Painter Growth Podcast

If you’re building a painting company and it feels harder than it should, this episode is your shortcut.I’m breaking down five mistakes I made the hard way, from hiring the wrong way and leading with pressure, to working nonstop, waiting too long to hire key roles, holding on to the wrong people, and not paying myself a real salary.These lessons didn’t just save my sanity. They helped me create structure fast, including the shift that led to a production manager running three crews in 10 weeks and the business producing $20,000 to $25,000 per week.In this episode, you’ll learn:How to communicate expectations so your team doesn’t quit or driftThe boundary rule that keeps entrepreneurship from wrecking your health and relationshipsThe hiring order that stabilizes leads first, then sales, then productionWhen to fire faster (especially in leadership roles)Why paying yourself a salary makes you a better operatorIf you want a company that grows without owning your life, this one’s for you.

Description: Most painting business owners say they want freedom.But the way they run their week guarantees the opposite.In this Brush Busters episode, Coach Jesse and Coach Chris break down a simple truth that changes everything: rules create freedom. The owners who feel calm, profitable, and in control are not the ones with the most flexibility. They are the ones with the clearest boundaries.You’ll hear why “winging it” turns into chaos, why your phone is quietly stealing your focus, and how one small habit before you walk into an estimate can instantly raise your presence and your close rate. Then they take it deeper into leadership, culture, and hiring: how to define non negotiables, set core values your team actually follows, and stop carrying fear around as the default setting.This is not mindset fluff. It’s structure that gives you your life back.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why flexibility without structure creates burnoutThe “leave it in the car” rule that changes your estimatesHow to protect your attention at work and at homeThe boundaries that stop your schedule from owning youHow to build core values and non negotiables your team can live byA simple way to replace fear with clarity and confidenceIf you’ve been trying to grow while feeling stretched thin, this episode will give you the reset.

Are you trapped in your business? If you can't step away for a week without everything falling apart, you don't have a business—you have a job. In this episode, Michael Reitman shares exactly how he's preparing to take a 7-day vacation completely offline, and the framework you need to do the same.Michael breaks down the "vacation test"—a proven method to identify operational weaknesses, reduce owner dependency, and build systems that run without you. You'll learn the step-by-step process including the game-changing 15-minute time study that reveals where you're wasting your most valuable asset: time.In This Episode:Why you need to do this even before you're "ready"The 15-minute time study that will change your business (most won't do it)How to categorize your activities: delegate, dump, or hireSetting expectations with your team before you leaveWhat to do when things break while you're away (and why that's actually good)How this increases your business valuation if you ever want to sellWhether you're aiming for a weekend off or a two-week vacation, this episode gives you the roadmap to build a business that doesn't need you for every decision.Start small. Book the trip. Trust the process.

What if Elon Musk had to scale a painting business from scratch?In this episode, Mike breaks down a 5-step scaling framework inspired by how Musk builds and simplifies massive companies. The goal is simple: grow faster, cut the chaos, and stop optimizing work that should not exist in the first place.You’ll learn how to:Question every requirement so your business stops accumulating “busywork”Delete low-value processes, meetings, and services that steal profit and timeSimplify your offer and operations so scaling gets easier, not harderBuild urgency into your team so cycle times shrink and momentum compoundsAutomate systems and leverage talent so you are not the bottleneckIf you are stuck in the loop of inconsistent leads, inefficient crews, and doing everything yourself, this episode is your reset.

Does being physically fit make you a better leader?In the painting business, leadership is not just what you say. It is what you model. In this episode, I break down why fitness is often correlated with high performance, how your habits impact employee respect and customer trust, and how working out can sharpen your decision-making and emotional control.If you have not trained in years, do not overcomplicate it. Start simple, build consistency, and let the discipline carry over into your business.What you will learn:Why fitness can raise your leadership “credibility”How training builds discipline you can reuse in businessWhy working out early helps you make better food choicesA beginner-friendly way to restart your fitness routineSimple nutrition and meal prep habits that support your goalsIf you want a series on nutrition, meal prep, supplements, or how to train effectively, comment what you want next.Painter Growth resources: paintergrowth.comSubscribe for more: Painting business growth, leadership, systems, and owner mindset.

Most painting business owners hit the same ceiling for the same reason.Not leads.Not ads.Not pricing.It’s leverage.In this solo episode, Mike breaks down the one unlock that actually changes your capacity to grow in 2026: moving from “I delegate tasks” to “I delegate outcomes.”Because hiring another painter does not buy your freedom.Hiring a crew leader does.You’ll hear:Why “helpers” keep you trapped, even when you are busyThe real job of a crew leader and what you must hand them (and what you must keep)How to stop being the bottleneck without sacrificing qualityThe simple system that makes delegation work: standards, training, and checks and balancesHow to answer the fear every owner has: “Am I really getting ROI from my team?”If your business can’t run without you, it isn’t a business yet. It’s a job you own.This episode shows you the shift that changes that.Want help building your 2026 plan? Mike is running a one day business growth challenge: three hours of coaching for $47. Details are here:https://go.paintergrowth.com/1-day-coaching-challenge

Happy New Year! In this first episode of 2026, I'm pulling back the curtain on Painter Growth's journey to nearly $5M in 2025, and it wasn't pretty.This year was our hardest yet. We dealt with team issues, profit struggles, toxic employees, and some of the most expensive mistakes I've ever made. But we also grew 40%+ and set ourselves up for another 100% growth year ahead.In this raw, behind-the-scenes episode, I'm sharing the 5 biggest lessons that transformed how I run Painter Growth—lessons that will save you years of wasted effort:Lesson 1: Why keeping the wrong people is one of the most expensive mistakes you can makeLesson 2: How focusing on just 1-2 KPIs can 4x your results (we went from 1% to 4% conversion)Lesson 3: The forecasting framework that gave me emotional control as a CEOLesson 4: Why raising your standards is the only way to attract A-playersLesson 5: How to stop being the bottleneck in your own businessThis isn't about painting companies—it's about the real lessons from scaling a business, making hard decisions, and building leverage that doesn't depend on you grinding 24/7.If you're in a messy phase of growth right now, this episode will give you the clarity you need to break through.Comment "template" on Spotify if you want the monthly forecast template mentioned in this episode!

Want to 10x your team's output? The secret isn't working harder, it's aligning incentives.In this episode, Mike breaks down the most powerful leadership tool you're probably not using: AI (Aligned Incentives). Learn how to structure compensation plans that get your team thinking about your business even in the shower, and why paying someone more money might be the smartest financial decision you'll ever make.Mike covers:Why hourly pay actually incentivizes slower workThe difference between leading and lagging indicatorsHow to structure comp plans for sales reps, painters, and crew leadsThe "shower time" test: are your team members thinking about your business off the clock?Why you should never be attached to a salary cap for any roleWhether you're managing painters, production managers, or an entire leadership team, this episode will change how you think about compensation forever. Stop paying for time and start paying for outcomes.

The holidays don’t have to destroy your momentum. In this episode, Mike breaks down how painting business owners can stay effective over the holiday season without burning out or completely checking out. He explains why slowing down doesn’t mean disconnecting, the three common holiday traps that sabotage January, and how to use this time as a leverage window instead of a lost month.You’ll learn how to protect cash flow, reduce mental load, plan like a CEO, and position your business to hit the ground running in the new year. This episode is all about structure, clarity, and making smarter decisions now so January feels controlled instead of chaotic.If you want to enter the new year with confidence, focus, and real momentum, this episode will show you how.

In this solo Coffee Conversation, Jesse reflects on his personal journey through 2025 and the business framework that has guided him for years.He shares how thinking in quarters changed the way he ran his painting business and why each season of the year has a different role to play. From driving massive activity early, to optimizing production, to enjoying the payoff, and finally slowing down to reflect and plan.This episode is about patterns, clarity, and building a business that works on paper before you work yourself into the ground.If you want a more intentional way to plan your year and avoid repeating the same mistakes, this conversation will give you a simple framework to start with.

What happens when your painting business grows faster than your leadership systems?In this Brush Busters episode, Josh and Wayne break down real questions from owners running multi-million dollar painting companies who feel like they’re losing control. Jobs happening without visibility. Teams ignoring systems. High revenue with low profit. Managers burning out. Payroll crushing margins.This is not theory. It’s practical, field-tested advice for owners who have already “made it” on paper but are drowning operationally.You’ll learn:How to install structure when growth outpaces leadershipWhy systems fail without accountability and how to fix complianceWhere large painting companies actually leak profitHow to prevent estimator and production manager burnoutWhen labor becomes too expensive and how to restructure without blowing up the companyIf your business feels bigger but messier than it should, this episode will help you regain control and rebuild clarity.

What if the secret to scaling your painting business isn't expanding to more cities, but dominating smaller pockets within your current market?Jesse Tarrin sits down with Wayne Scherger, co-founder of CertaPro Painters and 45-year painting industry veteran, to discuss the counterintuitive strategies that built the world's largest painting company—and how independent painting contractors can use these same principles today.Wayne shares how he went from painting 550 houses in a 2,800-home territory to scaling to $2M+ in revenue in just one year using territory managers (without traditional franchising).Key Topics:The "territory manager" model and how to implement it in your businessWhy targeting smaller geographic areas makes marketing, sales, AND production easierThe ROTOR framework: A proven system for recruiting, onboarding, training, and retaining top talentHow to break into light commercial work (condos, HOAs) for recurring revenueTime management and batching strategies that eliminate wasted drive timeWhat to look for when hiring leaders vs. paintersThe Community Association Institute (CAI) strategy for landing commercial accountsWhether you're a solo operator looking to hire your first employee or a $2M+ business ready to scale to the next level, Wayne's hard-won wisdom from building businesses in both the pre-digital and modern era will give you a clear roadmap forward.About Wayne Scherger:Wayne is a dual US-Canadian citizen who started with College Pro Painters in 1981, co-founded CertaPro Painters in the early 1990s (now the world's largest painting franchise), and currently coaches painting business owners on leadership, scaling, and operations.🎧 Subscribe to the Painter Growth Podcast for more strategies to grow your painting business!

Most painting contractors can't answer in one sentence: What's your revenue goal, profit goal, and crew count for December 2026? If you wait until January to start planning, you're already behind the eight ball. In this episode, Michael Hickman breaks down the exact business planning framework used at Painter Growth to help painting contractors scale from $300K to $1M+ in revenue. Learn how to analyze your 2025 data, build a profit-first business plan, calculate your production capacity, create week-by-week marketing targets, and climb the pathways from painter to CEO. Plus, discover how to join the Painting Contractor to CEO Challenge on December 10th for just $47, get 3 hours of hands-on coaching to build your complete 2026 business plan with all the tools and spreadsheets included. Stop hustling without a plan. Start engineering your success from the ground up.🎯 Join the December 10th Challenge: https://go.paintergrowth.com/1-day-coaching-challenge

Winter is hitting hard for painting businesses. In this episode, Coach Gavin and Coach Chris tackle four real letters from struggling painters facing zero leads, tanking close rates, and the tough question: "Should I just shut down until spring?"You'll Learn:Proven tactics to generate leads when your phone stops ringingWhy your close rate might have dropped to zero overnight (and how to fix it)Smart marketing strategies that don't require discountingThe truth about turning off marketing during slow seasonCreative partnership ideas (the cleaning company strategy is genius)When it's OK to embrace seasonality vs. when to fight itWhether you're staring at an empty calendar or burning through ad spend with nothing to show for it, this episode delivers actionable strategies you can implement TODAY.Featured Topics: Lead generation, sales process optimization, strategic partnerships, marketing consistency, winter survival strategies, seasonal business planning

In this episode, Mike breaks down one of the most important skills for any painting business owner who wants to grow: taking bigger swings in business. Most painting contractors stay stuck because they’re afraid to invest, afraid to hire, or afraid to make decisions that could move their painting company forward. Mike explains why playing small is one of the biggest reasons painting businesses fail to scale past 300K, 500K, or even 1M per year.You’ll learn why comfort destroys growth, how fear limits your ability to get painting leads, and why you can’t build a profitable painting business by staying in maintenance mode. Mike shares the real mindset shift that helped transform Painter Growth, including how to make better business decisions, how to think like a CEO instead of a painter, and how to confidently invest in marketing, hiring, and systems that create long-term success.If you want to scale a painting business, get more painting leads, improve your systems, hire great painters, or take your painting company to the next level, this episode will help you break out of survival mode and finally start making moves that lead to real growth.

From $179K to $820K in One Year: The Transformation You Didn't See ComingJames Mitchell was on the verge of giving up. Despite working harder than ever, his painting business had hit $179,000 in revenue last year, and he wasn't taking home any profit. Today? He's on track to hit $1 million, a 400%+ increase, and everything has changed.But this isn't your typical business growth story.In this profound episode, Jesse Tarrin (Head Coach & COO at Painter Growth) sits down with James to explore the hidden dimension of business success that nobody talks about: the inner work that creates outer transformation.What You'll Discover:How James went from struggling with 5-minute meditations to doing 65-minute sessions that literally changed his realityThe "Intuition Accelerator" method (HAPP: Heal, Align, Power, Prosperity) and how it unlocks exponential growthWhy James had 20 estimates per week "magically" appear once he started this practiceThe difference between running your business from ego vs. intuition (and why it matters more than your marketing strategy)How addressing subconscious wounds from the inside out transformed his relationships, team culture, and bottom lineThe breathwork session that helped James release generational trauma and self-sabotage patternsWhy meditation isn't about stopping thoughts—and what it actually does for your businessHow being present and "slowing down" time creates competitive advantages others can't replicateThe Vulnerable Truth:James shares the darkest moments, the three days he almost walked away from everything, the struggles with profitability while paying his team well, and how the support of the Intuitive Advantage community pulled him through.This Episode Is For You If:You're working incredibly hard but not seeing the financial results you deserveYou feel stuck at a revenue ceiling and don't know whyYou're curious about the connection between personal development and business growthYou're a "personal development junkie" who consumes content but struggles with implementationYou want to understand how successful entrepreneurs are using meditation, breathwork, and intuitive practices to scaleKey Themes Explored:Meditation as a business tool, not just a wellness practiceThe concept of "higher selfishness"—serving your higher self to serve others betterRunning your business from love instead of fearThe universal law of "as above, so below"—how your internal state creates your external realityWhy the present moment is the only place miracles happenBuilding a team culture when you're in alignment with yourselfFair Warning:This episode goes deep. We're talking about subconscious healing, spiritual development, divine flow, and concepts that might sound "woo woo" to traditional business owners. But the results speak for themselves: 400% revenue growth, stronger relationships, better team culture, and a founder who's no longer on the edge of burnout.If you've been doing all the "right" business things but still feel like something's missing, this conversation might change everything.About the Intuitive Advantage:The program James completed combines business strategy with deep subconscious work, including guided meditation, breathwork, trauma healing, and intuitive coaching. It's designed for entrepreneurs ready to break through invisible ceilings by doing the inner work that creates outer transformation.Resources Mentioned:Intuitive Advantage ProgramHAPP Method (Heal, Align, Power, Prosperity)65-Minute Meditation PracticeBreathwork Sessions

Are you working harder than ever but not seeing the profit or freedom you deserve? In this episode, Mike Gore Hickman breaks down the five critical habits that are keeping painting contractors stuck and broke, and more importantly, how to break them.Drawing from nearly 10,000 one-on-one coaching calls with over 1,000 painting business owners, Mike reveals the exact patterns that separate six-figure hustlers from seven-figure CEOs.In this episode, you'll discover:Why painting is the WORST thing you can do as a painting business owner (and what to focus on instead)The critical difference between delegating and abdicating, and why it's costing you thousandsHow to shift from revenue-focused to profit-focused (and the three financial statements you need to master)The piece rate system that incentivizes painters to work faster while maintaining qualityHow your beliefs about the economy, seasonality, and your business are creating your realitySpecial announcement: The Painter Growth Podcast is now going twice weekly—every Tuesday and Friday—to help you grow your painting business consistently.Free Resource: Download Mike's Piece Rate Calculator mentioned in this episode paintergrowth.com/piecerate-podcastWhether you're still on the tools or scaling to seven figures, this episode will challenge your thinking and give you actionable steps to break through your current plateau.

In this raw and insightful episode of Brush Busters, coaches Jesse and Gavin dive deep into some of the most pressing (and personal) challenges painting business owners face today:🎯 How to filter out ghost leads without killing conversions🧠 The power of personal performance, fasting, biohacking, and recovery⚒️ Turning production chaos into SOP clarity (using AI to build systems faster than ever)👫 Navigating the emotional minefield of working with your spouse or family, without wrecking your marriage or your marginsThey also explore how to escape the “struggle phase,” tap into flow states, and why your phone might be your biggest operational bottleneck.From field-tested sales advice to honest talk about burnout, this episode will push you to think differently about your time, your team, and your own energy as a leader.🔥 Want to get more out of your leads, your team, or your own headspace? Press play now.

Rob Peterson didn’t start in the trades. He wasn’t a painter. He wasn’t even planning on running a business.He was selling Toyotas in Philadelphia… until one conversation changed the entire trajectory of his life.In this episode, Rob shares how a chance meeting with the president of CertaPro pushed him into the painting world, how he went from managing 15 crews across the East Coast to launching Paint Denver, and how he scaled it to a 4 million dollar per year operation.We dig into:• The hidden challenges behind fast-growth operations• Why managing people is the real skill of scaling• How hailstorms (yes, hailstorms) turned into a major revenue engine• Why hiring A-players changes everything• The art of separating sales from project management• How to build systems early so growth doesn’t break your business• What it realistically takes to move from 500k to 5M and beyondIf you're in the painting industry or any local service business, Rob’s journey is a masterclass in operational grit, leadership, and long-term thinking.

In this solo episode, Jesse Teron, COO and Head Coach at Painter Growth, dives into one of the most emotional topics for painting business owners: money.Why do certain numbers, like $100K, $1M, or $10M—carry so much emotional weight? And how can shifting your mindset about money completely change your life and your business?Jesse breaks down the mental stories we attach to dollar amounts, how to reach “Baseline 1” (the income level where both your business and personal needs are covered), and the practical financial habits every painting entrepreneur should master.You’ll learn:Why money is just a tool, and how that perspective frees you.How to calculate your true financial baseline.The margins and systems that keep your business sustainable.This episode blends mindset, math, and real-world experience to help you build a healthier, wealthier relationship with money.