Beyond $1,000,000 Podcast

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Imagine building a successful painting business from scratch, starting at your father's company and turning it into a million dollar machine. That's exactly what Kevin Wooten, owner of Carolina Painting and Pressure Cleaning, has accomplished. In our conversation, Kevin gives us a peek behind the curtain, revealing the unique business model that has set his company apart. He explains his innovative employee structure - a five-person team with a unique pay system that balances fair compensation and profitability.

What does it take to keep a small business afloat? What strategies work best when the goal is growth? Kevin helps us unravel these threads. He shares his significant shifts in marketing approach, swinging back to the traditional direct mail strategy and experimenting with Google AdWords. He discusses the challenges of running a self-sufficient business model, the potential pitfalls of outsourcing, and how he monitors his business through data. It's a deep dive into the mechanics of running a successful small business in the contracting space.

As we conclude our fascinating chat, Kevin turns mentor, sharing his wisdom on how to build a business that not only survives but thrives. He talks about the importance of a solid foundation, cultivating a family-like culture within his team, and planning for the future. He discusses his unique payment system, his approach to retirement planning, and gives tips for those aspiring to reach the million-dollar mark. For anyone nurturing a dream of building a successful business from the ground up, this conversation with Kevin is a treasure trove of insights and practical advice. Don't miss it!

About Kevin Wooten:
Kevin Wooten is the founder and lead estimator of Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc. He has lived in Lexington, South Carolina his entire life, going to Lexington High School and graduating in 1987. He loves the outdoors and the beach, boating, camping, snowboarding, ping pong, and pool. He is very detailed and strives for 100 percent customer satisfaction while providing his team with an enjoyable workplace. He’s worked hard to ensure that his residential painting company has a broad net of communities, including Irmo, Chapin, Columbia and includes his home town of Lexington.

----Links from this Episode----

Open invitation for a free discovery call with Scott Lollar
Consulting4Contractors’ Website
Consulting4Contractors on YouTube
Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc. website
Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc. on Facebook
Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc. on Instagram
Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc. on YouTube
Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc. on Pintrest
Check out this video of Consulting4Contractors' Operations Module, one of our flagship Done-For-You tech offerings.
Click here and enter the code "ASSESSMENT50" at checkout to receive 50% off one platinum assessment from InnerView Advisors, C4C's trusted hiring and HR resourcing partner (limit 1 per company)
Connect with C4C on Instagram
Join the C4C community on Facebook
Connect on LinkedIn
Submit to be a guest on our podcast

Credits:

Scott Lollar: Host of the Beyond $1,000,000 Podcast & Founder of Consulting4Contractors
Kevin Wooten: Founder, Lead Estimator, Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc., Lexington, SC
Justin Hange: Original music, artwork, transcripts, show notes, audio engineering

----- EPISODE CHAPTERS WITH SHORT KEY POINTS -----

(0:00:01) - Lessons From a Successful Painting BusinessKevin Wooten shares his journey of starting a million dollar business, strategies for marketing and keeping a lead funnel full, and how he left his father's business.

(0:10:24) - Business Model and Employee StructureKevin Wooten discusses his painting and pressure washing business, his five person team, payment system, and decisions for smaller jobs.

(0:20:54) - Marketing and Office Management in ContractingKevin Wooten shares his marketing strategy, discussing Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), and direct mail, and his current strategies.

(0:30:51) - Google AdWordsKevin Wooten shares expertise on Google Adwords, negative keywords, Zoho Social, and Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) to maximize ad spend.

(0:37:41) - Business Management and Estimating StrategiesKevin focuses on sales, profitability, data monitoring, customer service, and self-sufficiency to manage his business.

(0:47:28) - Successful Business Building and Future PlanningKevin Wooten cultivates a family-like culture, shares advice on retirement and business structure, and discusses marketing, Google Adwords, and negative keywords.

(0:58:27) - Growth in BusinessKevin shares strategies for building a successful business, including developing a family-like culture, unique payment system, and marketing tactics.

(00:00) - Lessons From a Successful Painting Business
(09:50) - Business Model and Employee Structure
(19:49) - Marketing and Office Management in Contracting
(28:01) - Google AdWords
(36:08) - Business Management and Estimating Strategies
(44:35) - Successful Business Building and Future Planning
(50:21) - Growth in Business

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---Click here to purchase an platinum assessment and enter code "ASSESSMENT50" to receive 50% off 1 assessment per company---

Ever wondered how understanding people’s behavior can change the dynamics of your business? Today we are privileged to have Art Snarzyk, a certified behavioral analyst, and founder of InnerView Advisors, who explains the nuances of behavioral analysis and its impact on the hiring process.

Art has an incredible journey from corporate management and running a painting company, to developing a passion for understanding people's behaviors and helping others with the "people" side of their organizational transformations.

Art introduces us to his special combination of behavioral sciences, including what he sometimes refers to as a "DISC assessment on steroids". However, his methodology is much more than that, serving as a profound tool for measuring behavior, motivators, skills, and acumen.

He emphasizes how these assessments are instrumental in providing a comprehensive picture of potential employees, identifying their hidden potential, and assisting businesses to find the perfect fit.

He also shares how these evaluations can help validate our intuitive decisions and underscores the importance of acknowledging the individual's value to the organization and communicating effectively with them.

Finally, Art elaborates on the significance of assessments in hiring and the insights they can offer. He underlines how these tools can boost both business and personal relationships by fostering a better understanding of ourselves and others.

From entrepreneurs and managers to those intrigued by human behavior, this discussion is brimming with insights and tools that can aid in making smarter decisions in business and life. Join us to glean more insights from Art’s expertise in behavioral analysis!

About Art Snarzyk:

In management and and hiring since 1996, Art spent years in corporate America and another 9 as the owner of a successful painting company. He knows first-hand the hassle, expense, and headache of trying to hire quality employees.

Let him introduce you to a scientifically tested and proven way to attract, hire and retain the best people for your company. You’ll no longer need to rely on intuition, skewed references, and subjective work history to make your hiring decisions. The best are out there and you deserve them!

https://innerviewadvisors.com/

----Links from this Episode----

Click here and enter the code "ASSESSMENT50" at checkout to receive 50% off one platinum assessment (limit 1 per company)
Open invitation for a free discovery call with Scott Lollar
Consulting4Contractors’ Website
InnerView Advisors
InnerView Advisors on Facebook
Art Snarzyk on LinkedIn
Check out this video of Consulting4Contractors' Operations Module, one of our flagship Done-For-You tech offerings.
Connect with C4C on Instagram
Join the C4C community
Connect on LinkedIn
Submit to be a guest on our podcast

Credits:

Scott Lollar: Host & Founder of Consulting4Contractors
Art Snarzyk: Owner, InnerView Advisors, St. Peters, MO
Justin Hange: Original music, artwork, transcripts, show notes, audio engineering

----- EPISODE CHAPTERS WITH SHORT KEY POINTS -----
(0:00:00) - Behavioral Analysis in Consulting for ContractorsArt shares his journey from corporate management to owning a painting company, and his use of behavioral analysis to better understand people and manage them.

(0:07:11) - Assessing and Choosing Employees EffectivelyDISC, motivators, skills, and acumen help businesses find and develop employees.

(0:14:14) - Assessments for the Right CandidatesArt Snarzik of Interview Advisors evaluates candidates using DISC, motivators, skills, and acumen.

(0:25:54) - Engaging and Managing People EffectivelyArt's specialized assessment methodology is used to measure behavior, motivate, hire right person, anticipate potential problems, and get through the "honeymoon meeting" to the place where people can be effective in their best roles.

(0:31:14) - Intuition and Assessments in HiringAssessments provide insight into a candidate's suitability for a role, uncovering potential and informing hiring decisions for admin, project managers, sales, and operations.

(0:37:39) - Importance of Assessments for HiringArt shares insights on job descriptions, assessments, value, communication, and intuition in hiring.

(0:44:37) - Improve Business and Personal RelationshipsDISC assessment measures behavior, motivators, and skills to inform decisions, with intuition and job descriptions aiding the process.

----- EPISODE HIGHLIGHT-----

Clear and Balanced Decision Making Importance | 0:13:16 - 0:14:14 (58 Seconds)

Scott:
Number four is Acumen.

Art:
It sounds interesting or weird, but really, it's, "Do you think clearly?"

Don't you wish knowing an employee is coming in that they're going to make clear and balanced decisions? That's important.

So it's really not an intelligence marker, but it's really, do you factor in the important things when you make decisions?

And people factor in different things as they think through a problem and the way they think through a problem is important and different roles require different sets of ways of thinking about things, you know?

I want, my accountant to think about things differently than I do, you know, my hazardous response [person] to.

You know, it's just so it's really important to get in their head and see, are they going to make great decisions? Or do they lean too heavily on delegating things to other people? Do they rely too much on a system rather than their own abilities?

So it's a good thing to understand about a person on the way in the door or as we develop more.

(00:00) - Intro
(00:25) - The Beyond $1,000,000 Podcast
(01:04) - Art's Journey from Paint Contractor to Behavioral Analyst
(06:26) - Assessing and Choosing Employees Effectively
(14:14) - Assessments for the Right Candidates
(23:48) - Special Offer for Individual Assessments
(25:40) - Engaging and Managing People Effectively
(31:00) - Intuition and Assessments in Hiring
(37:25) - Importance of Assessments for Hiring
(44:23) - Improve Business and Personal Relationships

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Can you imagine building a multi-million dollar painting business without the help of YouTube, social media, or influencers? John Neubert, owner of Neubert Painting in Brook Park, Ohio, did just that and he's here to share his incredible journey. From starting out as a painter to earning his MBA and transitioning into a business owner and sales manager, John has valuable insights to offer contractors looking to grow their businesses and succeed in the world of painting.

In this episode, we explore John's unique approach to summer direct mail marketing campaigns and his strategy for scaling up his workforce during peak months. He also shares insights on managing and training a large workforce, implementing safety measures, and the challenges of finding and retaining employees in a competitive market. Plus, get an inside look at John's compensation and management style, his company's meeting rhythm, and how he maintains a strong company culture with bonus programs and employee engagement activities.

As John shares his keys to contractor success, you'll learn the importance of staying focused on growth and giving employees autonomy. He also offers advice on the investment required to hire people and the need to manage cash flow. Whether you're a growing contractor or an experienced business owner, you won't want to miss the wisdom and insights from this seasoned painting business owner. Join us as we uncover John Neubert's incredible journey and his invaluable lessons along the way.

About John Neubert:

John founded Neubert Painting in 1975. He has both grad and post-grad degrees from Cleveland State University. John has spent over 40 years in the residential painting industry, and hopes to continue on this path, in the direction of growth and success.

----Links from this Episode----

Open invitation for a free discovery call with Scott Lollar
Consulting4Contractors’ Website
Neubert Painting in Brook Park, Ohio
Neubert Painting on Instagram
Check out this video of Consulting4Contractors' Operations Module, one of our flagship Done-For-You tech offerings, and what PMV Custom Finishes utilizes as part of their tech-stack!
Connect with C4C on Instagram
Join the C4C community
Connect on LinkedIn
Submit to be a guest on our podcast

Credits:

Scott Lollar: Host & Founder of Consulting4Contractors
John Neubert: Owner, Neubert Painting, Brook Park, Ohio
Justin Hange: Original music, artwork, transcripts, show notes, audio engineering

----- EPISODE CHAPTERS WITH SHORT KEY POINTS -----
(0:00:00) - Building a Multi-Million Dollar Painting Business
John Newbert shares his journey of transitioning from painting to business ownership, sales management, and more.

(0:12:47) - Summer Direct Mail Marketing Strategy
John Newbert's success is discussed, including his direct marketing campaigns, customized mailings, and scaling up workforce.

(0:18:23) - Managing and Training a Large Workforce
Safety meetings, training workshops, certification program, employee retention, legal spray booth discussed.

(0:28:02) - Compensation and Management Style
John Newbert pays employees well, has strategies for finding and keeping them, and has an exit strategy with financial compensation and bonus programs.

(0:34:06) - Company Meeting Rhythm and Hiring Strategy
John organizes the company with to-do lists, meetings, recruiting, goals, spending strategies, employee training, safety, and retention.

(0:41:56) - Painting Company Culture and BonusesNewbert Painting's culture focuses on people, with bonus systems, events, and celebrations.

(0:48:28) - Keys to Contractor SuccessJohn Newbert advises on transitioning to a larger business, investing in people, managing cash flow, and giving employees autonomy.

(0:50:16) - Spending Wisely as a ContractorJohn Newbert shared strategies for managing crews, finding and keeping great employees, and hosting events to stay focused on growth and success.

----- EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS -----

Year Round Work Expansion | 0:08:27 - 0:09:57 (90 Seconds)0:08:27 ScottSo at what point did you start adding some non-seasonal work, or year round work, or whatever you call it in your business? When did you start doing more of the you know bread and butter normal, whatever you want to call it versus just your seasonal work. ?

0:08:42 JohnWe probably started doing some of that about 30 years ago, but we really weren't. We really weren't that good And we didn't really know what we were doing. And I'd say, in the last 20 years, we've, we've, we're way more serious about it And we our model for interior work is to hire experienced painters, and we don't, we don't, we have, we do have painters we've trained from scratch. But it's far more efficient to hire a professional painter that's already been trained by somebody else And that and that's so. That's, that's how we hired. So we've worn so much through the years by some of the people we've brought on And we have very low turnover in our full time jobs. I mean, my head cabinet guy's been with me about 25 years and I have, i have, i have probably we have 10 inside painters. I'd say half of them have been with us over 10 years.

0:09:34 ScottWow, okay, so you start developing a segment of your workforce that is year round, and then you have the second component, which is seasonal work, and that is essentially extra work.

0:09:50 JohnThat's, that's correct. It's a. It's a pretty simple business model. It's pretty tight. It's a pretty tight model And we don't vary too much about it.

Summer Workforce Scaling | 0:17:36 - 0:18:21 (45 Seconds)0:17:36 ScottOkay, let's talk about Your summer workforce. I don't doesn't matter the time frame, but you know those three, four, five months You scale up and how many people painters now I'm talking about will you add for those peak, those peak months?

0:17:54 JohnThis year. This year will go from around around maybe 15, 20 employees up to about 75 and And and that's. That's not I mean, and that sounds like a lot, but we might. When I was younger, my peak year was 130 people in the summer, so which was crazy out of your mind. I don't know if I could find that many people today and paint costs are way more, way higher than they were back then, sure so?

Meeting Rhythm and Delegation | 0:33:29 - 0:35:12 (103 Seconds)

0:33:29 ScottTell me a little bit about your meeting rhythm Now. It's been interesting to hear a little bit that you're an introvert and and I think for those that are listening, this is always fascinating. And I don't talk a lot before we record these because I really want it just to be live and fresh. But if you've caught John a couple different times saying he's not sure about this or he's not sure about that, and that's because he's hired good people and delegated to them, so is he aware of what's going on in this business? Yes, he surely is, but every detail, some of it's handled by other people. But on a macro level, tell me a little bit about the meeting rhythm of your company, like, how do you keep it all in order? Who do you meet with? How often, when do you meet? and you know what, how do you keep it all straight within your company? 0:34:22 JohnWell, I mean, we meet informally every day. So we're being a small company, you work out of the same office, you certainly have our informal thing, but we work off of like a master to-do list every year and that gets divided up by everyone has certain things that they do, so we have a rhythm of what we do off season. So when we're doing marketing and stuff like that, all that stuff was done back in November and December. It was all put in the bag maybe January. So when we go into our season, all the hard work's already been done and I got a feeling a lot of people do it at the last minute and that you're at a disadvantage. But we meet like once a week. Um, tell me a little bit about your meeting rhythm Now. It's been interesting to hear a little bit that you're an introvert and and I think for those that are listening, this is always fascinating. And I don't talk a lot before we record these because I really want it just to be live and fresh. But if you've caught John a couple different times saying he's not sure about this or he's not sure about that, and that's because he's hired good people and delegated to them, so is he aware of what's going on in this business? Yes, he surely is, but every detail, some of it's handled by other people. But on a macro level, tell me a little bit about the meeting rhythm of your company, like, how do you keep it all in order? Who do you meet with? How often, when do you meet? and you know what, how do you keep it all straight within your company?

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Episode Summary:

Consulting 4 Contractors is so glad to welcome Mark Black, owner of Men In White Painting, to the podcast. Mark started Men In White, located in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, after a few "false starts" in the painting industry.

We admire Mark, not only for his vision of what's possible, but his determination, humility, and not trying to do everything on his own.

Here's a great quote from show host Scott Lollar that sums up who this episode is for:

"Mark is classic entrepreneur and entrepreneurs chase shiny objects every day...if that's you Mark's a kindred spirit...I would say over the last four months... I've seen a lot of growth...[and] if you're going to grow in a significant way and [Mark's] talking towards the $2,000,000 this year, you are going to have to stay in your lane and ascend to more of a CEO level and mentor and be more leadership and monitor your data and let your people do their thing or else you're gonna get stuck."

Mark's story isn't just hustling and picking yourself up by the bootstraps.

It's taking a good, honest look at what you're good at, what you're not good at, leveraging the strengths, delegating the weaknesses, then creating a company culture where loyal employees feel like family.

Mark has long blown past "Death Valley" (between $500k and $750k annual revenue), and we hope his story inspires you to do the same.

Listen In For:

How Mark started a painting business before Men In White, and why he thinks it failed
How volume of jobs wasn't the thing holding Mark and his company back from growth
Unique (but very doable) ways that Mark helps create a company culture in which people love to work
How Men In White leveraged various professional inputs (including Consulting 4 Contractors) to open a second location and increase their service area

Also In This Episode:

Open invitation for a discovery call
Scott Lollar, founder of Consulting 4 Contractors
Mark Black, owner of Men In White Painting, Mt. Vernon, Illinois
Consulting 4 Contractors Website
Men In White Painting on Facebook
Men In White Painting on Instagram
Men In White Painting’s Website
See a demo of C4C’s proprietary painting business tech stack (used by Men In White Painting) in action
Join Consulting 4 Contractors' Facebook Community to connect with other contractors like you!
Connect with Consulting 4 Contractors on LinkedIn
Submit to be a guest on the podcast

Credits:

-Hosted by Scott Lollar

-Guest speaker: Mark Black, Men In White Painting

-Music, artwork, transcripts, mixed by Justin Hange

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Episode Summary:

In this episode, we sit down with Nick Lauro, owner of Lauro Painting in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Nick isn’t afraid to confront his own shortcomings and come out a better owner for it.

Are you frustrated with the lack of growth and success in your painting business?

If Nick’s story has anything to offer it’s this: Maybe it’s not your leads. Maybe it’s not your employees. Maybe it’s not your location. Maybe it’s you.

Listen In For:

Nick’s transformation from a me-focused business to an others-focused business
Key things that helps Nick assess his company’s health
Ways Nick keeps employee health and growth a top priority

Also In This Episode:

Open invitation for a discovery call
Scott Lollar, founder of Consulting 4 Contractors
Nick Lauro, owner of Lauro Painting
Consulting 4 Contractors Website
Lauro Painting on Facebook
Lauro Painting’s Website
See a demo of C4C’s proprietary painting business tech stack in action
Join our community
Connect on LinkedIn
Submit to be a guest on our podcast

Credits:

-Hosted by Scott Lollar

-Guest speaker: Nick Lauro, Lauro Painting

-Music, artwork, transcripts, mixed by Justin Hange

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Episode Introduction

In our very first episode, Scott sits down with Mike Katounas, fellow Consulting 4 Contractors coach, to find out about how Mike got his start, scaled his business to the multi-million dollar company it is today, and shed some insight on how they specialize helping business like yours scale to $1,000,000 annual revenue and beyond.

Main Topics

Mike's start in the painting industry with his dad's company (1:45)
Mike's first few years on his own (7:50)
Scott and Mike's thoughts on Mike scaling his painting business to the next level (17:50)
Mike's business philosophy and approach to company culture (26:35)

Additional Resources

Schedule A Free Discovery Call With Scott Here
Connect with us on LinkedIn Here
Home Works Painting in Chantilly, VA
Check out our webinars where Mike does some live demos of the Monday.com system he implemented for his company, and that we can also do for yours!

Beyond $1,000,000 Podcast: Recent Episodes

Consulting 4 Contractors