44 Years of Craft: The Referral Habits That Keep Thomas Kern Booked

Thomas Kern has been painting for decades and networking in Northern Colorado for 10–15 years. In this episode, we dig into why painting is really a people-and-prep business, how Thomas earns trust inside customers’ homes, and the relationship habits that keep referrals flowing from electricians, realtors, and property managers.Episode Highlights: 🔹 Thomas has been networking 10–15 years and has watched the trades networking scene evolve fast 🔹 Why painting is a people business + prep business (and why customers underestimate prep) 🔹 How he sets expectations on paint grades, sheen, durability, and what “scrubbable” actually means 🔹 What repeat clients value most: communication, consistency, and integrity 🔹 His networking “secret”: remember one personal detail and bring it up next time 🔹 Referral partners that drive real work: roofers, electricians, realtors, and property managers 🔹 A real story of how a paint job helped someone emotionally “move on” after lossWhy You Should Listen 🔹 Learn how top trades pros win referrals through trust, follow-through, and clean execution 🔹 Get practical insight on paint quality, prep, and pricing conversations without sounding salesy 🔹 Steal Thomas’s relationship-building habits for networking events and 1:1sBusinesses Thomas Kern Recommends 🔹 Dunham Electrical (Bob Dunham) — Professional crews, strong communication, clean work, reliable follow-through 🔹 Richard Ross (CPA) — Approachable, generous with answers, high trust and deep tax/payroll knowledgeHow to contact Thomas Kern 🔹 Call or text: 970-444-5003 🔹 Thomas prefers phone/text and is known for calling people back quickly.Timestamps 0:00 Connecting with customers 0:13 Intro + Thomas’s networking history 1:00 How he started painting at 14 (and why oil paint taught speed + cleanup) 2:20 How paint chemistry and techniques changed over decades 3:20 Painting = people + prep + education 6:27 How referral partners confidently recommend him 9:20 When homeowners usually paint (and why most wait too long) 11:03 Pricing, paint grades, and matching expectations 13:36 The emotional impact of a “fresh start” paint job 16:45 Bad paint stories + fixing rushed work 17:10 Networking groups he likes (NIA, Tabletop, Sure Networking, Level Up) 19:20 Speed networking approach + remembering details 21:05 Best referral sources + who he’s open to 24:16 Deep dive: Bob Dunham + how Thomas tests partners 26:46 Shoutout to Richard Ross (CPA) 27:10 Who he’s looking to meet: custom builders + property managers 28:02 How to connect with Thomas