Explore every episode of the podcast Painter Growth Podcast

Jason Thompson, Director of Mitsuoka & Company Recruiting, joins Mike Gore-Hickman to break down what separates great hires from costly mistakes.

From in-home sales reps to project managers, Jason shares how his team takes a custom, headhunting approach to find people who are the right fit, not just for the business, but for their own life and schedule too.

If you're a painting business owner struggling to find reliable people this season, this episode is packed with practical insight on what to look for, how to assess candidates, and what it actually costs to work with a recruiting firm.

Is your painting business AI-ready — or at risk of being left behind?

In this episode of the Painter Growth Podcast, Jesse and Gavin break down exactly how painting contractors can start using AI right now to do more with less. From writing SOPs in minutes, to building a $100K+ partner outreach list, to automating your recruiting funnel, this episode is packed with real, actionable workflows you can implement today.

73% of business owners say AI is critical to their business. Only 26% are actually using it. Don't be the one who waits too long.

Topics covered:

• The best AI tools for painting business owners (ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Cowork)
• How to use AI to build partner lists and book hundreds of thousands in work
• Creating SOPs, proposals, and branded documents in a fraction of the time
• AI receptionists that answer your phone and book estimates automatically

🚨 Want to go deeper? Join us for the Painter Growth AI Summit — a live, 2-hour online session where we walk you through specific AI workflows for your painting business, from beginner to implementation.

👉 Register now: https://live.paintergrowth.com/live-ai-summit

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 margins

They 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.

Ever finish a job, see solid revenue, and still wonder where the profit went?

In this episode, we break down how painting contractors lose margin during production, even when the estimate “felt right.” From prep work that quietly expands (patch turns into skim) to the classic “while you’re here” requests that bleed hours, the real problem is rarely effort. It’s the lack of a system you can trust.

Jesse Teron and Josh Eldridge walk through a practical approach to job costing that starts before the job begins. You will learn how to forecast profit to the dollar, set budgeted hours your crew can actually execute, and build production rates based on an average painter so your top performers can beat the budget and earn more.

We also hit the leadership side: how to hold firm when subs ask for more money mid-job, how to stop doing extra work for free, and how detailed proposals and clear exclusions protect you from scope creep.

Inside this episode:

• Why “trusting profit” is really about knowing your numbers

• How to move from job costing in arrears to forecasting materials and labor up front

• Production rate examples (hardy board, fascia, second-level work adjustments)

• How to communicate budgeted hours and deadlines to your crew without drama

• The breakdown that makes it easier to say no to mid-job price changes

• A simple boundary system for change orders so you stop donating labor

If you want cleaner margins, fewer surprises, and a business that scales without chaos, this is the playbook.

Submit your question for a future episode at paintergrowth.com.

In this solo episode, I share the raw lessons I wish I’d known when I started running my painting business.

This episode is about the truths that no one tells you when you start a painting business, the mistakes that cost me time, money, and even my sanity. I open up about the challenges that forced me to rethink what it means to run a business, step into true leadership, and create systems that scale.

If you’re serious about scaling your painting business and stepping into true leadership, this episode is for you.

What I cover in this episode:
✅ The biggest mistake that cost me time, money, and energy
✅ Why doing the painting yourself holds you back from real growth
✅ How to delegate and build a team that takes ownership
✅ What happens when you underprice jobs to win them
✅ The mindset shifts that took me from operator to CEO

Want to grow your painting company without repeating the mistakes I made?

🎧 Tap play and learn from one of my most eye-opening lessons.

This episode is proudly sponsored by⁠⁠ ⁠DripJobs⁠⁠⁠! The CRM built for painting contractors. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use our code GROWTH60 to get a 60 days trial FOR FREE!

Christian Manhard didn't set out to become a social media influencer. He just started filming his work.

Seventeen years in the painting trade, a personal Instagram account, and a camera phone. That's how it started. No strategy, no editor, no plan, just a guy who loved documenting process the same way he used to film his buddies snowboarding.

But somewhere between the before-and-afters and the timelapses, something clicked. Brands started sliding into his DMs. Partnership offers started coming in. And what began as a way to get better painting clients slowly became an entirely different business, one that now includes media, consulting, and real estate on top of the painting work he still loves.

In this episode, Christian gets into the real story behind building a social media business as a contractor. What it actually takes, how he thinks about brand deals, why follower count isn't what most people think it is, and how saying no to the wrong partnerships is exactly what built the right ones.

This one is for any contractor who has ever picked up their phone on a job site and thought, maybe there's something to this.

In this episode:

• Why documenting your process is the most underrated marketing tool in the trades
• How Christian thinks about brand partnerships and when to say no
• Why a 150 million view video didn't change as much as you'd think
• What it looks like to build multiple income streams without losing focus
• How he and his wife Jessica built a business and a life they actually want to live

Brooke runs a painting business that did $370K last year. He wants to do $750K this year. And he's doing it all while managing chronic migraines, a team that needs leading, and a schedule that barely gives him room to breathe.

This episode is a raw coaching conversation about what it actually looks like to be stuck between operator and owner — and how to make the leap.

Brooke is off the tools, but he's still the estimator, the firefighter, and the person every problem lands on. He knows something has to change. He just can't see how to get there without everything falling apart in the process.

We get into the real reasons he hasn't hired a sales rep yet, why he's terrified to let go of estimating, and what it's actually costing him to hold on to it. We also map out exactly what the next 90 days need to look like for him to stop being the bottleneck in his own business.

If you're somewhere between $300K and $1M and you feel like you're working harder than the number shows — this one's for you.

In this episode:

• Why calling yourself an "owner estimator" is keeping you stuck
• How to structure a sales rep compensation plan that limits your risk to almost nothing
• The 5-hour system that can get someone else estimating and selling for you
• What burnout actually does to your decision making — and how to get out of it

Most contractors are using AI like it's a search engine. Here's what they're missing.

I sat down with Arwin, founder of Rebolt HQ, an AI-powered operating system built for service businesses, and we got into what's actually working right now for painting contractors who are serious about running a better business.

We talk about websites that get built in minutes, calls that turn into blog posts automatically, a CRM you can literally talk to, and why the fundamentals still matter more than any hack when it comes to getting found online.

We also get into the bigger picture, why trades is one of the safest places to be right now, and why the contractors who stay curious about this stuff are going to have a real edge over the ones who don't.

If you've ever wondered where to actually start with AI in your business, this episode gives you a practical answer.

In this episode:

• Why your website might be costing you leads, and how to fix it
• The automated workflow that turns finished jobs into marketing content
• What it actually takes to rank on ChatGPT and Google
• The voice-first CRM Rebolt just launched
• 30 minutes a day that puts you ahead of most of your competition
• A limited-time deal for Painter Growth listeners (expires April 27th)

What happens when you 5X your revenue in a single year — and still can't let yourself win?

In this raw, unfiltered live coaching call, Jesse sits down with James Mitchell, a painting contractor who went from $179K to nearly $1M in revenue in 2025. By every external measure, he's crushing it. But internally? He's been drowning — falling out of integrity, losing his routines, and quietly sabotaging the very success he worked so hard to build.

In one of the most eye-opening moments on the podcast, Jesse guides James through a visualization: a $5 million check, no strings attached, lands in his mailbox. James's response? Pure hesitation. Not excitement — doubt.

What unfolds next is the breakthrough neither of them planned for.

This episode goes deep on:

• The subconscious belief that you have to suffer to deserve success
• Why chaos in your environment is always a mirror of chaos within
• The 3-part integrity framework that separates high performers from everyone else
• How your body holds the breakthroughs your mind can't reach alone
• What it actually means to become a million-dollar business owner — not just run one

If you've ever hit a new level and somehow found a way to self-destruct it, this one is for you.

James rated this call an 11 out of 10. You'll understand why.

Logan Platt started Clean Cut Painters in Bozeman, Montana with zero business background, just a neuroscience degree, a paintbrush, and a crew of independent contractors. For years, his company survived on one or two builder relationships. When that dried up, the clock started ticking. In this episode, Logan shares how he went from anxiety-inducing hand-to-mouth revenue to $150K sales weeks, a full leadership team, and a business he's actually building for the future. If you're doing revenue but don't have a real business yet, this one's for you.

In this episode of Brush Busters, coaches Lucas and Chris tackle real letters from painting business owners and share their no-nonsense solutions.

From Marcus in Calgary dealing with chunky paint batches to strategies for keeping customers happy while holding suppliers accountable, this episode dives deep into the real-world challenges painters face every day.

Whether it’s quality control, client communication, or knowing when to push back on a vendor, Lucas and Chris break down practical steps to turn frustrating problems into opportunities to build trust and improve your business.

Hiring a sales rep can help you grow faster.

It can also create a mess if you do it too early or without the right systems in place.

In this episode, we break down what painting business owners need to get right before bringing on a sales rep: when the timing makes sense, what responsibilities the role should actually own, how to structure compensation, and why your first rep should be more than just an order taker.

We also get into one of the biggest mistakes owners make: hiring before they’ve documented the process, built a real onboarding system, or defined what success looks like.

If you’re trying to decide whether it’s time to hire, or you want to avoid an expensive mistake, this episode is worth the listen.

In this episode, Jesse sits down with Isaac from White Oak Painting and his new field marketing manager for a live coaching session focused on one of the biggest opportunities in a painting business: generating more leads from the neighborhoods you’re already working in.

They talk through what the field marketing manager role should actually look like, how to use job site marketing more intentionally, and what it takes to turn nearby homeowners into real estimate opportunities. The conversation also covers flyer drops, door knocking, confidence in the field, tracking activity, measuring ROI, and setting realistic expectations for performance.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your marketing more local, more proactive, and more measurable, this episode gives you a practical look at how to build that system inside your painting company.

What does it really take to stop living paycheck to paycheck when you own a trades business? In this episode, Jesse Teron sits down with Kedma Ough, the financial genius behind Iron Books, to unpack the practical and psychological tools that help contractors, painters, and tradespeople finally get a grip on their money.

Jesse opens up about a painful personal low: selling his car just to cover rent in December 2019. That rock-bottom moment sparked the creation of "Baseline 1", the concept of earning enough each month to cover both your business overhead AND your personal bills. It sounds simple, but hitting that number changes everything.

Kedma brings the neuroscience and the numbers. She walks through the exact tools Iron Books uses to turn struggling businesses around, from Debt Schedules and Zero-Based Budgeting to Cash Flow Analysis and Turnaround Consulting, and shares why the words you use about money might be the biggest obstacle standing between you and profitability.

In this episode you'll learn:

• What "Baseline 1" means and why hitting it is a game-changer

• How language and self-talk directly impact your financial results

• The Iron Books toolkit: Debt Schedules, Zero-Based Budgeting & more

• Why bankruptcy isn't the end and what it taught Kedma about resilience

• How to identify your "genius zone" and stop doing everything yourself

• The 15% net profit target and why anything below zero compounds against you

Whether you're drowning in debt or just ready to grow, this episode will shift how you think about money, and give you real tools to act on.

🔗 Take the Profit X-Ray Audit: https://www.paintergrowth.com/book-a-call

If your income has not moved in 3 years, if your business keeps hitting the same ceiling, if your life looks basically the same as it did 5 years ago, there’s a hard truth hiding in plain sight.

Most of the time, it is not the economy. It is not the market. It is not your team. It is not your situation.

It is your environment.

Your results cannot outgrow what you tolerate. The standards you allow. The habits you repeat. The level of accountability you keep. The people and inputs you sit around every day.

A lot of guys say they want growth, but they protect comfort like it is their job. They hit a new normal, then start living like that is the top of the mountain.

If you want a new level, you usually need a new room. New expectations. New routines. New “this is who I am now” behavior.

In today’s episode, we break down how to actually change your environment so your results finally have room to change too.

What’s the biggest thing you’re tolerating right now that you know is keeping you stuck?

What happens when a homeowner nearly falls off her chair from your price, and still leaves you a 5-star review before you do the job?

In this episode, we unpack a Momentum coaching call filled with real stories and real wins. From placing 350+ door hangers to unlocking $40K in builder work, these painting contractors are proving that consistent marketing, honest communication, and clear expectations can change everything. You'll hear from Josh, who locked in investor partnerships and scaled to a 16-man crew, and Rachel, who booked nearly $40K in one week using just one simple sales play.

If you’re a painting contractor stuck in the weeds or wondering how to get higher-paying jobs, this conversation will shift how you think about growth.

In this raw Coffee Conversation, Coach Jesse gets real. He opens up about the moment he hit rock bottom while building his second painting company. He had four jobs open, no reliable crews, cash pressure mounting… and a full-blown panic attack on the side of the road.
Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Didn’t know how he was going to get through it.
What saved him wasn’t a new marketing tactic.
It wasn’t better estimating software.
It wasn’t hiring another salesperson.
It was a lesson he learned years earlier during a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat, a mental discipline so simple it sounds almost ridiculous:
In this episode, Jesse breaks down:

• The exact moment his painting business felt like it was collapsing
• How overwhelm destroys decision-making for painting contractors
• The “10-Second Rule” that pulled him out of panic
• How he went from chaos to running 6 painting crews in a matter of weeks
• Why most painting company owners fail in the first 18 months
• And how to manufacture wins when cash flow, crews, and customers feel out of control

• Crew issues
• Subcontractor unreliability
• Production bottlenecks
• Cash flow stress
• Customer communication pressure
• Or just the silent weight of running a growing painting business

If you’re a painting contractor dealing with:
This is not a tactics episode. This is about mental resilience for entrepreneurs. This is about emotional control under pressure. This is about how to survive the hard season so you can scale. Because every serious painting company owner will face a moment where the business feels bigger than them.
The question is: will you quit or will you narrow the clock and win the next 10 seconds?
If you’re in a season of struggle, uncertainty, or personal pressure while building your painting company… this is a must-listen.
Press play.
Then go win your next 10 seconds.

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 leadership

• Why systems fail without accountability and how to fix compliance

• Where large painting companies actually leak profit

• How to prevent estimator and production manager burnout

• When labor becomes too expensive and how to restructure without blowing up the company

If your business feels bigger but messier than it should, this episode will help you regain control and rebuild clarity.

Most owners think the only way to get their time back is to hire.

But hiring is slow, expensive, and it often solves the wrong problem.

In this episode, Mike breaks down a simple framework to buy back up to 10 hours per week using leverage you already have, before you add payroll.

Here’s what you’ll learn:
You’ll run a quick time audit to find where your hours are leaking. Then you’ll climb the Leverage Ladder: eliminate, automate, standardize, optimize communication, and batch your work so you can actually hit flow state again.

If you feel like you’re stuck doing everything, and your days are getting swallowed by admin, texts, and constant context switching, this will give you a clean plan for getting your life back.

Listen now, and if you want help installing this in your painting business, reach out to Painter Growth.

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 drift

• The boundary rule that keeps entrepreneurship from wrecking your health and relationships

• The hiring order that stabilizes leads first, then sales, then production

• When to fire faster (especially in leadership roles)

• Why paying yourself a salary makes you a better operator

If 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 burnout
• The “leave it in the car” rule that changes your estimates
• How to protect your attention at work and at home
• The boundaries that stop your schedule from owning you
• How to build core values and non negotiables your team can live by
• A simple way to replace fear with clarity and confidence

If 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 hire
• Setting expectations with your team before you leave
• What 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 sell

Whether 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 time

• Simplify your offer and operations so scaling gets easier, not harder

• Build urgency into your team so cycle times shrink and momentum compounds

• Automate systems and leverage talent so you are not the bottleneck

If 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 business

• Why working out early helps you make better food choices

• A beginner-friendly way to restart your fitness routine

• Simple nutrition and meal prep habits that support your goals

If you want a series on nutrition, meal prep, supplements, or how to train effectively, comment what you want next.

Painter Growth resources: paintergrowth.com
Subscribe 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 busy

• The 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 quality

• The simple system that makes delegation work: standards, training, and checks and balances

• How 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 business

This 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 work
• The difference between leading and lagging indicators
• How to structure comp plans for sales reps, painters, and crew leads
• The "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 role

Whether 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 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 business
• Why targeting smaller geographic areas makes marketing, sales, AND production easier
• The ROTOR framework: A proven system for recruiting, onboarding, training, and retaining top talent
• How to break into light commercial work (condos, HOAs) for recurring revenue
• Time management and batching strategies that eliminate wasted drive time
• What to look for when hiring leaders vs. painters
• The Community Association Institute (CAI) strategy for landing commercial accounts

Whether 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 ringing
• Why your close rate might have dropped to zero overnight (and how to fix it)
• Smart marketing strategies that don't require discounting
• The truth about turning off marketing during slow season
• Creative partnership ideas (the cleaning company strategy is genius)
• When it's OK to embrace seasonality vs. when to fight it

Whether 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 Coming

James 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 reality
• The "Intuition Accelerator" method (HAPP: Heal, Align, Power, Prosperity) and how it unlocks exponential growth
• Why James had 20 estimates per week "magically" appear once he started this practice
• The 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 line
• The breathwork session that helped James release generational trauma and self-sabotage patterns
• Why meditation isn't about stopping thoughts—and what it actually does for your business
• How being present and "slowing down" time creates competitive advantages others can't replicate

The 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 deserve
• You feel stuck at a revenue ceiling and don't know why
• You're curious about the connection between personal development and business growth
• You're a "personal development junkie" who consumes content but struggles with implementation
• You want to understand how successful entrepreneurs are using meditation, breathwork, and intuitive practices to scale

Key Themes Explored:

• Meditation as a business tool, not just a wellness practice
• The concept of "higher selfishness"—serving your higher self to serve others better
• Running your business from love instead of fear
• The universal law of "as above, so below"—how your internal state creates your external reality
• Why the present moment is the only place miracles happen
• Building a team culture when you're in alignment with yourself

Fair 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 Program
• HAPP Method (Heal, Align, Power, Prosperity)
• 65-Minute Meditation Practice
• Breathwork 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 thousands
• How 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 quality
• How your beliefs about the economy, seasonality, and your business are creating your reality

Special 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-podcast

Whether 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.

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 beyond

If 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.

When Rachel realized her first painting company made zero profit after a full year of work, it crushed her.
She was exhausted, in debt, and ready to give up.

But instead of quitting, she started over, with a plan.

Today, Rachel runs XPaint in Cleveland, Ohio, a six-figure business on track for $1M next year.
She’s built systems, a team she trusts, and a level of financial security she never thought possible.

In this episode, she opens up about:
🎯 Hitting rock bottom and rebuilding with confidence
💡 How she turned chaos into clarity by learning her numbers
🧘‍♀️ The mindset and energy work that unlocked her next level

If you’ve ever felt like your business was running you — this conversation will change how you see what’s possible.

🎙️ Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

What does it take to grow a painting business to $500,000 a year?

In this episode, Mike Gore-Hickman sits down with Fred Hamilton, owner of Hamilton Painting in Austin, Texas, and a leader on the PCA Residential Repaint Committee. Fred shares his journey of building a thriving residential repaint business, the mindset shifts that made growth possible, and why investing in community and industry events is one of the smartest moves a painting contractor can make.

If you’re a painting business owner looking for real-world strategies to scale, this conversation is packed with insights you can put into practice right away.

👉 Listen now and discover how to take your painting business to the next level.

Every painting business owner says, “Next year will be different.”
But most never build the plan that makes it happen.

In this solo episode, Mike shares how to turn 2026 into your breakout year, the one where you finally stop reacting and start leading.

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Plan for profit (and reverse-engineer your revenue goals)
✅ Stay off the tools and lead like a CEO
✅ Build a team that runs without you
✅ Create real accountability and track your growth weekly

This isn’t about wishful thinking or New Year’s hype.
It’s about taking control of your time, your money, and your business, now.

🎧 Listen to learn how to make 2026 the year everything changes.

Are you doing quote after quote… but barely booking any jobs?

In this episode of Brush Busters, Lucas, and Chris dig into real letters from painting contractors who are stuck—whether it’s the slow season blues, low close rates, or wondering if it’s finally time to hire their first employee.

This is a practical, honest look at the everyday decisions painting business owners face, and what to actually do about them.

🛠️ You’ll hear:

• Why “too many quotes, not enough jobs” might not be the real problem

• How to survive and thrive during the slow season

• What to know before hiring your first employee

• Straight answers from people who’ve been there

🎧 Listen now and get unstuck.

📌 Perfect for:
Painting contractors, solo operators, and growing teams looking for real guidance without the fluff.

#paintingbusiness #paintingcontractor #brushbusters #contractorgrowth #tradesbusiness #paintingcompany #leadconversion #hiringfirstemployee #slowseasonstrategy

Lucas spent years building service businesses from scratch. A painting company. A janitorial firm. Steady growth, solid teams, real revenue.

But what happens when the business no longer feels like freedom?

In this episode, Lucas sits down with Mike to unpack what most entrepreneurs never talk about—what it really takes to grow something valuable, and how to know when it’s time to let go.

You’ll hear honest lessons about starting scrappy, letting go of perfection, hiring before you’re ready, and redefining success after the exit.

This isn’t just about painting or cleaning. It’s about building a business that serves your life.

🔗 This episode is proudly sponsored by⁠⁠ ⁠DripJobs⁠⁠⁠! The CRM built for painting contractors. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use our code GROWTH60 to get a 60 days trial FOR FREE!

Isaac never planned to run the family painting business. He was more interested in other paths. But after three years on the tools, he started to see things differently. What felt like just a job began to look like an opportunity.

In this episode, Isaac shares what changed for him. He talks with Mike about stepping into leadership, learning to think like a business owner, and building systems that take the pressure off his parents. They talk through the early grind, the mindset shifts, and what it really looks like to go from working in the business to building it with intention.

If you're trying to build a company that creates freedom for you and the people you care about, this one will hit home.

In this episode of The Painter Growth Podcast, Head Coach Jesse is joined by Coach Joel for his first Brush Busters session. Joel isn’t just a coach, he’s actively running a painting company doing over seven figures in revenue. Together, Jesse and Joel answer real letters from painting contractors, sharing insights on sales, hiring, marketing, and building systems that actually work.

Whether you’re trying to book more painting leads, struggling to find reliable painters, or figuring out how to scale past $100K, this episode is packed with strategies you can use right away.

Chris Davis never planned to build a million-dollar painting company. He was just trying to survive the pressure of doing everything himself while keeping jobs moving and clients happy. Most days felt like a firefight, with no time to slow down and no space to think. The business was growing, but it never felt like progress.

That started to change when he stopped trying to be everywhere at once and made the decision to lead instead of react. He got off the tools, started building systems, and began trusting a team instead of carrying the full weight himself. What followed was real momentum. Not overnight success, but steady, disciplined growth that took his company beyond $1.7 million in revenue.

This episode is an inside look at what that transformation actually feels like. It’s about the identity shift that happens when you let go of control, the uncomfortable work of building structure where there used to be chaos, and the clarity that comes when you finally stop playing small and start acting like a real business owner.

If you’re tired of carrying your company on your back and wondering if there’s another way to grow without burning out, this conversation will show you what’s possible when you step into leadership and commit to building something that can last.

Starting or growing your painting business? Got questions? We’ve got answers.

In this episode of Brush Busters, Jesse and Gavin tackle real questions from painting contractors, overing everything from forming an LLC to switching CRMs to figuring out where to focus when you’re just getting started.

Whether you’re launching your business, trying to stay organized, or just feeling overwhelmed by all the platforms and decisions in front of you, this episode brings clarity, direction, and some solid laughs along the way.

💡 In this episode, they answer:

• Should you set up an LLC before you start marketing your painting business?

• How to avoid “platform hopping” and actually commit to a system

• What to focus on when you're wearing all the hats

• Why progress beats perfection in the early stages

• And what tools or systems actually move the needle

If you’ve been searching for:

• "how to start a painting business"

• "best CRM for painting contractors"

• "painting contractor business tips"

• "when to start an LLC for painting company"

• "how to grow a painting company"
  …this episode is packed with real answers and real momentum.

ver feel like you know what to do in your painting business, but still don’t do it?

In this solo episode, Jesse shares raw reflections on mindset, personal growth, and what it really takes to go from ideas to results. After a conversation with Jason Paris (who runs a $15M painting company), Jesse unpacks why so many business owners stay stuck, and what to do about it.

You’ll hear:

• How mindset affects execution

• What high-performing painting business owners focus on

• A simple shift that could unlock your next level

• Real strategies to apply right now, even if you're feeling overwhelmed

This one’s honest, practical, and meant to get you moving, not just thinking.

🎧 This episode was sponsored by Hirebus! Want to stop wasting time on bad hires? Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to book a free strategy session with one of Hirebus top recruiters!

What does it take to go from working on the tools to running one of the fastest-growing painting franchises in the country?
In this episode, I sit down with Zach Tanner, founder of Painter Bros and FM Flow, to unpack his journey from an 18-year-old with a paintbrush to leading a company with over 140 territories across the U.S.

We talk about:

• How he scaled from one job site to a national franchise

• The mindset shifts that made rapid growth possible

• The systems he uses to keep quality high while expanding fast

• Why FM Flow might be the next big thing in the industry

Whether you’re on the tools now or already running a crew, Zach’s story will inspire you to think bigger and move faster.

Sign up for FMFlor here, just say you came from the podcast to get the discount 😏: https://fmflow.com/referral-source-pro/

This episode is proudly sponsored by⁠⁠ ⁠DripJobs⁠⁠⁠! The CRM built for painting contractors. Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use our code GROWTH60 to get a 60 days trial FOR FREE!

When you’re running a painting business and raising a family, something eventually has to give.

In this episode of Brush Busters, Mike and Kit have a real conversation about what happens when fatherhood enters the picture.

Kit shares how becoming a dad forced him to rethink his schedule, his priorities, and the way he ran his business. Together, they break down how to work fewer hours, lead with clarity, and build a business that doesn’t fall apart without you.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between being a present parent and a committed business owner, this one is worth your time.

What would happen if you left your painting business for two full weeks, with no calls, no emails, no check-ins?

In this solo episode, Mike shares a powerful test every contractor should run: The Two-Week Vacation Test. It’s not just about taking time off. It’s about whether your business actually runs on systems, or just on you.

He breaks down:

• Why letting go is so hard (and so necessary)

• What happens when your team learns to operate without you

• The systems and leadership mindset that allow real growth

• Why freedom is the goal, not just profit

Whether you’re in the field every day or starting to build a team, this episode will challenge how you think about control, growth, and success.