EP109: Brendan Ryan $2.5M Painting & Roofing

Introduction:

In this episode, Brendan Ryan shares how he runs not one but two businesses: painting and roofing, generating $2.5M. 

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TRANSCRIPTION:

00:00.00

dybsteve

What happened.

 

00:00.64

Brendan Ryan

Ah, so we we were. We were at a job. The house is whole stonewall covered in ivy front has these big overgrown hedges all the way up against the house I have my my one of my guatemalan workers and the client says. Oh feel free to just cut the ivy around the windows and make some space behind those hedges. So I told me it’s okay, just trim around the windows and and cut them back so you can sneak a ladder in there. We come back and I get a frenzied call from the the client I come driving back. Every last ivy off the wall. No I beyond the house. There was four feet he just chopped the head as right in half there were you could you could you could fit a scaffold behind that and the the customer was just like live it I go my god they’ll never go back.

 

00:44.45

dybsteve

Um.

 

00:58.10

Brendan Ryan

I had to how you’re a landscaper to trim him out a little bit but I stopped by the the next year and they they look great. We made it through but you know you got to be careful like sometimes you’re in our concept or our customer’s concept of their Ivy or their lawn.

 

00:58.47

dybsteve

Ah, yeah, yeah.

 

01:17.82

dybsteve

Um.

 

01:17.88

Brendan Ryan

A different idea than some guys you know the lawn is just some place to pour your leftover paint or shake out your lead chips and you know Ivy just Weeds a hedge is just something in the way of getting this paint job done. So. You got to be very specific about how much you’re going to trim it Back. Maybe give it a little sample before you you take off him and leave a guy with machete.

 

01:37.50

dybsteve

Um.

 

01:45.39

dybsteve

Ah, ah, the machete was probably good enough to Scarel Moff let alone it meant to them. Ah, ah, today’s guest is from Philadelphia Pennsylvania president of Ryan Painting

 

01:50.20

Brendan Ryan

Ah, oh yeah, the I don’t think they complain too much. Ah.

 

02:05.20

dybsteve

Brendan Ryan welcome back to the show he was originally on back on episode. Yeah, 4 or 5 maybe back in episode Eight eight re shared your awesome startup story and also coming from you know.

 

02:05.91

Brendan Ryan

Thank you, thank you? Yeah four years ago I think yeah four. Yeah yeah.

 

02:22.17

dybsteve

Being a philosophy an education major to become a painting and roofing contractor. Ah, but let’s say it all the way back to childhood if we could.

 

02:24.76

Brendan Ryan

Yes, yeah.

 

02:32.94

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, so um, basically people always ask me where where are you from and I always find that a very interesting question because I’m like well what do you mean? what? ethnicity am I Where was I born where did I grow up.

 

02:35.47

dybsteve

Human.

 

02:42.83

dybsteve

A.

 

02:47.64

Brendan Ryan

Ah, so my dad’s from Ireland originally and he met my mom in Korea they were missionaries. So my older sister was born in Korea I was made in Korea I was exported to the us and. Was born in Wyoming little town in Casper Wyoming back in 75 and when I was three or four months old they moved to Mexico to do some mission work. So first five six years of my life I grew up in Mexico and then they moved to Belize.

 

03:10.39

dybsteve

Earn up.

 

03:21.52

Brendan Ryan

Which is a small central american country right next to Mexico next to Guatemala so we were right on the guatemalan border. Um I grew up speaking spanish official language is english but the local population spoke spanish. Ah, we spoke in english to our parents and school was in english but but just real interesting. We were out in the jungle running around half naked. We actually went to elementary school barefoot if anyone you know showed off shoes. They jump on you and like rub rub mud on your your shoes.

 

03:43.29

dybsteve

You have.

 

03:54.82

Brendan Ryan

We were very happily barefoot until we went to high school and then you got to wear shoes and and long pants. But you know grown up in Belize in a different culture was was definitely unique I ended up going to a technical school so we learned woodworking and metalwork.

 

03:57.40

dybsteve

Um.

 

04:14.22

Brendan Ryan

Metal shop. So kind of liked working with with my hands I graduated very young at 15 from high school so I was too young to to jump into to college. So I went to Ireland for a year and got to work on my yeah. Uncle n dairy farm learn how to drive tractors and and milk cows went back to Belize and so I turned 16 in an hour and go back and I’m like oh wow no wonder that you know my whole life. Everyone has a nickname down there but I was always griingo.

 

04:45.30

dybsteve

Yeah.

 

04:47.79

Brendan Ryan

But so was the albino and you know the the fat boy was godo and everyone had a nickname so when you’re a kid you just you just kind of go with it. You don’t realize how different you are and when I came back from myreland mer you know this very very 1 one ethnicity I came back I’m like wow and all of a sudden I’d grown I was taller than everybody.

 

04:55.97

dybsteve

Okay.

 

05:07.30

Brendan Ryan

And now I’m like oh I’m I’m actually different than all these people I grew up with but you know you grow up with kids and they don’t see you as different. You know it’s it’s real interesting and and unique. So um I did 2 years of college and Belize and a funny story. So my my first ah real experience of coming to the us. So I’m I’m eighteen I come up to Prescott Arizona a little ah town not too far from Flagstaff but one hundred miles out of Phoenix fly into phoenix took a little plane up to to Prescott and. I don’t know how they they expecteded me to this little Prescott college place and I’m like here I am where do I sign up looking for a job and they’re like well fill out the paperwork and there’s the sole number you need this. What is it 8 digit social security number and I’m like yeah well. What is that? Well for some reason my parents never got around to registering me for social security and I didn’t have I had my passport but I didn’t have my original birth certificate.

 

06:11.50

dybsteve

Um, oh.

 

06:17.53

dybsteve

Ah.

 

06:17.62

Brendan Ryan

So I’m in Arizona I couldn’t fill out my financial aid paperwork and I couldn’t get a job so I spent the first night in a hotel. It was like one hundred bucks I had five hundred bucks to my to my name so one night I’m down to 400 I’m like well this isn’t going to last. I go down the salvation army I buy a backpack a yeah, a little bike for five bucks sleeping bag and I go out of town about two miles to campsite so it takes two weeks for my for my birth certificate to to get up from ah from Belize. So.

 

06:43.92

dybsteve

Oh.

 

06:52.88

Brendan Ryan

I’m totally homeless living in the woods in limbo. Ah my my first job is ah working in a diner washing dishes with 2 mexican cooks and ah and a mexican dishwasher and you know speaking spanish and.

 

06:53.23

dybsteve

Um, yeah.

 

07:04.37

dybsteve

Yeah.

 

07:08.55

Brendan Ryan

A lot of fun I only ended up staying there a semester went back to Belize ended up doing 2 years at college air and then came up to my my sister had made connections here in Philadelphia at St Joe’s university. My brother had come up and I was like well I may as well finish. So. Came up to Philadelphia became a philosophy major met my my wife now who’s who’s Mexican Vanessa and um, we we fell in love and we got pregnant. We got married.

 

07:28.27

dybsteve

Um.

 

07:43.72

dybsteve

Um, yeah.

 

07:44.46

Brendan Ryan

Ah, and I had kind of told a story about me graduating and and having deep thoughts about unemployment. My first job here in Philadelphia was with college pro and always had one foot in and one foot out but you know it was never good enough. It was like you know painting was always a back. You know a fillin spot like.

 

07:51.52

dybsteve

Um, yeah, yeah.

 

08:01.60

dybsteve

Are.

 

08:03.38

Brendan Ryan

You know me dedicating my life just painting didn’t see the opportunity had no interest I went back up my master’s I ended up teaching in Philadelphia in the inter school district for for 6 years got tired of the kids in the politics was always painting on the side and and finally you know was. Making more money part time painting and made the jump and it’s twenty years now since since I left the school district and just tieing back.

 

08:31.74

dybsteve

Um.

 

08:38.54

Brendan Ryan

We we had I had started originally with a couple ecuadorins and just working with ah 2 3 guys for the first 5 6 seven years when I took over the roofing things got more complicated ended up implementing more systems hiring where locals go in the full employee route. And then over the over the pandemic ended up losing all my employees and now back to subcontractor model working with actually half my crew are brazilian a couple ah 2 crews that are from Guatemala so I get along with the guys and um.

 

09:14.73

dybsteve

Now you speak borguese.

 

09:17.41

Brendan Ryan

Ah I don’t so I speak slow spanish and slur my spanish and they just shake their head at me and they speak some but enough english and slow portuguese for us to communicate a big great guys. Um, and and a couple of my my roofers are all from El Salvador so

 

09:23.00

dybsteve

Um, since ah yeah, okay.

 

09:34.13

dybsteve

Yeah, El Salvador that’s spanish okay, and then combined together. Both companies are doing about two point five million

 

09:37.30

Brendan Ryan

Um, I get to practice a lot of Spanish so it works out.

 

09:43.68

Brendan Ryan

So we do. We did one point one million in the painting last year we cracked the $1000000 Mark last year been in the 7 to $900000 range for the last five six seven years depending on the economy.

 

09:49.74

dybsteve

Um.

 

10:01.49

Brendan Ryan

Um, it’s always been for lack of employment I always have more work than we could usually handle but me managing the cruise without bringing on project managers and and salespeople we’ve been in that just under a million. Um, as we’ve gotten a little more productive and we’ve increased our prices. We’ve been able to hit that sweet spot of cracking the million dollar and once you do it. It’s a mental thing like you know you see how the numbers work and and you wrap your head around it and you know.

 

10:28.61

dybsteve

East.

 

10:36.92

Brendan Ryan

Kind of projects you need and and the help you need to get it done. So yeah, ah 1.4 we did last year and we had cracked it the year before as well. So.

 

10:39.70

dybsteve

Okay, so one point one in the painting and then in roofing you hit 1.4 yeah

 

10:52.19

dybsteve

You had shared some differences between writing and operating building the the 2 companies and first episode together. Ah, any changes.

 

10:57.43

Brendan Ryan

Yes, yeah, so I go back and forth so you know the painting is a little more predictive people will wait for you. You know if you’re book 3 four or five months out it’s not an issue. You know our biggest problem sometimes is just what color to pick and people changing their mind about colors. But you know we’ve we’ve seen all the exterior and plaster repair and drivewall and painting I’ve kind of seen it all. Ah, it’s a little. What used to frustrate me about the painting compared to the issues that we deal with in the roofing if someone has a leak It’s kind of like plumbing. They know the first guy out there to to plug the leak or come up with a good solution. We’ll get the job. Um, it’s a little faster pace so they’re not going to wait for you. It’s a lot less patient. Yeah. Ah, you get a leak. You know you go fix it or you put a new roof and you have a leak as is a lot then a little fle you know the worst thing that’s happened in painting we paint is something the wrong color or something flakeed 3 4 five years later it’s an easy fix a roofing you get water damage on someone’s.

 

11:59.80

dybsteve

Um, yeah.

 

12:04.87

Brendan Ryan

Hdtv or $6000 mattress and let’s just say that so I got a whole new appreciation for painting. It’s it’s an easy business. Ah, the problems that we deal with are so much more manageable than than roofing the roof is a lot more dangerous a lot more dirty.

 

12:05.94

dybsteve

She she.

 

12:12.72

dybsteve

Um, yeah.

 

12:24.19

Brendan Ryan

Ah, you have to talk about you know, organizing your materials and having everything on site and you know the planning that goes into is ah painting is much more forgiving. It’s interesting I you know as you get older. You’re kind of I live on that next. There’s always, ah. I love detective work. So you know figuring out that leak where it’s coming from waters goes in all kinds of funny different ways. So you know you get that challenge of where you you know four other roofers haven’t been able to find the leak and you know we’re out there next door Brendan is the leak master.

 

12:57.27

dybsteve

Trans Sensation mission.

 

13:00.51

Brendan Ryan

Put your captain inspector hat on and you know get up there and look around and figure out angles and whatnot. Ah, but you know I always ask if I had to if I had to close 1 which would it be and I’m like that’s a tough one. It’s like I think I’d go back to the painting.

 

13:13.70

dybsteve

Um, we.

 

13:15.55

dybsteve

Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, is it still now like in in in the first episode you shared how if you think it’s hard hiring.

 

13:17.66

Brendan Ryan

Um, as exciting as the roofing is it’s like ah it’s a little little more predictable easy to manage.

 

13:31.90

dybsteve

Painters try hiring roofers is that still true.

 

13:32.92

Brendan Ryan

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, so you know since the pandemic we lost a lot of our our good employees. Um, labor’s been really tight. Ah we we were almost three months with 1 employee last year in the painting so we were really worried about like.

 

13:41.17

dybsteve

Who. Are.

 

13:51.81

Brendan Ryan

Is this the end and then ended up finding 3 really good crews so we’re we’re back in business. So it’s like sometimes you just have to stick with it. You know you think it’s over you’re going to make plans if if you stick in sometimes you’ll just get through that rough patch and come out better. Um.

 

13:58.50

dybsteve

Are you.

 

14:08.86

Brendan Ryan

The guys that I have are so twice as productive as some of the employees that I lost Um, but same thing you know if we had shut the doors too early. There’s no coming back. It’s it’s like you know hardships will happen. Yeah.

 

14:12.12

dybsteve

Are yeah in yeah.

 

14:24.15

Brendan Ryan

Ah, we get so used to everything has to go the right way and we need the perfect job and the perfect customer and while that’s the goal. You know there’s going to be bad times. We’re going to get rough customers and and we just have to hang in there take deep breaths and and just suffer through it.

 

14:31.49

dybsteve

Um, the.

 

14:42.90

dybsteve

Yeah, yeah, indeed, that’s that’s that’s it now you had shared how ah a webinar that April had given about the 1 thing and goal setting. It. It was it was something you took to heart. You took action on you started writing every day. And if I recall like you didn’t do anything for the first few weeks but you kept writing it every day. Um, we still doing it.

 

15:09.23

Brendan Ryan

Yep so I was just listening to some of the stuff we had talked about and and I had kind of just started there last time. So I think it’s just over four years ago that we did that and I was talking about you know I just in the morning writing down.

 

15:16.10

dybsteve

Um, yeah.

 

15:26.46

Brendan Ryan

Having your intention for the day but you know ah basic goals and just writing them down so it’s like you know for physical I was like come but I’m going to run a marathon I’m going to lose ah this much weight be be this ideal weight. This is how much money I’m going to make and and in each company. So just 12 things and and I was like it’s unbelievable. So four years later and this is minus two because for 2 years there were no marathons or or races. But I’ve run 12 marathons in the last so four years but it’s only two and a half of them that we’ve we’ve actually done it and I actually.

 

15:51.43

dybsteve

Oh yeah, yeah.

 

15:59.72

dybsteve

Yeah, Wow Well done.

 

16:05.80

Brendan Ryan

Still go down to Belize and the whole family joins us might both my sisters do the half and my brother and I do the the full but 1 of the things that I was talking about is such a simple strategy of just there’s something about writing something down and having an intention because you know it’s a whirlwind out there.

 

16:11.35

dybsteve

Go for it.

 

16:25.47

Brendan Ryan

Everyone’s competing for your attention If You don’t have ah a vision and a plan or something guiding you.. It’s so easy to get Lost. So One of the things that that I’ve always thought ah is like. In your head. You know we say we want to make this much money we want to lose this much weight. We want to. We want to grow so many things and having the belief until you write it down. You don’t see the disconnect. You know everyone wants to win the lottery and you look at it. You look at people that.

 

16:58.76

dybsteve

Um, moving.

 

17:01.88

Brendan Ryan

When the lottery it’s like are they better off are they is there is their life magical after that they get into so much trouble and lose it all within six months to a year because they haven’t grown into that self-belief of what you can actually achieve.

 

17:08.19

dybsteve

There.

 

17:15.55

dybsteve

Um.

 

17:20.00

Brendan Ryan

Ah, so at that time when when we were talking I was saying um you know I’ve run marathons and I was at that point I was like £200 I had high cholesterol wasn’t running at all. We were just talking about your running shoes and you know I had to get special shoes because I was overweight and my knees were were killing me but something simple. Um.

 

17:29.14

dybsteve

You are.

 

17:39.41

Brendan Ryan

Like writing down like income and back then it was like 250000 is my my income after everything and just writing that down every day right? every day. Yeah, we we had been stuck around the two hundred Thousand mark

 

17:39.73

dybsteve

Are.

 

17:49.37

dybsteve

Yeah, um, let me jump in yeah now did have anything to do with your upbringing as far as like the vision you had or what you believed was possible especially when it comes to money.

 

17:56.96

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so um, my my parents were were Catholic growing up and ah one of the stories we we grew up very basic. You know, um and not a lot of money and and the the message that we always got was like oh rich people are. Ah, you can’t be rich and honest. Ah you know people they’re they’re stealing something from the system they’re taking advantage of people they’re they’re somehow scammers or not good people so you can’t ah be wealthy and a good person and that’s ah like a message that I got.

 

18:17.70

dybsteve

Um, you.

 

18:29.48

dybsteve

In.

 

18:33.72

Brendan Ryan

Ah, that I really struggled with growing up and and as a philosophy major and and a little bit of an artist. You know we have that belief that our work isn’t valuable. We’re afraid to charge whether it’s hourly for a price or that’s too much. You know you start out working at you know $6 an hour back in the day.

 

18:44.26

dybsteve

Who.

 

18:51.58

dybsteve

Who.

 

18:53.63

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, now it’s up to 15 then you’re like 24 25 just seems too high right? We’re ripping this little old lady off. Ah so you’re just getting your mindset to where well what? what is everyone else charging. What am I actually? um, ah.

 

18:57.15

dybsteve

Yeah.

 

19:10.22

dybsteve

1

 

19:10.80

Brendan Ryan

What am I actually worth what is my time and my income. My family taking care of stuff and and just you know getting past $100000 or you know having money in the bank and and feeling guilty that that it’s not good. There’s people starving or somehow it’s. Taking away from someone else. So that’s something I really struggled with and and and writing that number down and just getting comfortable with it is the same thing because if if you have a 100000 and you think that’s all you’re worth and you make a little bit more stuff is going to happen where you’re back down. And and you don’t do it. You start paying your guys too much or you start giving discounts and one of the problems with with ah the trades is you know you you get that estimate. That’s 30000 and then someone’s 20000 and someone’s 5000 and it’s it’s really like you know what are they doing. Ah, what? why the discrepancy and it’s really hard for for homeowners too to to deal with that. But you know that little focus takes 10 minutes I said during the day I’m um, um, 5 notebooks in and in 4 years run that many marathons I’m I’m back in shape. Um.

 

20:22.80

dybsteve

Um, yeah.

 

20:29.92

Brendan Ryan

And I slowly got it up to 300000 so now like um I earned 300000 and it’s just like I remember when I first started in the early mid 2001 of our clients was a fancy lawyer and he made $300000 a year and I was talking with the contractor and oh my.

 

20:37.62

dybsteve

Um.

 

20:46.83

dybsteve

Um, instance instance. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

20:47.27

Brendan Ryan

God he makes 300000 can you believe it and it was like that was like the the richest person we’d ever worked for right? like wrapping your head around like wow and now i’ was just like 300000 really, that’s it. You know? So if you can keep your profit margins. That’s other thing you know you you can make a lot of money. But if you’re not actually keeping it There’s a little disconnect so I had talked about the importance of knowing your numbers but getting comfortable with that self-belief of what you’re worth and Jim Rome talks about.

 

21:09.51

dybsteve

Um.

 

21:14.74

dybsteve

Um, you can.

 

21:19.19

Brendan Ryan

You have to grow into a bigger you need to actually believe and be that million-dollar person before you’re able to be comfortable at that. Um, and I struggle with it so you know, growing up that you know it’s easier for a camel to pass through ah I have a needle than.

 

21:24.93

dybsteve

You.

 

21:38.17

Brendan Ryan

Ah, rich person again into heaven. Well oh my God Ah I want to go to heaven. How am I How am I gonna make this work so just changing the belief about money and it’s It’s okay to make money and one of the things I was gonna say I talked a little bit about how great the trades were right.

 

21:40.11

dybsteve

Can see and.

 

21:55.88

Brendan Ryan

Thank god for the trades you think ah of where we are in this country. You know so many monopolies you know imagine trying to compete with Google or or Amazon or you know you can’t get into you do a startup they buy you out. There’s there’s so little look at what happened to to small town America you know you go to these.

 

22:03.92

dybsteve

And.

 

22:14.11

Brendan Ryan

Small you have your Cvs your Mcdonald’s you know everyone has tried to systematize all these businesses and you know the opportunity for someone that isn’t afraid to work hard and and work with their hands and and and do a business and make good money.

 

22:18.30

dybsteve

And.

 

22:33.72

Brendan Ryan

Um, you know as much as they’ve tried to franchise and do stuff. There’s just something just solid about the trades where you can go in and make 2 3 4 $500000 without a lot of headache and and just providing a really good service.

 

22:43.75

dybsteve

M.

 

22:49.28

dybsteve

He.

 

22:51.53

Brendan Ryan

Like just being a good decent human being. You know you look at banks or credit card companies that are you know, charging all these crazy interest rates and I had talked last night about my my first job at the loans and they were given out loans at 30%

 

23:08.10

dybsteve

Um, oh yeah, yeah, oh that’s bad.

 

23:08.34

Brendan Ryan

Mean talk talk about the bible and usury and and you know we we talk about you know, ending slavery. But how many of us are not making enough. There’s not the opportunity in jobs out there and you know you end up in credit card debt. It took me 15 years to get out at just debt between the student loans.

 

23:24.52

dybsteve

Who.

 

23:28.21

Brendan Ryan

Credit cards going in took such a long time to get out of that and not understanding the value and the good work and and and what the opportunity is for painting if you’re starting out guys and ah.

 

23:45.14

Brendan Ryan

The 1 thing that I say like I’m smart I think I’m smart but it’s just like I’m so stupid because you know I look at a system like I can do better I can improve that I can I’m going to do this and like you’re always going contrary to the simple things that this business can be yeah, there’s there’s complexity to it.

 

23:58.72

dybsteve

And.

 

24:05.31

Brendan Ryan

That’s good right? because if not, we’d have 1 big Amazon painting company right? and every town. So thank goodness we don’t have that but it’s also not that complicated I tell you know painting we can do on 5 things. It’s you know, prep covering cleaning.

 

24:08.82

dybsteve

Yeah, yeah.

 

24:22.34

Brendan Ryan

Good customer service providing a great experience. A remarkable experience. It’s those basic things that are easy to do and and getting the couple systems in place.

 

24:26.50

dybsteve

Love now.

 

24:33.81

Brendan Ryan

And going forward in the trades guides. It’s wide open I mean all the boomers I talked about there. They’re halfway through retirement a lot of them have retired so you young guys out there. It is wide open. You can make more than doctors Lawyers Ph Ds and and that’s talking from someone that.

 

24:43.97

dybsteve

Just.

 

24:53.35

Brendan Ryan

Actually taught philosophy for 15 years I didn’t talk about that when 15 of those years I used to teach teach evening school at La Salle University here in Philadelphia so I kind of get.

 

24:57.22

dybsteve

Ah.

 

25:07.64

Brendan Ryan

I’m a head guy but I love working with my hands. So I’ve always loved that about the trades and painting you can make it in paintinging guys. What I would say if I could go back. Don’t be smart. Follow the systems plug in the do I b.

 

25:08.49

dybsteve

Moving.

 

25:23.75

Brendan Ryan

Um, it’s It’s not that complicated and you can make a great great living.

 

25:28.64

dybsteve

Um, heard on any books recently that have interested you.

 

25:39.72

Brendan Ryan

I’ve been reading a couple of books. Um I’ve been reading traction by Gina Wickman he has ah the one out that’s really a little bit simpler. The the traction goes into whole company culture and implementation. A little bit higher level great ideas I kind of get lost in in the ideas. You know someone like ah Nick Slavic and Nick may can run with that type of stuff and build credible culture I’m a little bit more organic I like working with the guys jumping in growing stuff from the inside out.

 

26:11.67

dybsteve

New.

 

26:13.52

Brendan Ryan

Um, but just talks about you know, having that vision working with people that you like enjoying what you do,? um, that’s one of the things I but I want to tie back in with with my philosophy students I I talk about you know when when you think about life. You know there’s There’s 3 main models. You Know. We’re here to have fun. We’re here to have pleasure party. Ah you know, live the good life take vacations ah have a nice car. You know on the lower end drugs alcohol that type of stuff then you have the camp of we’re here to learn something life is kind of like a school.

 

26:48.77

dybsteve

9 and.

 

26:52.40

Brendan Ryan

You’re here to learn lessons and grow and become a better person and then you have people that well this is punishment right? This is kind of like a purgatory where you have to work out your your past sins or from original Sin and you get those people right? Everything’s a problem.

 

27:04.23

dybsteve

Something.

 

27:09.38

Brendan Ryan

Everything goes wrong. They they complain about everything they get the worst customers. They don’t make any money and just switching that to to the painting I have a ah little one that same idea flows with with the painting So You know if you like working by yourself and you’re kind of artist. You can make great money on your own but you know you can do good work. Enjoy a beautiful paint job I know several artists that have worked for me and gone out. They do faux finishes and plaster type work. Um, you can go in listen to podcasts I talked about what a college pro got me in because I had that banner have fun in the sun with your friends and I’m like I’m hooked I got to work outside listen to the birds with my buddies. You know.

 

27:50.47

dybsteve

I.

 

27:58.14

Brendan Ryan

And and it can get tricky right? Just the fun stuff because we used to work with the guy and you you could pop open a beer or 2 at lunch and kind of get sidetracked I actually had a crew at a couple bad hires two years ago and they were bringing alcohol to work and kind of damage the the crew culture but you know. As an artist you can go and keep it simple. Enjoy your life. You can listen to that podcast that music have fun by yourself or with a couple of guys. There’s some people that you know can build a team around them and they enjoy the the management stuff then we have the purgatory right? Don’t go there.

 

28:34.11

dybsteve

I.

 

28:36.40

Brendan Ryan

Join DYB you can work your tail off not spend any time with your family not make any money run run run get all the horrible customers not charge enough and we know that 1 right right? Don’t do purgatory. Ah.

 

28:50.29

dybsteve

Um, Victoria oh yeah, yeah.

 

28:54.40

Brendan Ryan

And ah, then there’s the one you you can grow right? So so instead of just listening to music and having a beer at lunch you can listen to a podcast join a support team like DYB where you can you know, get pointed in the right direction.

 

29:09.93

Brendan Ryan

When you’re discouraged. It’s always great to have someone right? I’m kind of a personal ah person I don’t like groups and engaging I’m not incredibly social. It’s it’s hard for me. But when you don’t have that support system when I originally joined Dyb was because you know you’re working a lot and you don’t have that friend. Group and when stuff is happening to you. You know people don’t want to hear about your problems. They don’t understand what you’re going through with that customer you know the the difficult ah client so learning and growing and building a team and having fun. That’s at that growth mode. So you know.

 

29:48.19

dybsteve

Um.

 

29:48.34

Brendan Ryan

You can have those don’t do the purgatory. You can have fun or you can be the growth and build a system. So yes, yeah, yeah, the opportunity is is absolutely there and then just.

 

29:56.90

dybsteve

Um, yeah, and earn multiple 6 figures who right right? yeah.

 

30:02.92

Brendan Ryan

Just seeing that realizing that took me so long. It took me so long I look back I see 20 and 30 year olds making more money and doing it a lot easier than than what I have done. You know you you look and you just shake your head and go.

 

30:15.29

dybsteve

Yeah I get it. Yeah I’m with you I had to learn the hard way to ah yeah, well brenan. Thank you very much for coming back on I Really appreciate it if somebody wanted to Well first is there a question I should have asked or final point you’d like to make.

 

30:20.46

Brendan Ryan

Yes.

 

30:30.89

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, no, so just going back to the other book and and going to mindset the other book that I’m reading that? um I really go to that that drives home The the mindset is the instant millionaire and is just talking about getting the belief system.

 

30:48.81

dybsteve

Who is that by.

 

30:50.20

Brendan Ryan

Ah, write. Um, you know that that is Mark Fisher believe it’s a canadian fellow wrote that but it’s about getting your mindset right? and it all starts. Ah I had talked about you know.

 

31:05.79

Brendan Ryan

The world and the life gives you what you put out in and your belief system. Um, so when you go out if you’re meeting a lot of customer difficult customers and you’re not making a lot of money you know.

 

31:20.20

Brendan Ryan

In order to turn your life around or do something different because we blame right? That’s the first one is the victim and if you have victim mentality. No one can help you not even God forget you or I or anyone helping anybody right if they have well it’s the economy. All these stupid customers I get these picky customers who don’t want to pay if that’s what you’re getting. You have to step back and be okay, what am I doing to attract this type of customer and you look back and you work on yourself and you change your belief system you work on yourself and you change it. And automatically you will find that the customers get better. The jobs get easier. You make more money and it’s all it. It all comes back to That. You’re what you’re putting out how you feel about people the beliefs that you’ve been ingrained right? And unfortunately we’re born into a. Family with a set of beliefs in a society that you know teaches us these are these beliefs but you have to grow up someday and be like okay well what’s actually working. You know you think of principles and you think of the laws that actually you can apply that can make things better and then.

 

32:26.11

dybsteve

Um.

 

32:32.73

Brendan Ryan

There There are principles and laws that you can apply and that are right there behind you that will make your life easier grows your mindset you get the support of you know, having that that group of people to bounce ideas off see what’s working um, getting you through those hard times. Um.

 

32:38.60

dybsteve

Um, yes, yeah.

 

32:52.57

Brendan Ryan

You know I kind of disconnected from ah the pandemic came around and things were were a little bit shaky. Um out if I told you Vanessa has had some some health issues she has a mass. Um, so.

 

33:06.68

dybsteve

Um, sorry to hear that.

 

33:07.94

Brendan Ryan

That’s a little bit scary I used to talk about. You know we have this idea of you know when I retire someday we’re going to do this or that um you know, paying attention to your family and not taking your health for granted. Fortunately, she’s fine. she’s she’s stable she can’t run anymore. So that’s a big one. She was a big time runner i. Got my my running from her so to see her struggle so you know backed off the social media spending a lot of time with her. Um, we take a walk after dinner every day we walk three miles um and just.

 

33:45.10

Brendan Ryan

We’re traveling a lot more so we we travel in the winter when things slow down. We take 6 to eight weeks and just have been all kinds of places. Um and backing down and just kind of introspecting and seeing what’s ah you know what’s important. What’s valuable.

 

34:00.34

dybsteve

Here we go.

 

34:02.50

Brendan Ryan

Um, and now I’m I’m ready to come back and be a little more social and check in with the guys. It was nice to see some of the guys of the group that are that are still around. We still doing the the yeah double your health ah group as part of the program. Okay, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

34:14.71

dybsteve

Within the within the masterminds. Yes, yeah, it’s not separate Facebook group anymore of that. But within master points. Yeah.

 

34:22.16

Brendan Ryan

You know, but just having an accountability partner and letting people know where you are and helping each other out I kind of miss that and I was like we’ve been talking for a while like it was I got to come back. Ah, it’s It’s been nice. Ah you know, ah blocking off it I’m I’m kind of trying to.

 

34:31.64

dybsteve

Here are.

 

34:40.33

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, so easy to get lost and and social media and getting carried away with what everybody else is doing so kind of keeping your focus and setting the parameter of what what then intention again back to how can I do this while I I keep. Ah yeah I heard someone say that the world is out there to. Make you forget what the goal or what’s important right? What’s important in life. Um, and you have to you have to remind yourself so part of that morning. Journal is like what’s important to you stick into those things. Um, and.

 

34:59.27

dybsteve

1 people.

 

35:09.92

dybsteve

1 keep it top of mind.

 

35:15.26

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, yeah, so but you know you can’t take your family for granted, you got to spend time. You don’t get healthy or lose weight tomorrow. It’s like you have to take the daily little actions that right, they’re not pleasant. The first time you know you go out and take a two mile run and you you can’t breathe in your sword.

 

35:23.38

dybsteve

Are.

 

35:29.00

dybsteve

Um, you see on it.

 

35:33.72

Brendan Ryan

You got to start slow start with just writing it down start with walking and then slowly just like change. Yeah yeah, yeah, a little stuff like that. So.

 

35:35.80

dybsteve

Yeah, yeah, we grab you can grab the 5 k app. Yeah, it’s how I got started originally fantastic. Well I really appreciate it. But if somebody wanted to reach out if they had a followup question. What’s the best way they could get ol. Yeah.

 

35:52.20

Brendan Ryan

Yeah, well I’m back on ah back on dyb so shoot me a message. There is ah is my email. My email isn’t out there look us up rpaining dot com you can. Send some you a little message there but Facebook is is definitely a good good place to catch me and looking to get back and inspiring people and getting inspired right? But yeah, yeah, great catching up good good seeing you Steve.

 

36:18.66

dybsteve

Yes, Sir Yes sir. Fantastic! Well thank you very much for for coming back on appreciate it.

About the Author

As a newly single father of two from MI, he struggled to start over as a paint contractor in FL, going door to door. His situation was so bad, even the IRS had mercy on him.

 Feeling completely hopeless, he remembered the story of King Solomon praying for wisdom. Could it be so easy? 

He felt he had absolutely nothing to lose. So, as a bankrupt, divorced, high school dropout, single father of 2 young kids, now living 1250 miles away from all friends and family, started to pray for wisdom.
 And while he continues to wait for the wisdom to arrive, what did come was an insatiable desire to learn and read books… 
Thanks to God for giving him the burning passion to read books, and attend seminars, (oh and winning the wife lottery) he not only cracks the success code and overcomes the struggle, but also streamlines his painting business in less than 3 years, published a how to book, then sold the company. Now he leads a business coaching company for painting contractors so he can help other businesses, like yours, to do the same. Hear more... http://www.DYBCoach.com/01 Or JoinDYB.com