285 - From Cabinet Painting to Design-Build: A 9-Year Journey to Scaling 3 Companies with Amy Hayes

Ever wondered how to transform a simple service business into a thriving design-build company? In this episode, Amy Hayes shares her remarkable 9-year journey from painting cabinets as a mother-daughter summer project to scaling three successful companies, including her $3.5M design-build firm. Her story proves that with determination and the right mindset, you can build something extraordinary without formal industry experience.

What You’ll Learn

• How to transition from a service-based business to a design-build model
• Why niching down can accelerate your growth and profitability
• How to build and lead an all-female team in a male-dominated industry
• Strategies for solving the proposal problem in design-build businesses
• The importance of finding resources and support systems in the contracting world

Time Stamps

00:45 - Episode & Guest Intro

01:11 - About Bloom: The Business Overview

02:33 - Women-Owned and Operated

06:15 - Starting with Cabinet Painting

10:21 - Challenges and Growth in Cabinet Painting

22:02 - Transition to Design-Build

31:56 - Monetizing the Business

32:28 - Exploring the Venue as a Lead Generator

34:13 - Addressing the Proposal Problem

35:04 - Challenges in Pricing and Communication

39:54 - Lessons Learned and Future Strategies

Snippets from the Episode

• "I think I had a pivotal moment there, saying, 'Am I really gonna let this stop something that is moving forward because of this one man and how he treated me?' And I decided, no, I'm not."- Amy Hayes
• "You have to invest in your business in order to grow it. It was just a really good time for us to do that."- Amy Hayes
• "A phrase that we used a lot, we would say we were building the plane as we're flying it, because that's what it felt like."- Amy Hayes
• "Find your resources, find your support... Don't be afraid to ask for help."- Amy Hayes

Key Takeaways

1. Start where you are with what you have
2. Focus on serving clients exceptionally well before worrying about pricing
3. Learn to price appropriately by seeking industry guidance
4. Set clear budget expectations early in client relationships
5. Find peer support even among competitors
6. Surround yourself with people who complement your weaknesses

Resources

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

• Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

• Need Marketing Help? We Recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Need Help with podcast production? We recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Demandcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Amy Hayes

• Bloom Kitchens
• Bloom Painting Company
• Linkedin

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Khalil

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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