My Paint Buckets

**💚 Green Flags for Painters When Interviewing a National Home Builder (2 of 3)** Renegade Paint, the paint company I recently launched, continues to mature! With our first contract secured, here is the second of three green flags we identified during the interview process with our newest national home builder, which ultimately led to a swift and mutually beneficial contract agreement. 2. Efficient building processes When evaluating potential partnerships, efficiency and collaboration often distinguish a great home builder from the rest. This was certainly the case with our first national home builder contract, where their commitment to efficient building processes truly “wowed” us. The green flag was immediately evident when I asked, “How many paint tasks are in your building processes?” The answer? One-third fewer than other larger Orlando home builders... Most publicly traded home builders typically require at least nine steps for painters. This home builder? Just six. Their willingness to streamline the painting process and trust us to deliver quality speaks volumes about their efficiency and partnership-driven mindset. Not only that, but they wanted to hear from us. They asked: “Are there any efficiencies you could make here?” Not only was this a refreshing question from a national builder, but it naturally opened the door to discussing the “why” behind My Paint Buckets—its creation, its role in powering Renegade Paint, and how it could help both organizations drive stronger communication and administrative efficiencies. Stay tuned for Green Flag #3—coming tomorrow!

**💚 Green Flags for Painters When Interviewing a National Home Builder (1 of 3)** Renegade Paint, the paint company I recently launched, has secured its first national home builder contract! We’re absolutely thrilled, especially after leveraging nearly a decade of hard-earned lessons to carefully evaluate builder details before committing to a partnership. With our first milestone achieved, here is the first of 3 green flags we identified during the onboarding process with our national home builder: 1. They were transparent about growth. Most national home builders, especially publicly traded ones, are fanatic about projecting growth. Publicly traded companies often fall into the "grow-forever" mindset, driven by the relentless pressure to meet shareholder expectations. While growth itself isn’t inherently problematic, the drive to add thousands of homes annually can sometimes indicate a focus on scale at the expense of cultivating strong painter/trade relationships. This imbalance often creates challenges in maintaining quality and fostering long-term partnerships. The builder we’re partnering with impressed us with their exceptional transparency. Although their volume was slightly less than the big three builders, they emphasized strategic growth in profitable areas while prioritizing long-term relationships with their painters and trades. This commitment to balanced expansion and partnership makes them an ideal collaborator for Renegade Paint (and maturing My Paint Buckets). Stay tuned for Green Flag #2—coming tomorrow! Don’t forget to follow along so you don’t miss it!

Just wrapped up our year-end debrief at My Paint Buckets and uncovered an interesting data point from one of our top #painters: Our biggest partner (bringing in over $5M in revenue and handling 20-40 starts weekly) hasn’t reported a single instance of material theft in 18+ months, which was around the time they embraced MyPB. Before adopting My Paint Buckets, they faced 3-5 thefts annually, costing them around $5K each year. When Joe and I began developing the material ordering and scheduling tool, combining these features into a single, unified process felt like the natural solution. Cheers to solving the boring #paint problems and empowering painting businesses everywhere.

This is the most expensive mistake I’ve seen new painters make Under-bidding to win more work. I’ve had multiple conversations where a general contractor will comment about how expensive my rates are. When this happens it can create a lot of fear, doubt, and anxiety for the bidding contractor. And I’ve seen (some) painters flinch at this question…then take a surprising approach: They cut their rates in half. It baffles me and I can only assume this decision results from a larger/questionable strategy: “If’ I’m cheap, I’ll get (more) contracts. And if I get multiple contracts, I’ll be winning.” I witnessed this strategy post-housing collapse/economic recession. A painter drastically undercut the market prices as a strategic move to capture the market. By doing so, he quickly won a large amount of work, during a time when everyone was recovering and solidifying new contracts for work. And it seems like a good idea at the moment. But long-term, it backfired. Coupling an underbidding strategy with a lack of supporting organizational processes, streamlined communication, and a proper organizational structure destroys the razor-thin margins achieved through low bids, even if profit is achievable on a per-project basis. When margins are low, subcontractors also suffer, leading to quality issues on a large scale and ultimately creating unintended negative company branding. Which is why I strive to never be the cheapest painter. New painters: don’t be afraid of charging a little more. Your future subcontractors, organization, and brand will thank you.

“🎉 New episode just dropped! Today, I’m chatting with Chris Ricker from My Paint Buckets, the game-changing software designed specifically for painting contractors. 🖌️ Chris has created an ERP solution tailored to help service-based businesses, like painters, streamline operations and run more efficiently. In this clip, Chris dives into the ‘why’ behind the creation of My Paint Buckets and the gap it’s filling in the painting industry. If you’re a painting contractor looking to save time, reduce headaches, and grow your business, this episode is a must-listen. 👉 Link in bio—don’t miss out on these industry insights! #TBFPodcast #TheBeardedFinisher #TheBeardedFinisherPodcast #PaintingContractors #ServiceBusiness #Entrepreneurship #MyPaintBuckets #BusinessEfficiency #PaintingIndustry #SoftwareForContractors #RunYourBusinessBetter”

“Delegation is the ultimate growth strategy. 🚀 In my latest conversation with Christopher Ricker from My Paint Buckets, we unpack the powerful concept of Who, Not How. As business owners, we often feel the need to tackle every task ourselves, but the real magic happens when we focus on finding the right people to handle what we’re not experts in. By freeing your time to double down on what you do best, you can elevate your business, improve efficiency, and achieve sustainable growth. This mindset shift isn’t just about delegation—it’s about leadership and trust. If you’re a painting contractor or business owner in the construction industry, this episode is packed with insights to help you scale smarter. Check it out now—link in the comments! #WhoNotHow #Leadership #Delegation #Entrepreneurship #PaintingIndustry #BusinessGrowth #ConstructionBusiness #TheBeardedFinisherPodcast #Efficiency”

Defining Your Paint Company’s Culture Company culture is arguably the most valuable yet often overlooked challenge. Particularly in the trade industry. Why? Because it can feel intangible—especially in a paint or trade company. But at its core, it’s straightforward. The guiding principles steer the team through challenges and shape tough decisions. From Renegade Paint’s inception, I prioritized establishing a foundation of virtues on which the organization could be built: 1️⃣ Mentor 2️⃣ Innovate 3️⃣ Grow ✅ Mentoring isn’t just an internal, top-down approach. It extends externally to support other construction professionals. The labor-strapped construction market has left many young leaders to “learn on the fly”. Tradespeople are uniquely positioned to share their expertise and mentor construction managers, particularly those who haven’t received formal training from their general contractors. While we focus on mentoring and training internally, this serves as a reminder to extend those efforts externally. I want to support the growth of the broader construction community. ✅ Innovating through iteration and accountability. Innovation in the construction industry takes many forms and rarely happens overnight. Before creating My Paint Buckets, business innovation started with simple yet impactful steps. Painters need to - Centralize comm through a single email - Develop and share digital schedules - Refine and enforce the workflows which support them. Each step built a stronger foundation for the future. ✅ Growth is the natural outcome of combining mentoring and innovation. It starts with mentoring both internally and externally. Foster strong relationships across construction projects. When innovation becomes ingrained in the DNA, growth naturally follows. Not just individual growth, but the company as well. Once the foundation is built, that’s when your company can truly begin to grow.

As the 4th quarter heats up, purchasing agents are delivering holiday cheer to painter/trade inboxes with a familiar ultimatum: “Lower your prices, or we’ll start exploring new painters and trades.” For reference: in 2024 the average national home builder revenue is up 6% with their respected stock price up 59%. Painters and trades: Stand your ground. Know your worth, and don’t let yourself be bullied by these hollow tactics.

8 Years ago, I was shocked as I sat in a meeting with my boss and one of the general contractors we worked with. The general contractor told us how unsatisfied they were with one of their other painters and wanted us to take their work. I was excited. But then, my boss said the craziest thing. “No. But if you have new work let us know.” WHAT? When I approached him afterward, he said “I don’t want any bad business karma.” I completely understand how competition, especially if absorbing work, can “feel” awkward. And I try to have karma guide my daily decisions. But business is different. My business decisions aren't driven by karma. When a national home builder offered me that work because they were upset with their current services, I immediately defaulted to “yes.” And I am ruthless ensuring our standard and brand are always a step higher than my competitors….and all builders are aware of it. Business is a competition. Allowing karma to influence decisions so much that you hesitate to take on more work can quickly put your organization at a disadvantage.