Meet Garrett Hurlbut | Father, Entrepreneur, Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Garrett Hurlbut and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garrett, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I don’t believe that work life balance is something you should expect as an entrepreneur. Rather, “Work/Life Integration” is what I have found to work better for my journey.

My relationship with work life balance has had peaks and valleys over the course of my career. There have been seasons of 116 hour weeks while in a tool belt and living out of a suitcase that lasted for months and felt like they would never end. There has also been a time where my businesses were self-sufficient and I would simply sit in on the sales meeting and then run payroll once a week.

The pendulum swinging dichotomy of “work life balance” is something that I have an unruly relationship with. Over time, you should theoretically swing towards having more life than work in that balance, but I’ve found that I feel uncomfortable being too comfortable so I always tend to find more work to put on my plate when the “work part” of that balance is solved for and things are running smoothly.

These days I don’t wear the same sweat soaked paint clothes or drive the same old beat up van. But, I have found that the work doesn’t stop, its just takes on new form. today I can pick up my kids from school in sweats at 2:30, but you may very well find me on my laptop at midnight tapping into the wee hours of the night. The fantasy that you visualize as a young professional that “one day” you’ll just sit back and ride the gravy train off into the sunset is not reality, at least not for those with wide eyed ambition and a restless inclination for creating.

What should our readers know about your business?
I often joke that not a lot of folks became tradesmen due to their great life choices, they were typically born into it, or they ran out of options… I belong in the category of the former. As a second generation painter, my father bestowed the gift of craftsmanship and work ethic into myself, as well as my brothers from an early age. While I never necessarily envisioned a life of paint, it is what I knew, it was in my DNA. So, due to my ambivalence while deciding what to do after high school, I decided to start a painting “company” the day I graduated high school. I put company in quotations because it hardly felt worthy of the title for the better part of the first decade. With very little mentorship or resources in this under-developed industry, I had a tendency to learn seemingly every lesson in the book the old fashioned way- ‘The School of Hard Knocks’… I must’ve made every mistake there is along the way. Whether it was not understanding how to insulated myself with a proper sub-contractor agreement, to learning about tax exposure through very expensive and painful lessons, or the importance of having an online presence.

However, had it not been for those lessons I would not be poised in a position to lead that I am in today. For me, each one of those detours, lumps, bumps, and bruises, brought a greater understanding of exactly what NOT to do. Thanks to those opportunities, we can now cut the path for our team members and make a greater impact on elevating the trade so that fellow painters can be proud to call themselves, “tradesmen”.

Thanks to that younger, more indecisive version of myself, we know have had the privilege of painting thousands of houses, creating hundreds of jobs, and have made a measurable impact on our local community. As we grow our business, we also grow our ability to give back to the local economy that has provided so much opportunity for us in return. For example, we donate a paint job a year to a candidate in need, a portion of every paint project goes to our scholarship fund at Columbine High School, we sponsor single mothers in need of assistance or simple maintenance around their house, we do school supply drives, or pay off overdue lunch balances, amongst other things.

Over and above all, this trade and this gift my father gave me (which felt more like free labor and punishment growing up) has allowed me to make a lasting impact on my fellow blue collar family, our community, the general aesthetic of the places we call home, and so many of those who need a little help, often times from the most unlikely of places, like your local house painter.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In a place like Colorado, it’s hard to narrow this list down but I will try to limit myself to the absolute MUSTS for a top-tier CO experience. First, it is important to consider what time of year you’re visiting, so make sure to look at the local forecast and then promptly disregard and stick your head outside to see what it’s feeling like outside. My favorite place in the world is Vail, CO. Whether snowboarding, watching the US Open, the Red Bowl Challenges, going to Oktoberfest, Mountain Biking, dining at Alpenrose or Chasing Rabbits, there’s truly something fro everyone. In the front range, I like to hike and MTB anywhere near Red Rocks, its close in proximity to the city and the views are incredible-need I mention going to the world-renowned amphitheater to catch a show? You can play pond hockey or have a cozy family skate on Evergreen Lake in the winter, or paddle board and grab a beer at Lariat Lodge in the summer. Fort Collins has too many great things to mention so I’ll limit it to boating at Horseshoe Reservoir and going to Mishawaka for a one-of-a-kind experience for a night out. The Great Sand Dunes down south will blow you mind and while you’re in that corner of the state you owe it to yourself to pepper in a route through Ouray and Telluride where you can experience the Via Ferrata if you dare, or simply admire the Million Dollar Highway and Bridal Veil Falls, extra credit if you venture to Pagosa Springs and Durango from there.

Honestly, theres to many great experiences to mention about this place to summarize in one visit. I didn’t even get a chance to mention Manning’s Steaks & Spirits, the food truck scene in Denver, the best hot springs experience in the world at Strawberry hot springs in Steamboat, climbing one of our 58 14,000+ foot peaks, dirt biking in Rampart Range, pick up basketball at Wash Park, Pearl street restaurants, the front ranch in CO Springs, or so many other incredible opportunities. I could spend a lifetime exploring this place and it still wouldn’t be long enough.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As much as myself or anyone else would like to proclaim that they are “self made”…. No one is. I started my company with a pawn shop sprayer ratchet strapped to the roof of my two wheel drive sedan and a lot of grit. I’ve scraped my knuckles and paid the dues like anyone else. When you first start to bare the fruits of your labor, ego will affirm that you did it alone. But like like the old African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” But I would add that, “If you want to go far, fast, go with the right company”. No matter what state any of us are in, it started with a client that trusted you with their project when you didn’t have any reputation, a friend or a passerby that made a connection for you that turned into a long lasting business relationship, a CPA who taught you how to better structure your payment structure and shelter your finances, the podcast you listen to on the way to the office, or an old season vet that helped lead you towards the path when you couldn’t see the vision yourself.

There are too many people to list for a shoutout because we are influenced by everyone that we cross paths with, but, I would say that my sphere and my family are the most influential sources in my life. Each of the people closest to me in life owns their own business and we collectively prop one another up and share our sphere for the collective betterment of the tribe. My three boys give me purpose and plenty of influence to continue to lead from the front on a daily basis and provide an example that is worthy of following. My parents have always been my biggest cheerleaders and source of positivity. Professionally, seeking out other industry professionals and talking shop over a drink has led to more wisdom and tutelage from people that have more reps than I could possibly accumulate in my short career, I think that would be my double-underlined recommendation for anyone getting started.

Books:
-As many reps as possible by Jason Khalipa
-Traction by Geno Wickman
-Atomic Habits by James Clear

Podcasts:
-RealAF with Andy Frisella
-School of Greatness with Lewis Howes
-Contractor Evolution

Website: https://APFpainters.com

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