Eric Barstow graduated with an economics degree, seemingly destined for Wall Street. Instead, he stuck with the painting business he started in college—a side hustle that was already generating $110,000 a year while he worked only five to ten hours a week. Realizing the massive opportunity and low competition in the home service space, Eric leaned in. Today, he is the co-founder of National Painting Group, projecting $35 million this year, and runs Painting Business Pro. And guess what? He barely knows how to paint.

Eric’s entire model proves entrepreneurs don't need trade skills to build a multi-million dollar service business; they need systems. His strategy relies entirely on leveraging subcontractors—a method that fixes profit margins, eliminates liability, and perfectly manages seasonal slowdowns. He reveals his exact tactics for finding reliable subs (including his specific Craigslist and paint store strategies) and shares the "Phase Zero" marketing hustle needed to land your first customers, including his scripts for door-to-door marketing.

He details his proven sales process, including how to use price anchoring and specific incentives to close deals on the spot, and breaks down the financial model required to maintain a 20% net profit margin. If you want to build a highly profitable business without ever picking up the tools, this episode is essential listening.

Takeaways:

- You do not need to be skilled in the trade to build a successful trade business; Eric is an awful painter, but he excels at building marketing, sales, and management systems.

- Leveraging subcontractors instead of employees is the most efficient way to scale a service business, as it fixes your margins (fixed price per job), reduces liability, and allows you to scale up or down instantly with seasonal demand.

- Find reliable subcontractors by posting ads twice daily in both the "general labor" and "skilled trades" sections of Craigslist, or by approaching painters in unmarked vans at local paint stores.

- In "Phase Zero" (getting from $0 to stability), focus only on marketing that generates leads quickly, such as door-to-door sales and lawn signs. Avoid long-term plays like SEO or vehicle wraps.

- A highly effective lawn sign strategy is placing them near high-traffic retail areas (like Costco or Whole Foods) on a Friday afternoon, as city workers are unlikely to remove them over the weekend.

- Use "price anchoring" in your sales process. Before showing the contract, verbally tell the customer the typical price range for a job their size (e.g., "A house like this is usually about $6,000") to reset their expectations.

- Create urgency and close deals on the spot by offering incentives that also benefit your business, such as a small dollar amount discount (never a percentage) if they sign that day or agree to take an urgent open spot on your schedule.

- You should aim for a 20% net profit margin. A healthy budget allocates 50% to labor/materials, under 10% to marketing, 6-7% to sales, 6-7% to project management, and 7-8% to overhead.

- The market size is irrelevant; success depends on implementation. Eric has clients doing millions in revenue in towns with populations as small as 27,000.

- Build the business around your desired lifestyle from day one. By setting firm constraints (like working only 30 hours a week or never on weekends), you force yourself to build efficient systems rather than just working more hours.

Tags: Business Skills, Service & Consulting, Subcontracting, Marketing, Home Service

Resources:
Grow your business today: https://links.upflip.com/the-business-startup-and-growth-blueprint-podcast

Connect with Eric: https://paintingbusinesspro.com/

Alex Smereczniak's entrepreneurial journey began in college, where he scaled a simple laundry service into a $300,000 a year business with a single, brilliant marketing hack. That early success was so powerful that he walked away from a prestigious corporate job after just 18 months, convinced the 9-to-5 was a broken system. His next venture led him into the world of franchising, where he uncovered its dark side: an industry filled with biased brokers and misaligned incentives. To fix this, he built Franzy, a revolutionary AI-powered marketplace known as the "Zillow for franchises," designed to bring transparency and data-driven matching to aspiring entrepreneurs.

In this episode, Alex demystifies the path to successful business ownership and breaks down who franchising is truly for—from the corporate warrior seeking an exit to the investor looking for a profitable side hustle. He provides a clear roadmap for starting a business, detailing how to secure financing through options like SBA loans and identify the business ideas that genuinely align with your lifestyle goals, and explains the myth of passive income.

Tune in to learn how to avoid costly industry traps and leverage a proven playbook to find the franchise that will build your future.

Takeaways:

- A single clever marketing angle is more powerful than a large budget; Alex turned a $30k business into $300k with one strategic move at student orientation.

- Don't wait for the "perfect time" to start your business, as it will never come; the best time to take the entrepreneurial leap is always today

- Franchising can nearly double your chances of success, with 85% of franchises surviving past five years thanks to a proven playbook and support system.

- Define your personal "why" before buying a business; true wealth is aligning your work with goals like lifestyle and happiness, not just chasing the highest profit.

- Be skeptical of franchise brokers, as their large commissions from specific brands can create biased recommendations that benefit them more than you.

- Business ownership is more accessible than you think with financing options like SBA loans and using your retirement funds tax-free via a ROBS rollover.

- AI platforms are disrupting the old franchise model by providing unbiased, data-driven recommendations, removing the need for biased brokers.

- The idea of passive income from a new franchise is a myth; success requires consistent, hands-on effort, especially in the beginning.

- A corporate job can be the perfect catalyst for entrepreneurship by revealing the flawed systems you want to escape and build something better for yourself.

- Accelerate your success by surrounding yourself with mentors and peers who are already further along on the entrepreneurial journey you wish to take.

Tags: SaaS, Entrepreneurship, AI, Passive Income, Franchising

Resources:

Grow your business today: https://links.upflip.com/4oZ9D1w

Connect with Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-%F0%9F%A6%81-40310329/

Joseph Lambert was just 17 when a single four-hour junk removal job netted him $1,600 in cash. While his friends were focused on college applications, Joseph saw a different path—a simpler, more scalable business model that others overlooked. That one job was the spark that ignited a multi-million dollar enterprise, growing into a $1 million-a-month operation before he was old enough to legally drink.

In this episode, Joseph sits down with Ryan Atkinson to pull back the curtain on his rapid success. He reveals the exact marketing strategies and sales tactics he used to get his first customers and generate thousands of five-star reviews. You'll learn his non-negotiable hiring rules for building a trustworthy team, the secrets to creating an unforgettable customer experience that fuels repeat business, and the critical financial lesson he learned about the difference between revenue for vanity and profit for sanity.

If you're looking to start a home service business or scale your current operation, this interview is a masterclass in smart business growth. Joseph provides a practical blueprint on P&L management, leadership, and turning a simple, "unsexy" idea into a highly profitable empire. Tune in to discover the actionable advice you need to build your own successful business from the ground up!

Takeaways:

- The most important part of any service job is creating an exceptional customer experience that turns one client into five referrals through word-of-mouth.

- Make getting customer reviews a non-negotiable process by incentivizing your team with bonuses and monthly competitions; this is crucial for building social proof and trust.

- When starting out, build your marketing funnel from the bottom up, focusing first on high-intent channels like Google Ads before scaling to broader branding efforts.

- Your hiring standard should be simple: never hire someone you wouldn't feel comfortable sending to your mother's house. It's better to be understaffed than to compromise on quality.

- Prioritize profitability over revenue. "Top line is for vanity, bottom line is for sanity." Master your P&L management to ensure smart, sustainable growth.

- Track the KPIs you can control on a daily basis, such as labor and fuel costs. Give your team access to simplified financial reports to get their buy-in on hitting profit targets.

- For early business growth, leverage free marketing tactics relentlessly. Use your personal network, knock on doors, and be creative to acquire your first customers without a large budget.

- Find a mentor who is at least 20 years older than you. Their wisdom and experience are invaluable for avoiding common entrepreneurial mistakes.

- In the first few years of your business, pay yourself as little as possible and reinvest heavily—as much as 20-30% of revenue—back into marketing to accelerate growth.

- True fulfillment in entrepreneurship comes from a "bigger why" than just money, such as investing in your team and caring for customers. The dollars will follow if you do those things well.

Tags: Business Growth, Service & Consulting, Business Scaling, Hiring, Google Ads

Resources:

Start Your Business Today: https://links.upflip.com/45JBr1e

Connect with Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcohenlambert/