Likeminded Painters Australia: Painters Domain Podcast Clayton Coughlan

In this episode of the Like Minded Painters Australia: Painters Domain Podcast, we are talking to a 20 year old industry veteran, a trade qualified painter and decorator, and the co-founder of HALT, Hope Assistance Local Tradies. And he hails from the small country town of Castlemaine about an hour and a half from Melbourne. Jeremy Forbes or Jezz to his friends, has experienced the highs and lows associated with the building industry  financially, physically, mentally. And he would like tradies to be more conscious of how depression, stress, tiredness and frustration can impact on their lives and their loved ones around them. Jeremy's catch phrase is, "The pain of regret is far greater than the pain of hard work."

Todd Smith might be one of the nicest blokes that I've met in the Australian painting industry.that I've met in the Australian painting industry. Hailing from Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah, Todd started his career in the painting industry working for a major paint supplier in the U.S. Arriving in Australia in 2010, Todd started working for Bunnings in Brisbane, where he met a sales rep for Wagner, and that's where his career in the painting industry here really expanded. For those of you who may not be aware of who Todd Smith is, you may recognise him from his Instagram catchphrase of "Yo Painters." In his podcast, Todd shares his ideas on life and the Australian painting industry here versus that of the United States.

George Roumpanis is a third generation painter and owner operator of Contemporary Finishes in Sydney. In this podcast, we learn how George's world changed overnight. When one morning, his father simply did not come down for work, first thing in the morning, like he'd done religiously for years before. After that morning, George had to take the bull by the horns and take charge of the business. He openly admits that he was in wire in his head. Depression kicked in, but he found his feet and he moved on. And then along time a young bloke called Brad and things turned around for George, as they formed an unlikely bond and business partnership, but it worked. Between the two, they established their roles within the business, and the dynamic worked and worked so well they had 15 in employees and contractors. A couple of years later, the pair decided to separate and went in their own directions. And once again, George had to take stock, refocus on his new business and rebuild. And I'm pleased to say that George is now passing on the button to his fourth generation painter in his son, Costa as a family business continues.

Richard Abela is the son of immigrant parents, who were established in Australia originally as cane farmers in North Queensland. However, Richard would be raised in the Western suburbs of Sydney. Richard's education was not the best to begin with as his HSC results would show. So here is the interesting thing about Richard, he has a fear of failure. Determined not to let those results get the better of him, he got up, dusted himself off and turned his education around. Richard knuckled down to study an accounting qualification and now has an MBA with a marketing specialization. And, ironically, now teaches the Emerging Leaders program at the University of Western Sydney. Having had many roles throughout his career that has seen him work in many parts of the world, Richard now finds himself as a CEO of one, if not the, oldest and most established tool suppliers, to the painting and decorating industry in Australia, Oldfields. In this podcast, we will talk to Richard about where Oldfields came from to reestablishing Oldfields as a market leader and everything in between.

In this episode of The Likeminded Painters Australia: Painter's Domain Podcast recorded in November, 2021. Christina Toon explains how one one set of systems won't work all businesses and why.  Christina Toon has been helping painting business owners across Australia for many years. I have personally seen some of these business owners grow from a simple one-person operation wearing all the caps. They do all the office work, quoting, tax, all down to applying the product to the surface. You know what I'm talking about and I'm sure you've all felt the pain. Christina Toon has a large customer service and business development background. Having worked in government, pay TV service, and a painting business. With all the knowledge that she has gained over the years, Christina has developed systems that help painters grow from a simple one person operation, to employing multiple staff, and allowing the business owner to get off the tools and to work on the business not in it. If you're looking to take your business to the next level, this is a podcast you do not want to miss.

In this episode of the Likeminded Painters Australia: Painters Domain podcast, we sit down and speak to Jamie Downey.  Jamie came to Australia on just a whim. He was painting a travel agency in his home country of New Zealand, where, in an instant, he asked the travel agent to book him a flight to Brisbane. Once he arrived in Brisbane, his life changed and he hasn't looked back. Jamie explains it hasn't always been an easy road, having wrestled with his demons of addiction until one day he met a tradesman on site that helped him turn his life around. Jamie now runs a successful painting business on Brisbane's north side, and it's great to see Jamie kicking goals these days. And he explains to me how he got the ball rolling for his business and how he continues to drive new leads.