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. 4h ago

    Q2 Review + Q3 Planning for Painting Contractors | The 7 Numbers That Decide Your Next Quarter

    Download your free Painter Growth training here: https://learn.paintergrowth.com/grow-v1?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=grow-v1If you're new here, my name is Mike Gore-Hickman. I'm the founder of Painter Growth, a coaching company that helps painting contractors build real businesses instead of just running jobs.We've worked with over 1,500 painting contractors. Our clients range from guys doing $300K a year to teams pushing past $5M. Our coaches are real painting business owners who built seven-figure companies themselves. Not theory guys.Here's how I got here.Early 20s: Running my own painting business. Couldn't close jobs. Underbidding everything. Painters showed up stoned. Spilled paint on driveways. Painted houses the wrong color. I fell off a ladder. Ended my first year with a $20,000 tax bill I couldn't pay.Still early 20s: Almost quit. Didn't. Got obsessed with systems, sales, and getting help. I hired my first business coach, fixed the chaos & hit over $200K a month in sales before I turned 24.Mid-20s: Followed my girlfriend (now wife) to a new city. Shut the painting business down. Took a job in SaaS. Spent five years helping grow a software company from scratch to nearly $10M a year. That's where I learned how to build and scale an online business.During COVID: My two worlds collided. Running a painting business plus scaling software companies. I launched a side hustle that pulled both together. It became Painter Growth.October 2021: Launched with an MVP and $10 a day in Facebook ads. No money. No clients. No connections.End of 2021: Signed my first 10 clients. Eight got massive results. That was all the proof I needed.Late 2022: Brought on Jesse, my partner and CFO. Hired our first coach and first VA. Reinvested everything back into the business.2023 and beyond: Built a team of nearly 50, including seven-figure painting business owners coaching full time.We became an official Sherwin-Williams partner and we’re the exclusive coaching program referred by them.We we’re named PCA 2026 Partner of the Year.You don't need to be a good painter to build a great painting business. You need to be a good business owner who hires good painters. Most contractors never make that switch. We help them make it.What I'm focused on right now: AI and systems. We're building AI-powered tools inside Painter Growth, including a bookkeeping assistant and a proposal generator. The contractors who figure this out early are going to pull ahead.I'm still building. Still figuring things out. But I'm doing it alongside 1,500 contractors who are all in the middle of their own fight to build something real.If you're in that fight, you're in the right place.Never quit,MikeGet a FREE Painting Business Growth Session. In 30 minutes, we'll build you a custom plan to grow → https://learn.paintergrowth.com/book-your-call-1?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=booking*Painter Growth content is for educational purposes only. Results vary. Individual outcomes depend on the effort, situation, and decisions of each business owner.*

    28 min

  2. Jun 30

    From $30K Months To $100K Months In Under A Year Painter Growth Story

    Eric Winegardner started Winegardner Fine Finishes and Coatings in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in 2023. People told him no one in his area would pay premium prices for high-end finishes. By 2024 he was at just under $700K in revenue. By mid-2025 he was consistently doing $100K+ months — with a project manager, a leadership team, and the freedom to shut his phone off for a week in Florida while the business kept running. In this episode of Painter Growth Stories, Eric walks through: - Why he was skeptical of business coaching for years before joining - The "rip the band-aid off" moment that got him out of project management - How he raised prices 10% across the board (and nothing changed) - The PFF goals system he uses with his painters — and why he told one of them, "you're never going to make $100,000 painting for me, but I want to give you $100,000" - His full succession plan: training a sales/estimator, moving his PM into a Director of Ops role, and stepping out of estimating - Custom home builder work vs. residential — and how he stays profitable on both - Why other 20-year contractors are now coming to him for advice after only 3 years in business Eric will be at the Painter Growth Mastermind in October — bringing his leadership team this time. — Comment PLAYBOOK below and we'll send you the exact systems Eric used to grow Winegardner Fine Finishes. Painter Growth helps painting contractors build profitable, self-running businesses. Learn more at paintergrowth.com.

    24 min

  3. Jun 25

    Why Painting Contractors Are Busy But Broke (And How to Fix It)

    You're slammed all summer, crews are pumping, the phone won't stop — so why is there no money in the bank? In this episode, Coach Jesse and Coach Rich break down the real reason so many painting contractors stay busy but broke, then hand you the financial systems and busy-season tactics to fix it before the season slips away. In this episode: The #1 reason profit "disappears" even when you're booked solidHow to build an annual budget that tells you your net profit to the dollarThe break-even number every owner must know — and how to hit it earlier every monthWhy job costing becomes non-negotiable the moment you start to growThe busy-season moves top owners use to cash in on summer demand: slush days, the daily "war room," scarcity closes, and interior cross-sellsThe mindset shift that smooths out your cash flow all year longTimestamps: Comment PLAYBOOK below and we'll send you the exact system we use to help painting contractors get profitable and scale past the chaos. Subscribe for a new episode every week. 00:00 – Busy but broke: the real problem01:14 – Why $600K–$800K owners feel broke03:10 – Build an annual budget (profit to the dollar)06:45 – Why chasing half-percents compounds07:58 – Your break-even number (and hitting it sooner)11:09 – Stop "willy-nilly" spending: every dollar intentional15:01 – Read your balance sheet, not just your bank account16:28 – Job costing: the non-negotiable19:15 – Busy season #1: slush days + always be recruiting20:34 – Busy season #2: the 1-hour-a-day war room22:14 – The "15 spots left" scarcity close23:18 – Cross-sell interiors + a 15-out-of-10 job close26:14 – The mindset shift that stabilizes cash all year27:16 – Why summer demand is 5x winter — pre-book now

    30 min

  4. Jun 23

    From $680K and Broke to $1M in 5 Months | Painter Growth

    Derrick did $680K in sales in 2025 and ended the year broke. Six months later, his company, Mountain Man Painting in Twin Lakes, Colorado, where most jobs are 8,000 ft and up, had $1 million booked for the year. It's the first time he'd ever hit that number, and he got there in five months. In this Painter Growth story, Derrick breaks down exactly what changed: why $680K in revenue still left nothing at the end of the year, how he justified putting $30K on a credit card with $0 in the bank (and paid it off in a few months), going from $0 in January bookings to $28K, getting completely off the tools, and building the systems that let him take a Wednesday off to go fishing with his six kids for the first time in years. If you're a painting contractor stuck on the ladder and tired of working all year with nothing to show for it, this one's for you. Comment PLAYBOOK and we'll send you the exact system these contractors are using to scale.

    24 min

  5. Jun 18

    How Painters Win The Ai Gold Rush (Before It's Too Late)

    Tanner Mullen (founder of DripJobs) returns to the Painter Growth Podcast for one of his most tactical conversations yet. Mike Workman and Tanner dig into why software is becoming commoditized, why education and service are the real moats, and how AI is reshaping what it means to run a painting business in 2025. Tanner breaks down his new product, Routimize, a route-optimization booking system that lets customers book themselves directly from Facebook at peak intent, eliminates wasted drive time, and is already live in 36 beta companies. He explains why he's "done with leads," how the illusion of choice drives take rates, and how the same engine now powers an AI voice agent that books appointments end-to-end on nights and weekends. If you're a painting contractor trying to build an income-producing asset instead of a job, this episode is your playbook. ⏱️ Timestamps below. 00:00 Intro: Tanner Mullen returns 00:32 Why it's the best time ever to be in business 01:17 Using AI to automate the boring stuff 01:52 Building an income-producing asset 02:46 Risk-takers vs. people who wait 04:03 The guy who asked for a free trial 4 years apart 04:29 Developing the investor mindset 05:13 Why DripJobs killed free trials 05:33 Software is becoming commoditized 06:24 Why education & service are the real moat 06:53 Knowing the problem vs. implementing the change 07:37 Building a department just for free training 07:59 The four quadrants: urgent vs. important 09:06 Time management is the #1 scaling skill 09:26 Five recommended CEO calendars by business stage 10:31 How AI changed software development for DripJobs 11:37 Differentiating yourself in a gold rush 12:13 Early-mover leverage & filing the patent 13:18 Trust as a moat: protecting customer data 14:13 Personal brand leverage in software 15:02 Killer AI use case: instant custom proposals 16:30 Staying focused as a product leader (no shiny objects) 17:03 DripJobs' biggest bottleneck: offline mode & V2 17:41 What Routimize actually does 18:03 The origin of DripJobs & speed to lead 18:51 Why request systems still create friction 19:42 How Routimize filters territory & enables VAs 20:37 Building friction to get the right bookings 20:58 Booking direct from Facebook with an AI chatbot 21:46 "I don't want leads anymore" 22:40 36 companies in beta 23:14 The illusion of choice & booking rates 24:17 Live demo: booking inside the service zone 25:34 Propagating the best appointment time 26:24 How much time it saves per salesperson 27:00 The Calendly for service businesses 27:20 Bulk routing for project managers 28:19 Tanner the "time dealer" 28:37 Customer experience & shortening the buying cycle 29:55 On-the-way texts with real drive-time ETAs 30:47 The Google Maps API cost reality 31:05 Voice AI: booking calls on nights & weekends 32:37 Why callers prefer to book by phone 33:36 Reassuring admins this won't replace them 35:10 Solving a problem that shouldn't exist 35:38 Will Routimize beat DripJobs? The December 2027 bet 36:12 Building features at AI speed 37:07 The 30-day runway to public launch 37:50 The pay-gate philosophy & 14-day trial 38:18 DripJobs V1 vs. V2 strategy 39:02 Big news: Tanner is fully free from Premium Painting 39:31 Why job scheduling is a high-level task 40:14 The estimating & proposal model that freed him 41:07 Selling the business kicked him into a new gear 41:49 Building a business worth keeping 42:36 Measuring cost by how much you think about it 43:08 Spotting and motivating A-players 43:29 Be 1% better than your best player 44:18 The personal development journey since age 16 45:00 Personal rules for leading a team 45:20 The State, Story, Strategy framework 46:43 Getting into the right state faster 47:24 Tanner's one-on-one Routimize offer 48:07 The June 19th deadline & how to claim it 48:42 Wrap-up .

    49 min

  6. Jun 16

    Dream It or Doubt It: Coaching a Painter Through the Gray Zone

    Most painters don't get what they want because they never actually decide what they want. They live in the "gray zone" — surviving, reacting, putting out fires — and wonder why the business keeps hitting the same ceiling. In this live coaching episode, Coach Jesse sits down with Damon, owner of On a Roll Painting, fresh off a record month: nearly $100K in April after doing $325K all of last year. On the surface it's a huge win. Underneath, there's a ceiling — a five-year vision he can picture but can't quite commit to, and the fear that shows up the moment he says it out loud. What follows is a real breakthrough, no script and no theory. Jesse walks Damon through the magic wand exercise to call out a specific number, confront the fear of success hiding behind the fear of failure, and step into the identity of the owner he's becoming — the one running a multi-million dollar business mostly hands-off, with the team, the systems, and the freedom to actually live. If you're a painting business owner stuck between survival and the vision you keep putting off, this one's for you. Inside this episode: Why getting specific beats staying "realistic"The magic wand exercise to unlock your real five-year visionFear of success vs. fear of failure, and why both keep you on the start lineHow the "$5M owner" version of you actually makes decisionsThe "on a roll" token: a simple way to interrupt stress and stay in momentumWhy your team only matches half your energy, and what that means for how you show upTrusting the next step instead of demanding the whole roadmap

    45 min

  7. Jun 9

    Health, Fitness & Growing Your Painting Business

    Most painting contractors pour everything into the business and quietly let their health fall apart — until one day they wake up as a shadow of the man they wanted to be. In this episode, Mike sits down with Sean Crane, founder of Unstoppable 365, to break down why getting your body, energy, and discipline right is the foundation everything else is built on.Sean shares the story most people never hear: battling addiction through his teens and twenties, spending five and a half years in prison, and using that time to completely rebuild his identity and his health — eventually building a coaching business that's helped thousands of high performers. From there the two get practical: why nutrition and training come first, how your blood work is really the "P&L" of your health, the real talk on TRT, peptides, and GLP-1s, and why food and phones might be the most underestimated addictions of our time.If you're a business owner who keeps telling yourself you'll get to your health "later," this one's your wake-up call.If this episode hits home, comment PLAYBOOK below and let us know your biggest takeaway.FOLLOW PAINTER GROWTHSubscribe for more conversations on building a painting business — and the life it's supposed to buy.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making changes to your nutrition, training, hormones, or supplementation.

    53 min

  8. Jun 5

    Build With AI or Get Buried: How Painters Get Ahead

    AI is coming for accountants, lawyers, and every desk job first — but if you run a painting business, you might be holding the biggest advantage of your career. Mike sits down with entrepreneur Jason Paris to break down what AI agents actually mean for painting contractors — and why the painters who adopt now will leave everyone else behind. Real, in-the-field use cases: a custom sales proposal built in 5 minutes, a $10k website rebuilt for $3, AI before/after photos that win bids, and why the trades have the longest runway in the AI economy. It comes down to one choice: adapt, or get underbid. Want the systems we use to run Painter Growth? DM us "Playbook"

    54 min
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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
    350
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mike Gore-Hickman
  • Show Website
    Painter Growth Podcast

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