Andrey Shelokovskiy of Nomad Painting is an experienced business leader and business development professional in the coatings industry.
Growth is not a straight line—it’s a series of stages, each with its own ceiling. And the key to moving from one stage to the next isn’t just working harder; it’s solving the right bottleneck at the right time.
In my experience building and scaling a painting company, I’ve learned that each level of growth comes with its own set of challenges. Early on, I thought scaling was all about landing bigger jobs or hiring more people. In reality, the true leverage comes from identifying and solving the constraint that’s currently holding the business back.
Think of it as “graduating” from one stage of business to the next. Before you can graduate, you must pass the test—and that test is almost always a bottleneck that demands a systems-level solution.
Stage 1: Owner-Operator Mode (The ‘Do-It-All’ Trap)
When I first started my business, I was doing everything: Estimates, scheduling, production, client follow-ups, purchasing—the list goes on and on. This is where many founders begin. The bottleneck here is you.
At this stage, the only way to grow is by replacing yourself in specific roles. That means creating systems (like estimate templates, scheduling protocols, job costing structures) and eventually hiring someone to take them over. For me, this meant documenting the sales process and slowly handing it off. That freed up time to work on the business, not just in it.
Graduation Requirement: Build repeatable systems and delegate key responsibilities.
Stage 2: Small Team With High Dependency (The ‘Ask the Boss’ Bottleneck)
Once you bring on a small team, things get moving, but questions still flood your inbox. Every decision, big or small, still comes to you. The bottleneck? Lack of documented decision-making frameworks.
This is where SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) saved us. We began by writing down answers to common questions and then formalized processes for tasks such as change orders, color selection, project management and client communication. Over time, the team needed me less and trusted the system more.
Graduation Requirement: Empower your team with clear SOPs so they don’t need to ask you for every answer.
Stage 3: Multiple Crews Or Departments (The ‘Accountability Crisis’)
With multiple departments running, delegation is no longer enough. You start seeing miscommunication between sales and production, inconsistent execution in the field and jobs going over budget.
At this stage, the bottleneck becomes a lack of cross-functional alignment and accountability. We solved this by implementing a centralized project management system (in our case, Monday.com) that connected sales, estimating, production and financial tracking. Job costing was made visible. Expectations were documented. Results were tracked.
Graduation Requirement: Create systems for coordination, feedback loops and measurable accountability across departments.
Stage 4: Leadership Layer (The ‘No One Leads Like You’ Problem)
Even with systems in place, you can only scale so far if you’re the only true decision-maker. At this stage, the constraint becomes leadership capacity.
I learned the hard way that hiring for a leadership role without clear coaching, KPIs and cultural alignment creates more problems than it solves. The solution isn’t just delegation; it is developing leaders. That means investing time into training managers, giving them room to fail (and improve) and reinforcing values through consistent leadership meetings.
Graduation Requirement: Develop leaders who make decisions that align with your vision and values.
Final Takeaway
Every stage of business growth has a bottleneck. You don’t scale by brute force but by solving the constraint that’s limiting you right now.
The most successful companies are not just those with the best marketing or biggest teams. They’re the ones that identify the right problem at the right time—and solve it systematically.
Wherever you are in your journey, ask yourself: “What’s the current constraint in my business?” Solve that, and you’re ready to graduate to the next level.
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