October 31, 2025 • 32 mins
We share how Grace took a sleepy painting company, faced a divorce and a two-hour commute with five kids, and still 10x’d revenue by focusing on sales, margins, and team. The path is not easy, but it is simple: solve the next problem, implement fast, and use a proven roadmap.
• starting in cleaning then pivoting to painting for better margins
• taking over the company after divorce and relocation
• learning in-person estimates and building trust
• tracking close rates and raising average ticket
• fixing margins with clear scopes and change orders
• hiring subs, standardizing production, and defining done
• shifting mindset from operator to CEO
• using constraints to drive focus and action
• investing in coaching and following the roadmap
Quit your job, man.
For being a loyal listener, I want to send you a copy of my new book Profitable Painter. Inside, I’ll show you the exact frameworks that have helped painting businesses save big on taxes, increase profits, and scale with confidence
Head over to profitablepaintercpa.com/book and grab your copy today. Don’t wait — this is my gift to you for being part of the Profitable Painter community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Go to the profitable inner podcast.
To help you navigate thefinancial attacks aspects of
starting running and specialthing.
Before we dive in a quick wordof content, always trying to
provide accurate, up-to-datefinancial and tax information.
(00:21):
Nothing to do with this podcastto be considered financial
advice specifically for you oryour business, which you
describe general knowledge andexperiences, not to replace the
skilled advice with aprofessional financial advisor
or tax consultant.
We strongly recommend speakingindividualized advised or making
financial disposal.
(00:45):
Welcome to the ProfitablePainter Podcast, the show where
painting contractors learn howto boost profits, cut taxes, and
build a business that works forthem.
I'm your host, Daniel Hunan,CPA, former painting business
owner, and your guide tomastering the numbers that drive
success.
So let's dive in and make yourbusiness more profitable one
episode at a time.
I'm super excited today to bejoined by Race Groundtree out of
(01:08):
Texas.
How's it going, Grace?
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Hey, good morning, Daniel.
Good going very well.
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
I'm super excited to dive into the conversation.
Just for the listeners, couldyou give a kind of uh
understanding of how did you getstarted in the painting industry
and what have been some majormilestones along the way?
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Yeah, sure.
So um in 2017, I started acleaning company.
I um it was literally just mecleaning houses.
Um I I had a baby and I left mycorporate job, and I thought I
just needed to clean six housesin a week and be able to spend
as much time with them aspossible.
(01:49):
And um, I ended up growing thecompany really fast and hired my
first employee and then hiredanother and then took myself out
of the business and grew thecompany to where I was working
and running it from home.
Um, and then in 2018, I met myformer, my ex-husband, um, and
he was kind of in betweencareers, and I said that he
(02:13):
should start a home servicebusiness too.
So um, and I I used my kind ofwhat I had done to market my
cleaning company to market justhis general skills, and um, he
started doing a bunch ofdifferent types of things, and
then we found that painting waswhat we just got the we had the
best experiences with, it wasmost profitable, and then he
discovered Eric Barstow and tookhis course, and then we kind of
(02:36):
both started this company andbuilt it together for a few
years, and then um a series ofthings happened in 2023, uh mid
no 2024.
So last year um we got divorcedand I took over the company uh
(02:56):
in August, and then I tookEric's course and started to
learn a lot of the things that Ididn't know when I took over the
company, and here we are today.
SPEAKER_01 (03:08):
Wow.
Okay, awesome.
So it sounds like you youinitially started with cleaning
houses and you kind of learnedabout the home service industry,
and then you at the time gotyour husband involved in the
home service industry justgenerally.
Um, and then because paintingwas more profitable, you guys
(03:29):
started focusing on painting.
You got divorced in 2024, and sofor the last year, you basically
had to take that over and learn,you know, by taking Eric
Barstow's uh painting businesspro course, you know, how to
take it over and to run it onyour own.
And so that that sounds likequite the journey.
Um, how has that been over thelast year?
(03:52):
Like uh that's such a quicklearning curve, like to go
through because I know you knowyou kind of had some background
for years with home services,but what was that transition
like taking over on your own?
SPEAKER_00 (04:04):
So it was crazy.
I mean, it was just it's justbeen an insane ride.
I mean, because number one, I neI was never really invested in
learning the Eric Barso course.
I just kind of I handled all theclient communication, I did the
marketing, I talked to the subs,I'm bilingual, but I never did
estimates in person.
There was just a lot that Ididn't know about the industry.
(04:25):
And when we were facing kind ofour divorce, um, I had been
pretty involved in the companyfor a while, but it had been
very sleepy for the like thepast 18 months or so.
And I just kind of looked at itlike, I think I can do this.
Um, and I got a phone call rightin the beginning of that when I
knew because when I knew that Iwas going to take over the
(04:47):
company, I got a phone call fromJason Paris actually.
And he he was trying to pitchsomething to me, and then he
quickly realized my businesswasn't you know big enough to
kind of partner with.
But towards the end of thatcall, I asked him, Do you think
that do you think that a womancan sell paint jobs?
Do you think that people willhire a woman?
Because I was getting ready todo estimates in person for the
(05:09):
first time.
And he was like, Absolutely,like I believe people trust
women and in a different way,and I think women can do really
well in this business.
So that was a reassurance that Ineeded.
So I bought a shirt and youknow, at the same time as taking
over the company, I was alsomoving three hours away.
I lived two hours from myservice area in Houston, Texas.
So, and I also became a singlemom of five kids under six
(05:31):
overnight.
So it was everything all atonce.
And I was I I went fromessentially being a stay-at-home
mom, you know, doing everythingon my phone, never having to go
anywhere, to driving all pickingup getting all my kids to
daycare and school by like 6:30a.m., driving two hours to
Houston, doing estimates,producing jobs, getting off at
(05:54):
like 3:30, 4:30, driving backtwo up two to three hours with
the traffic, picking up all thekids.
And I did that every single dayfor like six days a week.
And it it was crazy.
I don't know how I did it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:08):
I don't know how you did it either.
Uh so you were two hours awayfrom your service area.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
Yeah, so I moved in with my parents initially.
Uh, so I have these like fivekids in this one bedroom at my
parents' house, and then weeventually got a place out
there.
I knew that I needed to be closeto my family as I was kind of
going through this divorce.
I could have tried to grow inthis new area, but I felt like
we had traction and we had areputation in Houston.
So I wanted just double down onwhat we were already doing.
(06:36):
And I felt like with enough timeand kind of us having our
bearings, I would move closer toHouston.
And I did about six months intothat, I moved to the Houston
suburbs and you know things gota lot better.
SPEAKER_01 (06:49):
And uh so two hours away from the service area, and
then you you have five kids.
SPEAKER_00 (06:55):
Yes, I do.
Okay, yeah, I do.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
All right, I have four kids.
SPEAKER_00 (06:59):
I knew that.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Uh but so but I obviously have my wife to help
me significantly.
I mean, she does most of thedealing with kids.
So I uh I'm just trying toimagine being two hours away
from service area and havingfive kids and going through
everything you went through andstill managing and growing the
(07:21):
business.
It sounds I I literally don'tknow how how you did that.
Um you must have really justinsane time management skills or
ability to switch contexts uhvery well.
SPEAKER_00 (07:36):
How how old are your kids if you don't like so um
when this all started, my babyRoman, he was four and a half
months old.
Um then my daughter was three,or I think she turned three
during this.
Twin boys, um, they were four,and then my oldest was six.
(07:57):
So, you know, now everybody's ayear older.
Um yeah.
I don't know that I have insanetime management skills.
I I I think that I got a lotbetter with my time management
through the course of thatbecause it was a must.
Like I could show you mycalendar, it's insane, you know,
color-coded, just but it couldstill be a lot better, and
that's something that I'mconstantly trying to work on and
(08:20):
do better and be more efficientwith.
SPEAKER_01 (08:24):
So, I guess what do you attribute being able to
balance all that for at leastthe six months when you were two
hours away, but then even stillnow you're you're in the area
now, but you're still you stillare a single mom with five kids
running a business.
Like that's pretty impressive.
SPEAKER_00 (08:41):
Two coffees and prayer.
Coffee and prayer, coffee in themorning and another coffee in
the afternoon.
So it's like around four shotsof espresso.
Yeah, no, seriously, though, Ihad a lot of support being in
paying business pro.
Like they gave me the roadmap,and then I felt like I didn't
know a lot.
So I really leaned on andimplemented the course, the the
(09:05):
coaching, all of that.
Um, and then, you know, it Iguess I would say really, what
other choice did I have?
You know, it almost it's almostlike constraint drives
productivity.
So the the other option was if Idon't scale this company, then
I'm going to have to get a joband I'm not going to be able to
(09:25):
pick them up from school everyday.
I'm not going to be able to, youknow, be there for things that
they need.
And the whole like really whatdrives me is to have more
passivity and have time with mykids, like lots of time.
You know, they're, they're,they're living in two households
basically.
Their parents aren't togetheranymore.
(09:45):
I feel like the best thing thatI can do is, you know, kind of
use the gifts that God gave mefor growing a business and grow
something where other people canalso have, you know, I can hire
and bring on a team and they canhave time freedom too.
And we can all be with ourfamilies more.
That's kind of the dream.
So, and Eric, the paintingbusiness pro, of course, is
really like centered around thatis you know, creating the
(10:08):
designing your life now, notworking 80 hours a week.
And I did like I did work a tonof hours, but now, you know, I
work about 25 hours a week.
I have lots of time with mykids, and I'm always looking for
sort of ways to do better.
But I have a lot of help and Iimplement.
I think that's key.
Like you can take all thelearning and listen to all the
podcasts, but if you're notimplementing what you're
(10:29):
learning in somewhat of astrategic way, then you're just
building, you know, it's justanother form of entertainment.
SPEAKER_01 (10:37):
Yeah, that's a good point.
I implementing, not justlearning.
So it's great to learn, but Iguess it depending on your
definition of learning, becausesome folks say you don't really
learn it, you don't really learnsomething until you actually do
the thing.
But uh, you know, I go to a lotof conferences and some folks
(10:59):
they take whatever they get outof the conference and they will
just implement it, and then nexttime you see them, they'll be at
a completely different stage.
Uh so clearly they learnedsomething, whereas some other
folks, you know, they'll bepretty much at the same level,
but they go to a lot ofconferences, and so it's like
what you know what's actuallyhappening there?
(11:22):
Are you are they actuallylearning?
Because nothing's reallychanging their business.
Sometimes people don't want togrow and they just want to stay
where they are, which is fun.
But you know, I think it's a keypoint that that you made that
it's not just about taking ininformation, but it's actually
applying it and implementing itinto your business to actually
get results.
SPEAKER_00 (11:42):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I can see myself in both ofthose people, honestly.
You know, I've had times whereI'm like a super implementer and
I'm doing great and I'm growingand I can see the evidence of
that.
And then I have times where I'mjust, you know, I check out and
I do the conferences and Ilisten to the podcast, but
nothing really changes, youknow, for six weeks, two months.
(12:03):
And I think I think I can seemyself in in both of those
people, probably like most ofus.
SPEAKER_01 (12:09):
Oh, yeah, for sure.
Yeah, there's seasons foreverything, I guess.
So what what sort of growth haveyou seen over the last year?
SPEAKER_00 (12:19):
Yeah, it's uh so I'll when I took over the
company August 2024, that's whenthe company officially became
mine, August 16th.
Um, prior to that, the companyhad done uh in the first you
know, two, two and a halfquarters of a year, we had done
about 40,000 to 80,000, youknow, 40,000 to 60,000 in
(12:41):
revenue.
I wasn't tracking it, so I'm notsure the exact number, but I
feel pretty confident that'saround where we landed.
And then I took over in August.
Um, and so from August toDecember, we did 244 K in
revenue.
Um, so grew a good chunk.
It was crazy.
I never I like I never imaginedin my wildest dreams.
(13:01):
Um, yeah, and then this year,um, so it's September right now,
or oh my gosh, is it reallyOctober 1st?
No, September, September.
I got scared.
I think okay, yes.
So now um I'm at six six hundredand seven K for the year.
Um, my goal was 500K.
SPEAKER_01 (13:21):
Wow.
617 K for the year, and we'reonly through the first nine
months.
And you so you basically sinceyou've taken it over on the
rolling 12, you've done wellover eight, eight hundred
thousand dollars on the rollingtwelve.
So you basically took it fromyou 10x the business
(13:42):
essentially.
SPEAKER_00 (13:43):
Oh, I'm glad you I didn't know.
I was like, maybe four timesmath is on my strong suit, but
uh I think I quadrupled therevenue, but that's yeah,
because because you if well, Iguess it depends on because
we're in September, but you'rewe do like year to year.
SPEAKER_01 (13:59):
Yeah, and I was I'm looking at the rolling 12
because you took it over Augustof last year, so maybe a little
bit uh less than but looking atthe numbers, you're you've
you've done revenue on your ownof like over 800,000 from August
to now.
And then um before that, the thethe eight months before you took
(14:19):
it over, it was only five 50k.
So you probably 10x the businessover the last 12 months compared
to the 12 months before that.
Wow, that's that's crazy.
I mean that's that's incrediblegrowth, especially considering
everything that you just wentthrough, which is you know,
(14:40):
going through uh divorce, youhave five kids, you were two
hours away from your servicearea.
Uh that is incredible.
I I I don't yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:54):
Yeah, I mean just hearing that like it almost
brings me to tears.
I had dreams, I wanted to docertain things, but and it's so
funny how like we set a goal, weachieve it, and then it's on to
the next thing.
So my mind, I'm I'm stressingthat because I don't think I'm
gonna make it, I'm not, I don'tthink I'm gonna hit a million
this year, which is kind of likemy goal.
(15:15):
But truthfully, you've kind ofput it into perspective for me
of just the journey from then tonow is insane.
unknown (15:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (15:23):
Wow, yeah.
I I so for those listening whothink they have an excuse as to
why they're not hitting theirgoals, I think you've pretty
much proven that no matter yoursituation, you can hit the goals
that you want to hit.
Um if you put put your mind toit and put your effort into it.
So cool.
Well, you know, you you talkedabout uh uh you your
(15:46):
implementation, like you reallyfocused on not just learning
things, but trying to implementit uh as soon as you learned
about it.
One thing that I'm curious aboutis did you know how to
prioritize what to work on?
Because, you know, uh I knowfrom personal experience, like
(16:07):
there's often many things that Icould focus on that are wrong in
my business, that I'd like toideally like to fix, but you
know, usually there's moreimportant things to focus on
first before doing other things.
Did you did you have a certainway to to approach that?
Because in order to 10x abusiness in a year, I mean, I
(16:29):
think you would have to havesome sort of priorities.
How did you figure out what towork on first?
SPEAKER_00 (16:35):
Yeah, so I would say um I'm by nature, um, I'm not so
much a look at the big picturefrom above and kind of see all
the parts.
That's not really my strength.
I'm very tactical.
Um so it just looked likesolving the next problem.
So the first problem to solvewas that I had no idea how to do
an in-person estimate.
(16:56):
So that's what I first focusedon with learning and
implementation.
And then once I felt like mysales process was kind of down,
I mean, improved, then it was,you know, fixing my margin,
fixing my profitability.
And then it was bringing on uhmore painters and just a lot of
learning around that.
So really it just it's kind ofbeen reactive up until now.
(17:17):
It's like I see the problem.
Eric, my mentor, always says thebest CEOs solve the next
problem.
So that's kind of what I'vetaken on.
Like right now, it's you know,it's team building, it's
culture.
I hired my first employee threemonths ago, and there's there's
a lot of change going on in mycompany.
There's there's a lot that Ineed to learn about leading a
(17:38):
team, about setting a team upfor success and you know, the
future of the company, givingeveryone a framework that they
can truly succeed.
Like my kids are in Montessori.
Um, they have been since westarted, and that's um I love
their, I love that style ofeducation.
And they always say, you know,yes, kids can do so much more
than you think they can do, butalso you have to set up their
(18:00):
environment for them to succeed.
You can't just say clean yourroom.
There needs to be places foreverything, they need to know
what the expectations are.
And so seeing them thrive inthat sort of educational
structure, I've I try to applyit to my company.
And a lot of times I'm right nowI'm looking at my business and
I'm like, I am not, I don'tthink I'm creating an
environment where people cantruly succeed and thrive.
(18:21):
And I don't know how to.
Um, I don't know how to work onfoundational stuff.
I'm not very strategic.
So that's the next focus of mylearning and implementation now.
It's the next problem.
SPEAKER_01 (18:32):
Okay, got it.
So it sounds like you you workedone-on-one with Eric Barstow.
It sounds like was this throughthe the whole time, or was did
you bring on a coach uh lateron?
SPEAKER_00 (18:44):
Or no, so I I I would say the second I knew that
I was taking over the business.
So I started with in with uhpainting business pro and
working with Eric in June oflast year.
So okay when I knew I was takingover the company, I immediately
signed up for their coaching.
They have like a light coaching.
I think it was like$400 or$1,700down$400 a month, and they like
(19:08):
guaranteed that you were gonnaadd five paying revenue, you
know, profit to your business inthe year, or you get your money
back.
So I actually spent my rentpayment.
I think it was June 1st of lastyear.
Their course was$1,700 and myrent was$1,700, and I was just
like, Yeah, okay, I'm gonna doit.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (19:29):
That's a big deal.
Well, it sounds like itdefinitely paid off.
It's um, I'm assuming, you know,they helped you kind of um it's
from what it sound like you weresaying, solving the next problem
that they were kind of givingyou the hacks to figure out,
okay, here's your sales process,here's what you can do to fix
it, make it more compelling,here's how you can fix your
margins, make you moreprofitable, or here's how you
(19:51):
can uh bring on more painters.
And it was just sounds like itwas helping you shortcut a lot
of those problems.
SPEAKER_00 (19:56):
And they gave me a roadmap, basically.
I mean, it as long I didn'tdeviate from it because I feel
like when we're trying to dosomething new, we think we're
the first person ever to do it,but that's not true.
Just about anything you've triedto do or want to do, someone has
done it before you, someone hasalready made all the mistakes,
so that's what I looked atAnybus from like they made all
(20:16):
the mistakes already and they'vescaled their company.
So I I want to make this asquick as possible.
I want I'm gonna make newmistakes, I want to make my own
mistakes, but you know, I justfollowed the program, truly.
Yeah, I'm just dumb enough tojust follow the program and not
try to rewrite it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:33):
I don't know if I'd say that, but uh you definitely
you took it and ran it ran withit for sure.
Um so what would you say it asfar as running the painting
possess and growing it soquickly as far as that goes,
what was the biggest challengeor the biggest thing that you
found most difficult to fix?
SPEAKER_00 (20:56):
Oh um the most difficult thing to fix.
I I mean it's it's all gonnasound there's two things.
Um yeah, there was challengingmoments with the business
itself, but truthfully, I reallylove business and I don't like I
don't get too emotional aboutit.
It's kind of fun for me.
So I think that strength hasserved me well.
(21:17):
I mean, I definitely hadchallenges all throughout, but I
would say the two big this iskind of esoteric, but the two
challenges are number one,accepting that the life that I
had envisioned wasn't going tohappen and that this was my new
reality.
I think there was a lot ofacceptance around that.
(21:39):
Um, and I still, you know, stillhave moments where I wrestle
when things get hard, when I amhaving a conflict with someone
on my team, when you know, whenI make a big mistake that costs
me in those moments, I'm like, Isay to myself, like I shouldn't
be in this position.
I never wanted this.
I just wanted to be a stay-downmom, you know.
(22:01):
And then the other part of it isthis is a weird one, but last
year when the business startedreally growing like crazy, and
then early part of this year,you know, I was making more
money than I ever had, and I hadmore resources and more
opportunities.
And I think there was a certainpsychological, just like I don't
(22:21):
know, it's almost it wasn't likeI was completely panicked, but
there was a lot of stressassociated with the sudden
change in my life and mycircumstances, and also just the
sort of the the reality ofeverything that I was holding
and responsible for was justlike just almost crushing.
(22:42):
And now it's the it's steppingout of this place of being a
person that has a business tobecoming a CEO and thinking for
for the good of the business asits own entity.
And that's the invitation thatI'm kind of faced with now.
It's like I could keep going asI have, I could have a good
life, never grow.
(23:02):
But truthfully, that's not who Iam.
I always want to grow.
But if I'm going to grow thebusiness and bring on a team,
then I have to become moremature, then I have to become
more responsible, then I can't,you know, check out and advocate
my responsibilities.
I need to grow into the personthat is not just a salesperson
that has a business, but truly aCEO that's considering everyone
(23:23):
all the time.
And yeah, face that with alittle bit of trepidation.
SPEAKER_01 (23:27):
Yeah.
So it sounds like the thingsthat you found most challenging
were really the mindset changesthat you had to do to the speed
at which that has happened.
SPEAKER_00 (23:40):
You know, it's like I grow, I like to grow.
That's kind of my word.
It's growing, but sometimes Igrow so fast that I'm just like,
I can't, you know, I can't Ican't adjust.
So, yes, a lot of it has beenjust mental, psychological, you
know, just all the change.
It's like people that win thelottery.
You know, I mean, I didn't, I'mnot saying I won the lottery,
but it's kind of that samething.
(24:01):
Like, I don't know how to dealwith this, you know?
SPEAKER_01 (24:04):
Yeah.
No, that that makes sense.
I mean, that's a huge amount ofchange so quickly.
Uh and you know, you you youmentioned, you know, because you
had a before you went on thisjourney with growing the
business so quickly, you hadenvisioned yourself, you know,
stay-at-home mom with the kids,like in and and I'm sure I I I
(24:28):
know my wife who worked in mybusiness, uh she has that uh
kind of uh she wants to be withthe kids because we have four
kids, so she uh feels like shewants to be with them, but at
the same time, she also reallyloves to do what we do and work
as well.
So she feels conflicted, andthat's something that she has to
deal with uh that she talksabout.
(24:51):
Um so it it is I might beputting that on you, but like it
sounds like something a littlebit of that where you wanted.
What's that?
SPEAKER_00 (25:01):
That's definitely, I mean, I can hear, I hear sort
of, I think where your wife isat, and it's a place that I'm
often in too.
And it's like kids don't care ifyou had a stressful quarter or
if you were up the night before,like until 2 a.m.
They still get up.
My kids get up like 6, 7 a.m.
(25:22):
and they expect the same levelof, and then it's like, you
know, as a I think may I don'tknow what it's like for a
father.
I'm sure that you have your own,you know, wrestling or things
that we don't experience, but asa mom, it's like I think I I
feel that I should be present tothem, I should be better, I
should be pouring into them, andthen having five, I should be
spending more one-on-one time,and then balance that with, but
(25:45):
I also have to provide for them.
And I also happen to be somewhatgood at this thing that I'm
doing, and I can see it being avehicle that I can.
So there's always, you know,always a bit of a push-pull with
that.
And I think that's why honestlyI feel like we are we're
supposed to be married when wehave kids, you know, that is
sort of the ideal scenario, andand because that's how all the
(26:08):
pieces, but still, I mean, I Ican't see myself ever not being
in business and not saying justbeing a stay-at-home mom because
that is is a huge job.
But God gave me this gift, and Iwant to, you know, use it to
bless my children.
But you know, I was at PCAconference in San Antonio last
week, and that was a time that Iwas really torn to be away from
(26:31):
the kids because we had moved,we had all these things going
on.
I felt like I had really notbeen as present to them as I
like to be.
I think they were feeling it,they were expressing it to me.
So here I'm at this conference,and I just kind of felt like I
had to get home.
So I ended up actually leavingthe conference early and driving
home and spending the night withthem.
And thankfully, I get to dothose kinds of things, but it's
(26:52):
always a balance, you know,always.
SPEAKER_01 (26:55):
Yeah.
Yeah, I I can't imagine it's itmust be super difficult.
And so kudos to you for beingable to manage all of that uh
with the growth with the family.
Uh I can't think of an anotherexample of this intensive growth
because usually growth like ispretty consuming.
(27:15):
And when folks are growing alot, there's their personal life
is more kind of stable andallows for them to grow with you
know I I guess in my ownexperience, we did have one time
where we did grow substantiallywhen I uh my wife similar to
(27:37):
your experience, um, didn't getdivorced, but I was uh deployed
overseas.
Wow.
Um so she was you know, she weonly had two kids at the time,
but she took over the thecompany unexpectedly because of
something that happened with uhone of our key employees.
And so we had a little bit ofwhat you experienced and we did
(28:01):
get through through somesubstantial growth uh during
COVID.
Uh but uh uh you know for themost part, uh you know, I I
guess maybe maybe I'mmisdiagnosing it because maybe
maybe stress and personal lifecan um because I always kind of
thought like the the the thegrowth came from more stable,
(28:23):
but maybe maybe it's maybethat's wrong.
Um but it it's just interestingto hear like uh with everything
that happened that that stillresulted in uh your your
significant growth.
So I'm it seems like it's adefinitely a testament to you
and your ability to like rollwith the punches and make
something great out of somethingthat wasn't so great.
(28:46):
Um so you know that's just areally amazing story.
So um thank you for sharing it.
Uh that uh it's just yeah.
Wow.
Um cool.
Well, uh you know, you've beensuper generous with your time.
I really appreciate you sharingwith folks your journey.
(29:06):
And uh do you have any asks ofthe audience or maybe um
anything else you'd like toshare that you haven't shared
already that you think thatwould be helpful for someone
that's trying to grow or maybeis in a similar situation that
you were in?
Um anything that you'd like toshare with the audience?
SPEAKER_00 (29:25):
I always struggle with these types of questions.
I think um, you know, it's kindof you were saying, you know,
how did how did you do this withall of these constraints?
And I think I almost feel thathaving constraints and your back
against the wall is kind of anideal place to be in.
(29:46):
You know, the times that my kidsare gone for you know they for
an entire weekend, I would thinkthat I would get so much done
for my business.
But the truth is I'm notanywhere near as productive when
they're not around.
So it's almost there's abenefit.
And then what worked for me wasnot having a plan B.
You know, I didn't have afull-time job, and it was just
(30:09):
like, whatever I do this month,it's gonna decide the fate of my
family next month.
And that is kind of a crazy riskto take, but that's the risk I
took.
And I hear a lot of people thatare kind of thinking about going
doing this, and they're youknow, they're keeping their
full-time job and they're doingthis on the side.
And I'm like, okay, sure, maybethat's what you want to do, but
(30:34):
quit your job, man.
unknown (30:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (30:37):
Yeah, I think that's a good point.
Being going all in, putting itall on the line, taking the risk
kind of forces you to takeaction.
And maybe that's what what'sgoing on there.
Uh, where you you didn't reallyhave a choice, you had to do it
until you made it happen.
Um, so that makes sense.
I think that helps me frame itbetter.
(30:59):
Uh cool.
Well, Grace, I really appreciateyour time.
Uh I I think your story isincredible, and I really
appreciate you sharing it withus.
And for all the listeners, withthat, we will see you next week.
SPEAKER_00 (31:12):
Thank you so much.
Go to the profitable inner podcast.
To help you navigate thefinancial attacks aspects of
starting running and specialthing.
Before we dive in a quick wordof content, always trying to
provide accurate, up-to-datefinancial and tax information.
(00:21):
Nothing to do with this podcastto be considered financial
advice specifically for you oryour business, which you
describe general knowledge andexperiences, not to replace the
skilled advice with aprofessional financial advisor
or tax consultant.
We strongly recommend speakingindividualized advised or making
financial disposal.
(00:45):
Welcome to the ProfitablePainter Podcast, the show where
painting contractors learn howto boost profits, cut taxes, and
build a business that works forthem.
I'm your host, Daniel Hunan,CPA, former painting business
owner, and your guide tomastering the numbers that drive
success.
So let's dive in and make yourbusiness more profitable one
episode at a time.
I'm super excited today to bejoined by Race Groundtree out of
(01:08):
Texas.
How's it going, Grace?
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Hey, good morning, Daniel.
Good going very well.
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
I'm super excited to dive into the conversation.
Just for the listeners, couldyou give a kind of uh
understanding of how did you getstarted in the painting industry
and what have been some majormilestones along the way?
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Yeah, sure.
So um in 2017, I started acleaning company.
I um it was literally just mecleaning houses.
Um I I had a baby and I left mycorporate job, and I thought I
just needed to clean six housesin a week and be able to spend
as much time with them aspossible.
(01:49):
And um, I ended up growing thecompany really fast and hired my
first employee and then hiredanother and then took myself out
of the business and grew thecompany to where I was working
and running it from home.
Um, and then in 2018, I met myformer, my ex-husband, um, and
he was kind of in betweencareers, and I said that he
(02:13):
should start a home servicebusiness too.
So um, and I I used my kind ofwhat I had done to market my
cleaning company to market justhis general skills, and um, he
started doing a bunch ofdifferent types of things, and
then we found that painting waswhat we just got the we had the
best experiences with, it wasmost profitable, and then he
discovered Eric Barstow and tookhis course, and then we kind of
(02:36):
both started this company andbuilt it together for a few
years, and then um a series ofthings happened in 2023, uh mid
no 2024.
So last year um we got divorcedand I took over the company uh
(02:56):
in August, and then I tookEric's course and started to
learn a lot of the things that Ididn't know when I took over the
company, and here we are today.
SPEAKER_01 (03:08):
Wow.
Okay, awesome.
So it sounds like you youinitially started with cleaning
houses and you kind of learnedabout the home service industry,
and then you at the time gotyour husband involved in the
home service industry justgenerally.
Um, and then because paintingwas more profitable, you guys
(03:29):
started focusing on painting.
You got divorced in 2024, and sofor the last year, you basically
had to take that over and learn,you know, by taking Eric
Barstow's uh painting businesspro course, you know, how to
take it over and to run it onyour own.
And so that that sounds likequite the journey.
Um, how has that been over thelast year?
(03:52):
Like uh that's such a quicklearning curve, like to go
through because I know you knowyou kind of had some background
for years with home services,but what was that transition
like taking over on your own?
SPEAKER_00 (04:04):
So it was crazy.
I mean, it was just it's justbeen an insane ride.
I mean, because number one, I neI was never really invested in
learning the Eric Barso course.
I just kind of I handled all theclient communication, I did the
marketing, I talked to the subs,I'm bilingual, but I never did
estimates in person.
There was just a lot that Ididn't know about the industry.
(04:25):
And when we were facing kind ofour divorce, um, I had been
pretty involved in the companyfor a while, but it had been
very sleepy for the like thepast 18 months or so.
And I just kind of looked at itlike, I think I can do this.
Um, and I got a phone call rightin the beginning of that when I
knew because when I knew that Iwas going to take over the
(04:47):
company, I got a phone call fromJason Paris actually.
And he he was trying to pitchsomething to me, and then he
quickly realized my businesswasn't you know big enough to
kind of partner with.
But towards the end of thatcall, I asked him, Do you think
that do you think that a womancan sell paint jobs?
Do you think that people willhire a woman?
Because I was getting ready todo estimates in person for the
(05:09):
first time.
And he was like, Absolutely,like I believe people trust
women and in a different way,and I think women can do really
well in this business.
So that was a reassurance that Ineeded.
So I bought a shirt and youknow, at the same time as taking
over the company, I was alsomoving three hours away.
I lived two hours from myservice area in Houston, Texas.
So, and I also became a singlemom of five kids under six
(05:31):
overnight.
So it was everything all atonce.
And I was I I went fromessentially being a stay-at-home
mom, you know, doing everythingon my phone, never having to go
anywhere, to driving all pickingup getting all my kids to
daycare and school by like 6:30a.m., driving two hours to
Houston, doing estimates,producing jobs, getting off at
(05:54):
like 3:30, 4:30, driving backtwo up two to three hours with
the traffic, picking up all thekids.
And I did that every single dayfor like six days a week.
And it it was crazy.
I don't know how I did it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:08):
I don't know how you did it either.
Uh so you were two hours awayfrom your service area.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
Yeah, so I moved in with my parents initially.
Uh, so I have these like fivekids in this one bedroom at my
parents' house, and then weeventually got a place out
there.
I knew that I needed to be closeto my family as I was kind of
going through this divorce.
I could have tried to grow inthis new area, but I felt like
we had traction and we had areputation in Houston.
So I wanted just double down onwhat we were already doing.
(06:36):
And I felt like with enough timeand kind of us having our
bearings, I would move closer toHouston.
And I did about six months intothat, I moved to the Houston
suburbs and you know things gota lot better.
SPEAKER_01 (06:49):
And uh so two hours away from the service area, and
then you you have five kids.
SPEAKER_00 (06:55):
Yes, I do.
Okay, yeah, I do.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
All right, I have four kids.
SPEAKER_00 (06:59):
I knew that.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Uh but so but I obviously have my wife to help
me significantly.
I mean, she does most of thedealing with kids.
So I uh I'm just trying toimagine being two hours away
from service area and havingfive kids and going through
everything you went through andstill managing and growing the
(07:21):
business.
It sounds I I literally don'tknow how how you did that.
Um you must have really justinsane time management skills or
ability to switch contexts uhvery well.
SPEAKER_00 (07:36):
How how old are your kids if you don't like so um
when this all started, my babyRoman, he was four and a half
months old.
Um then my daughter was three,or I think she turned three
during this.
Twin boys, um, they were four,and then my oldest was six.
(07:57):
So, you know, now everybody's ayear older.
Um yeah.
I don't know that I have insanetime management skills.
I I I think that I got a lotbetter with my time management
through the course of thatbecause it was a must.
Like I could show you mycalendar, it's insane, you know,
color-coded, just but it couldstill be a lot better, and
that's something that I'mconstantly trying to work on and
(08:20):
do better and be more efficientwith.
SPEAKER_01 (08:24):
So, I guess what do you attribute being able to
balance all that for at leastthe six months when you were two
hours away, but then even stillnow you're you're in the area
now, but you're still you stillare a single mom with five kids
running a business.
Like that's pretty impressive.
SPEAKER_00 (08:41):
Two coffees and prayer.
Coffee and prayer, coffee in themorning and another coffee in
the afternoon.
So it's like around four shotsof espresso.
Yeah, no, seriously, though, Ihad a lot of support being in
paying business pro.
Like they gave me the roadmap,and then I felt like I didn't
know a lot.
So I really leaned on andimplemented the course, the the
(09:05):
coaching, all of that.
Um, and then, you know, it Iguess I would say really, what
other choice did I have?
You know, it almost it's almostlike constraint drives
productivity.
So the the other option was if Idon't scale this company, then
I'm going to have to get a joband I'm not going to be able to
(09:25):
pick them up from school everyday.
I'm not going to be able to, youknow, be there for things that
they need.
And the whole like really whatdrives me is to have more
passivity and have time with mykids, like lots of time.
You know, they're, they're,they're living in two households
basically.
Their parents aren't togetheranymore.
(09:45):
I feel like the best thing thatI can do is, you know, kind of
use the gifts that God gave mefor growing a business and grow
something where other people canalso have, you know, I can hire
and bring on a team and they canhave time freedom too.
And we can all be with ourfamilies more.
That's kind of the dream.
So, and Eric, the paintingbusiness pro, of course, is
really like centered around thatis you know, creating the
(10:08):
designing your life now, notworking 80 hours a week.
And I did like I did work a tonof hours, but now, you know, I
work about 25 hours a week.
I have lots of time with mykids, and I'm always looking for
sort of ways to do better.
But I have a lot of help and Iimplement.
I think that's key.
Like you can take all thelearning and listen to all the
podcasts, but if you're notimplementing what you're
(10:29):
learning in somewhat of astrategic way, then you're just
building, you know, it's justanother form of entertainment.
SPEAKER_01 (10:37):
Yeah, that's a good point.
I implementing, not justlearning.
So it's great to learn, but Iguess it depending on your
definition of learning, becausesome folks say you don't really
learn it, you don't really learnsomething until you actually do
the thing.
But uh, you know, I go to a lotof conferences and some folks
(10:59):
they take whatever they get outof the conference and they will
just implement it, and then nexttime you see them, they'll be at
a completely different stage.
Uh so clearly they learnedsomething, whereas some other
folks, you know, they'll bepretty much at the same level,
but they go to a lot ofconferences, and so it's like
what you know what's actuallyhappening there?
(11:22):
Are you are they actuallylearning?
Because nothing's reallychanging their business.
Sometimes people don't want togrow and they just want to stay
where they are, which is fun.
But you know, I think it's a keypoint that that you made that
it's not just about taking ininformation, but it's actually
applying it and implementing itinto your business to actually
get results.
SPEAKER_00 (11:42):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I can see myself in both ofthose people, honestly.
You know, I've had times whereI'm like a super implementer and
I'm doing great and I'm growingand I can see the evidence of
that.
And then I have times where I'mjust, you know, I check out and
I do the conferences and Ilisten to the podcast, but
nothing really changes, youknow, for six weeks, two months.
(12:03):
And I think I think I can seemyself in in both of those
people, probably like most ofus.
SPEAKER_01 (12:09):
Oh, yeah, for sure.
Yeah, there's seasons foreverything, I guess.
So what what sort of growth haveyou seen over the last year?
SPEAKER_00 (12:19):
Yeah, it's uh so I'll when I took over the
company August 2024, that's whenthe company officially became
mine, August 16th.
Um, prior to that, the companyhad done uh in the first you
know, two, two and a halfquarters of a year, we had done
about 40,000 to 80,000, youknow, 40,000 to 60,000 in
(12:41):
revenue.
I wasn't tracking it, so I'm notsure the exact number, but I
feel pretty confident that'saround where we landed.
And then I took over in August.
Um, and so from August toDecember, we did 244 K in
revenue.
Um, so grew a good chunk.
It was crazy.
I never I like I never imaginedin my wildest dreams.
(13:01):
Um, yeah, and then this year,um, so it's September right now,
or oh my gosh, is it reallyOctober 1st?
No, September, September.
I got scared.
I think okay, yes.
So now um I'm at six six hundredand seven K for the year.
Um, my goal was 500K.
SPEAKER_01 (13:21):
Wow.
617 K for the year, and we'reonly through the first nine
months.
And you so you basically sinceyou've taken it over on the
rolling 12, you've done wellover eight, eight hundred
thousand dollars on the rollingtwelve.
So you basically took it fromyou 10x the business
(13:42):
essentially.
SPEAKER_00 (13:43):
Oh, I'm glad you I didn't know.
I was like, maybe four timesmath is on my strong suit, but
uh I think I quadrupled therevenue, but that's yeah,
because because you if well, Iguess it depends on because
we're in September, but you'rewe do like year to year.
SPEAKER_01 (13:59):
Yeah, and I was I'm looking at the rolling 12
because you took it over Augustof last year, so maybe a little
bit uh less than but looking atthe numbers, you're you've
you've done revenue on your ownof like over 800,000 from August
to now.
And then um before that, the thethe eight months before you took
(14:19):
it over, it was only five 50k.
So you probably 10x the businessover the last 12 months compared
to the 12 months before that.
Wow, that's that's crazy.
I mean that's that's incrediblegrowth, especially considering
everything that you just wentthrough, which is you know,
(14:40):
going through uh divorce, youhave five kids, you were two
hours away from your servicearea.
Uh that is incredible.
I I I don't yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (14:54):
Yeah, I mean just hearing that like it almost
brings me to tears.
I had dreams, I wanted to docertain things, but and it's so
funny how like we set a goal, weachieve it, and then it's on to
the next thing.
So my mind, I'm I'm stressingthat because I don't think I'm
gonna make it, I'm not, I don'tthink I'm gonna hit a million
this year, which is kind of likemy goal.
(15:15):
But truthfully, you've kind ofput it into perspective for me
of just the journey from then tonow is insane.
unknown (15:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (15:23):
Wow, yeah.
I I so for those listening whothink they have an excuse as to
why they're not hitting theirgoals, I think you've pretty
much proven that no matter yoursituation, you can hit the goals
that you want to hit.
Um if you put put your mind toit and put your effort into it.
So cool.
Well, you know, you you talkedabout uh uh you your
(15:46):
implementation, like you reallyfocused on not just learning
things, but trying to implementit uh as soon as you learned
about it.
One thing that I'm curious aboutis did you know how to
prioritize what to work on?
Because, you know, uh I knowfrom personal experience, like
(16:07):
there's often many things that Icould focus on that are wrong in
my business, that I'd like toideally like to fix, but you
know, usually there's moreimportant things to focus on
first before doing other things.
Did you did you have a certainway to to approach that?
Because in order to 10x abusiness in a year, I mean, I
(16:29):
think you would have to havesome sort of priorities.
How did you figure out what towork on first?
SPEAKER_00 (16:35):
Yeah, so I would say um I'm by nature, um, I'm not so
much a look at the big picturefrom above and kind of see all
the parts.
That's not really my strength.
I'm very tactical.
Um so it just looked likesolving the next problem.
So the first problem to solvewas that I had no idea how to do
an in-person estimate.
(16:56):
So that's what I first focusedon with learning and
implementation.
And then once I felt like mysales process was kind of down,
I mean, improved, then it was,you know, fixing my margin,
fixing my profitability.
And then it was bringing on uhmore painters and just a lot of
learning around that.
So really it just it's kind ofbeen reactive up until now.
(17:17):
It's like I see the problem.
Eric, my mentor, always says thebest CEOs solve the next
problem.
So that's kind of what I'vetaken on.
Like right now, it's you know,it's team building, it's
culture.
I hired my first employee threemonths ago, and there's there's
a lot of change going on in mycompany.
There's there's a lot that Ineed to learn about leading a
(17:38):
team, about setting a team upfor success and you know, the
future of the company, givingeveryone a framework that they
can truly succeed.
Like my kids are in Montessori.
Um, they have been since westarted, and that's um I love
their, I love that style ofeducation.
And they always say, you know,yes, kids can do so much more
than you think they can do, butalso you have to set up their
(18:00):
environment for them to succeed.
You can't just say clean yourroom.
There needs to be places foreverything, they need to know
what the expectations are.
And so seeing them thrive inthat sort of educational
structure, I've I try to applyit to my company.
And a lot of times I'm right nowI'm looking at my business and
I'm like, I am not, I don'tthink I'm creating an
environment where people cantruly succeed and thrive.
(18:21):
And I don't know how to.
Um, I don't know how to work onfoundational stuff.
I'm not very strategic.
So that's the next focus of mylearning and implementation now.
It's the next problem.
SPEAKER_01 (18:32):
Okay, got it.
So it sounds like you you workedone-on-one with Eric Barstow.
It sounds like was this throughthe the whole time, or was did
you bring on a coach uh lateron?
SPEAKER_00 (18:44):
Or no, so I I I would say the second I knew that
I was taking over the business.
So I started with in with uhpainting business pro and
working with Eric in June oflast year.
So okay when I knew I was takingover the company, I immediately
signed up for their coaching.
They have like a light coaching.
I think it was like$400 or$1,700down$400 a month, and they like
(19:08):
guaranteed that you were gonnaadd five paying revenue, you
know, profit to your business inthe year, or you get your money
back.
So I actually spent my rentpayment.
I think it was June 1st of lastyear.
Their course was$1,700 and myrent was$1,700, and I was just
like, Yeah, okay, I'm gonna doit.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (19:29):
That's a big deal.
Well, it sounds like itdefinitely paid off.
It's um, I'm assuming, you know,they helped you kind of um it's
from what it sound like you weresaying, solving the next problem
that they were kind of givingyou the hacks to figure out,
okay, here's your sales process,here's what you can do to fix
it, make it more compelling,here's how you can fix your
margins, make you moreprofitable, or here's how you
(19:51):
can uh bring on more painters.
And it was just sounds like itwas helping you shortcut a lot
of those problems.
SPEAKER_00 (19:56):
And they gave me a roadmap, basically.
I mean, it as long I didn'tdeviate from it because I feel
like when we're trying to dosomething new, we think we're
the first person ever to do it,but that's not true.
Just about anything you've triedto do or want to do, someone has
done it before you, someone hasalready made all the mistakes,
so that's what I looked atAnybus from like they made all
(20:16):
the mistakes already and they'vescaled their company.
So I I want to make this asquick as possible.
I want I'm gonna make newmistakes, I want to make my own
mistakes, but you know, I justfollowed the program, truly.
Yeah, I'm just dumb enough tojust follow the program and not
try to rewrite it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:33):
I don't know if I'd say that, but uh you definitely
you took it and ran it ran withit for sure.
Um so what would you say it asfar as running the painting
possess and growing it soquickly as far as that goes,
what was the biggest challengeor the biggest thing that you
found most difficult to fix?
SPEAKER_00 (20:56):
Oh um the most difficult thing to fix.
I I mean it's it's all gonnasound there's two things.
Um yeah, there was challengingmoments with the business
itself, but truthfully, I reallylove business and I don't like I
don't get too emotional aboutit.
It's kind of fun for me.
So I think that strength hasserved me well.
(21:17):
I mean, I definitely hadchallenges all throughout, but I
would say the two big this iskind of esoteric, but the two
challenges are number one,accepting that the life that I
had envisioned wasn't going tohappen and that this was my new
reality.
I think there was a lot ofacceptance around that.
(21:39):
Um, and I still, you know, stillhave moments where I wrestle
when things get hard, when I amhaving a conflict with someone
on my team, when you know, whenI make a big mistake that costs
me in those moments, I'm like, Isay to myself, like I shouldn't
be in this position.
I never wanted this.
I just wanted to be a stay-downmom, you know.
(22:01):
And then the other part of it isthis is a weird one, but last
year when the business startedreally growing like crazy, and
then early part of this year,you know, I was making more
money than I ever had, and I hadmore resources and more
opportunities.
And I think there was a certainpsychological, just like I don't
(22:21):
know, it's almost it wasn't likeI was completely panicked, but
there was a lot of stressassociated with the sudden
change in my life and mycircumstances, and also just the
sort of the the reality ofeverything that I was holding
and responsible for was justlike just almost crushing.
(22:42):
And now it's the it's steppingout of this place of being a
person that has a business tobecoming a CEO and thinking for
for the good of the business asits own entity.
And that's the invitation thatI'm kind of faced with now.
It's like I could keep going asI have, I could have a good
life, never grow.
(23:02):
But truthfully, that's not who Iam.
I always want to grow.
But if I'm going to grow thebusiness and bring on a team,
then I have to become moremature, then I have to become
more responsible, then I can't,you know, check out and advocate
my responsibilities.
I need to grow into the personthat is not just a salesperson
that has a business, but truly aCEO that's considering everyone
(23:23):
all the time.
And yeah, face that with alittle bit of trepidation.
SPEAKER_01 (23:27):
Yeah.
So it sounds like the thingsthat you found most challenging
were really the mindset changesthat you had to do to the speed
at which that has happened.
SPEAKER_00 (23:40):
You know, it's like I grow, I like to grow.
That's kind of my word.
It's growing, but sometimes Igrow so fast that I'm just like,
I can't, you know, I can't Ican't adjust.
So, yes, a lot of it has beenjust mental, psychological, you
know, just all the change.
It's like people that win thelottery.
You know, I mean, I didn't, I'mnot saying I won the lottery,
but it's kind of that samething.
(24:01):
Like, I don't know how to dealwith this, you know?
SPEAKER_01 (24:04):
Yeah.
No, that that makes sense.
I mean, that's a huge amount ofchange so quickly.
Uh and you know, you you youmentioned, you know, because you
had a before you went on thisjourney with growing the
business so quickly, you hadenvisioned yourself, you know,
stay-at-home mom with the kids,like in and and I'm sure I I I
(24:28):
know my wife who worked in mybusiness, uh she has that uh
kind of uh she wants to be withthe kids because we have four
kids, so she uh feels like shewants to be with them, but at
the same time, she also reallyloves to do what we do and work
as well.
So she feels conflicted, andthat's something that she has to
deal with uh that she talksabout.
(24:51):
Um so it it is I might beputting that on you, but like it
sounds like something a littlebit of that where you wanted.
What's that?
SPEAKER_00 (25:01):
That's definitely, I mean, I can hear, I hear sort
of, I think where your wife isat, and it's a place that I'm
often in too.
And it's like kids don't care ifyou had a stressful quarter or
if you were up the night before,like until 2 a.m.
They still get up.
My kids get up like 6, 7 a.m.
(25:22):
and they expect the same levelof, and then it's like, you
know, as a I think may I don'tknow what it's like for a
father.
I'm sure that you have your own,you know, wrestling or things
that we don't experience, but asa mom, it's like I think I I
feel that I should be present tothem, I should be better, I
should be pouring into them, andthen having five, I should be
spending more one-on-one time,and then balance that with, but
(25:45):
I also have to provide for them.
And I also happen to be somewhatgood at this thing that I'm
doing, and I can see it being avehicle that I can.
So there's always, you know,always a bit of a push-pull with
that.
And I think that's why honestlyI feel like we are we're
supposed to be married when wehave kids, you know, that is
sort of the ideal scenario, andand because that's how all the
(26:08):
pieces, but still, I mean, I Ican't see myself ever not being
in business and not saying justbeing a stay-at-home mom because
that is is a huge job.
But God gave me this gift, and Iwant to, you know, use it to
bless my children.
But you know, I was at PCAconference in San Antonio last
week, and that was a time that Iwas really torn to be away from
(26:31):
the kids because we had moved,we had all these things going
on.
I felt like I had really notbeen as present to them as I
like to be.
I think they were feeling it,they were expressing it to me.
So here I'm at this conference,and I just kind of felt like I
had to get home.
So I ended up actually leavingthe conference early and driving
home and spending the night withthem.
And thankfully, I get to dothose kinds of things, but it's
(26:52):
always a balance, you know,always.
SPEAKER_01 (26:55):
Yeah.
Yeah, I I can't imagine it's itmust be super difficult.
And so kudos to you for beingable to manage all of that uh
with the growth with the family.
Uh I can't think of an anotherexample of this intensive growth
because usually growth like ispretty consuming.
(27:15):
And when folks are growing alot, there's their personal life
is more kind of stable andallows for them to grow with you
know I I guess in my ownexperience, we did have one time
where we did grow substantiallywhen I uh my wife similar to
(27:37):
your experience, um, didn't getdivorced, but I was uh deployed
overseas.
Wow.
Um so she was you know, she weonly had two kids at the time,
but she took over the thecompany unexpectedly because of
something that happened with uhone of our key employees.
And so we had a little bit ofwhat you experienced and we did
(28:01):
get through through somesubstantial growth uh during
COVID.
Uh but uh uh you know for themost part, uh you know, I I
guess maybe maybe I'mmisdiagnosing it because maybe
maybe stress and personal lifecan um because I always kind of
thought like the the the thegrowth came from more stable,
(28:23):
but maybe maybe it's maybethat's wrong.
Um but it it's just interestingto hear like uh with everything
that happened that that stillresulted in uh your your
significant growth.
So I'm it seems like it's adefinitely a testament to you
and your ability to like rollwith the punches and make
something great out of somethingthat wasn't so great.
(28:46):
Um so you know that's just areally amazing story.
So um thank you for sharing it.
Uh that uh it's just yeah.
Wow.
Um cool.
Well, uh you know, you've beensuper generous with your time.
I really appreciate you sharingwith folks your journey.
(29:06):
And uh do you have any asks ofthe audience or maybe um
anything else you'd like toshare that you haven't shared
already that you think thatwould be helpful for someone
that's trying to grow or maybeis in a similar situation that
you were in?
Um anything that you'd like toshare with the audience?
SPEAKER_00 (29:25):
I always struggle with these types of questions.
I think um, you know, it's kindof you were saying, you know,
how did how did you do this withall of these constraints?
And I think I almost feel thathaving constraints and your back
against the wall is kind of anideal place to be in.
(29:46):
You know, the times that my kidsare gone for you know they for
an entire weekend, I would thinkthat I would get so much done
for my business.
But the truth is I'm notanywhere near as productive when
they're not around.
So it's almost there's abenefit.
And then what worked for me wasnot having a plan B.
You know, I didn't have afull-time job, and it was just
(30:09):
like, whatever I do this month,it's gonna decide the fate of my
family next month.
And that is kind of a crazy riskto take, but that's the risk I
took.
And I hear a lot of people thatare kind of thinking about going
doing this, and they're youknow, they're keeping their
full-time job and they're doingthis on the side.
And I'm like, okay, sure, maybethat's what you want to do, but
(30:34):
quit your job, man.
unknown (30:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (30:37):
Yeah, I think that's a good point.
Being going all in, putting itall on the line, taking the risk
kind of forces you to takeaction.
And maybe that's what what'sgoing on there.
Uh, where you you didn't reallyhave a choice, you had to do it
until you made it happen.
Um, so that makes sense.
I think that helps me frame itbetter.
(30:59):
Uh cool.
Well, Grace, I really appreciateyour time.
Uh I I think your story isincredible, and I really
appreciate you sharing it withus.
And for all the listeners, withthat, we will see you next week.
SPEAKER_00 (31:12):
Thank you so much.
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