Painter Marketing Mastermind Podcast

In this special live recording of the Painter Marketing Mastermind Podcast at PCA Expo 2022, Brad Ellison, Chris Elliott, and Chris Mole discuss lessons they learned from Nick Slavik's Ask A Painter Live Winter Retreat. They dive deep into limiting beliefs, and how they have worked as business owners and leaders to improve themselves, and in turn improve their companies. This was definitely one of the best episodes ever recorded of the Painter Marketing Mastermind Podcast - lightning in a bottle!

Jason Paris, founder and co-owner of Paris Painting and Aleph Holdings, discusses his journey from solopreneur to building a highly successful team that runs multiple businesses doing well north of $20 million in annual revenue. Jason takes a deep dive into Aleph Holdings, and an exciting new partnership opportunity that Aleph is now offering to qualified painting company owners who are looking to aggressively grow their businesses. He shares why the painting industry is so ripe for business-minded painting company owners to succeed, and some ways that other company owners can take advantage of current opportunities.

Some topics include:

• Jason's impressive growth journey, and how bringing on great partners made that possible
• An amazing opportunity Aleph Holdings is now offering to qualified painting company owners
• A significant PCA member benefit that few members are taking advantage of
• Why partnerships are often times the key to massive success

Ray Rahni, founder and owner of Paint Track Painting Services, shares how he has grown his business to over $1 million, but why revenue isn't his focus. He talks about the importance of prioritizing profit, and how he motivates his painters to ensure high profitability within his company. Ray also discusses some hard lessons he's learned, and demonstrates how to pivot successfully as an entrepreneur.

Some topics include:

• Focus on profit, not your top-line revenue
• How to hire good painters, and incentivize them to make you money
• A massive change happening in the painting industry, and why it's a good thing
• Why pre-qualifying your customers with an estimating fee can be incredibly valuable

Mike & Miriam Freeman, Co-owners of Mike's Quality Painting, share how they have grown their painting business to doing over $6 million in annual revenue in just 10 years. They discuss the importance of having a great team, and how they have gotten their painters to more proactively seek out Google reviews for the company. The husband and wife team dive into the importance of being consistent with your marketing, and the mindset they believe ambitious painting company owners need to possess to achieve success.

Some topics include:

• How starting top heavy forced faster company growth
• Some ways to motivate your team to pitch in and genuinely care
• The art of getting painters to buy in for Google reviews, and how that has helped them reach nearly 400 reviews
• Bold predictions on how the painting industry is likely to evolve

In this special live recording at PCA Expo 2022, we host guest Jason Phillips, founder and owner of Phillips Home Improvements. Jason shares how he has had to grow as a business leader and entrepreneur in order to take Phillips Home Improvements to doing over $8 million in annual revenue. He has identified 3 stages through which a painting company owner must progress to scale a painting business, and he details how to advance from one stage to the next. Jason, a certified human behavior consultant, also shares how business owners can use personality tests to not only put the right people in the right seats at their painting company, but also to connect with, motivate, and inspire their employees to reach their fullest potential.

Some topics include:

• How to advance through the 3 stages of "Contractor Prison"
• Why personality tests matter, and how to use them to build a powerhouse team
• Common mistakes painting company owners make and how to avoid them
• Why your painting company's growth begins with your personal growth

Aaron Vytlacil, founder and owner of AV Painting, shares how he has grown from $800k in 2020 to doing over $2 million/year in annual revenue. He also discusses enlightening conversations he has had recently with thought leaders in the painting industry, and how these conversations have shifted his entire mindset to thinking much bigger. Aaron discusses the power of thinking big, and how painting company owners can learn a tremendous amount from surveying other industries, both in and out of home services.

Some topics include:

• Importance of thinking big, and why our industry isn't doing it enough
• What's your long-term "why," and how Aaron recently discovered his
• Where are the biggest mistakes likely to be made with aggressive growth
• How to learn who you need to become in order to get where you want to be

Juan Vasquez & Jose Hernandez, Co-owners of Illusions Painting Inc, share how they have grown Illusions Painting, Inc. from doing $480k three years ago to surpassing $2 million in 2021. The partners dive into limiting beliefs they had to conquer, and how attending the PCA Expo for the first time in 2018 changed their lives. They discuss how embracing new challenges has made all the difference in their business, and some big plans they have to help other Hispanic painting company owners find similar success.

Some topics include:

• Power of the PCA - dive in before you think you're ready
• Why living outside your comfort zone is a necessity for business growth
• Evolution of the painting industry, and predictions for future change
• Bringing educational resources and PCA access to more Hispanic painting company owners

John MacFarland, Founder and Owner of MacFarland Painting, shares how he dropped out of college to start his painting company, and how he has since grown to doing over $5 million in annual revenue. He explains a significant shift he made to his employee compensation model 7 years ago, and how that shift has since propelled his company's growth. John provides solid advice that other painting company owners can capitalize on for free if they want to achieve his level of success, and he provides a unique perspective on how to keep your painters busy during the winter slow season.

Some topics include:

• An employee compensation model that empowers employees while accelerating company growth
• How investing into your painting business in innovative ways can provide great rewards
• One often times ignored strategy for keeping your painters busy during the winter while building better relationships with your customers
• The importance of making your painting company appear unique in your marketing materials

Tony Busnardo, Co-founder and Co-owner of Old World Painting, shares the journey he and his best friend and co-founder Kent have taken to grow Old World Painting to doing $2.5 million in annual revenue. He discusses the incredible power of the 80/20 rule, and how in under 15 hours he was able to completely revolutionize his future. Tony discusses his motivations behind Old World Painting, and how maintaining his value system has allowed him to thrive with his business partnership, his painters, and his customers.

Some topics include:

• Pareto Principle - Why focusing on the 80/20 rule will change your life
• The importance of knowing your value system when growing a company
• How to start a business with a friend and not have the friendship get ruined
• Some practical strategies for staying busy during winter slow season

Don Klym, Founder of The Painters Inc, shares his journey since founding his company 29 years ago. He talks about the importance of hiring the right people who have a strong work ethic, and some of the ways he interviews job candidates to make sure he selects the right people. Don also discusses a sales tactic he utilizes year-round to mitigate seasonality in his painting business and keep his crews busy throughout the winter. 

Some topics discussed include:

• How to find and interview good people for your painting company
• A sales approach any northern based painting company can use to mitigate winter slow season
• Why Don now offers a "painter of the day" service offering
• The power of the Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) and how it has changed Don's life