The Bearded Finisher Podcast – The Power of Mindset and Advanced Coating Techniques with Robert Chickey

Summary:
Robert Chickey shares his journey in the coatings industry and how he got involved with Vero Metals. He started as a painting contractor and transitioned to wood finishes, specializing in historically accurate coatings. After a career-ending injury, he shut down his company and became a consultant. He later became the trainer for Vero Metal and worked on getting the product spec’d by architects and designers. He emphasizes the importance of learning the language of architects and designers and building a certified application specialist program. In this part of the conversation, Robert Chickey discusses the importance of community and knowledge sharing in the finishing industry. He emphasizes the need for finishers to invest in their own education and skill development. Robert explains the features and applications of VeroMetal, a liquid metal coating, and how it offers advantages over traditional metals. He shares lessons he has learned in business, including the importance of knowing your costs and pricing your services accordingly. In this final part of the conversation, Robert Chickey emphasizes the importance of mindset and willingness to change in achieving elite-level success. He encourages finishers to invest in themselves and seek guidance from coaches or consultants to accelerate their growth. Robert also discusses the need for training and education in the coatings industry. The conversation concludes with Robert sharing his social media profiles for those interested in following his work.

Takeaways:
The importance of having separate skill sets when starting a business partnership
The value of learning from failures and being willing to take risks
The significance of being able to control the outcome in the wood finishing industry
The challenges and rewards of working at an elite level in the coatings industry
The need to adapt and persevere in the face of obstacles
The importance of learning the language of architects and designers to establish credibility
The process of building a certified application specialist program
The significance of getting the product spec’d by architects and designers
The role of social media in promoting and growing a business Investing in education and skill development is crucial for finishers in the industry.
Color skills are highly valuable in finishing, and understanding business principles is essential for success.

Sound Bites:
“You can’t have two people to do the same thing. You have to have two people that have separate skill sets that can play nice together.”
“I started my second company in 1991 and we started out as painters, painting contractors. We did mostly paint, but back in the 90s, at least in Minnesota where I’m based, everything was white.”
“The path for getting wood to look like that was not possible with what was in the marketplace. So I pretty much disregarded what was in the marketplace and went kind of down the rabbit hole.”