PaintED Podcast

Scaling your business is easier than you think!

You’ve heard the expression “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”?

Sorry for the graphic intro, but the point is there is always more than one way to get a job done.

The same holds true for scaling your business. While the growth path for most trades and construction companies follows a similar pattern, there are some entrepreneurs who truly see scaling as one problem with many possible solutions.

Eric Barstow of Foothills Painting and National Painting Group is one of these entrepreneurs. Some of you may know him from his huge online painting community called Painting Business Pro, or his massive YouTube following. Eric has followed the path less traveled by using an innovative partnership model that takes the intense pressure to grow - most of us are familiar with - and share this load with capable partners.

I’ll let him break down his actual model, but for you the listener, what we really hope you take away from this episode is that while Eric's model is A-Typical, it WORKS. This guy has done it a different way, so what could a different way look like for you?

I hope his story helps put the expansion of your business in a new light. What got you here, won’t necessarily get you where you want to go. It rarely does. And being exposed to a completely different approach to business growth could help you creatively problem solve your next few moves in the pursuit of excellence.

Eric has accomplished a tremendous amount as a young guy - his business is doing a very profitable 11 million dollars a year in revenue, and headed for massive growth in the coming years. However, his path to get here has been full of huge challenges and massive setbacks, which he openly shares with us in today’s episode.

One of the things I really appreciate about Eric is his ability to absorb failures and learn from them in a powerful way. In today’s show, we dive into many of the significant challenges he’s run into, and his greatest lessons coming out of them.

So let’s dive into both Eric’s unique expansion model and some of the lessons he shares with us including:

- How pursuing multiple opportunities stunted Eric’s growth.

- Why Eric doesn’t like the traditional Franchise model to scale.

- The unique model Eric has created has allowed him to scale to 11 million and maintain a balance.

- Why pursuing fast growth ironically led to a 2-year setback.

- How to spot opportunities and why you want to avoid the flashy ones.

- The reason setting goals around personal income can lead to failure.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

How can photo documentation help you grow your business to the next level?

In this episode of PaintED, we talk to Luke Hansen from Company Cam about using visual communication as a way to improve organization across multiple job sites, increase accountability in workmanship, and to better communicate job progress between crews, management, and customers. You won't want to skip this informative and innovative episode on how to use technology to your business advantage!

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Boost your company's revenue with these insightful sales and marketing techniques!

In this episode, Brad Ellison, the co-owner of Somerset Painting and Home Improvements, discusses how he took a painting business that had been around for 33 years and helped it absolutely explode in growth! He discusses the importance of finding an operating partner with complementary skill sets, and how effective sales and marketing can transform even a seasoned painting business.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Find out what "Money Heist" and the painting industry have in common. Chad Schirmer - Creative Director and Prithvi Rakhyani - IT Project Specialist at PCA give you all the latest news from the Painting Contractors Association.

Learn how you can take advantage of the Great Resignation. Stay up to date on this month's events, articles, and webinars. And make sure to check out PCA's latest podcast - Painter Marketing Masterminds.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

SHOW NOTES

Articles

Safety as the Competitive Advantage

PCA Overdrive - Content When You Need It

Events

Workplace Controversies

Tuesdays with PCA - Overdrive Demo

Industry Awards

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I get asked all the time - what are our top Marketing Strategies?

In the first 4 months of our new home service business, we grow from $0 to $100k a month. Marketing is like a skeleton key that opens up any door - if you can become proficient at marketing, you can literally open up the floodgates to any business.

More leads, more customers, means easier decisions to grow your team, and accommodate the growth we expect coming in. So make sure you start doing massive action and execute these 3 strategies in establishing a marketing system.

I'm Brandon Vaughn, Chief Strategist of CONQUER® - join me as I take a brand new service business from zero to seven figures, and without working on the truck.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Annual planning is one of the most significant activities for determining a company's strategic path

Developing objectives and strategies that align with your company's goals is a critical component to provide guidance and growth opportunities to your company. That's why one of the most vital processes for businesses is annual planning. Join Nick Slavik as he talks about how to improve your company's performance by looking at goals, metrics, budget, resources, and needs. In this episode, you'll learn how to professionalize and develop your business by being systematic, devoting time to introspection and reassessment, and taking crucial steps toward attaining your company's goals.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Everything you need to know about commercial and residential painting jobs is right here!

What do you know about commercial or residential painting? What is the difference? Commercial painting, on the one hand, refers to large-scale painting projects such as restaurants, office buildings, and retail outlets. Residential or home painting, on the other hand, refers to smaller-scale tasks such as houses, townhouses, condominiums, and other living spaces. Is that it?

IT IS NOT. Commercial and residential painting is much more than large or small-scale painting projects. They all have their own complexities, safety regulations, and personnel requirements. In this episode, join Zach Kenney and Matt Kuyper of Harpeth Painting to learn all about commercial and residential painting projects.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Work is beneficial to one's mental health, yet a toxic workplace can lead to physical and mental health issues.

One thing that can often be overlooked in the workplace is the mental health of your employees. In this episode, Joel Greiner, Owner of Paint The Earth and licensed therapist of 15 years, helps us understand some simple to implement concepts on how to increase the well-being of our employees and the impact that has on our business.

PCA Members: looking to learn more on the topic? Joel will be speaking at the PCA Expo in Orlando this coming March! Keep an eye out for his session.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Evaluate and leverage your brand the way a world-class branding agency would!

Branding has never mattered more than it does right now. People, the public, your customers, are busier than ever.

Not only that, but the competition for their eyeballs, their attention, has never been fiercer. Between social media algorithms, shrinking attention spans, and an ever-expanding marketplace it can feel daunting for you, the small business owner, to stand out and be remembered.

There is a reason why 1-800-GOT-JUNK can charge $1,000 to haul a load of junk when no one else can. It’s the same reason why you’ll happily spend $90 for a t-shirt at Lululemon, or why people will line up to spend $4,000 on a simple laptop at Apple. People know, like, and trust the brand.

Of course, being the next Lululemon may not be your goal, but if you look around within your industry (whether you’re a Landscaper, Painter, Builder, Roofer, or Sub Trade), there are numerous brands that carry mass influence. And if they’ve created it, you can too.

If you’re serious about creating a lasting business, you must. It’s important to look at your brand as a foundation that you build your organization on top of. It’s an investment worth adding to, as a great brand will pay back in dividends over the course of your career.

To explain the importance of branding, and the process of creating great brands in the contracting industry, we’re joined today by the best that we know of - Noel Fox from FreeBird agency.

Having worked with Noel for years, both on creating the Breakthrough Academy brand, as well as your favorite podcast, Contractor Evolution, I can promise you that he is the real deal.

Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK will also tell you that Noel is his #1 go-to when it comes to bringing an impactful brand to life. Noel Fox and FreeBird agency have created industry-leading brands for companies such as You Move Me, Wow 1 Day Painting, Shack Shine and have been a massive part of the brand development of 1-800-GOT-JUNK as well as those famous lululemon bags you see on every street across the world.

A few key pieces from this episode on brand include:

- What separates a great brand from an average brand?

- The thing contractors often get wrong with their own brand.

- How to leverage your brand for recruiting and hiring.

- How to evaluate your brand the way a world-class branding agency would.

- The signs you’ll see when you have a brand that’s working for you.

- A step-by-step walkthrough on how to build a powerful brand on a budget.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

What is Find-A-Painter? And why do you need to keep it under your radar?

Find-A-Painter is a simple system that allows customers to search for and book estimates with local contractors. Contractors can use this scheduling system to fill their calendars with more scheduled estimates and ensure that everyone is aware of appointment hours. Most importantly, all contractors in the Find-A-Painter directory follow the PCA Industry Standards, demonstrating their commitment to high-quality services and positive business culture.

Don't miss this episode and learn how to achieve more with Find-A-Painter!

PCA Overdrive is free for members.