Contractor Secrets

Tanner Mullen
  • 4.9 (51)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

It's no secret that a large majority of contractors are too busy working "IN" their business instead of "ON" their business. As a 3rd generation painter, I've first-hand witnessed the struggle of a contractor (my father) as he attempted to manage all aspects of his House Painting Business while still painting and performing the jobs. My passion is to free contractors from the chains of their own business, and truly help them achieve greatness through creating systems, processes, and standards...TUNE IN! Follow @OfficialTannerMullen on Instagram!

  1. 2d ago

    Why You Can’t Find Good Employees (And How to Fix It) | Contractor Secrets

    If you're a painting contractor struggling to find good employees, this episode breaks down how to hire painters, retain great employees, and build a painting business that can grow without relying on the owner. In this episode of the Contractor Secrets Podcast, Tanner Mullen sits down with Mason from Progressive Painting to discuss one of the biggest challenges facing painting contractors and home service businesses: hiring skilled painters and building a reliable team. Mason helps operate a $1M+ commercial painting business in New Hampshire and is working to solve the people problem inside the company. After scaling to a 30-person painting crew for a massive commercial project, the business experienced employee turnover and struggled to maintain the team needed to continue growing. Tanner breaks down the painting contractor hiring system he's used to recruit W-2 painters, find better applicants, develop crew leaders, and build a painting company that doesn't require the owner to constantly be on the job site. We cover: • Why a random hiring process creates random results • Where contractors should actually be looking for employees • My Indeed hiring strategy • How to properly interview and filter applicants • Why character matters more than skill alone • Creating a career path from apprentice to leadership • How compensation impacts employee retention • Rewarding employees as their skills increase • Using job profitability to create performance bonuses • Why your best employees need to see a future with your company • Building a business that doesn't depend on the owner • Commercial vs. residential painting opportunities • Navigating change inside a family business If you're constantly saying, "There are no good employees out there," this episode might change the way you think about hiring entirely. Coaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthrough Purchase the 31 Days of Value and build an EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1 DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemo Gusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aq Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen #PaintingContractor #PaintingBusiness #HiringPainters #ContractorBusiness #PaintingCompany #ContractorHiring #BusinessGrowth #HomeServices #EmployeeRetention #ContractorSecrets

  2. 3d ago

    Use AI or Get Left Behind: The Future of Painting Businesses | Contractor Secrets

    AI isn't going to replace painting contractors — but contractors who know how to use AI might. In this special episode of the Contractor Secrets Podcast, Tanner Mullen is joined by Mike Hickman, founder and CEO of Painter Growth, for a deep dive into what an AI-native painting business actually looks like. Mike breaks down practical ways contractors can start using AI across their sales, marketing, estimating, websites, strategic partnerships, and day-to-day operations — including live examples of what's already possible. In this episode, you'll learn: • The 5 levels of AI adoption • How AI can transform your sales process • How to build a website using AI • How to create personalized proposals in minutes • Using AI to visualize projects before the work begins • Automating strategic partner outreach • How AI can help you operate with fewer people and higher margins • Why contractors who wait too long may struggle to catch up The goal isn't to remove the human element from your business. It's to use AI to handle more of the repetitive work so you can spend more time selling, building relationships, leading your team, and growing the company. If you own a painting or home service business, this is an episode you don't want to miss. Start your Free 14 Day Trial for Routemize - https://routemize.com/ Coaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthrough Purchase the 31 Days of Value and build an EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1 DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemo Gusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aq Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen #PaintingContractor #ContractorBusiness #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #PaintingBusiness #HomeServices #BusinessGrowth #ContractorSecrets

  3. Aug 6

    The Facebook Ads Strategy Adding $1.5M/Week for Painters | Contractor Secrets

    Most painters optimize their Facebook ads for leads. Lucas Jensen optimizes for booked appointments — and it's the reason his agency's clients add over $1.5 million in new sales every single week. In this Contractor Secrets episode, recorded live at the Routemize launch, the founder of Forward Media Marketing breaks down the exact Facebook (Meta) ads playbook his team runs for 175+ painting, flooring, and coating contractors. You'll learn why advertising should be optimized for appointments instead of leads, how Routemize collapses the lead → appointment → sale timeline into appointment → sale, and the three levers that actually move the needle: creative optimization (vertical video, selfie-style, transformation, process, static ads, and job-site walkthroughs), sales optimization (tracking every ad, lead, and close down to the dollar), and speed optimization — because the faster you turn a lead into a sale, the more profitable you become. Lucas also breaks down real numbers: $84 cost per lead, 55% set rate, 30% close rate, 12.91x blended ROAS, and a $6,600 average job size. If you run a painting business or any home-service company and want more appointments, lower marketing costs, and faster cash flow from Facebook and Instagram ads, this one's a masterclass. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:00 How Routemize was tested (2 → 5 appointments/day) 05:00 Optimize for appointments, not leads 07:00 The results: 175+ contractors, $1.5M/week 09:00 Turning $1 into $12.91 (ROAS breakdown) 10:00 3 reasons every contractor needs Facebook ads 16:00 Step 1: Creative optimization (video + static ads) 20:00 Step 2: Sales optimization & tracking every dollar 23:30 Step 3: Speed — the #1 predictor of success 28:00 One action away from your next million Start your Free 14 Day Trial for Routemize - https://routemize.com/ Coaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthrough Purchase the 31 Days of Value and build an EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1 DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemo Gusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aq Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen #FacebookAdsForPainters #PaintingBusiness #PaintingContractor #MetaAds #ContractorMarketing #LeadGeneration #HomeServiceMarketing #Routemize #DripJobs #ContractorSecrets #PaintCon

  4. Aug 3

    This Home Service App Solves EVERYTHING - Official Routemize Launch Demo (The Future of Scheduling)

    In this official Routemize launch demo, DripJobs founder Tanner Mullen reveals why home service businesses lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in leads every year — and demos the tool built to fix it: instant booking, AI-powered route optimization, and a live AI voice agent that schedules jobs for you. Tanner breaks down the psychology of why customers fill out your lead form and never book,why buyer intent has a shelf life, and how drive time quietly kills your calendar. Then he builds a Routemize account live — setting up territories, qualification rules, and booking forms — and shows all four ways customers can book: web form, chatbot, admin, and a real-time AI voice agent that books a route-optimized appointment on air. If you run a painting business, contracting company, or any home service business that drives to the customer, this is a masterclass in converting more leads without spending a dollar more on marketing. 🔑 What you'll learn: Why 78% of customers buy from the business that responds first, the 5-minute rule that makes you 21x more likely to qualify a lead, how route optimization fits more estimates into every day, how the AI voice agent answers and books after hours, and how to plug instant booking into any CRM. ⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 – The Routemize launch video 02:05 – The psychology behind why I built it 03:40 – Adapt or die: the Blockbuster lesson 05:00 – The instant economy (Amazon, DoorDash, Instacart) 06:30 – Why your buying cycle is broken 08:40 – What customers actually care about 10:28 – Buyer intent has a shelf life (the 5-minute rule) 11:00 – How I lost $539K in leads in one 6-month snapshot 14:26 – Drive time: the silent killer 17:39 – What really happens when a new lead comes in 22:02 – Real results: Performance Floors & same-day pool repair 25:00 – The 4 checks every booking runs 27:30 – Building a Routemize account live: territories & zip codes 32:00 – Qualification rules & the booking form 37:00 – The 4 ways customers can book 39:30 – Chatbot demo: route-optimized booking in real time 44:19 – Booking as an admin / for your team 47:33 – LIVE AI voice agent books a real appointment 52:16 – The offer + Rowdy AI & bulk routing for project managers Coaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthrough Purchase the 31 Days of Value and build an EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1 DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemo Gusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aq Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen

  5. Jul 27

    She Doubled Her Painting Business — Then Hit These Walls

    Rebecca from Zellers Painting already hit last year's total sales with months left on the calendar — she's basically doubled the business. But growth exposed the cracks: estimating that isn't dialed in, a brand-new salesperson she can't cleanly hand pricing to, and a $200K operation still being run off an Excel sheet. In this live Business Breakthrough, Tanner walks her through the fixes: using production rates and square-footage pricing (validated by consistent job costing), why the two biggest levers in any business are money and time, and the exact system stack to get her out of the weeds — Quo for phone and missed-call auto-responses, Slack for team communication, and DripJobs job scheduling for visibility and automatic customer updates. If you're a contractor who's growing fast and feeling your systems start to break, this one's a blueprint. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The two biggest levers: money & time 01:22 Meet Rebecca — Zellers Painting 02:45 The estimating problem after hiring a salesperson 04:30 Production rates & square-footage pricing 06:45 Job costing: how to know your pricing is right 10:00 What else isn't systemized? The real bottleneck 12:00 Running a $200K business on a spreadsheet 14:45 Why visibility is a lever (the schedule = your money) 17:55 Fix your phone: Quo & missed-call auto-responder 19:40 Slack + CompanyCam for team communication 22:00 Order of operations & the referral to Aiden 23:30 Letting go of control: the leadership shift Coaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthrough Purchase the 31 Days of Value and build an EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1 DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemo Gusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aq Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=share Follow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen #roofing #roofingbusiness #contractormarketing #localseo #roofingcontractor #homeservices #businessgrowth

  6. Jul 20

    New Business, 70% Margins, 0 Customers. What Now? - Live Business Breakthrough |Contractor Secrets

    Jonathan just launched a permanent lighting business. He has one client, a deposit in the bank, and 90 days to hit three installs a week. In this Business Breakthrough episode, Tanner Mullen coaches Jonathan through the launch of Epic Light, a permanent LED lighting company with 50 to 70 percent margins in a category almost nobody has figured out how to market. The problem: permanent lights are 90 percent want and 10 percent need. Nobody is searching "permanent light installer near me." And every prospect is thinking the same thing you are about to hear Jonathan struggle to answer on camera: why would I pay you $5,000 when I can just buy the lights and put them up myself? Tanner breaks down why the winner in this category will not be the best installer. It will be the best marketer. What you'll learn: - Why whoever spends the most money to get the customer gets the customer - How to anchor every campaign to an event instead of selling the product - The cabinet refinishing trick that turns a want into a need - Why you should stop planning for the busy season you do not have yet - How to stack value on a luxury item so the price stops mattering - Why you need a proprietary offer and how to build one - The objection that will kill your business if you cannot answer it in one sentence - Why Google is a trap for new categories and Facebook is the opportunity This one applies whether you sell lights, paint, epoxy, cabinets, or anything else people want but do not need.Chapters: 00:00 - Cold open 01:25 - Meet Jonathan Mann and Epic Light 02:07 - How the partnership started and why the margins got them excited 03:00 - The 90 day goal: three installs a week, $7,500 to $15,000 in revenue 04:13 - Meta ads or guerrilla marketing? Where do you start?05:13 - The neighborhood domino effect and why you cannot control timing 07:11 - Whoever spends the most money to get the customer gets the customer 08:33 - How do you position a service nobody is searching for? 09:15 - Everything is an angle: anchoring to the 4th of July and Christmas 10:19 - The cabinet refinishing lesson: turning a want into a need 10:58 - Systems, fulfillment, and surviving the holiday rush 11:24 - Do not plan for the problem you do not have yet 13:17 -Virtual quoting and vetting leads before you drive out 14:00 - Vet by income and zip code, then close in person 15:07 - What else can you offer to secure the business? 16:00 - Value stacking: roof checks, house washing, tutorials, decorators 17:11 - Warranty and how the install actually works 18:28 - Building a year round value proposition 19:13 - You are a marketing company that markets lights 20:49 - "Why would I pay you when I can just do it myself?" 22:16 - Building a proprietary offer your competitors cannot copy 23:29 - Speed to lead and anchoring the sale to an event 24:00 - The $30,000 painting job that took 18 months and a Halloween party to close 25:32 - Why Google search terms are murky for a brand new category 27:19 - The education gap and why you need a brochure 27:58 - Final advice: document everything and go winCoaching Session Signup: https://calendly.com/dripjobs/breakthroughPurchase the 31 Days of Value and build an EMPIRE: https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v0D0SNSBofqJJE6zApEE1DripJobs Demo: https://calendly.com/dripjobsteam/dripjobsdemoGusto: https://gusto.com/i/tanner269OpenPhone: https://openph.one/referral/8Kc17aqFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173750747824373/?ref=shareFollow me on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/officialtannermullen#roofing #roofingbusiness #contractormarketing #localseo #roofingcontractor #homeservices #businessgrowth

  7. Jul 16

    Design, Decide, Delegate | Drip Jobs Partner Spotlight: Alessandro Sanford

    In this episode of the DripJobs Partner Spotlight, host Eli sits down with Alessandro Sanford — founder of Kingdom Paintreprenuer and Holiday FX — to break down how to build a painting business (and a 6-figure Christmas light installation business) that runs without you. Alessandro went from being an "accidental painter" who started below zero in a town of 350 people to running multiple businesses remotely. He shares the exact systems, frameworks, and mindset shifts that got him off the tools — including how his holiday lighting business does ~$600K in just 4.5 months a year. Whether you're a painting contractor, a trades business owner, or a service pro looking to scale, delegate, and buy back your time, this conversation is packed with actionable strategy. 🔑 What you'll learn in this episode: How to add a Christmas light installation business to your existing painting company, why your past customer base is your biggest untapped goldmine, the "Design, Decide, Delegate" framework for escaping the day-to-day, how to beat perfectionism and finally trust your team, the "Chaos Crusher" brain-dump routine for less stress and better sleep, and the 5 "Kingdom Keys" (Man, Money, Machines, Methods, Men) to building unstoppable momentum. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Cold open: grit, delegation & the 3 pillars 01:31 – Welcome to the Partner Spotlight 03:40 – The "accidental painter": starting below zero in rural Kansas 07:05 – Marketing in small towns vs. big markets (the magnifying glass) 09:55 – Holiday FX: a $600K Christmas light business in 4.5 months 12:35 – How to start a holiday lighting business from your customer base 16:35 – The story behind Kingdom Paint 19:25 – The Design, Decide, Delegate framework21:00 – Beating perfectionism (why 85% is enough) 26:24 – "If you have one, you have none" + the moment everything changed 33:40 – The "Chaos Crusher": brain dumps & Morning Mastery 40:00 – The 5 Kingdom Keys to unstoppable momentum 43:17 – Why consistency beats skill every time 44:27 – Final takeaways & free resources 📘 Grab the 31 Days of Value book on Amazon — every step from this video broken down in detail → https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 🛠️ Check out Routemize — https://routemize.com/ 💸 Sign up for Gusto and fix your payroll the right way → https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 👉 Learn more about DripJobs: https://dripjobs.com 👉 DripJobs Startup Program: https://dripjobs.com/startup 🔔 Subscribe for more no-fluff content on building a real home service business. #ContractorMarketing #HomeServiceBusiness #AIMarketing #ContractorClick #DripJobs #LocalSEO #GoogleBusinessProfile #TradesBusiness #PaintingContractor #31DaysOfValue #ContractorCoaching #BlueCollarBusiness

  8. Jul 13

    How I Built a 47% Margin Painting Business Using W-2 Employees (Not Subs)

    Tired of fighting with low-quality subcontractors in your home service business? In this episode I break down exactly why I run my painting business with 14 W-2 employees across 4 crews — the pros, the cons, and the hiring system that keeps my best people loyal for 9+ years. I own Premium Painting, and my goal was never a $10M company — it's a $2M–$2.5M business with 47–52% gross margins that runs like a franchise I collect dividends from. W-2 employees are how I got there. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows, so I'm giving you the real trade-offs subcontractors vs employees, and the systems that make W-2 actually work. Whether you run a painting company, HVAC, roofing, landscaping, cleaning, or any home service or trades business, this is the W-2 vs subcontractor breakdown I wish I had when I started. 📘 Grab the 31 Days of Value book on Amazon — every step from this video broken down in detail → https://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Value-home-service-businesses/dp/B0FQSH32X7 🛠️ Check out Routemize — https://routemize.com/ 💸 Sign up for Gusto and fix your payroll the right way → https://gusto.com/i/tanner269 👉 Learn more about DripJobs:https://dripjobs.com 👉 DripJobs Startup Program:https://dripjobs.com/startup 🔔 Subscribe for more no-fluff content on building a real home service business. #PainterMarketing #HomeServiceBusiness #HiringEmployees #PaintingContractor #TannerMullen #31DaysOfValue #ContractorCoaching #BlueCollarBusiness #TradesBusiness #PaintingBusiness

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4.9
out of 5
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About

It's no secret that a large majority of contractors are too busy working "IN" their business instead of "ON" their business. As a 3rd generation painter, I've first-hand witnessed the struggle of a contractor (my father) as he attempted to manage all aspects of his House Painting Business while still painting and performing the jobs. My passion is to free contractors from the chains of their own business, and truly help them achieve greatness through creating systems, processes, and standards...TUNE IN! Follow @OfficialTannerMullen on Instagram!

Information

  • Creator
    Tanner Mullen
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    552
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tanner Mullen
  • Show Website
    Contractor Secrets

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