Out of the Hourglass

Hosted by Nolan Consulting Group

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286

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Out of the Hourglass, presented by Nolan Consulting Group, is here to help Small Business Owners and Contractors alike visualize their goals, develop their team & build sustainable growth. You'll hear from our panel of NCG Coaches on a variety of topics, guest speakers from top industry resources, Business Owners sharing best practices and a focus on strategies across sales, marketing, business planning, human resources and more. We're here to take you "out of the hourglass" and reach YOUR Summit.

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60 recent

August 19, 202653 min

Ep. 281: The Work Series | Rethinking the Field: Austin Ilsley on Ai Painting's Shift to the Sub Model

This is the first episode of our Work Series - a three-part look at how painting companies are rethinking their organizational models. When the numbers stopped working, Austin Ilsley and his wife Lacie faced a decision that would change everything about how they run their field team at Ai Painting Plus . Austin walks us through the financial turning point that pushed them away from a full W2 model and what the shift to subcontractors actually looked like on the ground. From rebuilding their team to redefining where control lives in the business, he shares the real lessons behind a transition that's now producing financial health.

August 5, 20261 hr 1 min

Ep. 280: Mid-Year Marketing Check In – Same Tactics, New Steroids

Halfway through 2026, what's actually moving the needle in marketing and what's just noise? David Kryszczak, Founder & President of Spartan Digital, joins the show for a mid-year reality check on AI, search behavior, and where trades businesses should be spending (and not spending) their marketing dollars. From AEO and "robots tricking robots" to the return of direct mail and the truth about AI voice agents, David breaks down what's working, what's hype, and how to keep your business visible no matter how fast the algorithms change.

July 22, 202640 min

Ep. 279: Business is Messy — Facing the Brutal Facts of Cash Flow, Divided Leadership, & AI Anxiety

Stop bleeding cash during your busiest seasons and discover how to project exactly where every dollar goes before a financial crunch hits your business. In this episode of Business is Messy, Brian Nolan and Colin Nolan discuss how to dismantle "camel leadership" to get your management team rowing in perfect sync, plus a practical blueprint to audit your operations for AI adoption without triggering employee panic. Tune in to master the exact tools needed to eliminate the back-end chaos, reclaim your peace of mind, and turn everyday operational messes into structured, predictable victories.

July 8, 202642 min

Ep. 278: What It Really Takes – Inside the Business Excellence Certification and the 2025 Recipients

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 customers. Kathryn walks through how the certification was built, what the review process looks like, and which metrics tend to be the hardest to hit. Plus, a well-deserved congratulations to the 2025 recipients: Kennedy Painting, Olympic Painting, River Birch Builders, and Textbook Painting

June 24, 20261 hr 24 min

Ep. 277: The AI Operator & Data Ladders — Where You Are and What's Next

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 out exactly where they stand on both. Whether you're just getting started or already deep into building with AI, there's a clear next step waiting for you. To complete the Scorecard, visit https://www.paintos.app/ai

June 10, 202641 min

Ep. 276: Real Talk on Safety – Perspectives from Five Trades Leaders

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're a business owner thinking about where safety fits in your company, we think this one’s for you. Thank you to the following contributors for sharing their voice on this episode: Rumel Perez, Safety Manager at Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Hernan Jimenez, Safety Manager at Nolan Painting Vicente Verduzco, Director of Operations at MB Jessee Raul Marino, Production Manager at MB Jessee Chris Barnett, Safety Coordinator at Apap Painting & Renovations Jazmin Gonzalez, Project Coordinator at All Covered Painting

May 27, 202644 min

Ep. 275: Automate First – An Honest Take on AI, Zapier, and Smarter Systems with Lindsey Mueller of Sound Painting Solutions

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 coding and brainstorming tool without handing over the wheel, and what she'd tell any trades business owner ready to start simplifying their operations

May 20, 202652 min

Ep. 274: The New Spectrum – Hiring the Right Leaders and Learning to Let Go with Rich Lauretta

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-to-day. Honest, practical, and packed with insight for any owner ready to scale.

May 13, 202654 min

Ep. 273: The Team That Wanted to Free Him: Pete Grandin on Building a Management Team That Transformed GrandScapes

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 weekly meetings without him, Pete's story is a blueprint for what's possible when you invest in the right people. If you're a trades owner still carrying everything yourself, this one is worth your time.

May 6, 202659 min

Ep. 272: Working Genius in Action — Hiring, Retention, and Leadership | with Alysa Medina of Painters USA

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 hiring, onboarding, coaching, and daily leadership… and the remarkable results that followed, including dropping field turnover from 70% to 30–35% To learn more about Working Genius from Patrick Lencioni & The Table Group, visit https://www.workinggenius.com/