Out of the Hourglass

What does it really mean to run a business at the highest level? In this episode, Molly sits down with NCG Senior Business Coach and Director of Operations Kathryn Freeman to break down the Nolan Consulting Group Business Excellence Certification:  a multi-faceted framework that looks beyond revenue to measure how a business performs financially, how it treats its team, and how it shows up for its...

Chris Kiefer and Cody Hopkins of PaintOS powered by Boolean break down two separate ladders that determine how much value you're actually getting from AI: how you use it, and how clean your data is. They walk through real tools they've built for painting businesses, explain why understanding the true cost of AI matters more than most owners realize, and point listeners to a free scorecard to find...

June is National Safety Month and this episode is our way of honoring it. We gathered five leaders from NCG's Safety Peer Group, each representing a different role and a different corner of the trades, and asked them what safety really looks like inside their businesses. What you'll hear isn't theory, it's hard-won experience, honest conversation, and a few stories that will stick with you. If you...

Automation doesn't have to start with AI, it starts with a process you're fed up with. Lindsey Mueller, co-owner of Sound Painting Solutions in Seattle, has been building Zapier workflows for over a decade, and her approach is refreshingly practical: find what wastes time or creates errors, then eliminate it. In this episode, Lindsey walks through her automation-first mindset, how she uses AI as a...

Rich Lauretta has been building Spectrum Painting in Northern New Jersey since 1989 and recently made the boldest move of his career: hiring a Director of Operations, HR Manager, and Field Supervisor all at once to push the business toward a $10 million goal. In this episode, Rich gets candid about what it really takes to hire senior leaders, lead them effectively, and finally get out of the day-t...

Pete Grandin has spent over 40 years building GrandScapes into one of Rhode Island's premier landscaping companies — and the last few years have looked completely different. In this episode, Pete breaks down how building a structured management team transformed not just his business, but his day-to-day life. From delegating his maintenance division to empowering a team that now holds its own weekl...

What if you could understand how someone approaches their work before you ever put them in a seat - and use that understanding to build stronger teams, reduce turnover, and make your toughest conversations more productive? Alysa Medina, Senior VP of People Operations at Painters USA , has done exactly that using the Working Genius framework. Today she walks us through how she's integrated it into...

Most hiring decisions are made on gut feel and most bad hires reveal themselves long after the interview is over. In this episode, we sit down with Jane Allen, owner of Smart Work Assessments, and Mark Repkin, NCG Sales Coach and Principal of Unicorn Sales Advisory, to introduce the POP™ (Predictor of Potential) Assessment  a science-backed tool that Nolan Consulting Group is now certified to offe...

Finding and keeping a strong "number two" is one of the most important — and most difficult — hires a trades business owner will ever make. In this episode of Business is Messy, Brian and Colin make the case that the best candidate probably isn't coming from your industry — and break down exactly where to look, how to bring them on, and how to lead them once they're in the door. From outcome-based...

What does it take to go from a 5-person local plumbing company to a multi-location operation serving six counties - as an unknown in a brand new market? John Moskola, co-owner of Watson & Sons Plumbing, joins us to share the real story: the financial pressure, the contingency planning, the marketing investments that took months to pay off, and the coaching relationship that helped him see arou...

Safety programs don't protect your people -  safety culture does. And there's a big difference between having policies on paper and actually living them on the job site.  In this episode, Darren Lottes, National Safety Manager at Painters USA, and Mason Mimnaugh, Risk Management Consultant at Acrisure, walk us through what it really takes to achieve Summit Safety Level 2 certification, including t...

Your brand story is one of the most powerful tools you have, but most businesses don't know how to tell it. In this episode, Molly sits down with Dennis Williams, co-founder & Partner of 3 Bridges Consulting and former broadcast journalist, to explore what it really means to define and elevate your brand in a crowded market. Dennis makes the case that every trades business should think like a...

Annie Newton, founder of ProfitWorks , joins the podcast to share how fractional CFO services and strategic remote talent placement are transforming trades businesses. From weekly cash flow discipline to "financial empathy" in reporting, Annie breaks down what commercial painting companies need to scale profitably. She explains why separating financial clarity from operational chaos is the first s...

Cash flow is the number one reason businesses fail—even profitable ones. Luis Serrano, Founder of Serrano Bookkeeping , joins the show to discuss why trades businesses struggle with cash flow and how to fix it. From understanding the stress in-house bookkeepers face to implementing practical strategies for maintaining 2-3 months of operational capital, Luis shares insights on breaking the cycle of...

Pete DiStefano, President of DiStefano Brothers Companies, shares his 20-year journey from solo contractor to leading four thriving divisions: construction, floor coatings, closets, and electrical services. He gets candid about his early struggles with impulse-driven leadership and accountability, revealing the practical systems that helped him transform from visionary entrepreneur to intentional...

Are your sales reps following a script, or thinking strategically about each opportunity? Jeff Cramer, Sales Coach for Nolan Consulting Group and founder of Perceptive Learning, tackles one of the most common problems in trades sales: autopilot selling. When reps run the same process for every customer, they create tactical fatigue—high volume, low profit, and constant price pressure. Jeff explain...

COO of Coeur d'Alene Painting Group , Desiree Cleave, knows what it means to conquer the chaos -  running multiple businesses, raising kids, and navigating family business leadership dynamics all at once.  In this honest conversation, Des shares what it really took to find her voice in business, create the daily habits that set her up for success, and learn that sometimes the best thing you can do...

Business is Mess y is back, bringing you practical solutions to the challenges every growing trades business faces. Brian Nolan and Colin Nolan are digging into three challenges facing their clients right now: shifting sales teams from immediate-results thinking to relationship-building, navigating the complexities of family business succession, and creating accountability systems that actually st...

Rob Vallentine, National Mental Health Trainer, joins us following his powerful Grand Summit keynote that left attendees still reaching out months later with gratitude. Rob shares how equipping managers with mental health response skills can transform workplace culture, improve retention, and help leaders connect with their teams before problems escalate. Learn about the upcoming Mental Health Fir...

Succession planning isn't just about paperwork—it's about trust, timing, and knowing when to let go. Susan Kussin Tompkins shares her 32-year journey at Kent Countryside Nursery & Landscaping, from unexpected tragedy to a proud, intentional transition. She discusses implementing Profit First across two revenue streams, using winter downtime strategically, and why starting succession conversati...

Eric McDonald built CHP Paint Co.'s culture on a simple principle: you can't out-produce bad culture. After experiencing severe burnout in 2021, he made drastic changes—4-day work weeks, comprehensive benefits, employee recognition programs, and a two-week December shutdown. The results? Productivity increased, profitability soared, and December's "planned loss" became the strategic investment tha...

Start 2026 strong by focusing on what matters most: developing yourself and your key leaders. Brian Nolan shares his personal development goal of completing a Half Ironman and explains why setting challenging goals creates the foundation for developing others. Using the field supervisor role as an example, he breaks down the three critical areas any key leader must master—emotional intelligence, f...

HR compliance isn't just paperwork—it's what stands between your business and costly mistakes that can derail growth. In this conversation, Lisa DeMaria from Utopia Solutions breaks down the five most common HR misconceptions in trades businesses, from misclassifying workers to why your office manager can't do it all and the multi-state compliance traps that catch expanding companies off guard. Th...

Sydney Bates and Molly Nolan pull back the curtain on annual planning season, sharing key themes and lessons learned from the 20+ client site visits completed in recent months. Whether you've already done your 2025 planning or you're just getting started, this check-in covers what's working—from contingency planning and sales management structure to leadership development, geographic expansion, an...

Bill Drysdale , Principal of the Taysa Group , and Ross Hartmann, Founder of Kiingo AI, introduce NCG's new 6-month AI Accelerator Workshop designed specifically for trades businesses who want to gain a competitive edge through practical AI adoption. They explain why AI is a people and strategy challenge rather than a technical one, sharing how the program helps leaders develop clear implementatio...