Sounds impossible? Hear me out. You can start a painting business with just these few steps:
- Register your company – $100
- Create a website – Free
- Get insurance – $100 per month
- Painting equipment – Free (I’ll explain later)
- Bid for jobs
- Getting your first painting customer – $100
- Make a profit
This is exactly how I (Eric) started. Now our companies generate $4+ million in revenue each year, and it only took 5 years to get there.
Why isn’t it as affordable for everyone? New business owners often complicate starting a painting business.
They worry about things that don’t matter that much, like having the perfect logo. Or how to perfectly estimate a painting job.
>>>We do have a very easy formula for estimating here<<<
I’m going to show you how to start a painting business for under $500 and make your first profit after just 1 week. Let’s dig into the details!
Step 1: Register Your Painting Business
In the United States, you can simply google “business registration” in your state and find the state secretary site where you can register. This only takes 10-15 minutes and costs just $50-$100.
Step 2: Create a Website
So many websites offer a free trial for this. Weebly or Wix are a couple of good ones. Don’t complicate this, you really only need a contact page just to show you’re a real company.
I’ve known people who will put off making a website for months because it’s not perfect yet – or spend an absurd amount of money with a designer. Truthfully, you’ll get such little traffic (if any) at the beginning. Just make a site to show your customers that has all the relevant information on it. You can make it look better over time.
Step 3: Get Insurance
In some states in the US, you don’t need an actual license for residential painting. You only need liability insurance for your painting business. This usually costs around $100 per month for a million-dollar policy.
Editor’s note: If you are in a state that DOES require a contractor’s license, here’s a page that’ll walk you through everything you need.
Step 4: Get Painting Equipment (Or Rather, Don’t Get Painting Equipment)
Painting equipment can be expensive, especially when you’re just starting out. For example, just a paint sprayer can cost you a thousand dollars. I’m showing you how to start a painting business with under $500. So my advice is: DON’T buy equipment.
You’d be amazed how many sub-contractors have their own equipment, AND are willing to paint your house for 50-60% of what you’re charging the customer. After spending roughly 15% on paint and materials, you’ll be left with around 30% profit.
You might be asking, “Where do I get the 15% for materials?”
Most customers expect to pay a deposit when they schedule your painting services. I personally collect 25% from the customer up front. This will easily pay for any paint or materials you’ll need before starting the house.
Step 5: How to Bid a Paint Job
There’s a much more detailed article about this HERE, but we’ll cover the basics here. The easiest way to get to work and start making your profit after 1 week, is to bring your sub-contractor or painting crew to the job site and negotiate how much to pay them.
They will know WAY more than you will about estimating when you first start, so seek advice from a crew that knows their stuff.
For example, you sell a paint job for $2500. You bring your sub to the job and they say they’ll do it for $1200 if YOU buy materials. Paint and Materials on a $2500 job will usually be $300-$400.
Suddenly you’re left with an $800-$1000 profit on your first job. AND you only spent out-of-pocket money on your painting business registration and insurance.
>>>To Get Our Exact Estimating Formulas Click Here<<<
Step 6: Get Your First Painting Customers
There are many ways to do this, which we’ve also detailed HERE. But the cheapest, easiest way to get your first customer is to knock on doors.
Some people are afraid to do this at first (I definitely was). I can still feel my heart jumping out of my throat after ringing my first doorbell. This nervousness will subside, I promise.
By knocking on doors for a couple hours, you will generate 3 to 5 leads on average. We’ve run hundreds of marketing teams to arrive at this average.
Of the 5 leads, 3 of those will turn into in-home estimates where you can potentially sell your first customer.
Of the 3 estimates, you will sell 1.
DISCLAIMER: Most people are bad at sales the first time. I get goosebumps thinking about how awkward my first estimates were. But after persevering, I became a very good salesman, where I could consistently sell about half of my overall estimates.
If you are just starting, you will be bad at estimates. So make sure to get enough door-to-door leads to set up 10 estimates or so. Even if you’re bad, you’ll probably sell at least 1 of those. And then you’ll just get better, the more you do it!
Step 7: Paint the House
I covered this a little bit earlier: use sub-contractors. Like everything about this business, it’s a numbers game. You might go through hiring and firing 4 or 5 crews before you find a reliable one.
That’s one of the biggest questions or complaints I get. How do you find good help? Again, persistence. I went through about 10 crews before I found my favorite one (that I still use to this day). Great crews DO exist!
A lot of painting crews are unreliable, sloppy, or too expensive for sub-contracting. I refuse to hire a crew with poor quality. I promise the best to my customers, so I deliver the best.
A good crew should be able to complete a $2500 painting job with high quality and good prep in 2 days.
Step 8: Make a Profit
I made so many mistakes when I first started my painting business. I’d like to save you from these costly mistakes:
- Overpaying your sub-contractors
- Spending too much at the paint store
- Losing money by underbidding the job
- Hiring sloppy painters
Mistake #1: Overpaying Subs
If you have not established a relationship with a crew or sub-contractor, they will probably give you a high estimate to paint the house. They don’t know you. You don’t know them. And EVERYONE says “If you do a good job on this house, I’ll have more work for you.” It will probably take at least a couple of jobs before you can establish a great relationship.
The most important things YOU can do to keep good workers:
- Pay them on time
- Do what you say
- Be honest about the work involved
By following these 3 rules and having integrity with my employees, I have kept and gained the loyalty of some INCREDIBLE people.
So many painting business owners complain about how there are no good people to hire, but are secretly breaking one of these 3 rules. Don’t be one of them.
>>>To Get Our Exact Estimating Formulas Click Here<<<
Mistake #2: Spending too Much at the Paint Store
At the beginning, I wanted to buy every cool gadget the paint store had to offer. But these little knick-knacks add up and seriously eat into your profit margin.
Instead of spending 15% on materials, you can quickly rack up 25% on unnecessary items.
Stick to the essentials: Paint, Masking Paper, Plastic, Tape, Caulking and Primer. Your sub-contractor should have the rest.
Mistake #3: Underbidding Jobs
One of my very first jobs was to paint a dark green house, a bright yellow. I told the customer; “No problem! Coming right up!” Little did I know how much trouble this job was going to cause me in the near future.
We started spraying the house with yellow paint and IMMEDIATELY realized it was not covering the dark green. We let it dry, and then sprayed ANOTHER coat, which also did not cover. After 3 coats (and 3 times the paint originally estimated) it finally covered the old color.
Suddenly I was spending $1000 on paint instead of the $300 I had planned. Not only that, my 3-man crew quit because they basically had to paint everything 3 times so it would cover properly. They got frustrated and left.
I remember looking at the house after my workers quit, and feeling completely hopeless. There was overspray everywhere since we had to spray so much, including overspray on the roof and chimney – one of the worst mistakes you can make.
Luckily the homeowners were very understanding/patient people, and knew I was trying my best. Otherwise, this could have led to a costly lawsuit.
The moral of the story; experienced painters will see potential problems that you will not. Bring them to the job site before quoting the customer and make sure your bid covers any extra work or materials required.
>>>To Get Our Exact Estimating Formulas Click Here<<<
Mistake #4: Hiring Sloppy Painters
It’s easy to get desperate when you’re exhausted, hurting for money, and trying to keep a deadline. Don’t let this compromise who you hire for the job. A sloppy crew will cost you way more money and hardship in the long run.
A good crew will create happy customers, which will create referrals and future business. Spend a little bit more time and money on reliable people. You’ll be happy you did.
Summary
This is literally exactly how I started my painting business. Now we are in 5 states, with over a 100 crews working for us. And there are ALWAYS more houses to paint.
We’d love to hear how you started your painting business. Drop us a line at [email protected].
We also love this article on starting a painting business.
Thanks for reading!
90 Comments
I am looking into getting my boyfriend started on a painting business and just trying to look into our options. I did have a question about….
3rd step: Get Insurance
In some states, you don’t need an actual license for residential painting. You only need liability insurance for your painting business. This usually costs around $100 per month for a million dollar policy.
If you are in a state that DOES require a contractors license, consult this page to see what you need (link to Eric’s licensing page).
Can I have the link to this? There was nothing for me to click on.
Hi Stacie! Here is the updated painting contractor requirements for 2017: https://paintingleads.com/painting-contractor-license-requirements/
Thank you!
If you also want to do commercial painting is it expensive to get insurance for that?
I’m tryn to start my business in georgia with painting and I’m tryn to figure hiw to start and the best website to start on
Thanks
Where do you find the sub contractors to paint the houses?
Hi Tyler, we’ve found a lot of good subcontractors on job listing websites like indeed or craigslist. Another place to find subs are at paint stores. Many paint stores will have an area where painters put their business cards. You can simply call through them and ask if they do subcontracting work. Good painters know other good painters also. You can ask your subs if they know anyone else who’s good and you can get sub referrals that way. We recommend setting up multiple interviews with subs before you choose a couple good ones. In our experience it takes going through a couple subs before you find someone who is truly reliable.
You mention using subcontractors… So you do not hire employees? We are just starting out and trying to figure out how to handle this. Can you tell me the pros and cons to using subcontractors and using employees?
Thank you!
Hi Brian, we strongly recommend structuring your painting crews as subcontractors. Otherwise you will pay heavy employment and payroll taxes. Subcontractors usually have their own equipment, saving you a lot of expense on tools, ladders, painting vans etc.
How much would you charge for a remodel house of 3327sqf
Hi Noel please visit this article for how to bid:
https://paintingleads.com/how-to-bid-a-paint-job-a-free-guide-to-estimating/
Hi Chandler,
You mention subcontractors are your way to hire people for paint jobs. Questions for you. Say a job will take 16 hours and will cost $2,500 and the two subcontractors will do it for $1,200. If I buy the materials for the job at $400 this leaves me with a $900 profit.
Now say I hired my own employees and paid them $25/hr which would equal a $800 job (2 workers x $25/hrs 16 hours =$800). This would leave me an extra profit of $400 ($1,200 from what I would have paid the contractors – $800 which I paid my employees = $400 extra). What I am trying to get at is what is the situation(s) you would hire employees instead of subcontractors (besides contractors performing poor work)?
Hi Joseph, good question. Subs basically provide two important things:
1. Their own equipment (you’re not factoring the expense of buying, using and maintaining your own equipment in your example).
2. A tax shelter against payroll taxes, which are extremely high. These expenses are also not included in your example.
You are also taking a risk paying ANY painters by the hour. Even if they are super fast, experienced painters, they may take longer if they’re hourly. If you pay by the job, your efficiency incentives are aligned.
Hopefully this helps, thanks Joseph
Joseph, not sure what state but in NJ, you would have tag on about another 28% in payroll taxes and workers comp which is a requirement in my state. so that 25.00 per hour now is 32.00 per hour and as Chandler says, paying by the hour is a killer to your profit margin. I know from experience is why I let my entire painter force convert to 1099 contractors. You can do so much more with a contractor than with an employee you couldn’t such as making them re-do a job without having to pay more. If your employee botches a job, as nonexempt, you must pay them an hourly rate even to correct their own mistakes! Then there is the HR laws that you have constantly stay on top of. So as someone that started off with employees, it’s not worth the headaches – go sub!
Well I’m trying to Start my own painting business but not quite how I have experience in painting trim work pretty much anything resulting for construction but painting is what I want to do if anybody can give me any has ever details on that I would appreciate it thanks…
Thank you so much for this valuable information. I want to start my own painting business badly. I just started reading your articles on your website. Tommorow I will study and learn everything you have to teach us. Thanks again for giving me hopes for s brighter future. You’re awesome !
Also check out our sister site, http://www.paintingbusinesspro.com/course if you want much more detailed resources for starting this business. Glad we could help!
I’ve been painting houses for 15 years, and I’ve actually been a visual artist my whole life (well at least since 5 or 6 years old), and I do not have a contractors license to do my work. I do professional quality paint jobs and don’t charge a lot to paint because I don’t have my license nor insurance (hoping my inexpensive rates will keep my customers satisfied enough not to research me too hard and discover it). Georgia has strict requirements to obtain it (all the way down to business bank accounts and credit checks that I don’t want to be bothered with)… (Sigh) So, how can I find someone who has there license so that I can work underneath them?
The best solution is to get your license. The second best solution is to keep posting ads on craigslist for subcontractors until you find someone who is licensed. But anyone who is licensed is going to charge more too, you will need to raise your prices. You may want to check out our sister site http://www.paintingbusinesspro.com/ for tips and strategies for running and building a painting company. You may just be going about it the wrong way.
I’m trying to start my own business but I’m having a lot of trouble. I started getting contracts from a contractor but know I’m losing money and I don’t have idea where to start to get my own clients :/
Hi Melissa, we have a lot of free resources on how to get your own clients here: https://paintingleads.com/how-to-market-your-painting-business-7-proven-ways/
thanks for the good information on painting.
It sounds like you’re acting like the middle man between the customers and the contractors. How do you keep the contractors from undercutting you by working with the customer directly for a slightly cheaper price and then cutting you out of the business? Has this ever been an issue for you?
Hi Jay thank you for bringing this up. Subcontractors undercutting jobs is a valid concern and this has happened to us in the past.
A couple times we had to stop working with a particular sub because this was happening. However, most of our subcontractors have been very loyal to us because we have provided them new jobs for years. So they don’t want to risk losing all of that in order to steal a couple jobs.
With this arrangement, we can spend our time marketing and doing estimates to obtain new jobs, and our subcontractors can spend their time producing the jobs. We don’t have to worry about the production side and our subs don’t have to worry about the marketing and estimating side.
Hopefully this answers your question, Jay. Thank you!
What about on legal side, how do I open my company?
Hi Demitri, this page here outlines a lot of the legal/licensing side required by each state.
This article is fantastic! I’m looking to start my business in the near future but I want to get my ducks in a row first. I live in New Mexico and a painting contractor license is not required. How should I go about finding qualified help? Also, should I find workers first and then find jobs or should I find the jobs first? My concern is that either it’ll be difficult to find help without the guarantee of consistent work, or I’ll find plenty of work without the man power to get them all done.
Hi Chris, very good questions. We’d recommend getting the jobs first so you actually have something for a potential new subcontractor. If you start hiring subs before you have any work, they will see you have nothing for them and go work for someone else. Just make sure you schedule the jobs at least a couple weeks out so you have time to find a sub to do the work. We have a brief article on finding good subs here.
I like the information you shared with us. thanks a lot.
It appears your whole business model is structured around subcontracting the majority of your work. This will particular model will work for a larger, more stablished company where subcontracting is viable. This is not a good business practice to pursue at the inception of starting/bidding.
Hi Ken, thank you for contributing but we have to respectfully disagree. Our opinion is that a subcontractor can bring a lot of experience that you don’t have when starting a painting business. Subs also have all the painting equipment so you’re not starting out at a loss (purchasing expensive painting equipment before you have any customers). We have hundreds of newly started painting businesses working with us that use this model very successfully.
How many jobs are too many to book before I’ve found contractors to do the work? How far in advance should I schedule jobs?
Hi Chris, that’s really hard to say. If you’re just starting, I would book a handful until you’ve found a reliable crew to produce them. As far as scheduling in advance; it’s easier to schedule jobs farther out and move them forward than vice versa.
What’s to stop the sub contractor from just doing the job on his own?
Hi Chris, we setup a contract with the homeowner and take a deposit.
What kind of license did you start out with?
Hi Ivan, we have a state-per-state licensing guide for painting contractors here: Painting Contractor License Requirements
Hi Chandler, I recently took the leap and started my business. However, I’m having a difficult time finding leads, and I can’t afford to pay for leads just yet (I’ve already spoken with Matt and would love to get leads, but it’s just not doable for me yet). I’ve done tons of networking with local property managers and realtors, and I’ve even done some cold calling to homeowners selling their homes. I get leads here and there, but it’s not enough. I’m considering door to door at this point and I have a few questions.
How effective is door to door?
If I schedule an estimate for a later date, how far out should I schedule it? Obviously I want all of the decision makers in attendance, but how long should I give them to think about things like the colors they want to use?
What can I do to help them decide on colors? If I’m selling the paint job to them, and they weren’t already thinking about painting, won’t they have a difficult time picking colors?
I know these are a lot of questions, but I appreciate you helping out.
Hi Chris congratulations on your new business! Door to door works great. A good door to door canvasser should source 1-2 good leads per hour. We usually schedule our estimates within a week (usually scheduling them at the door when we get the lead, which is really effective). I usually just leave a color-wheel with the homeowners so they can start figuring out their colors, then they’ll usually have a couple combos they’ll want to see through test patches. Sometimes people will be very indecisive about colors, but I’m just patient with them, and I’ll encourage them to drive around their neighborhood to get inspired by other color combos.
Hello, I have been working for a contracting company for about 10 years now and am getting tired of doing certain types of jobs like drywall, carpentry etc. , but I LOVE to paint. I would like to manage my own painting company, but if I already have the experience on how to paint and could do the jobs myself would profits be better with or without the use of subs?
Hi Kenny, when you do a job yourself, your profit is higher for that particular job, but your profit over time will be less. If you’re painting all your work yourself, you can maybe produce $15,000-$20,000 in work a month. But with several crews you can produce 10X that much. Basically, painting yourself occupies all your time so it’s really hard to grow and get more jobs (or any jobs). So yes you’ll make more money without subs on that one job, but painting yourself will cost you a lot of money over time.
I see, that makes sense. Thank you for the useful information, I’m getting very anxious on starting!
I actually have a question. What if you want to paint yourself? are subs required?
Hi Alicia, subs are not required, you can paint yourself if you like. It’s not recommended if you want to grow your business, but you don’t need subs to start your business.
Firstly, thank you guys for your invaluable tips and info. My friend and I are planning to start a painting bussiness in Toronto. We were going to start the bussiness on our own but I changed my mind as I read all the comments and forums most of which emphasized the advantages of having subs. That’s why we decided to start by contracting. So, as a very fresh start for us, what would you suggest to have ,like what are the basics need to be purchased? And ragarding the reqıirements of being a contracter, do you happen to know anything about how this works in Canada/On.? Thanks
Hi Cio, glad you are finding it useful. Most of what you need is found in this article IF you plan to use subs that already have their own equipment. If you don’t plan on using subs, you can find a complete house painting crew kit here: Everything You Need to Paint a House
We do not service Canada yet unfortunately, so we wouldn’t know the requirements up there.
Thanks for the knowledge. What does it mean exactly by florida contractors do not need license. Please help.
Hi Tania, I believe the state does not require licensing, but most of the counties in Florida do. I would recommend researching the license requirements based on the Florida county you plan to operate in.
Hi, I have a crew that essentially formed while working at a company that did not pay on time and would at times short hours. We left as a group and formed our own subcontracting crew because we worked so well together. We are now looking for our own contracts do you have any suggestions on getting contracts? Thank you.
Hi Joe, our service gets you more painting clients/contracts. People find us in your area and request painting bids, which we forward to you for a fee. I’ll have someone from our team reach out and go over our program.
We also have other ways to market your business and get contractors here: 7 Proven Ways to Market Your Painting Business
Do you write up a contract with your subs for each job? Or is it done on a handshake?
Hi Guy, we usually write something up just to make sure everyone is covered (for insurance reasons).
Hi Eric I just wanted say thank you for the information you gave us to read! I am actually trying to start my painting company along with my dad, and this have help me see what I need and how I will be able to start my company! If I ever have a question during my process I will direct my question to you if that’s okay! Thanks again
Hi Santos, glad to hear it! Thank you
Hi, I’m a young entrepreneur looking to start a business. I have no previous experience painting professionally, but have become interested in painting business after coming across your material. Do you know anyone that has started a painting business without ever working professionally as a painter? How has it worked out for them?
Hi Meg, we have hundreds of companies with us that started without working professionally as a painter and many are running amazing businesses and completing quality work. If you have no experience painting, that should not stop you from starting a painting business. However, it is very important to find crews and subcontractors that DO know how to paint professionally. This way you can get your business running without spending years (even decades) mastering the art of painting.
do you guys get leads in new constructions
Hi Anthony, we do. I’ll have someone reach out, thanks!
I am curious as to how many hours a week knocking doors was spent during the initial startup of your company. Also did you target certain neighbor hoods? Did you just push for exterior or incorporate interior as well?
Hi Trever it depends how many leads you want. Door to door canvassing usually yields 1-2 leads per hour. So if I go door knocking for 10 hours on a Saturday for example, I can expect 10-20 leads. When I was starting I would go every weekend, Saturday and Sunday for a total of about 18 hours (and I’d get about 35 leads).
I would target neighborhoods about 10 years old (when the original paint is starting to fail). Or you can target any neighborhood that’s not brand new. I would ask about exterior and interior work when I was at someones door.
Do i need a business license or business plan to start painting residential in indiana or do i only need to register my company and get liability insurance
Hi Gabriel, here’s a good guide for your question: Painting Contractor License Requirements
I must say this is an amazing and complete post. Many people looks to start their painting business with low cost as possible. Thank you for sharng the post. Very helpful for new users.
Hi Thank you kindly for such valuable insight regarding starting a small business indeed helpful reference
I’ve painted professionally for 15 years as a sub ( insured million dollar policy with million dollar umbrella coverage as well as fully equipped) and just really changed my focus from new construction and repaints to operating within the Commercial and Industrial sector while utilizing 2 part systems along with Chemical and Corrosion resistance coatings would you be able to offer any advice regarding market sector transitions
Hi Donnie, we really specialize in residential painting with some commercial, so unfortunately we don’t have much advice on transitioning into another sector.
Ive been a painter for over 20 years and I started painting for myself 4 years ago. I have insurance but in Missouri you don’t need a license. I’ve used the door to door method and cruise the neighborhood I’m working in. I’m actually having issues with getting leads and convincing the homeowner they need a paint job. All the money made goes into the business and living expenses so there isn’t a lot of money to play around with.
Hello,
I just started my painting company. I would like to know how I can get leads to new constructions.
I also want to say that all your information has been very helpful. Thank you
Hello, most of our leads are for residential repaints (interior and exterior). Sometimes we get new construction requests, but it’s more repaint work. We’re glad you’ve found the info useful, thanks for reaching out
Hello,
thank you for your post. How do you find a subcontractor willing to do the work for “less”, so not say? Why wouldn’t that subcontractor bid on the jobs themselves and make the full amount rather than getting only 50-60% of what I would be charging the customer? I am in South Florida if that helps. Thank you.
Hi John, the contract is between us and the homeowner. So the sub cannot steal the job, nor would they want to, considering the volume of work we’re giving them. We do all the marketing and sales (which is a huge expense) and they get jobs handed to them (assuming they are good and reliable) making it a win win. That’s how we can pay less than the whole job. Hopefully this makes sense, thanks John
So as a homeowner I call a few paint contractors and get an xyz price. As a ‘business owner’ , how can I actually find those people willing to do the work for less. That part I am not clear on. Maybe my question is how do you actually find the subcontractors and not the contractors. hope it makes sense. Thank for replying
I have been considering beginning my own paint company for 3 years now but didn’t know where to start. Your article is very helpful. I have been a painter for the Shipyard in Newport News, Virginia for 8 years and now I paint for the Shipyard, in Portsmouth, Va for going on 2 years. Now I will be going back to Newport News Shipyard as a NBPI Coatings Inspector. I have my government certification. So now I think it’s about time I begin my own business. Could you email me about mentoring opportunities?
Hi Alete’ someone will reach out to you, thanks!
I have been thinking of starting a painting business for quite some time, but did know the where to start. However, after watching Eric’s tutorials on YouTube, I guess I should know where to start and more now.
This article summarizes some of his tutorials for more clarify.
My worry is at the level of choosing the right materials and paints colors for a customer at the paint store, considering I have no expertise in the art of painting.
Thanks
Hello there thanks in advance for reading! My son has started a paint business about 6 months ago however to begin with he could not find any decent help so he was trying to do it on his own! He was painting 7 days a week. (Got to understand his work has to be perfect!) He has got all his licenses etc for the state of Ga. He has so many jobs he has to put on back burner! Which to me is not good for his business to me (oh by the way I am his mom) Anyways, he just doesn’t seem to make it with materials and his time etc. He then just hired one decent guy (I think) but money still seems to be slim for his household plus supplies and pay for his help! Could he be under estimating his jobs??? He just asked me the other day if I could try to get him on track because profit is just not there!!! I don’t know a thing about painting but I told him I would try to help him manage his business expense etc! And I am tight with a dollar! I want to be able to come in and help him survive! So please HELP me!!! I read your advice and think I need your are definitely a pro!!! Where do I start??? He is too good to people so maybe he is not bidding his jobs properly??? I do know that he doesn’t get 25% up front but he does get a weekly or not even every week draw but he has to pay bills single father with 2 boys so therefore I am going to look at his personal bills too! (With his father deceased when he was 6 I had to struggle to raise 2 boys by myself by Gods blessings we made it! ) So he needs my help to maintain his business which I find it very interesting to learn from ground up But after searching the internet I found your website is the most concrete and simplified of all! Please help us get a good restart I know it can be done and I am very excited! Would you please help me??? Please?? Thank you! I want him to build his business like yours!!! Thank you! Sorry for the book!
Hello! Thank you for the amazing article – seriously a great read.
I am a Marketer but spent a lot of time painting when I was younger for a renovation company. I wanted to do exactly this – Get leads, close the customers and then get subs to do the work until I could get my own small team and manage the painting business like that.
So starting off, how would you know what to quote the customer and the sub contractors? Because I won’t know how to do the estimates I figured the best way to do it would be to have the subs go check out the job, quote ME and then I quote the customer with my added figure? Is there any better way to do this as I feel it is quite a round-about method.
Thanks again!
Hello, how much do you charge or its free mentoring. I have 3sons and we are looking to start a business such as painting, we live in a college town, so lots of work.
Hire a second employee. Once the first employee is at the point where he can operate on his own, hire a second employee and keep them on the same crew. At this point, you should still be painting with your crew 40 hours per week. After you have your 2 or 3 person crew running well you should start spending less time on the painting side of your business. Now, it s important to check in a couple of times per day because your guys will inevitably run into situations that require you to intervene (going over budget, not doing something correctly, etc) and its your job to jump in and correct the issue. How much can I earn from a painting business? A lot. You can earn a lot of money, but only if you re focusing on the right things. So many painters get caught up in slinging a brush and lose sight of building the business. You need to get off the job site and build the business to make money.
That was awesome thank you for sharing and tipping us on how to grow paint business, I’m also a new founder of painting housing and still seeking for more ideas and advises on how to run effective and efficient business. Thank you
Hello….let me start by saying thank you for your services and advice…I am looking to start my own painting and design business with my fiancé here in NY. I am an experienced painter and she is an interior/exterior designer. The problems I am seeing is the hiring to sub contractors, without them undermining me and going direct to the customer to do the work. Even just bringing the sub to a home for an estimate , you cannot avoid them going back on their own time behind your back and trying to negotiate a deal. Contracts are not signed until the job/price are agreed on, so you’re leaving yourself open to these type of business practices. Everything you have offered as far as advice all seems to make sense, but this main issue seems to have me puzzled. I’d love to talk and possibly pick your brain about how to get my business off the ground. Again, thank you for your time and expertise.
Hi George it’s a valid concern and it does happen sometimes. The biggest thing with getting good subs is establishing a good/trusting relationship. Once you become a reliable source of jobs for a sub, it’s not worth it for them to steal work and risk losing the relationship..You really only want to bring a sub to help bid a job if you’re just starting out or if the job is too complicated to bid with your own limited experience. Once you know how to bid accurately, you can sign the agreement directly with the customer and not worry about it getting poached.
I have recently bought a small home. I painted inside and I began helping a friend paint their home. I’ve gotten better at painting and now I love it. could I start a small business with just me and possibly another person to paint inside of homes?? Have you ever heard of a company with one 1 or 2 people?
What are the cons about this?
Thank you.
Hi my name is cristian bello from Atlanta G.A i wonted to if yall can pass me jobs by contract
I am trying to start a small painting business. My only employee would be my husband who has more than 8 yrs experience. Unfortunately, we don’t have a general contractor license and he is not an independent contractor. We both have separate full-time jobs. I would like to pay him per job. How can I do this successfully? I am having a very difficult time figuring out a payroll system that would support piece work or per job pay.
Thank you so much for the information..it has been really helpful..iv wanted to start my own painting company but didnt know where to start..been reading the comments as well..has been helpful
I Am looking to start my own business would love some help I read the story and lived it please email me I would love some help
hi I am trying to start my painting company in utah but im having a hard time to get information about how much would be a squared or how much i should charge for a painting job ?
Never take a job with out going to see it a hole house is 3000 t5000 2 rooms 5oo to600 hundred.
I’m trying to start up my own painting Business and I see that you have shown us enough, and very Sincerely thank you
Please email me I have a few questions