Painter Growth Podcast

Mike Gore-Hickman
  • 4.8 (17)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

If you are a growth-oriented painting contractor, this is what you need. Growing a painting company can be overwhelming. Should I buy leads? How do I price this? What type of marketing should I do? How do I find reliable painters? Join us as we explore sales, marketing, hiring, finances, leadership and more - everything you need to know to scale and grow your painting business. Learn how to get more leads, close more sales, hire more painters, grow your production and make more money in your painting business-all while working less. @paintergrowth on Instagram. Https://www.paintergrowth.com

  1. 23H AGO

    AI Native or AI Extinct: How Painters Can Win with AI Before 2028

    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 workCreating SOPs, proposals, and branded documents in a fraction of the timeAI 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

    26 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Brush Busters: Filtering Fake Leads, Building Flow, and Working with Family Without Losing Your Mind

    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.

    46 min

  3. APR 24

    Trusting Profit: Job Costing, Production Rates, and How to Stop Scope Creep

    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.

    47 min

  4. APR 13

    The Hard Truth Every Painting Business Owner Needs to Hear

    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!

    18 min

  5. APR 7

    From Paint Brush to Content Creator — How Christian Manhard Built a Business He Actually Wants to Live

    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 tradesHow Christian thinks about brand partnerships and when to say noWhy a 150 million view video didn't change as much as you'd thinkWhat it looks like to build multiple income streams without losing focusHow he and his wife Jessica built a business and a life they actually want to live

    50 min

  6. APR 3

    Why Letting Go Is the Hardest Part of Growing Your Business

    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 stuckHow to structure a sales rep compensation plan that limits your risk to almost nothingThe 5-hour system that can get someone else estimating and selling for youWhat burnout actually does to your decision making — and how to get out of it

    54 min

  7. MAR 31

    AI for Contractors: What's Actually Working in 2026

    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 itThe automated workflow that turns finished jobs into marketing contentWhat it actually takes to rank on ChatGPT and GoogleThe voice-first CRM Rebolt just launched30 minutes a day that puts you ahead of most of your competitionA limited-time deal for Painter Growth listeners (expires April 27th)

    43 min

  8. MAR 27

    The $5 Million Check: Why a Million-Dollar Business Owner Was Terrified to Cash It

    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 successWhy chaos in your environment is always a mirror of chaos withinThe 3-part integrity framework that separates high performers from everyone elseHow your body holds the breakthroughs your mind can't reach aloneWhat it actually means to become a million-dollar business owner — not just run oneIf 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.

    1h 5m
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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

If you are a growth-oriented painting contractor, this is what you need. Growing a painting company can be overwhelming. Should I buy leads? How do I price this? What type of marketing should I do? How do I find reliable painters? Join us as we explore sales, marketing, hiring, finances, leadership and more - everything you need to know to scale and grow your painting business. Learn how to get more leads, close more sales, hire more painters, grow your production and make more money in your painting business-all while working less. @paintergrowth on Instagram. Https://www.paintergrowth.com

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Gore-Hickman
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    338
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mike Gore-Hickman
  • Show Website
    Painter Growth Podcast

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