SPEAKER_01 0:00

networking people that you're with like from a consumer perspective transactional and like you want to you know I I do painting like that's that's what I do all right welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter where we tell Northern Colorado's best entrepreneurs how are they able to network and grow their business through awesome relationships. And today I have an awesome guest Dustin Hunters from Ace and Diamonds painting is here today. Dustin welcome to the show. Thanks thanks for having me. Ace of Diamonds you got an ace up your sleeve you got to tell us the the story behind uh Ace of Diamonds.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Uh so yeah I um I liked the uh Casino Royale movie um that was kind of like coming out right when around the time that I started and uh just like it was really popular popular to play games of hold them like in college that time like right around that time when I was starting and so just thought that branding was cool and kind of stuck with you. And my dad was a graphic designer for IBM for a long time. So he kind of helped me I liked black stuff and he's like no you gotta do red. Um so and then and then there was like the old thing where like the A in the phone book and stuff. So that was like yeah always a thing but I uh anyways I I wasn't sure I was going back and forth and um we took my grandma up to Blackhawk um for she was turning I think she was turning like 75. She liked to go up and just do like the penny slots up there. And uh anyways I was playing blackjack which I didn't like I I'm not a big gambler. I don't I there's a lot of things I'd prefer to spend my money on. Sure. Um especially like on a table kind of uncomfortable but so my dad's kind of there watching and stuff and um it just so happened that I hit uh like a blackjack on and the card was ace of diamonds. So my dad's like see like yeah so and then and then the we make your home sparkle came and all brought brought it all together. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Well a lot of people uh they if they want to start a painting business they it's probably because they're good at painting but I see you on social media growing I mean there's a lot of things entrepreneurs do. Um how do you manage the working in your business for versus working on your business? Sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Um that's tough. Uh yeah I mean um there's this principle that I've come recently come uh familiar with it's called the force field um of business and uh just you gotta watch out for it.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

There's so many things that pull you in to to the forest field um and uh yeah just slowing down I think just taking a minute to to kind of breathe and reflect and you know what's my intention here uh kind of asking myself that question I think without that it's so easy just to to work for work's sake um you feel like you're being productive because you're you're doing things you're checking off tasks you're you know kind of knocking things out but the big things that really you know move the dial move the needle so to speak um it takes intention it takes you to slow down and make a conscious effort so um I've really been trying to build that into to what I do and just from my background and like the last few years like what I've kind of come from to to get back to that um it's it's taken a lot of I guess like mental bandwidth to sure to make myself do that but it's so much better it feels so much better to be in that space versus just constantly like go here go here go here go here do this so yeah well how unpack that a little bit because I have a lot of entrepreneurs who watch the show yeah and they probably are feeling like oh man I'm trapped in the force field like I I I I don't know how I get out of it or how to how to even see there. So what what advice would you give to somebody like that?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Yeah the advice uh that that I really like is um just looking at it as a game um okay and you get to make the rules um to the game so if there's a if there's a new game that you're playing um you know you get to say like if you jump this high like you get this many points like that's that sort of thing kind of looking at that way um and uh I think just what's your what's your big important thing that you're trying to accomplish like another way to say it is what's your ultimate intent for your business is it just to provide the service that you're providing is that all you do like if I just think about my life for the next you know 10 15 years am I just a painter? Like am I just providing a painting service is that's all I'm doing does that really move me inspire me like make me want to get up in the morning to to do that um I think for me personally no the answer is no um so what's the impact that I'm gonna have um and then really like the question I've been asking myself a lot lately you know through some of the the work that I've been doing with with the coaching program but um like when I'm on my deathbed uh how will I know that I've had the created the impact that I wanted to create? How will I not have you know kind of regrets and things like that and uh more living into a calling versus just you know living by default and and just you know living out the next 15 years as you know I show up I provide painting you get painting service we're done pay me like that's it right yeah so and same thing like for the crews anybody that works for me like I want to um have a lasting impact on on them and what they're doing and it you know it feels more like a game it feels more like we're building something that um you know we get to everyone can enjoy it's not just for my enjoyment it's not just for my family's enjoyment it's for you know the people that work for me they get they they get better they get lifted up they elevate um and it's just a whole it you know it's just a whole different way of looking at it and you know it's gonna it's gonna continue to take me time and effort to really get where I want to get with that but that's what I'm working towards and yeah like I said it it it it motivates me to wake up in the morning and and get after it.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Well I I think when we're bringing in networking too that's a that's a good place to look because a lot of people they go networking they want more deals but that's just that sounds like the force field you just get more of it but if you're not chasing uh what you talked about intention hey I want to I'm trying to hit this milestone of my business or I'm trying to hit this push goal that's going to allow me to do X, um how does that change the way you network when if if you're not just chasing one extra deal but actually to further your business?

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Yeah that's a good question. I I think that it's um you know thinking about the the connection that's there um having a true um I guess in like curiosity about the the person that you're meeting with that you're talking to um wanting to know more about them because you know I think it's really easy to get transactional in the forest field. Right? Like you you're kind of um we're so conditioned, you know especially in our culture to to be consumers. And so I think you know if you're if you're viewing your networking people that you're with like from a consumer perspective it's very transactional and like you want to you know I I do painting like that's that's what I do. That's what and so but there's not a ton of value in that because there's a lot of painters out there. Sure. So in terms of you know a marketing situation like it's the same thing with with going to to an estimate like meeting with a new person you don't want to be a commodity. Right. And so I think yeah just trying to trying to find that that level playing field and like build build a relationship um and a connection you talk about connections that matter um and I'm not just trying to be you know on the nose with this but um but it's just uh like I said I mean to me it's the curiosity and it's trying to offer it's it's more of an offer like what what am I offering to the world not just what am I what's my service that I'm providing if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Well if you if I'm a entrepreneur and I'm thinking man it's just tough to stand out amongst my competition.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Maybe I'm feeling more like a commodity um how would you coach me to to build more relationships to create more um curiosity within there what are some questions you ask that I might be able to ask to to like like homeowners or yeah either either way just as you're building rapport sure I mean I think there's there's a question that I started asking myself and again it goes back to the intention. So what's my intention with this estimate? And just by kind of pausing like I said slowing down and asking myself that question then I answer and it's like well I'm gonna serve this person powerfully and I'm gonna try and create a connection um so that hopefully there's there's something that comes from that. I think some of the questions that I that I that are really easy low-hanging fruit is just like are you from Colorado sure or uh you know what do you do for for a living um uh yeah especially like you're there is a genuine curiosity there for me when I'm going to some of these really big fancy um places uh kind of you know I just I'm curious I want to know um but yeah I I you know there's a lot of uh I guess rapport there and you probably you have this too you probably found this just being from Colorado there's not a lot of us so um that kind of builds a connection um you know we talk about I I like to just find stuff in their house commonalities that I see that you know I have an interest in you know what's that what's that painting about or what's that um you know maybe they have a hobby that I notice um obviously the hobbies that I like are are easier um to to connect with and hit off on but um hopefully that answers yeah well and it's like you're in a place where you're going into people's homes yeah and helping their visions come to life. So that's a different level of trust than maybe somebody who just has a brick and motorist somebody's coming into their establishment you're coming into somebody's home and yeah um that that's that takes an art and um people are going to remember how you made them feel through the process not just the final the final uh job well done but yeah um so talk to me about who you're networking with who have been some of your top referral partners uh either that you refer out to that do a great job or get send referrals to you yeah so um typically it the trades are are pretty obvious um and I I work with some different roofing contractors that they they usually refer us a ton um and we feel a need uh for them um you know through being able to do like drywall patching and stuff you know leaks happen that sort of thing um so we try and be very you know fair in terms of that and then in the hopes that it turns into bigger things you know when when we get the hail that we get here in Colorado or um they're doing bigger multifamily projects stuff like that and I've had a few of those things um work out I mean for me I I I like to refer I like to educate people too that's part of like how I feel I can I can serve them. So helping them to kind of understand their home. Gutters is a big one uh again roofing is is something that's easy I just recently um referred a roofer that does siding to do uh to replace some siding because the way this this homeowner was kind of remodeling their um their home they have hardy board and this this contractor does hardy um and uh yeah cleaning uh companies comes up I like to you know if we're doing like a full interior um I usually like to you know go in through there with a cleaner depending on what kind of project it is and if they're already if they're already scheduled for a cleaner um you know but I'll still ask them uh who their cleaner is and that sort of thing. Um yeah just just kind of the obvious stuff window cleaning um is something that I can refer. Um yeah insurance you know especially when we're dealing with insurance um claims and they have um these these you know you should just see some of these people the frustration that they have to go through to you know they're getting nickel and dimed on everything for their insurance company so you know somebody that that is going to provide a better service and have something more to offer and the good thing is is I actually see it like working with some of the like seeing these claims I can see who's you know being more fair and and reasonable and that sort of thing. So I think those are some of the obvious ones that come to my mind.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

What uh what colors are in right now? I know colors change and styles change and yeah um I mean you if you're watching this we're filming this in uh you know 2025 but what what what have you seen as far as color choices and stuff I think color itself is making a comeback the last uh few uh I would say you know five to ten years like the the whites and the grays and all that stuff have been really popular. We got away from warm tones which was kind of like when I first started um and uh now I'm seeing a lot of like greens like you know the shirt that I have on um seeing you know blues and and like navies and stuff like that but there's there's some really popular colors I like uh I like the dark you know colors a lot the iron ore uh there's one urban bronze that's really nice um I like uh yeah there's a color called navel that that we did a a house for with white trim it looked super sharp cool um yeah and then yeah I mean like you know doing things to the masonry I think like having texture so it's not so much about like the um the actual color it's about like you know the depth even yeah if you like look at this room like you know using bringing different elements in wood iron um stone different things like that uh so yeah I I love the the process of helping somebody like completely transform their their home it's a lot of fun do you have an eye for the color I mean the way my wife and I work I'm like I I know it's gonna look good if it looks good but I can't just come up with it conceptually where she is got more of an artist brain she can come out and put different things and see it on a space but how do you help clients like me that yeah I I I want it to look nice but I don't know how to make it look nice or where color to pick up.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yeah so there's actually yeah there's a couple things I mean I do um I do help myself uh still to this day if I know somebody's you know struggling with colors um yeah I I you know just recently I spent a couple hours with with a couple um and uh yeah I was playing marriage counselor uh through that too. It's like but no they uh um so so I have you know different resources in terms of the actual color but like someone like you probably would it would help to see it. Yeah um so I've got a a really good software that I use to to do like some mock-ups. Um it's it's mostly for exterior that it works the best but it we can do some stuff for interior like if you want to if you're like changing your cabinets out or you just have yeah like certain areas where it's like big enough because the lighting makes it difficult with you know sure you're messing with the computer screen and opacities and different stuff like that. But I've helped uh I've helped quite a few people like have their vision like come true and they they see it on the computer they're like okay this is what we want to do and we go for it.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

So when do a lot of people decide to do the painting is it buying a new house now they want to make it themselves that I kids moved out now I'm painting it a different wall. Yeah what do you see what kind of situations?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Yeah I mean I think moving in um typically like uh they're they're coming into somebody else's you know look and feel and and design and so they want to make it their own. So usually like in the move in there is a lot in the move out situation too because they're trying to make it look better or like maybe they're not even moved out. They're just getting ready to sell so they've maybe lived there for a really long time and um they need to get it freshened up before before they sell um which is so so like unfortunate that you like like finally get to do all this remodeling and then you just to sell right um yeah but yeah and then and then as far as the exterior most of the time it's because it's showing like where it's where yeah it's like you know they're like so whether it's a move in move out you know they've lived there for a long time um a lot of people will tell me that they've you know bought this house five years ago and they knew from day one that they were gonna get it painted they just they're finally getting around to it now kind of a thing. But yeah and then you know like the the way that the most new construction like the track homes the they're not using a great paint um they're they're using you know kind of the cheapest paint and um you can you know with our climate like they're they're only lasting the jobs are only lasting like five six years. So so they're you know wanting to get something that's gonna last longer than that and actually have some longevity. So that's why they would call us to come out and provide a good warranty and use good paint and do really good prep and um you know kind of stand behind our work. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Well what big goals are you chasing Dustin and uh who are you networking with that are going to help you get there? Like if you bet on yourself and your current network and you say hey these are the people that are going to help me hit this big thing um one where are you going? And then who are the people that are in your corner?

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Sure. Um yeah I mean as far as like big goals um right now it's it's to create a future uh like declare a future um for my business that is moving inspiring um touching and then find the people that are move like to me personally to me um but then find the people that are also moved touched inspired by that and have them you know come into that because right now we're we're kind of still in the in the building phase I have a a production manager I just recently hired an office manager planning to hire a salesperson I don't know if that's gonna be this year or next year. It's looking more like it'll probably be um next year and um really just designing a life um you know like living like I said not living by default. I want to live intentionally and I want you know to bring people in that are able to kind of live into that future. So I don't have like you know big fancy revenue goals or anything like that right now. It's more just like this is what we're doing, this is where we're headed um get on get on board if that's what you want um and yeah we'll bring you with you as far as like a network goes um I think people that uh can see themselves in that can see themselves in in that world um they wanna they're intentional about what they're doing. They're declaring you know a future for themselves and for their business. I've I see you know there's partners that I've that I've you know started to make here um in in this networking group. You know I think that you're a moving inspiring leader. So I'm glad to be you know in in a group with you. I've got a lot of trust in in you and your experience um and so um just hoping to continue to to build that and I think you know I've been uh sort of reserved and and not really authentic um to So I don't think people like really like always know a lot about me because um I tend to keep things like tight to the chest. Um so I think my my ambition is to be a little bit more open, be a little bit more authentic and um find people who who like me for who I am.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Well I think people are gonna watch this podcast episode and uh really like get who you are. And yeah um I if I'm a business owner that really resonates with your your force field analogy or the uh living business with intention, they're gonna want to reach out to you. Otherwise, uh clients too want to hire somebody that um they trust bringing into their home and stuff like that. So if somebody wants to reach out to you, get a hold of you, what's the best way to get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_00 22:45

I think go to the website uh www.aceofdiamonds painting.com. Uh had to think of that one. I don't know why. Um, you know, obviously we we have our phone number on the website. Um you can also Google um business if you search us for uh Longmont or Erie, you're gonna be able to find our our phone number and then also see that um, you know, a lot of people like what we do too uh in the area. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

Lots of five-star reviews. Uh well, Dustin, thanks so much for coming on the show. This has been awesome, and uh look forward to seeing you around Northern Colorado. Right on. Thanks for having me. Hey y'all, thanks for watching. I love networking and building relationships with other Northern Colorado business leaders. So if you want to come meet some of these podcast guests, meet me or meet some other amazing entrepreneurs in Northern Colorado. I would love to have you attend one of our next events. Uh go in the podcast description. There's a way so you can see our upcoming schedule. And maybe you could be a future podcast guest as well. Thanks.