blog Post Ideas

EP35 Saulius Bertulis From Lithuania to $1M Commercial Painting Co. with his Partner Eivydas Phillips

In this episode of DYB, Steve gets to chat with Saulius Bertulis; Co-Owner of Painters Inc. in Chicago.

Originally from Lithuania, Saulius immigrated to the United States to seek a better life. Although he didn’t speak a word of English when he moved, Saulius took every opportunity he could find -- eventually landing into the painting trade.

Eventually, Saulius worked up through the ranks of the first company he was working for before deciding to go off on his own. Shortly after, Saulius teamed up with another colleague to form Painters Inc., which has grown to become a successful commercial painting company at $1.3MM in sales in 2018.

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-The challenges of creating a partnership, and how to overcome them.

-The importance of selling a product you believe in.

-How to classify clients based on their quality.

-How to elevate your company’s culture.

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“David and I both have very different personalities, and this is what makes Painters Inc. Successful.” “The biggest challenge in our partnership was figuring out who does what best, and let him take over the task.” “Our biggest strength is our employees. We have wonderful people and the culture helps a lot.” “Every time you sell a product...You are making a promise to your client. It’s much easier to make promises when you know you can deliver.” “If a client believes in you, you will have no problem selling a job.”

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[4:13] How did Saulius get started in painting?

[11:24] What were Saulius’ thoughts going into a partnership?

[14:10] How did the business grow after the partnership?

[16:57] How did Saulius meet the DYB team?

[26:40] What are the 3 P’s of Saulius’ Business?

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In this episode of DYB, Steve gets the chance to chat with Greg Miller; Owner & Operator of Green Pro Painting in Greenville, South Carolina.

Originally hailing from New York, Greg moved south to start his painting company and take advantage of the lower cost of living.

After starting with residential repaint, Greg has converted entirely to commercial painting and continues to grow.

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-The importance of taking on the right jobs.

-How to overcome the mental hurdles of being called “painter.”

-The difference in northern & southern painting markets.

-How to grow a painting crew properly without overwhelm.

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“EQ is more important and more valuable than IQ.”

“If you keep an eye on your pennies, your dollars will take care of themselves.”

“Trust the process and be patient.”

“The only one you’re in competition with is yourself.”

“You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

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[8:52] How did Greg get started in painting?

[27:28] What part does culture play in Greg’s company?

[30:42] How to vet employees from within the company

[32:31] What book are Greg’s favorite right now?

[40:40] How to read books faster

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Scott Loller DYB Episode Built to Sell -- John Warrillow Blink -- Malcolm Gladwell Outliers -- Malcolm Gladwell The E Myth Revisited -- Michael Gerber The 4 Hour Work Week -- Tim Ferris Rich Dad, Poor Dad -- Robert Kiyosaki TECH: Audible.com

Google Suite

Vericlock

Onscreen Takeoff

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CONTACT: Book a Coaching Call with Steve Greg Miller’s Instagram

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In this episode of DYB, Steve interviews John Neubert of Neubert Painting; Located in Cleveland, Ohio.

John has been in the painting industry all of his life, since the 70’s when he initially opened up shop at the ripe age of 18.

Since then, Neubert painting consistently staffs close to 80+ painters at all times.

John reveals his unique strategies for hiring and retaining excellent painters, despite the current labor market.

In addition, John covers how he’s managed to operate a business with so many staff.

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-How the painting industry has changed since the ‘70’s

-Tips for hiring better quality painters in a tough market

-How to become a better manager of people

-The mindset needed to break out of managerial dysfunction

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“The good thing is we can get high achieving college students that are motivated, because they’re going somewhere with their lives. They pick up our system very fast."

“With our culture, and the fact we give them everything they need...we’re really there to help them succeed.”

“If you have a problem it comes down to you. It starts at the top.”

“There are certainly companies out there with good strategies and bad cultures that still succeed, but they’re not great places to work. I personally want a place where I go in every day and I like the people I work with.”

“Treat your people really well. THink of them as an asset, not a liability.”

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[1:50] How did John get started in the painting industry?

[3:40] John’s method for generating leads when he first started

[7:51] John dives into his unique model for hiring contractors

[12:54] What’s the biggest paradigm shift John had that’s led to his success?

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[BOOKS]

Good to Great

The Motivation Myth

[APPS]

Group.meConstant Contact

[CONTACT]

[email protected]

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In this episode of DYB, Steve gets the chance to chat with Matt Orme of PR Painting, a company focusing mainly on commercial painting in the Philadelphia area.

In his career, Matt has risen from the bottom the ranks as a painter to project manager, and eventually setting out on his own.

Steve and Matt cover a wide variety of subjects applicable to any growing painting company; from mindset, starting out, and establishing infrastructure.

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-The biggest challenges Matt faced when scaling his commercial painting business

-How making systems helped reduce the man-hours Matt puts into his business

-How Matt was able to overcome the mental hurdles of going out on his own

-The importance of finding a “Tribe of Mentors” to help propel your success

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“The whole idea of Personal Record, or ‘PR’ Painting is ‘What’s my best?’ I won’t really know that until I push myself.”

“I think sometimes we don’t step out [on our own] because we don’t see everything ahead of time.”

“I was tempted to go small, because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. But because of the tools I’m given now, I’m not tempted to go that direction.”

“The struggles you’re experiencing -- You’re not the only one.”

“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” ---------------

[2:40] How did Matt get started in the painting industry?

[18:13] How did Matt generate business in the beginning?

[21:52] What were some of the challenges Matt faced when scaling up his business?

[30:01] Matt gives some pointers on how to scale more effectively

[39:33] What does Matt’s tech stack look like?

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[BOOKS]

The E-Myth Revisited

5 Levels of Leadership

Make Today Count

Little Red Book of Sales

Go Giver

Endless Referrals

Mindset

[APPS]

Basecamp

Group.me

Quickbooks Online

Planswift

Pipeline Deals

[CONTACT]

[email protected]

Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

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