Nick Hernandez-Sepper went from the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point to flying as a Naval Flight Officer to the defense industry. Then he joined a veteran-owned painting network and opened PAINT CORPS of Oklahoma City South. For his first months as owner, he ran everything himself: crews in the morning, estimates in the afternoon, invoices at night. Twelve to fourteen hours a day, seven days a week. Then he made a call most new owners get backwards. Instead of hiring a salesperson first, he hired operations. That one hire moved him from half his day in sales to all of it, and now he's building the training to hand off his sales book next.

What you'll hear:
- Why his franchise recruiter's first question was "Are you sure you want to do this?"
- The "115% day" that ran his life all summer
- Why he hired ops before sales, and why he could have done it a month sooner
- How he treats subcontracted crews like partners, not payroll
- His plan for a "fact-finding winter" in a seasonal trade
- What he's still holding onto, and the order he plans to let it go

About Alan Melton & SBCA
Alan Melton is the founder of Small Business Coach Associates. He's coached 1,100+ business owners on marketing, sales systems, and operational clarity. Credentials: Inc. 500 founder (#422) | SBA Small Business Person of the Year, 1994 | Florida Governor's Sterling Award, 1999 | #1 Small Business Coach, Life Coach Magazine 2026. Free strategy session: smallbusinesscoach.org | Subscribe for new episodes.

About Beyond the Owner's Trap
Real small business owners on what it takes to grow. Hosted by Alan Melton.

Connect with Nick Hernandez-Sepper
Website: paintcorps.com/oklahoma-city-south
Email: okcsouth@paintcorps.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicolas-hernandez-sepper-emba-pmp-4b5879a4
Oklahoma City, OK

Connect with Alan Melton
Website: smallbusinesscoach.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanmelton/
YouTube: youtube.com/@BeyondTheOwnersTrap

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:50 From naval flight officer to painting contractor
3:40 "Are you sure you want to do this?"
10:16 The 12 to 14 hour days and the 115% schedule
17:26 The moment he knew it couldn't last
21:24 Crews as partners, not payroll
27:09 What he's still holding onto
31:35 Stage Check

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