The People Playbook with Jason Taylor
Better People Decisions. Stronger Teams. Scalable Results.
The People Playbook is your weekly guide to building high-performing teams and cultures that scale. Hosted by leadership coach and executive advisor Jason Taylor, this podcast features raw, insightful conversations with CEOs, founders, and culture builders who know what it really takes to lead in today’s world.
From mindset to execution, every episode unpacks the strategies, missteps, and breakthroughs behind exceptional leadership - and how to align your people, purpose, and performance for lasting impact.
Whether you're a CEO scaling fast, a senior leader navigating change, or a builder at heart - this is your playbook for becoming the leader your team needs.
🎯 New episodes weekly
🔥 Real talk. No fluff.
🧠 Actionable insights you can use today
Because growth doesn’t start with strategy - it starts with people.
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The People Playbook with Jason Taylor
Carmelo Marsala | Inventing a New Category in Home Improvement
What does it take to invent not just a product, but an entirely new category?
In this episode of The People’s Playbook, Jason sits down with Carmelo Marsala, Founder and CEO of Spray-Net - a home-improvement franchise that’s flipping the script on traditional painting. From student painter to quadruple patent holder, Carmelo shares how a scratched front door sparked a revolutionary idea, how he scaled his startup into a 120+ territory franchise, and why marketing, mindset, and just starting matter more than perfection.
Whether you're a founder, franchisee, or future innovator, Carmelo’s story will challenge how you think about execution, growth, and leadership in today’s competitive landscape.
00:00 – Jason introduces the episode and guest Carmelo Marsala, highlighting Spray-Net’s impact and accolades.
00:39 – What was the aha moment that sparked the idea for Spray-Net?
Carmelo explains how repeated product failure and customer feedback led to the idea of delivering factory-quality finishes on-site.
01:48 – What did homeowners think when you introduced this concept?
Carmelo shares how skepticism turned into momentum, aided by storytelling, patents, and results.
02:56 – What was your secret to scaling a service business into a 120+ territory franchise?
From burnout to business model shift, Carmelo recounts his journey from operator to franchisor, inspired by The E-Myth Revisited.
03:58 – What was the biggest transition from being a franchisee to a franchisor?
The importance of granular training and adapting to diverse franchisee backgrounds.
04:36 – What behaviors do you look for in a franchisee?
Carmelo outlines the need for financial readiness, coachability, and level-headedness under pressure.
05:27 – How do you manage when franchisee conversations become challenging?
Carmelo emphasizes proactive support, expectation-setting, and providing clarity during overwhelm.
06:27 – What was harder: inventing a product or a category?
He explains why educating the market and proving a new model was more difficult than the chemistry behind it.
08:09 – How do you keep Spray-Net’s brand fresh and relevant?
Carmelo highlights the power of Google reviews, customer stories, and user-generated content.
09:58 – How big is Spray-Net today?
The company has grown to roughly 500 people system-wide and 47 at head office—with employee #1 still on board.
10:38 – Do you ever look back and reflect on how far you’ve come?
Carmelo admits he's focused on what's next—specifically $100M in system-wide sales.
11:38 – How do you balance innovation with operational simplicity?
With multiple services available, the focus now is on execution over expansion.
12:34 – What advice would you give a young entrepreneur?
Carmelo shares: start before you're ready, iterate, and prioritize marketing from day one.
13:45 – What role has failure played in your journey?
Carmelo reflects on early financial missteps, learning the importance of cash flow and the discipline it requires.
15:11 – Where do you see home improvement heading, and how is Spray-Net helping shape that?
He discusses market trends, differentiation via offline/online strategy, and staying ahead of DIY solutions.
17:00 – Who do you go to for advice?
Carmelo credits his wife as his rock, and a strong circle including YPO, fellow founders, mentors, and his advisory board.
18:06 – Final thoughts from Jason and Carmelo. The key message? Just start.
