The Pursuit of Purpose

Wisdom, stories, and advice from successful entrepreneurs and inspirational people. Hosted by Chris Kiefer.

The Pursuit of Purpose is a business podcast hosted by Chris Kiefer, with 199 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Chris Kiefer hosts The Pursuit of Purpose, a business show with 199 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #214

  214 Are Websites Dead? The Future of AI Search with Phil Risher

  Sep 28, 202647 minS2

  I’m Chris Kiefer, and in this episode I sit down with Phil Risher of Phlash Consulting to talk about one of the biggest shifts happening in home service marketing: the move from traditional Google search to AI-powered search. We break down why websites are changing, Google AI Mode, zero-click searches, AI agents, SEO, non-commodity content, brand trust, reviews, and what home service businesses should be doing now to stay visible as customers increasingly use ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI to make buying decisions. If you own or market a home service business, this conversation will help you understand what the future of search could mean for your company. Book recommendations: The Second Engine by Phil Risher They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan Home Service Millionaire by Tommy Mello Movie recommedations: Outlast Alone Connect with Rocky Cherry: Website: Phlash Consulting — phlashconsulting.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@phlashconsulting

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  Episode #213

  213 How We Scaled a Painting Business to $1.5M Using Simple Automation with Bryce Rodgers

  Sep 21, 202650 minS2

  Are you overcomplicating your business software and slowing down your growth?In this episode of The Pursuit of Purpose, host Chris Kiefer sits down with Bryce Rodgers, owner of Rodgers Painting in Kentucky and a 3rd-generation painter. Bryce shares how he transformed his business from working on the brush to managing two locations, leading 20 painters, and pacing to hit $1.5 million in revenue in 2026. Discover why massive, complex CRM systems like Go High Level or Salesforce can end up hurting small businesses—and how scaling back to simple, customizable database systems like Airtable changed the game.Book Recommendations:- "Elon Musk" by Walter Isaacson - - " Buy Back Your Time" by Dan Martell Movie Recommendation:- The Founder (2016)

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  Episode #212

  212 The Systems Behind a Highly Rated Painting Business with Tim Flood

  Aug 31, 202636 minS2

  What does it take to build a painting company that runs on trust, visibility, and efficient systems?In this episode of The Pursuit of Purpose, Chris Kiefer sits down with Tim Flood, founder of Trico Painting, to unpack the systems and principles behind building one of the most reviewed residential painting companies in the Sacramento region.Tim shares lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, how his team manages projects and operations, and why creating the right systems is essential for building a business that can grow beyond the owner.They also explore sales, leadership, technology, AI, and Tim’s ideas for solving problems across the home-service industry.------Book Recommendations:Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracyhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=Eat+That+Frog+Brian+TracyVince Flynn / Mitch Rapp Serieshttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=Vince+Flynn+Mitch+RappBrian Tracy Bookshttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=Brian+TracyNapoleon Hill Bookshttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=Napoleon@UC--0YPJ6M2jw2HZ7C3psyaQ ------------Movie/Show Recommendations:Dutton Ranchhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt34991493/The Idaho Murders: College Nightmarehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt43680755/

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  Episode #2

  211 AI Is a Skill Everyone Needs to Learn with Michael Murray

  Aug 3, 20261h 8mS211

  AI is becoming a skill every business needs to learn — but not everyone inside your company needs to use it the same way. In this episode of Pursuit of Purpose, Chris Kiefer sits down with Michael Murray, founder of Textbook Painting, to talk about how AI is showing up inside a real painting business. Michael shares how Textbook Painting is thinking about AI across different roles — from painters and field managers to sales reps, accounting, HR, and leadership. The conversation explores why AI is similar to the early internet or Microsoft Excel era: some people adopt it early, while others risk getting left behind. Chris and Michael also talk through practical ways AI can help painting companies, including estimating support, project planning, paint quantities, work order review, photos, field operations, and internal knowledge sharing. They also discuss why AI is still a work in progress, why companies need to keep testing and learning, and why leaders should help their teams build the skill instead of assuming everyone will figure it out on their own. In this episode, they discuss: * Why AI is a skill every employee should understand * Why different roles will use AI in different ways * How AI can support estimating and project planning * How tools like Claude can help synthesize photos, work orders, and job details * Why AI adoption feels similar to the early internet and Excel era * How painting companies can start experimenting with AI without overcomplicating it * Why leaders need to create space for learning, testing, and practical use cases If you run a painting or home services company, this conversation will help you think more clearly about where AI fits inside your business and how to start building AI capability across your team. Books mentioned in this episode: 1. QBQ! The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/QBQ-Question-Behind-Practicing-Accountability/dp/0399152334 2. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322 Movie/Show recommendations: 1. The West Wing IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/

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  Episode #210

  210 AI is no longer just a chatbot with Jason Paris

  Jul 13, 202658 minS2

  In this episode, Chris sits down with Jason Paris to talk about the real shift happening in AI — from simple prompts and chat conversations to agentic workflows that can actually support business operations, coaching, software development, and team performance. Jason shares how AI is being used inside Paris Painting and Alif Holdings to reduce custom software backlogs, support field coaching, score sales conversations, improve rep performance, and give leaders better visibility into what is happening across the business. They also discuss why AI is not a magic fix for messy companies. If your systems, data, roles, and processes are unclear, AI will only expose or amplify that chaos. But for companies that are already professionalized and have strong foundations, AI can become a massive productivity layer on top of the business. Chris and Jason also talk about ultra running, discipline, parenting, video games, custom software, open-source AI models, Jevons Paradox, and what painting business owners should be paying attention to over the next six months. In this episode, they discuss: * Why AI is moving beyond chatbots * What agentic AI means for business operations * How AI can support sales coaching and field coaching * Why clean systems and data matter before adopting AI * How AI can help reduce custom software bottlenecks * Why strong processes make AI more valuable * How painting companies can prepare for the next wave of AI * Why the future may create a bigger gap between professionalized and unprepared companies If you run a painting or home services company, this conversation will help you think more clearly about what is hype, what is real, and what you should do next with AI.

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