On today's episode of gathering the Kings. My production manager schedules an initial walk through with the customer He shows up, and the first words out of his mouth are, you know, we're here to give you a great job and earn a 5 star review, not be given, but earn a 5 star review. You are listening to Gathering the Kings with Chaz Wolfe featuring fellow 78 and even 9 figure business owners who have real battle scars.
From business and life, but have prevailed as the king that they are designed to be. We welcome high performing entrepreneurs to the stage in order to reveal the real of the real on what it takes to build a successful business today. We dissect the good and bad decisions they made along the way to give a true and accurate picture of the journey of success and how you too can get there.
Through this dialogue, you will learn the value of growing your network and surrounding yourself with power players and keys like today's guest. Grab your pen and notebook because we're about to dive in. Alright, everybody. I'm Chaz Wolfe. I'm back. I'm your host, gathering the Kings this week. I've got Evan Simmons, bro. Welcome to the stage. Yes, sir. Thank you for having me, man. It's a pleasure. Yeah, man. So good to, to have you come through.
And I can't wait to hear your story, but tell us what kind of business did you got, brother? Yeah. Definitely. So I run a residential in commercial painting company here in the Denver Colorado area. We do, like I said, primarily residential, but also commercial, intended finish, repaints, interior, and Eterior, and we're coming up on our 3 year anniversary here this upcoming week. So fun exciting stuff. It's been a fast 3 years then, my man. Pay very, very, very past 3 years, man.
Still catching my breath. Trying to keep up. That's for sure. That's right, man. I I think that every every person know, obviously, you know, at the at the revenue marker that you that you're at, but every person that has gotten momentum in that short period of time, is trying to catch their breath. So you're you're amongst good company. And so congratulations on that. I mean, to do what you've done in in 3 years is pretty remarkable. So tell us a little bit about maybe how you got started.
Like, where where an entrepreneurial one to start for you? Was it this business? Was it something different? Kinda, like, give us your background a little bit. Yeah. Definitely. Well, I think as far as it relates to, like, the paint industry, I worked with Sherwin Williams for 10 years prior to starting the company.
So I think that allowed me to kinda hit the ground running, so to speak, just understanding the industry that I was taking, you know, hopping into, and I was working as a resident sales rep. So I was kind of able to work with some bigger companies that were doing it really well and excelling and some of the newer companies that were just starting off. So I think Chaz obviously kinda gave me some insight and helped me kinda hit the ground running, so to speak.
But I guess entrepreneurship, man, goes way back for me. I think it goes back to I can remember as a kid, right, walking around with the neighborhood kids and, you know, rake and leaves or mowing lawns that type stuff.
And I think I was always kind of instilled, instilled to me from, like, an early age that, you know, if you want things or you wanna do things that you have to work for So, you know, I remember all the summer jobs and all that stuff that really kind of, I guess curtailed and created that work ethic. For me. Yeah. I love that. I I've got so many questions as far as what you've just said. I wanna dig in. But before we do that, I'm curious to know at this level, like, I mean, you're a young guy.
You know, being at a 7 figure revenue marker or above, like, you've you've, in essence, done something that less than 10% of all companies do. Like, you've made it. Right. Why do you push now, man? Like, why why continue to push? Yes, sir. Well, I think it's one of those where, in my mind, I haven't made it. Right? I set off on this journey of entrepreneurship. I really wanted to kind of build a business from the ground up and create something that I could kind of hop into or hop out.
So for me, you know, it's still work in progress, man. Lots of work to be done. Still plenty of levels to hit. And so for me, by any means, I don't feel like I've made it, so to speak. I feel like there's plenty of work to still be done, and that's what gets me up in the morning and gets me going. That's awesome, man. I I wanna know.
So be before I ask this question though, of of where is done or where are you going, what you just said totally made me think of that interview for Kobe Bryant where, you know, they've won, I think, like, maybe 1 or 2 games in the finals and the it's like the famous deal where the reporter's like, you're not happy. And he's like, job done? No. Yeah. I didn't think so. You know, like, that's that's totally the response that I just got from you, which is it's cool. Like, it's good.
Like, congrats on the 2 wins, but, like, know, I don't have a trophy. It's still working. Exactly. So so what is it? What is the trophy for you? Like, what is the the finals? What's the the end thing that you're after that you that the job's not done for you? It's That's a great question. First off, I think, honestly, that's a hard thing to answer. I'm not sure.
I think it may be the way I'm wired, but I'm not sure if I'll ever be truly saddened spot or if I'll ever really reach the mountain top, so to speak. I think that maybe once I get to, you know, whatever that goal may be right now, you know, 2, 3 years from now, you know, I might reach that goal and I'll say, Hey. Well, there's another step. Hey. This isn't the batting top. There's another peak up there that we can go get. So Yeah. That's a hard question to answer.
Honestly, I think Chaz, again, I my why, so to speak, was I wanted to create something that created freedom. But I'm the type of person where you give me a couple weeks Give me a couple weeks of vacation. I'm coming back hungry and, you know, thinking, hey, what's next or what else I can do. So, yeah, I'm not sure what that is, Chaz, to be honest with you. That's alright. If if anything, I've provoked some thought, but but I think your answer, you know, makes perfect sense.
I think that a lot of people listening, and I know even myself, like, I relate to Chaz. It's like, but you just we just keep hitting these false tops. Right? Like, we think, like, oh, okay. There here's my current target, and I'm after it. And I'm hardcore. I'm dialed in, right? And and we get there, and it's not like this, like, oh, this is it. It's not like that at all. It's just you just happen to now have a better view, and you realize that it's not quite the top yet.
And so you're you you you can be there for a minute. You could have this good, healthy perspective of being grateful and thankful. And then you realize it's time to get back to work. Yes, sir. Think that's exactly it. That's awesome, man. Okay. So let's go back into your journey a little bit and and you said you're kind of, you know, you know, getting started 3 years ago. And so you've you've been on this, like, very fast paced deal.
I wanna know, along the way, a good decision that you've made that just allowed for the scalability type of growth that you've had because, I mean, 0 to 7 plus figures in 3 years is incredible. Oh, I appreciate that, man.
I think I would say one big decision or one other thing that really helped, you know, kind of launch our growth and continue kind of the pace that we were at was finding and hiring the right people I think when I first got started out, obviously, as a new entrepreneur, you're doing a lot of things yourself. You're trying to wear, you know, 20 different hats at a time, which put a lot of stress You know? It was a lot of, a lot of work, a lot of stress.
And so, you know, about the year, year and a half mark, I was able to hire and bring on my first full time employee. I brought out a production manager to really allow me to kinda hone in and focus on you know, the entrepreneur things, the things that were gonna drive the business forward. And in turn, you know, still have somebody that was there for quality control there to kind of relay that experience to our customers.
So I think probably the biggest thing would be finding the right people, not just people, but the right people to kind of fill seats and, you know, realize there's only 24 hours in a day. 7 days a week. So, there's not an ability to do everything and be successful without burning yourself out. So I think that would probably be the biggest thing that I would look to is, you know, being able to find and bring on the right people.
Yeah. And I I wanna I wanna expound into this just because I I know a little bit more of your story than what you've shared so far, but because even at what you just said when you brought on the and your first full time person to to to project manage, before that, it's not like you were painting. You you you had cruise that you are managing. So because that's that's that's even step number 1, really.
Sure. Sure. There are people out there right now potentially listening to this podcast who are still doing the work, whatever the business is, whether it's in the trades, whether it's the marketing, whether it's whatever. And so there has to be a play for them to step out of that and then into a management role. And then what you said is even, like, the next level of, okay, so now I needed to hire a key role so that the actual task itself can be managed, but not even by me either.
You know what I mean? Yeah. Definitely. I think that was key. You know, ultimately, you're only as good as your people. And, you know, we run a subcontractor model, but, ultimately, you know, not all subs are created equal, right? Right. Not all painters are the same quality painter, right?
So being able to, I think, again, my background and my experience in the industry and my connections in the industry kind of allowed me or pointed me in the direction of some people that were good fits from the get go, from the start.
But also that, you know, that's one of those things that's a reoccurring issue that you're dealing with, you know, not just at the beginning, it's always, you know, being able to acquire you know, hire and retain, you know, good employees and people that match your, your core values and what you're looking to accomplish as a business as a whole. So Yeah. Yeah. I would say that that was humongous finding the right people and putting them in the right seat, so to speak.
Yeah. I think that you're right on. I and and it makes you actually think of several good friends that I have that are in, like, whether it's insurance or real estate agents who are bringing on other you know, 1099s. And that's in essence what a what a sub is is that they're they're part of you, but Sure. But they're kind of their own person also. And so the difficulty there of leading that person is different than a w 2.
And and and in some ways, much harder, right, because they're part of your team. They need to be part of your DNA, but at the same time, they can technically just say, screw you. I'm gonna go do my own thing. So Sure. So give us some info insight there of, like, how you've been able to manage that Chaz far as, like, you know, finding the right people, keeping them in the right seat. Like, what have you actually done in the practical there to, like, connect with that type of relationship?
That person that doesn't really have to be there, but they Definitely. Well, I think that that's great. Awesome question. I think that's the biggest thing is that ultimately, you're looking to create a a mutually beneficial relationship, right? You want people that match your values, that match what, you know, match your customer, your ideal target market.
And so I think it's, you know, being able to vet and, you know, really sit down with these, you know, 10.90 nines up front and relay what you're looking for. And understanding that it's not really, you know, anybody and everybody's not going to be a fit being honest about that upfront. I think one thing that's made our business or, you know, that's helped is the flexibility for, you know, 1099 contractors because they can work with me.
You know, I can keep them busy, but they sell their own projects, have their own opportunities, having that flexibility to still be able to kind of do their own. So I think being able to find that middle point, so to speak, you know, being able to find that mesh point where it works for both parties. And then ultimately taking care of taking care of your guys I think, you know, if you don't take care of your guys, then you don't have your guys. Right?
So 1st and foremost, I think it's someone else will have. Exactly. For sure. So keeping them busy, paying them, you know, Wolfe, and then, you know, doing those other small things that I think go unnoticed sometimes, you know, but If people know that they're valued and they really see it as a mutually beneficial partnership, I feel like that goes a a very, very long way. Yeah. I I agree with you. Okay. So let's flip the coin over, and let's talk about a bad decision that you've made.
I mean, you I'm I'm I'm curious about this answer because of all the growth that you've had, I'm sure there's been some mistakes, but give us the juiciest one you can you can think of. Yeah. I would say probably the biggest mistake is I think when you or when I started off, I can't speak for anyone else, but when I started my business, I tried to be any and everything to everybody. I think the saying goes that, you know, the person that chases multiple rabbits catches none.
Yeah. And I remember starting out, you know, saying, oh, we can do interior painting. We do exterior painting. We can do decorative concrete. We could do fences. We could do epoxy flooring. We kind of try to be too many things to, you know, any and every customer. And I think that, you know, we learned some tough lessons going through that. Give us one. Tell us the details. Sure. Well, I think, for instance, we took on a polyaspartic, 4 coating project, my 1st year in business.
And it was something, again, I came from a paint manufacturer. So, you know, I knew the products. I knew the process, but it was something we hadn't done before. So you know, being able to relay realistic expectations or relay what a process should look like. And we had a customer that know, ultimately, the floor turned out great, but there were some imperfections that he wasn't necessarily happy. And it, you know, became a headache.
You know, ultimately, I wouldn't say we bid off more than we could chew because I think we produced the project. And, ultimately, the customer was happy overall. But, sure. You know, it took a lot of time, and we were way over budget on the project. We couldn't really account for, you know, the materials that were needed on the job prior to. So, you know, big learning opportunity.
I wouldn't say it was a, you know, I guess, a, a bad decision, but I I'd like to see it more as learning opportunities, things that, you know, you you take on, you try out, you realize, is it really a fit or what you wanna be or, you know, what you're trying the solution you're trying to provide.
So, yeah, I would say that was probably a prime example of just you know, targeting the wrong market or a customer that ultimately wasn't really for us or what our core mission or what we're looking to accomplish with Yeah. Yeah. I I you're a 100% right. Obviously, like, this is something that that a lot of owners do. And I would say that every owner has done it to a degree before they finally realize.
And and and I think the scarcity play, and and you kinda alluded to it a little bit, but you were scared at the beginning. Right? And that's most people are like, I'm brand new. Like, I gotta get jobs. I gotta kinda hustle. And so what would you say to the person listening right now who's kind of in that place of, like, oh, I hear you, Evan. Like, I know what you're saying. I gotta dial in. But, like, man, if I do, then I then I turn away this money.
And I'm like, I'm just trying to grow as it is, and I'm if who am I to turn away money? What would you say to that response? I would say that a lot of the the ones that you know you shouldn't take on are those opportunities that don't feel or don't seem like the right fit. A lot of times they're creating more headache than benefit.
And I think your time is better utilized and spent ultimately going after what your target, you know, customer or market is So I think that should be step 1, you know, for a new entrepreneur is really identifying what your target market is, what your customer looks like and then turn marketing to that customer, but I feel like ultimately pulling yourself in too many directions or trying to be, you know, any and everything for everybody.
Ultimately, just, you know, again, could cause issues, could cause troubles. And very worst case, we'll be learning opportunities that you can learn from and grow from eventually. But I would say that it is important to know who you're looking to market to as opposed to just marketing to any and everybody. I feel like that's very good. Exactly.
I think even just for the delivery perspective, like, you're saying is that the time worth spent doing the actual thing can be honed in, especially if you're just focused on the same thing over and over, you get better and better and better, which makes it make more money for you Chaz well as it it it produces a better product, which then usually gets you more business and more referrals and more better, you know, a good experience on the on the back end for the client.
So lots of good ways of of what Evan's telling you guys right now to to to lean in. One quick thing. This is interesting because you had mentioned this earlier, when you're working at the paint shop, you said you got to see you know, companies that were doing it well and companies that weren't doing it Wolfe. What, like, what was the difference? Like, why why what's stood out as one doing it well and the other one not doing it well? Yeah. Well, I think it was more. I was a sales rep.
So I was kinda working hand in hand with, you know, residential contractors. But I went from a huge territory with, you know, multimillion dollar companies to a brand new scratch territory with guys that were just starting out I think the biggest thing you realize is that the bigger companies, they have systems in place. Right? They've had a proven process. They've been doing it for a Wolfe.
There's little tidbits here and there, I mean, from every customer that I could take away, right, which kinda gave me this whole database of things to pull from our idea when I started out, you know, trade secret, so to speak. But I think the biggest thing is, like, systems and infrastructure, right, that no matter who the customer is, no matter what the project is, that things are being done, in an exact way. Right?
I found out too that, you know, marketing the customers, how to build value Right? If you're just a price guy or a price, you know, you're basing everything on price and not bringing value to the to the table, I feel like it sets you up for failure and set you up with the wrong type of customer.
So I knew off that, you know, that marketing was gonna be huge, that branding was gonna be huge, that bring into a an estimate, you know, being able to relay that to the customer, you know, so the marketing material and the brochures, the pamphlets, being able to speak about my experience, right, being in the industry, offering a product that ultimately is bringing the benefit to the customer and then being able to relay that benefit and the alternative, right, versus the market, right?
If I'm coming to market with this particular product, what makes that better? Than the paint that, you know, the guy that walks up and writes an estimate down on a piece of paper.
You know, how to really distinguish and and, you know, built that value proposition for that customer so that they understand, you know, what value you bring and then ultimately, why they wanna work with So I think that was probably the biggest difference from, you know, I guess, the bigger companies that were more established versus the the new companies that were just getting started out, you know, the knowledge and experience, the branding, what
you bring to the table to break to build value with your prospective customer. Yeah. I So everything that you just said, just kinda recap for the for the listener here. I mean, he said systems, which is a 100% true and a repeatable process, which is also a 100% true, but those apply to both the front and the back end of the business. And he he he actually said it right here, but I'm just I wanna recap it. So on the front end, it's the experience of your sales process.
That's what Chaz we saw about when you when you're talking about value. What how are you interacting with your client through the marketing and then sales process so that they feel like you're not only providing them what they need, but that that you're the right one to do it. And that and that they they they want you to do it. And then on the back end, it's the same thing. You have to deliver the product.
Even though that the project might be a little different each time, you need to deliver it in a customizable way. And so there's operate there's operations. There there's systems for all of Chaz, but what you're saying kind of as a nutshell is you gotta have a repeatable process. Am I am I am I hearing you right? A 100%. It has to be repeatable.
You have to be able to explain it, and you have to be able to build value in it to make sure that the customer realizes what makes you different from anybody else that they're gonna be having out for estimate. So Yeah. It also sets really good expectations. Right? Like, on the back end, if they know what to expect, then usually Chaz that's where disgruntled or bad experience comes from is just like a misunderstanding. Right? Sure. Yeah. But it's all communication.
So, yeah, I think being able to display it, you know, I think a lot of times people are visual. So they need to see it. You can explain it. You can come in with this huge bill, but being able to, like, you know, actually present and show a customer and way and a customer so they have realistic expectations and and understanding for what that project may look like, I think, goes a a long way. Yeah. 100%. I love it.
Okay. Do you have, Evan, some sort of, like, a process or a discipline that you follow to make good decisions now now that you've kinda been through the the the the difficulty, if you Wolfe, like, what do you what do you do now? I guess the biggest thing is understanding that, you know, I'm still work in progress and that our company's still a work in progress.
I think, you know, when you hire the right people and fill the seats with the right, you know, the right team, so to speak, that it gives you, you know, great sounding board. I've been a firm believer, you know, that I don't want this to be a dictatorship, right? Because I brought in, you know, team members and production managers, office secretaries, things of that sort, you know, that we're a team. Ultimately. And their experiences, what they see, what they've heard means a lot.
So I think realizing that, you know, we may be running at, you know, I would say, great efficiency and things are running smoothly Chaz we could always be better. So I think being open to listening to, not only your team, but to your customers. It's good. We're really big with trying to get feedback after every project and obtain a review, but this constructive criticism Right? What can we do better? You know, what did you enjoy about this process? What did you not like?
You know, what can we have done better? You know, even one thing I do when I go out to prospect of customers is I ask, Hey. Have you hired a painter in the past? You know, what was your experience? Tell me more about it. What'd you like? What did you not like? I think the more information you can gather about what is working and what's not gives you an opportunity to fix it, whereas if you're, you know, have your head in the sand, you're like, Hey, everything is great.
We're doing everything exactly how it's supposed to be done. I think that's what tends to kinda bite you in the backside, so to speak. So I think being open and understanding that it's an evolving process and that you have to evolve with your customers and with your team in order to kind of take those next steps. Yeah. It's a great answer. I love it.
One thing that you said in there as far as, like, following up after the projects and and even trying to go for a review, doesn't doesn't that Evan leave, like, them, like, you know, a spot to complain? Obviously, I'm playing a little little devil's advocate here, but, like, help help me out here. Help help the listener understand. Why would you call him and say, hey. What did you think? What did did did you like it? Did we do a good job? What could we have done better?
Like, how would spend the time doing that when it just opens the door for complaint? Well, I think it's all comes out of perspective and what you're looking at. Right? If you think you or if you know, if you think, if you know, you provide a great process, you know, you provide a great end product, that people are gonna be proud of and happy about I feel like it doesn't really open the door. You know, it does open the door, I guess, for negative criticism that they didn't have a good experience.
But I think by the experience that we hope to bring, and that we're upfront about. I think when we lead, you know, my production production manager schedules an initial walk through with the customer, He shows up, and the first words out of his mouth are, you know, we're here to give you a a great job and earn a 5 star review, not be given, but earn a 5 star review.
And I think that if you're leading with that and setting that expectation that they're gonna have a 5 star experience and that you're gonna put your money where your mouth is and actually perform and deliver that, then I think, you know, it's setting that expectation up from, and then the customer feels an obligation, so to speak, to be able to follow through. So You know, we say that upfront. We ask for it upfront, and we say, hey.
You know, if we're able to do, well, once we deliver, you know, this 5 star experience, we would love a review. You know, a lot of customers are happy at the end to be able to to write us that review. And I think that's one cool thing about painting is that you know, they're transformations, right? These people are living in a home or, let's just say, the exterior of a house. Right? That's what they're seeing every day. They pull out the garage. They pull into the garage.
They see that every day. So when you see this dramatic difference in fresh paint and, you know, premium craftsmanship, customers are happy. They're excited, right, at this transformation. So I think it, all in all, gives us this opportunity to really provide a service that I think makes a difference. And makes our customers happy.
And once we do that with our communication and the overall experience, we're confident that if we ask for a review gonna be a positive review, not negative criticism about their experience. Yeah. Well, and and if they did have a bad experience, you would actually wanna know that, wouldn't you? Yeah. We definitely wanna know it. And I think Chaz, again, we're kind of a hands on company where our production manager is on-site daily throughout the project.
So if anything, we get an opportunity to resolve those objections upfront. Right? We're communicating. We're there. We're available. Right? Customer comes home at 5 o'clock at night and has a question or a concern, you know, they have that point of contact, to reach out to. And then, of course, we're top of it to make sure that, you know, we're resolving any objections or any problems to make sure that the customer's having a good experience.
So I think it goes back to just again, creating that experience that, you know, customers are gonna enjoy. And then ultimately, if you provide that, you can feel confident that, you know, asking them for a review or, opening up that Pandora's box, so to speak, is gonna, you know, come out with a positive result. Yeah. 100%. Love that. Okay, Evan. You ready for the speed round? Yes, sir. Let's do it. Alright. Here we go.
First question is if you could only pick one metric out of your entire business to track forever and ever, what would it be? Definitely customer experience. So I would say, you know, those reviews. Right? I think that comes down to me you know, the numbers obviously matter, and we track our numbers and review our numbers and make plans based on that.
But if we're taking care of our customers, if we have happy customers, not only are they gonna become repeat customers, not only are they gonna refer us to friends and family, but just organically, we've really been able to build this business you know, not investing in much marketing or, social media management campaigns, anything. It's just been kind of word-of-mouth.
So I would say customer satisfaction, is probably the the most valuable metric or the thing that I would wanna track because I think ultimately if you take care of your customers and you do good work Chaz you know, that sales funnel is gonna stay full. Yeah. That's huge. I think I love how you tied it back to sales because, you know, a lot of times the answer is, you know, sales or revenue or net profit, which is understandable.
That probably would be my answer as Wolfe, but your that was your answer too, but you got there through the experience and and those and the the tracking of it through reviews and such. So I love that. Second question is this. What book would you recommend that a figure earner or, owner, Marie trying to get to that 7 figure revenue 1? I got 2 for you, actually. Okay. I would say number 1, step 1 is the E Myth revisited by a Michael Gerber.
Yeah. As far as systems processes, being able to kinda create that franchise model Chaz transferable, you know, so that the process is the same every time no matter who's performing it. I think that was huge and humongous for me, especially starting out. So I would say that that's big, The second one that I'll that I think has just been transformational and really big for our business is traction by Regina Whitman. Yeah. We've reviewed that book We read it multiple times as a team.
We practice it, you know, on the daily. We have our quarterly rocks that we're chasing after. But I think, you know, traction really allowed us to create a team vision and understand, you know, goals and where we're headed.
I think the first, you know, year and a half or so of the business, we were just kind of taken a day by day, this whatever came our way, but I think that traction really has allowed us to create a vision, create goals, and then break down those goals into smaller goals and then smaller goals so that it's easily trackable and knowing that you are making changes.
So Yeah. I would say traction by general Wickman is a a must read and a great, great book to kinda help align your team and get everybody on the same page.
It also really helps with you know, identifying what the ideal, you know, employee is and, you know, being able to find the right people and put them in the right seats because I think a lot of times we have a tendency to kind of, you know, just hire to hire, so to speak, and a lot of times Chaz can cause more issues than than help if it's not done correctly.
Yeah. Because I think to your point, there's there's 2 different types of maybe decisions that you make in the hiring process is who is this person? Are they a good fit for the bus? And and then what seats specifically on the bus are they best suited for it? Because they can they can be a good person. They could be a, you know, good attitude, good fit morally and and culturally, but maybe they're in the wrong seat or you hired them for the wrong position.
And and that's just a quick and easy move as long as you can recognize it. So I think that that's that's great that you've been able to to say that and also figure it out amongst your team. I love how you said you the team has read it too because that's a pretty easy way to communicate a message is, like, we all receive the message at the same time in the same space and time. You know? Yeah. Having the opportunity to read it as a team. You know, obviously, our business is somewhat seasonal.
You know, we do interiors year round our, you know, bread and sweaters, exterior repaints. And here in Colorado, you can only do those, you know, from, you know, May through November or so. So during our slower season, we really took the opportunity as a team to kind of read through it, you know, have weekly meetings to go through what we read, how that related to our business, how what we could implement.
And again, I think getting everybody on the same page and headed in the same direction, I'm standing what your goals are. This creates, another level of buy in and really has allowed us to, you know, grow pretty quickly just with everybody being on the same page. Makes a lot of sense. Okay. Do you intentionally network and mastermind with other entrepreneurs? Definitely. Why? Sure. Well, this is I'm I'm a part of a BNI group here in the Denver area.
And that's just been absolutely humongous for my business. I would say, you know, for any new entrepreneur, especially that's in a trade or a service industry, highly, highly, highly recommend BNI. I think you know, being not only being able to kinda network with, you know, like minded entrepreneurs, but a lot of people that are going through the same, you know, things that you are a lot of people that are just starting off or branching off.
So the opportunity and ability to kinda grow with others, I think, is is great. And then also, you know, having 30, 35 people that know you, know you well, know you personally, and can refer you with confidence, I think, is a amazing way to kinda help build your exposure, especially at the ground levels more organically. Right?
Yeah. I can, you know, show around or hop around and, you know, introduce myself to you know, 15, 20 people in a week, but, you know, if I Chaz thirty people that know me well and as soon as, you know, they somebody in their network has a request for a painter, they can refer me with affectal lemons and makes a huge difference. And the mastermind groups, I think, as Wolfe, are are humongous. I'm a part of one that's been really big for my business.
I think being able to especially talk to people that are in the same industry as you. And, you know, lots that have a lot more experience than I have and been around the couple times. It's great to be able to pick their brains and see what's worked for them, what hasn't worked for them, mistakes they've made in the past. I think it saves a lot of time and energy to you know, not have to go through and make some of the mistakes that others before you have.
So I think, you know, still having relationships in the industry, still talking to previous customers of mine. And then being Chaz, for other people too. Right? A lot of people have reached out and, you know, hey, Evan. How did you do this? Or, hey, Evan. It seems like you're killing it here. Like, what What advice would you give me?
I think being able and willing to be that for others has been, you know, really big for me too, being able to be that resource and knowing that I've had people do the for me. So I'm I'm big in the networking and master my Yeah. Stage. Yeah. Yeah. You've given us several examples.
I I just wanna say the the just to reiterate the last piece that said there for the listener because most likely at the stage that the listener is at, not quite at that seven figure mark yet, it's so difficult to be able to wanna give back. Right?
And that's really that last piece that you said is whether it's a part of a group or, you know, just a local thing that you do in your community, but when you when you pour into other people, specifically entrepreneurs, even, you're basically you're you're you're you're reiterating or you're coaching for lack of better terms yourself.
And I did this for many years, whereas, like, you know, people would ask, oh, I would spend the time coaching whether sales or or business before I ever got paid for it. It was because I was coaching me. Yeah. I wasn't being I was saying accountable to me in my processes, and because it there was no way I was gonna teach somebody else to do it if I wasn't doing it myself just for Sure. Basic integrity.
So I love how you said that because that really is the full circle of you can tell when someone's at, I love, you can tell someone at a at a certain revenue perspective in their business because of their effective on the community.
And so Chaz piece that you just gave, if I had not known you, if I had not known your balance sheet or your amount of revenue, I still would have guessed, that you were at the place that you are because when people are as much of a giver Chaz they might as they try to get and receive, it it changes the dynamic of not only their business, their team, but just the actual, like, reach of their business, it feels like. At least that's my experience. Would you agree with that?
Definitely agree with that. I think BNI is, like, you know, main slogan is Givers' game, and I'm a fair believer in that. I feel like what you give kind of comes back full circle. And so like I said, you know, ultimately when I started out, you know, knowing that I had connections and, you know, previous customers, previous friends that, you know, own pain companies may be able to pick their brain. I remember kind of how valuable that was to me when I was starting out and just getting started.
And so being able to provide that and be that for other people. I know it's just kinda putting it back in the universe, because there's some levels that I haven't reached yet that ultimately I wanna get there. And I know people that are there now. You know, I'm hoping that they have that same kind of, you know, ability to be able to put a hand down and say, hey, this is what I did, or, Hey. This is what I would recommend or point you in the right direction.
So Yeah. I'm definitely trying to be Chaz, but be the change that we wanna see. Right? I love it. Yes. Thank you. I got I got one question for you. I'm gonna surprise you with it. It's a question that I didn't prep you with. If you only had 1 hour each week to run your business. What would you do in that 1 hour to successfully run your business? 1 hour. 1 hour. That's all you get. I would go back to no. I'll put it back to the customer. Right? I would communicate with my customers.
Current projects that are going on that week prospect earlier to projects that are scheduled for the following week. I think, you know, reaching out, setting the expectations. I'm checking in with them, you know, reiterating kind of process of what to expect from us. So, yeah, that's a tough question, Chaz. I don't think a hour is enough, man. You know, they're gonna to run a business. Not yet. Not yet. You're not there yet. Yes, sir. Well, I think that's step 1, though. Right?
Customer we're a customer focused company. We're customer oriented. It's all about customer experience. So my mind right away just shoots to what can I do to make sure that my customer's taking care of and that my customer understands? Kind of where they're at in the pipeline, what's coming, and what to expect. So setting realistic or just expectations with my customers, if I only had 1 hour a week Chaz where I would spend that hour. Yeah. Love it. Okay. Last question. Are you ready? Alright.
Let's do it. If you lost it all, Evan, what would you do? Man, ah, that one I struggle with, Chaz, I I think first thing I would do actually, first thing I know I would do is I would vacation. I I pro I probably take, like, you know, 2, 3 weeks. I was gonna say you already said you're you can only take 2 or 3 weeks before you get hungry again. So we know you wouldn't be gone for long. Exactly, man. I would give a little time to refresh.
I think that, you know, this entrepreneurship journey, right? I think if anything is really taught me that it is a marathon, not a sprint, right, that Yeah. The way I see this is it's a long term thing. And so, yeah, I think that if I lost it all, I would definitely reset rest, clear my mom, get an opportunity.
I think that, you know, just as our society, right, we're just kinda trading the condition to work, work, work, work, And I think once you start a business, especially those 1st couple of years, you're just work work, work working. So I think, you know, the ability to kind of reset rest, take a break, take a deep breath, get back to what really matters. Right? You know, spend some time with my family, spend time with my wife, my daughter, you know, those are the things that really truly matter.
And I think, you know, running a business or working in general is awesome, and I'm glad I'm an ambitious person. So you know, it's it means a lot to me to be able to wake up every morning and say, okay. Hey. You gotta get after it. But if I lost it all, I would probably take a deep deep breath and reset And then just get back to it. I think that this whole journey has taught me a lot about business in general.
And so I feel like if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't make a lot of the mistakes that I learned the first time around. Right? So, yeah, it would take a second to reset, and then I would just get right back to it, my man. That's awesome. Great answer. Appreciate that. Okay. Evan, how can someone connect with you? They wanna reach out to you. They wanna they wanna pick your brain. They wanna just find you on social. How how can they find Yeah.
Well, they can find me on social media on my Facebook. Again, my name is Evan Simmons. I'm on Facebook. We could be reached. I'm on LinkedIn as well. You can always connect with me there. As far as the company, again, it's panoramic Pro Painting. We're on Instagram. We got a YouTube channel in the work. So lots of cool stuff coming. But, yeah, check us out online, visit our website. We're really proud of our website. We'd love to showcase our work. Showcase our testimonials.
And if you check us out on Google, we have over 65 star reviews and a 4.9 rating. Only only one bad review you know, since we started the company out. So, you know, ultimately that's where you can find us if you're, you're looking for us and wanna see more of our work and get a better idea of our process. Yep. I love it. Well, you've given so much value here today.
Congratulations on 3 years of just, I'm sure you've been running at a extremely fast pace, but Congrat congratulations on the success that you've had. And even just like the value that you've given here today, it just it just exudes from you. I can tell that you live this every day. I can tell that it's in your being. It's it's who you're meant to be. So it's an honor to to run with guys like you. So thank you for your time today. We really appreciate it.
Yeah. Thanks so much for having me, Chaz. I appreciate the opportunity. Thanks for listening to Gathering the Kings. We hope you got a ton of value today and learn a thing or 2 taking your business to 7 figures and beyond if you desire more and want a community around you to help you get there, but want you to go to gathering the Kings dot com. That's gathering the king's dot com, and I want you to apply for our next becoming a king 90 day intensive.
We are extremely exclusive by nature as a group. What that means that we're really wanting only the entrepreneurs who take their business and targets super serious to apply. So if that's you, you think you got what it takes to level up your business. I want you to go to gathering the king's dot com and apply. And we will see