EP72 Rick Bruno From Start-Up to $3M

SUMMARY:

In today’s episode of the DYB Podcast, Steve welcomes Rick Bruno.

Rick is the head and founder of Bruno Painting, based out in Newport, Rhode Island.

In this podcast, Rick tells his journey of how he got into the painting business, learned from working for companies and eventually built his own, starting from scratch.

He talks about how integrity and hard work helped him generate leads and got Bruno Painting to where it is today.

Rick talks about the importance of company culture and giving back to the community.

Rick also shares his challenges over the years with finances and involvement with the IRS and how he overcame those ordeals.

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WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

How to get word-of-mouth referrals
How hiring a coach will grow your business significantly
The importance of culture in the foundation of a business

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LISTEN HERE:

QUOTES:

“I remember visiting some of my dad’s job sites and walking through and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.”

“I knew if I could get people’s trust, and work with integrity, they were gonna tell their friends and they were gonna tell their friends and that’s just how the company ran for the first seven to ten years.”

“If you want to grow, hire a coach. So that’s what I did.”

“Culture is everything. To me, it’s the oil of the company, like having a well-oiled machine.”

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HIGHLIGHTS:

3:39 How Rick got started in and grew the business

7:46 Generating leads at the start

11:30 Employment structure and company culture at Bruno Painting

14:31 Books

15:42 On coaching

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LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Join DYB

rick@brunopainting.com

How To Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking As Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson

Pipeline Deals

Estimate Rocket

Automate your business with Zapier

T-Sheets

ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

Schedule Your Free Strategy Call With Steve

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Connect with Rick Bruno on Facebook here

Connect with Steve on Facebook here

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Thank you very much for joining us today! If you received value, would you take a quick few seconds and leave us a review on iTunes, please?

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About the Author

As many of you know, my journey has been one of grit, grace, and transformation. At 19, I was a high school dropout, single father, and struggling paint contractor in Michigan. I later moved to Florida, where I faced both personal and professional hardships. With nothing left to lose, I turned to prayer—and was blessed with a relentless hunger to learn. I devoured books, attended seminars, and discovered better ways to streamline and grow my business—even through the Great Recession (and yes, I did hit the wife lottery along the way!). In 2014, I published How To Double Your Business and later sold the painting business, launching a new chapter: coaching others to grow their businesses. For the past 10 years, I’ve dedicated myself to helping business owners scale through the DYB System, while also drawing from frameworks like EOS, Scaling Up, and The Four Disciplines of Execution. Yet something was still missing—something more adaptive, integrated, and complete. Then I found Pinnacle. After months of research and interviews with other Guides, I joined Pinnacle. Their tools and strategies have exceeded every expectation. Now, as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help leadership teams implement a custom-tailored operating system that draws from the best in the industry—but flexes with your unique business. It’s a dynamic, proven approach to achieve clarity, momentum, and lasting growth. I’m no longer taking on any more 1:1 coaching clients… Instead, I now specialize in working with visionary business owners who are ready to get their leadership teams aligned—around a clear vision, a focused strategy, and an actionable execution plan. With the tools and process I now have as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help turn alignment into momentum, and momentum into results. If your business is growing—but your leadership team isn’t fully rowing in the same direction—let’s talk.