How Level 10 Coatings Grew From 1 Truck to 7 Crews and Nearly 1,000 Google Reviews
Finn Kiger, Early team member, systems and marketing ·Level 10 Coatings · Crown Point, IN
Built Local Podcast with Clay Lawrence · · 21 min episode
The short version
Level 10 Coatings, a floor coating company in Crown Point, Indiana, incorporated in March 2022 with one truck and trailer and now runs six or seven crews a day, with a second location just opened in Indianapolis. Finn Kiger, who joined early and built much of the call center, sales and marketing process, explains how fast lead response, a clear customer journey and a warranty they stand behind kept customers happy as the company grew from about 300 to nearly 1,000 Google reviews.
What other owners can take from Level 10 Coatings
- 1
Write down your values and make sure every leader can explain them. Level 10's process is the same at seven crews as it was at one.
- 2
Answer new leads within minutes and get a salesperson in the home within days. The company that shows up first often wins the job.
- 3
Hire salespeople when marketing books more appointments than the team can run quickly, not when revenue hits a number.
- 4
Tell the customer the whole plan in the home: the install date, the reminder calls, the arrival window and when payment is due.
- 5
Stand behind the warranty by going back to fix the work, whatever it costs. People talk, and they see the floor.
- 6
Find winter work instead of laying people off: commercial jobs and products that can be installed in the cold.
- 7
Know what it costs to acquire a customer and make sure your ticket supports it. Growth takes spending.
What is Level 10 Coatings?
Level 10 Coatings is a floor coating company based in Crown Point, Indiana, about 45 minutes south of Chicago. It coats concrete in garages, patios, pools and commercial spaces. Finn Kiger described the mission as transforming the lives of employees and customers by transforming their spaces.
Finn joined very early, in what he calls technically his first job out of college, and helped build many of the company’s systems: the call center, the sales presentation, and now marketing, finance and reporting.
How fast did Level 10 Coatings grow?
From one truck and trailer to six or seven crews in four years. The company incorporated on March 18, 2022. Finn laid out the growth:
- Early on: one truck and trailer became three.
- 2023: ran year round without stopping.
- 2024: doubled again, adding three more vehicles.
- 2025: added one more.
About three days before the interview, the company launched a second location in Indianapolis.
How do they keep customers happy while adding crews?
By running the same process at seven crews that they ran at one. Finn said it starts with clear values that everyone in leadership understands, with quality of the utmost importance, and then systems and processes that hold up as the group grows.
“We’re doing the same thing at one truck and trailer and three trucks and trailers as we are at seven.”
The customer hears the whole plan in the home. The salesperson sets the installation date and explains what follows:
- The call center calls 10 days before as a reminder.
- It calls again two business days before to confirm.
- The crew arrives between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning.
- Most projects are finished by 5:00.
- The invoice goes out midday and payment is due the following day.
Finn pointed out a side benefit: a customer who went through a clear process can explain it to the people they refer.
The company also stands behind its lifetime warranty. When a customer is unhappy with a floor, Finn said, Level 10 would rather return and fix it than give money back and leave a floor it is not proud of. “We are going to go back and fix the floor at some degree, regardless of what it costs.”
How does Level 10 Coatings get and close leads?
Mostly through Meta and Google, backed by direct mail, door hangers, local fairs and home shows. A coated floor with a lifetime warranty is usually a one-time sale, so the company needs constant lead flow, and Finn said Meta is one of the best places to get it. Level 10 has almost always partnered with an agency for ads but stays hands-on and supplies the content.
Speed is the rule after that:
- Leads that arrive during the day get a response within 5 minutes on average.
- An appointment is booked about 3 to 4 hours after the lead comes in.
- A salesperson is in the home about two and a half days after the appointment is set.
That speed decides when to hire. If someone fills out a form on Monday and Level 10 cannot get there until Thursday or Friday, a company that shows up on Tuesday or Wednesday may win the job. “If you’re able to set a bunch of appointments, you need sales people to match.” The goal is to win the project in the home.
How does a coatings company deal with winter?
By keeping its people and finding work for them. Finn called seasonality one of the hardest parts of growing, because Level 10 wants to create careers for installers who work 12, 13 or 14 hour days, and it will not lay them off in the winter.
The company slows down in the cold months, but not by a large amount. It does a lot of commercial work, and it keeps coating garages and basements by partnering with suppliers whose product can be installed down to zero degrees.
What is Finn’s advice for owners trying to grow?
“Systems and processes. And don’t be afraid to spend.” Acquiring a customer costs money, he said, so figure out that number, make sure your ticket makes sense against it, and set up everything to close every deal possible.
Reviews are part of that system. Level 10 Coatings has gone from about 300 Google reviews to nearly 1,000, and its installers are incentivized to ask for them and leave cards behind.
In Finn's words
“We're doing the same thing at one truck and trailer and three trucks and trailers as we are at seven.”
“If you're able to set a bunch of appointments, you need sales people to match.”
“We are going to go back and fix the floor at some degree, regardless of what it costs.”
“Systems and processes. And don't be afraid to spend.”
Review Harvest Client
What Level 10 Coatings says about Review Harvest
Finn says Level 10 Coatings went from probably 300 Google reviews to pretty close to 1,000 with Review Harvest, after a cheaper tool that he says produced cheaper results. A reactivation campaign to past clients added 60 or 80 reviews in the first 90 days, and he thinks 20 to 40 percent of jobs now turn into reviews. He adds that the team has to push too: installers are incentivized to ask and leave cards behind.
“When you sign on to Review Harvest, that's going to be your best month. There's no doubt to that. I think we added 60 or 80 reviews in that first 90 days with you guys.”
Finn Kiger on working with Review Harvest: “How This Business Went From 300 to Nearly 1,000 Google Reviews”
Questions this episode answers
How did Level 10 Coatings grow from one truck to seven crews?
Level 10 Coatings incorporated on March 18, 2022 in Crown Point, Indiana with one truck and trailer. Finn Kiger says it grew to three, ran year round in 2023, added three more vehicles in 2024 and one more in 2025, and now runs six or seven crews most days. He credits clear company values, the same systems and processes at every size, and constant communication with each homeowner.
How fast should a home service company respond to a new lead?
At Level 10 Coatings the average response time is within 5 minutes when a lead comes in during the day. Finn Kiger says an appointment is booked about 3 to 4 hours after the lead arrives, and a salesperson is in the home about two and a half days after that. He says a slower company risks losing the job to whoever gets to the home first.
How do concrete coating companies stay busy in the winter?
Finn Kiger says Level 10 Coatings slows down in winter but not by a large amount. The company does a lot of commercial work and keeps coating garages and basements by working with suppliers whose product can be installed down to zero degrees. He says the company will not lay off its installers for the season, so finding that work is one of its hardest jobs.
What happens on installation day with Level 10 Coatings?
Finn Kiger says the salesperson sets the installation date in the home and explains each step. The call center calls 10 days before as a reminder and again two business days before to confirm. The crew arrives between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning, most projects are done by 5:00, and payment is due the following day.
How does Level 10 Coatings get its leads?
Mostly through Meta and Google, according to Finn Kiger, along with direct mail, door hangers, local fairs and home shows. He says concrete coatings relies heavily on Facebook because there is little repeat business once a floor is coated with a lifetime warranty, so the company needs constant lead flow. Level 10 Coatings works with an agency for ads but supplies the content and stays hands-on.
How did Level 10 Coatings get nearly 1,000 Google reviews?
Finn Kiger says Level 10 Coatings went from probably 300 Google reviews to close to 1,000 with Review Harvest. A campaign to past customers added 60 or 80 reviews in the first 90 days, and he estimates 20 to 40 percent of jobs now turn into reviews. Installers are also incentivized to ask and leave cards behind.
Need concrete coatings in Crown Point? Visit Level 10 Coatings at level10coatings.com.
