On this episode of Paint ED, Jeff Prager from Cash Flow Engineering shares how being a million dollars upside-down in business helped shape his formula for determining direction in business management. It all comes down to a simple thumbs-up, thumbs-down approach. But in that deceptively simple decision is a procedure that takes into account the seven numbers you need to know in your business to get more of what you want, and less of what you don’t want. It’s actually great mix of simple decisions built on processes and procedures designed to help you let the plan do its work so you can get more sleep at night.

Learn more about Cash Flow Engineering at www.cashflowengineering.com

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On this episode of Paint ED, Chris Shank and Heather Yocum--the Education Director and Content Manager here at the Painting Contractors Association--discuss ways that people can become involved in amplifying PDCA’s voice in the industry. We are looking for business owners from residential, commercial, and industrial segments of the industry to tell their stories and share their expertise with contractors all over the world. We can re-share your pictures and stories in the form of social media posts or blogs, or you can become a specialist on the Ask-A-Peer network to assist other contractors with their questions and projects, or you could be a guest on this very podcast! From something as simple as sharing a picture, to something as rewarding as submitting a Team Meeting outline or even volunteering on a leadership committee, we have ways for you to build on your pride and passion as a leader in the industry and connect with other people like you who will challenge you to get to the next level in your business. Let us know you’re interested, and we'll help you find your calling at the Painting Contractors Association. We’re pretty serious about this, and we’re good at it.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Not a member? Try our 30-day, free trial; $5.99/mo after.

Download the app on the Apple Store or Google Play.

Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

On this episode of Paint ED, we chat with Sylvester Chisom, the author of “Manifest Greatness: How To Live Without Limits,” about finding your ‘wow factor.’ In addition to being an author of several books, he is a co-founder of the Education Entrepreneur incubator at University of Missouri-St Louis; he has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and INC Magazine; he travels the world as a keynote speaker and consults with Fortune 500 companies and school systems, he has a TED Talk; and he's a pretty neat guy to talk to in general! Sylvester sincerely understands how to delight his customers. He discusses how businesses can be more cognizant of the many touchpoints they have with customers which become opportunities to get feedback and respond directly to what they are asking for. It may take some empathy and creativity, but you have to give the people what they want. Do you delight your customers?

Learn more about Sylvester and his work at www.sylvesterchisom.com

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

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Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

Every year PDCA hosts the Industry Awards Ceremony at our yearly EXPO, and this past March we announced winners in several categories, including the humanitarian award which was awarded to John Busick of Bob Kunst Painting. John not only runs a painting company and creates CRM software, but he and his wife Angi are the creators of the Voices For Down Syndrome event, or V4DS, which supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the North Bay area by raising awareness, promoting inclusion and acceptance, and funding programs and education. All proceeds from the Voices 4 Down Syndrome Gala went directly to the Down Syndrome Association North Bay. John talks with me about why he feels it’s important for business owners to find something that they are passionate about doing to get involved in their community, and he explains how this furthers his development as a person and a business owner. After all, whether painting or otherwise, we all are “bringing something to life.”

Learn more about the PDCA Industry Awards at www.pdca.org/events/awards

Learn more about WorkGlue at workglue.com

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Not a member? Try our 30-day, free trial; $5.99/mo after.

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Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

On this episode of Paint ED, Steve Skodak—PDCA’s Executive Director—and Eric Frazer from Decisely—talk with us about an exciting prospect that is starting to take shape for painting contractors AND their employees: affordable health insurance (including medical, dental and vision coverage) and retirement plans. The debate between offering employees cash incentives versus mediocre benefits has only blazed brighter in the last few years, but the conversation is taking a turn with the advent of better, more cost-effective benefits on the horizon. This is the first time in PDCA history that we have come so close to providing painting business owners with the means to offer their employees an outstanding, competitive option for benefits, and this will enable employers to attract quality new-hires by offering them a future.

Our partner in this project is Decisely, a company that has expertise in benefits brokerage and HR services. Our goal is to have these benefits available in late 2019.

Phase 1 of the project included a survey that identified an overwhelming interest from painting contractors in collective benefits sourcing.

We’re now in phase 2, and we need your help. This phase includes gathering census data on 1,500 employees to help underwriters determine how best to approach our industry.

There are no health-related questions. The census is only collecting statistical data about your employees that must include:

Name

Position

Gender

Date of Birth

Age

Home Zip Code

Work Location Zip Code

Date of Hire

Employee Status

No one will contact your employees about this data or try to sell them policies. This data is for research purposes only. You can fill the form out here: https://pdca.org/health-insurance/

Please help us in this herculean effort to bring good benefits options to our industry. You may not know right now if you want a benefits plan for your company, but to be fair, there aren’t a lot of great options out there to consider. A choice with a poor option isn’t really a choice at all. We’re working to get you a good option, and a chance to choose a future for yourself and your employees.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Not a member? Try our 30-day, free trial; $5.99/mo after.

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Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

On this episode of Paint ED, we talk with production and operation managers from 3 different companies about everything from hiring and training, to team culture and quality assurance. We welcome Bill Loepp from SPI in Denver, CO; Bill Curtindale from SKIS Painting in Renton, WA; and Matt Orcino from SNL Painting in St. Louis, MO. The panel discussion with these gentlemen was a HUGE hit at the last EXPO in Savannah, and we're happy to announce that we plan on releasing podcasts every month in which production/operation managers in the top of their field talk shop.

And don’t miss the PDCA Webinar next Wednesday, May 22 at 4 pm with these World Class Production and Operation Managers where you will get a chance to ask your question to the experts! Go to pdca.org for more info.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Not a member? Try our 30-day, free trial; $5.99/mo after.

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Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

On this episode of Paint ED, Ken Tucker of Changescape Web chats with us about how to get your business to show up on Google Maps. Hey, I know you’ve heard us talk about online marketing again and again, but it really is worth your time and attention. I mention it in the podcast, but when a white pages directory was recently dropped in front of my door, my kids played with it like it was some relic from the past that hardly made any sense to them. More and more people are searching for services online, and it’s only going to increase with the next generation of businesses and homeowners. Stay ahead of that curve, and take the advice of people like Ken who are willing to help you get started on building, at the very least, a solid online presence so people can find you.

Don't miss our webinar with Ken Tucker of Changescape Web about how to get your business onto Google Maps! Listen and learn on our podcast about how to get more business online, and click here to join the full webinar where you get your questions answered with the expert next Wednesday at 4 pm CT.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2812109137724339211.

Learn more about Ken and Changescape Web at www.painterseo.com.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

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Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

On this episode of Paint ED, Ryan Turry of Headwaters Painting in Minnesota talks with us about a resource available to you as a PDCA Member that you ought to be taking advantage of: PDCA Accreditation. In case you don’t know, accredited PDCA members are prioritized in the list of painting companies on Findapainter.com, they receive a digital logo to display on their website, emails, and business collateral next to their PDCA membership logo, and they receive marketing materials which include brochures to hand to their customers that explain how PDCA-accredited members have distinguished themselves. It takes work to make sure you have the requisite education credits and business planning to stand with the best in the industry, but it is very rewarding. Ryan shares with us how he and his wife determined its value in their company, and what the challenges and rewards of the process actually looked like.

To find out how to get your business accredited through PDCA, go to https://member.pdca.org/page/accreditation

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

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On this episode of Paint ED, Ian Siegner of Siegner & Company in Portland Oregon, and Gina Koert of SPI in Denver Colorado, discuss how they approach commercial sales negotiations and proposals. When there’s a lot of potential profit on the table, it can be difficult to know what to do in the moment if you don’t have a game plan. And Gina and Ian definitely have strategies, honed over the years, that have made them both very successful in their roles. And the first thing they’ll tell you—whether you are in residential, commercial, or industrial work—is it’s not all about the numbers! Gina and Ian discuss their big wins and big losses, and share lessons they’ve learned along the way about the importance of building rapport, being confident, knowing when to walk away, and adding options.

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Not a member? Try our 30-day, free trial; $5.99/mo after.

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Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/

Perhaps nothing plagues business owners and entrepreneurs more than ideas. So many ideas, so little time and people-power. How do you wade through the continually sprawling swamp of too many ideas and make a few things actually come alive and build momentum? On this episode of Paint ED, Madeleine Macrae, a business growth strategist at MM Macrae Coaching and Consulting, talks with us about how to get all those ideas out of your head and into a system that plugs them into real goals, or gets rid of them! It’s actually very simple! But if you listen to the podcast, you learn why ‘simple’ doesn’t quite let you off the hook.

Learn more about Madeleine Macrae at mmmacrae.com, and find her blog at mmmacrae.com/access

PCA Overdrive is free for members.

Not a member? Try our 30-day, free trial; $5.99/mo after.

Download the app on the Apple Store or Google Play.

Become a PCA member: https://www.pcapainted.org/membership/