We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Greg Miller . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Greg below.

Alright, Greg thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

It takes a healthy relationship with being uncomfortable, grit, and discipline. I would have argued until I was blue in the face that being successful in business was all about intelligence when I was younger. Being the smartest person in the room would be the recipe for achieving any goal you set forth. This could not be further from the truth. As I have matured the picture became more clear. Being smart enough to hire people who are more intelligent and more capable than you is the cheat code. Understanding that you have limitations and shortcomings. We all do! Identify them quickly and work to remove them from your responsibilities. Once you embark on that journey the next step is giving your team the facilities and tools necessary to do what they do best.

Being the smartest person in the room is great until you realize you are the only one sitting there. If I could hit the reset button, I would have hired more support staff on my operations and sales teams much quicker than I did.

Greg , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

What do you want to be when you grow up? This a question most of us are all too familiar with. This is something that I have wrestled with and continue to do each and every day. If you were to visit me in the past and tell me that I would own a commercial painting company, I don’t know that I would believe you. When I would be introduced to someone and people called me “Painter” I used to get embarrassed. I would slouch down like a turtle in its shell. As it turns out this was a very Immature ego response. When I was a teenager my mother had our kitchen remodeled and my uncle was tasked with hanging the wallpaper. As it was summer I was doing what most teens are “nothing”. He made an observation of this and enrolled me to help him with his work. I didn’t know anything but I understood compensation, a deal was struck and he was able to end his day much earlier than anticipated. With his newfound enthusiasm, he offered me a recurring gig. At this point, I was happy to get the money to save for car parts. He also agreed to provide transportation which was a plus since my parents both worked. I will never forget sleeping with my painter’s whites so I could get every last second of rest in anticipating his 5 am arrival. There may or may not have been a few times I did not hear him pull up. I have him to thank for understanding so many aspects of the business. He was very meticulous with his appearance, vehicle, and equipment. Part of my responsibilities was to organize our van and keep it washed/waxed. In hindsight, I realize he was drilling into me where each item went and what they looked like. I went on to work with him for many years working nights, weekends, and even after class. Later I went on to college and took a part-time position as a crew leader for a larger painting company. I intended to use my skill set to help pay my way through school studying architecture. As many things do in life plans change and so do responsibilities. In my junior year, I was blessed with my first child, Lucas. I decided to take what I had learned in school and work in the field and combine my knowledge to start my own company. Learning to read blueprints as it turned out would help us propel into doing some incredible jobs. We have worked with major brands such as BMW, Publix, Target, Volvo, Spinx, Bon Secours, Prisma, Aldi, and many others. Our company primarily focuses on commercial new construction and renovation projects. We typically work with the same general contractors and we have traveled as far as Denver, CO for projects.

I love what we do. Although I no longer participate in the field doing jobs I still take pride in all that our team has accomplished. Now I can proudly get on a stage and tell everyone in the room that I am a painter. It does not matter what you do if you enjoy it and you do it well. The painting actually fulfilled me in ways that I could not have identified as an adolescent. It requires attention to detail, math, science, physical ability, and creativity. All things that are very important to my well-being. In our 15 years in business, I have been able to check all the boxes for what is important to me.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Maintaining high morale can translate to one important component, genuinely caring about your staff and their lives. When I first started the company I had a very low tolerance for my employees that had things come up in their daily lives. Things like flat tires, needing to pay a bill, etc. I overheard an employee one time say something that forever changed my perspective. It was honest feedback and although it hurt, he was right. I was not allowing them the open space to communicate when they were having tough times. If someone has a reoccurring flat tire problem that usually is an indicator of something else going on. Sometimes it is a simple fix sometimes it is not. Either way, I am trying to help them find a solution. If you need some time off to take a family member or child to the dr. we will figure out a solution. Our staff has come together to help people fix their HVAC, medical bills, and much more. As a whole, they have big hearts and want to help each other. Another thing that has drastically impacted our culture is gratitude. Giving someone credit for their efforts and contribution to the success of something goes a long way. I am extremely grateful to all of our employees that have helped us accomplish all that we have. Without them, none of this would be possible.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My financial literacy has been completely uprooted and replanted since we started. Originally I had bootstrapped the business, which is code for I maxed out my credit cards and bought equipment/tools one piece at a time. I would not recommend this method since you need to revolve credit to build it. If you are starting a company do your research, and study business credit. There are so many tools available to small business owners that can provide capital for expansion, new equipment, etc. Your business, if filed correctly will have an Employer Identification Number or E.I.N. This is your business’s social security number. It is used to secure anything financial that is in the business name. Your personal credit does matter but if done correctly, they are separate.

Contact Info:

• Website: Greenpropainting.com
• Instagram: Adventurous_entrepreneur / GreenProPainting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenProPainting
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/gmillerceo/ linkedin.com/company/green-pro-painting/