When’s the last time you’ve taken your family on vacation?

Is it time to kick the bucket, or to put down the bucket and take your business to the next level?

You have been thinking about it for a long time but when is the right time?

How do you start?  What do you do first?

You like to paint, in fact you love painting, creating seeing the transformation.

But… Your tired, getting a bit older and it takes a few more Tylenol for those aches and pains.

Here are a few things to get into place, but first

For me the time came one day sitting at the kitchen table one early morning.  I was still in the field painting with the crew.  I was tired, making a living and chasing money.

My days went something like this:

• up early and at the paint store when they opened at 7 am.
• paint from 8-5
• grab a fast food meal and head out to give an estimate
• get home around 7 ish and sit at the computer writing estimates, paying bills and answering emails.
• Saturdays trying to finish everything that didn’t get done all week and more estimates
• Sundays, pretty much the same as Saturday

I knew that CHANGE was needed and soon.

The First Steps of “Getting Out of The Bucket”:

1. Trust your employees, assign one as a crew leader and give them measurable goals for the day, job or week.
2. List your things that need to get done in the day and write these the night before.
3. Schedule estimates for during the day.  We alsways assumed they wanted them done at night after work but you will be amazed how many people will take the time to meet you during the day.
4. Keep Trusting you employees and give them space and permission to make decisions.
5. Put systems in place:
   1. Basecamp ( We are hosting an All DYB Community Webinar this month walking you through Basecamp )
   2. Tsheets
   3. Wunderlist
   4. Groupme
   5. estimate software (Estimate Rocket, PEP, Levelor, One step, ect)
6. Find more avenues of work:
   1. Network (BNI, Rotary, Letip, Chamber, local boards, charity work)
   2. Home owner associations (HOA)
   3. Property managers
   4. Realtors

You will find the first month or so you will think if you just picked up the paint brush for a few hours everything would be smoother and run better with you there. Step away from the brush…..

It is your turn now to be a business man and not just a “painter”.  You will have opportunities everywhere to grow and learn about best practices, new technology and what I found was the best was to talk to other owners in the painting business.

You can find this opportunity at:

• PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of  America)
• Right here… at the DYB

Is it time to kick the bucket… to the curb?  Remove yourself from injury. Not be exhausted every evening. Be present with your family in the evenings. And make more money.

Join us and over 100 other contractors, and step outside the bucket today.