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How I'd Get a Painting Business From $1M to $3M

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If your painting business is doing between $1 million and $3 million a year, you're probably in what Alex Hormozi calls "The Swamp" - revenue is growing, you have more employees, more customers, and more problems, BUT your bank account and personal income aren't growing nearly as fast.

In this episode, I break down the 4 financial moves I'd focus on to get a painting business through it.

I'm Daniel Honan, CPA and former painting business owner. Since 2016, my firm, Profitable Painter CPA, has helped 529+ painting contractors with bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, automations, and financial strategy.

Move 1: Hire your first salesperson (WITHOUT destroying your margin)
Move 2: 50% gross profit is the floor, NOT the finish line
Move 3: Build a 5-to-1 GP-to-CAC growth engine
Move 4: STOP doing tax preparation, START doing tax planning

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- When the owner should finally get out of sales - and the commission structure that rewards gross profit, not just revenue
- The 6–8% rule for total salesperson compensation
- Why a $1.2M salesperson at 40% GP can be worth less than an $800K salesperson at 60% GP
- The four levers that push gross profit from 50% toward 60%+
- How to measure GP-to-CAC by marketing channel so you scale winners and fix losers
- The difference between tax preparation and tax planning - and why strategies like the Augusta rule fail without documentation

🎯  In the swamp and want quarterly tax planning plus monthly financial reviews on your actual numbers? That's our Profitable Painter Program.

Book a free call: https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

WHO I AM
My name is Daniel Honan. I'm a CPA, a former painting business owner, and the founder of Profitable Painter CPA - an accounting firm that works exclusively with painting contractors. I make these podcasts to help painters keep more of what they earn and build more profitable businesses.

Subscribe for weekly podcasts on taxes, bookkeeping, and financial strategy for painting businesses.

Keywords: painting business, painting contractors, grow a painting business, painting business profit, gross profit margin, how to hire a salesperson, salesperson commission structure, sales compensation small business, GP to CAC ratio, customer acquisition cost, tax planning vs tax preparation, tax planning for business owners, tax strategies for contractors, Augusta rule, painting business benchmarks, scale a painting business, the swamp Alex Hormozi, Profitable Painter

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

6 financial moves to ACTUALLY Reach $1M in Your Painting Business.

Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book

If your painting business is doing between $350,000 and $1 million a year, your biggest financial challenge isn't painting profitable jobs anymore - it's growing without running out of cash, destroying your margins, or doing everything yourself. 

I'm Daniel Honan, CPA and former painting business owner. Since 2016, my firm Profitable Painter CPA has helped 529+ painting contractors with bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, automations, and financial strategy.

In this episode, I break down the 6 moves I'd focus on to reach your first $1M.

Move 1: Fix cash flow before you scale
Move 2: Hire your first admin (the 2–4% rule)
Move 3: Hire your first project manager (comp benchmarks & incentives)
Move 4: Build a real marketing engine (agency retainers & ad spend)
Move 5: Track GP-to-CAC: the most important number at this stage
Move 6: Upgrade from bookkeeping to financial advisory (FP&A)

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Why growing revenue can drain your bank account - and the payment policies that fix it
- When you can afford your first admin (and the 2–4% rule)
- How to structure project manager pay: the range and what to tie bonuses to
- The admin + PM ≈ 7% of revenue rule for spotting overhead bloat
- How much to spend on marketing agencies and ads — and the mistake that wastes both
- GP-to-CAC explained: the ratio that combines sales, marketing, pricing, and production in one number, and the targets I use

🎯 Between $350K and $1M and want monthly FP&A sessions on your numbers? That's what the Profitable Painter Program does. Book a free call: https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

WHO I AM
My name is Daniel Honan. I'm a CPA, a former painting business owner, and the founder of Profitable Painter CPA - an accounting firm that works exclusively with painting contractors. I make these podcasts to help painters keep more of what they earn and build more profitable businesses.

Subscribe for weekly podcasts on taxes, bookkeeping, and financial strategy for painting businesses.

Keywords:
painting business, painting contractors, grow a painting business, scale a painting business, painting business cash flow, hiring an admin small business, hiring a project manager, project manager compensation, marketing for painting contractors, contractor marketing budget, GP to CAC ratio, customer acquisition cost, gross profit, painting business benchmarks, FP&A for small business, small business financial advisor, painting business profit, Profitable Painter

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

6 financial moves every painting business under $350K needs to get right first.

Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book

If your painting business is doing less than about $350,000 a year, this is your roadmap. I break down exactly what I'd focus on financially if I were building a painting business from zero today.

I'm Daniel Honan, CPA and former painting business owner. Since 2016, my firm Profitable Painter CPA has helped 529+ painting contractors with bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, automations, and financial strategy.

Move 1: Production rate estimating (stop guessing your bids)
Move 2: Markup vs margin - why 50% markup isn't a 50% margin
Move 3: Job cost every week (labor and materials targets)
Move 4: Build 2 months of overhead as cash in the bank
Move 5: When an S Corp makes sense
Move 6: Get the financial basics off your plate

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- How much to charge for painting jobs for a 50% gross profit margin
- How production rates turn guessing into accurate budgeted labor hours
- The weekly job costing habit that tells you WHY a job lost money, not just that it did
- The direct labor and materials targets for a healthy painting company
- How much cash your business should keep in the bank and what that money's actual job is
- When it's worth having a CPA model an S Corporation election (and when it's too early)

🎯 Running a painting business under $350K?
The Painters Startup Accelerator was built for exactly this stage.
Work with us: https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

WHO I AM
My name is Daniel Honan. I'm a CPA, a former painting business owner, and the founder of Profitable Painter CPA - an accounting firm that works exclusively with painting contractors. I make these podcasts to help painters keep more of what they earn and build more profitable businesses.

Subscribe for weekly podcasts on taxes, bookkeeping, and financial strategy for painting businesses.

Keywords:
painting business, painting contractors, painting business finances, how much to charge for painting, painting estimates, production rate estimating, markup vs margin, job costing, gross profit margin, cash flow for contractors, S corporation for small business, small business bookkeeping, painting business profit, contractor pricing, Profitable Painter

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

12 tax strategies for painting business owners, explained in plain English by a CPA who's worked with 500+ painting businesses over the last 10 years.

Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book

If you own a painting business and you've ever wondered "am I paying more in taxes than I need to?"  This is for you.

I discussed 12 strategies one by one: how each works, who should consider it, and the mistakes to avoid.

Strategy 1: Choosing the right entity (LLC vs S Corp)
Strategy 2: Estimated taxes without the year-end surprise
Strategy 3: Accountable plan (mileage, home office, cell phone)
Strategy 4: Self-employed health insurance deduction
Strategy 5: HSA - the triple tax advantage
Strategy 6: Accelerated depreciation (Section 179, vehicles)
Strategy 7: Board of advisors + the Augusta rule
Strategy 8: Don't miss your spouse's employer match
Strategy 9: Roth vs traditional retirement accounts
Strategy 10: The right retirement plan for your business
Strategy 11: PTET election (state tax workaround)
Strategy 12: Hiring family members the right way

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- When an S Corp actually makes sense (and the $70K profit rule of thumb)
- How to reimburse yourself tax-free for expenses you're already paying
- How the Augusta rule lets your business rent your home for meetings
- Why "it's a write-off" is the worst reason to buy a truck
- How to pay your kids for legitimate work in the business
- The documentation that separates real tax planning from an audit problem

Subscribe for weekly podcasts on taxes, bookkeeping, and financial strategy for painting businesses.

Keywords:
painting business taxes, s corp for painting business, tax strategies for contractors, painting contractor tax deductions, when to elect s corp, augusta rule small business, hsa triple tax advantage, section 179 for contractors, hiring family members in your business, year end tax planning for contractors

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

Daniel helps the owner of a $700K painting company who has been badly undercharging for overhead - marking up 10% when his real numbers call for far more. Daniel walks through a complete job-pricing model (fully-loaded labor + materials, an overhead multiplier built from the last 12 months, and a 15% net-profit target) and shows why the company's oversized team is inflating quotes to a 56% gross profit that's too high to win work. They also cover the margins needed to win general-contractor vs. residential jobs, the hidden cash-flow traps of GC work, and a bonus structure that ties team pay to profit and production.


Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book


Keywords: how to price painting jobs, painting business overhead markup, painting contractor pricing strategy, painting business profit margins, general contractor painting margins, painter fully loaded labor cost, painting company gross profit target, growing a painting business to profitability, painting business owner compensation, residential repaint pricing rule of thumb

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

For being a loyal listener, I want to send you a copy of my new book Profitable Painter. Inside, I’ll show you the exact frameworks that have helped painting businesses save big on taxes, increase profits, and scale with confidence
Head over to profitablepaintercpa.com/book and grab your copy today. Don’t wait — this is my gift to you for being part of the Profitable Painter community. 

Send us Fan Mail

Daniel provides a roadmap for a business owner looking to optimize his painting company for an eventual sale and retirement in 12 to 14 years. The discussion focuses on immediate strategies to improve cash flow by increasing job deposits and long-term tactics to boost net profit from 11% to 30%. Key recommendations include refining the sales process by presenting in-home to increase close rates, implementing a "good, better, best" pricing model, and introducing an "on-time, on-budget" guarantee to justify higher markups.


Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book


Keywords: painting business profit, increase painting margins, sell a painting business, painting contractor cash flow, painting sales process, painting business coaching, business exit strategy, painting estimate close rate

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

In this video, we explore effective compensation strategies for painting business sales teams, including both door-to-door setters and closers. The discussion breaks down a tiered commission structure tied directly to gross profit, designed to incentivize high-value sales while ensuring company profitability. We also compare the pros and cons of offering a base salary versus a straight commission model to attract and retain top-tier talent capable of closing over $1 million in annual revenue.


Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book

Keywords: painting business sales commission, sales compensation models, door to door setter pay, sales closer commission tiers, painting contractor gross profit, customer acquisition cost painting business, sales team base salary vs commission, incentivizing profitable sales.

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

In this session, we dive into the three primary accounting red flags that can hinder the success of a painting business: improper pricing, team compensation errors, and poor cash management. You will learn why undercharging can be fatal for franchisees with royalty fees and how to build a strong sales process to attract high-quality clients. We also explore effective subcontractor management, including how to use production rate estimating tools and material budget incentives to lock in your profit margins. Finally, discover why 80% of businesses fail due to running out of cash and how you can use strategic payment terms and business credit lines to keep your cash flow healthy.


Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book


painting business profit margins, painting subcontractor compensation, cash flow for painters, painting business red flags, painting contractor pricing strategy, subcontractor material budget, painting franchise profitability, business cash flow management.

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

Learn how a professional painting business generating $600k in annual revenue can bridge the gap from a 6% cash flow to a target of 25% discretionary earnings. This discussion focuses on the critical need to raise gross profit from 40% to 55% by implementing a more robust sales process and a compelling "risk-reversal" offer. Discover why shifting from simple discounts to an "on-time, on-budget guarantee" can differentiate your company from competitors, allowing you to increase prices without sacrificing your close rate.

Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book


Keywords: painting business profitability, improve gross profit painting, painting company sales process, risk-reversal guarantee, on-time on-budget guarantee, painting contractor marketing, increase painting close rate, home service business cash flow, painting business coaching.

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

Send us Fan Mail

Send us Fan Mail

Is your home service business growing fast but seeing margins shrink due to rising ad costs? In this strategy session, we break down the financials of a painting business doing $650k–$700k in annual revenue. We discuss how to balance aggressive growth with profitability, the effectiveness of combining Meta ads with outdoor media like billboards, and how to improve your customer acquisition cost (CAC).

Work with us
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/vsl

Free Book - Profitable Painter
https://profitablepaintercpa.com/book


Keywords: Painting business finance, customer acquisition cost for painters, speed to lead for contractors, video sales letter for home services, contractor sales training, increasing gross profit painting, Meta ads for painting companies, billboard advertising for contractors, risk reversal guarantee.

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters

This episode was originally recorded as a video for YouTube.

If you hear me say things like “in this video” or reference visuals, don’t worry —
the content still works perfectly in audio form.

And if you ever want to watch the video version, you can find it on the
 Profitable Painter YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingForPainters