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.

Automation doesn’t have to start with AI, it starts with a process you’re fed up with. Lindsey Mueller, co-owner of 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.

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.

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.

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%.

Most hiring decisions are made on gut feel and most bad hires reveal themselves long after the interview is over. In this episode, we sit down with Jane Allen, owner of Smart Work Assessments, and Mark Repkin, NCG Sales Coach and Principal of Unicorn Sales Advisory, to introduce the POP™ (Predictor of Potential) Assessment  a science-backed tool that Nolan Consulting Group is now certified to offer clients across sales, management, and key roles throughout a trades business. Jane and Mark break down what the assessment actually measures, how it differs from tools like DISC and Myers-Briggs, and how it can transform not just a single hire, but your entire hiring process.