Starting a Painting Business With Little or No Money
Starting a painting business with little or no money. Most of us know how to paint, we have performed the task around our homes a few times. In fact it is easier than most of are probably thinking. A painting business might be one of the easiest to start and keep business coming in because it takes nothing to get going.
With the advent of the Internet it makes starting a business on a shoestring budget even easier and by following the steps outlined below you can get started right away.
- Place an ad. This is the first step. You want to get your name out there. Use the local pennysaver or hand out flyers. Use the Internet. Craigslist is a free online classified ad system. Use it. Make sure that you put in your ad every service that you plan on offering.
- In your ad and on your flyers state that you are insured. This is because as soon as you get your first job you will have a policy in place. You also want to make sure that you state your business name (can use your personal name), phone number and address. This gives the reader a since of integrity . You want your customers to know who you are.
- Bidding and winning painting jobs. This seems to be the area that most new business owners fear the most. Remember that you want to remain professional, a painting professional. So show up in painting clothes. Be courteous of them and their home. Ask them if they want you to remove your shoes before walking through the house. During the tour of the home, get all the information relevant to the job. At the same time talk to the home owner. Keep the topic professional and interesting. Afterwards give them your business card and let them know you will be calling or faxing them with your estimate.
- Simple and easy business. Painting is just that, you want to keep things simple and easy for you. Especially in the beginning. After you start to grow your business you may look into more equipment and possibly getting employees.
- Pay your business before you pay yourself. This means that you have to keep the money in your business and pay yourself a salary. At the end of the day its all about how much your business made. As time goes on and your painting business grows so will your profits. Just keep things in prospective and work toward your goal.
You do not have to worry about supplies or equipment before you get your first job. You can use some of the money earned to purchase items like paint brushes and drop clothes. My advice is to keep to the interior of homes and buildings when starting out. This way a inexpensive step ladder will work on most jobs. Try to get half of the cost up front to help you purchase items needed to complete the job.
There you have it. A simple way to get started in painting as a contractor. Remember that you want people to hire you. So if you know what you would want in a professional painting contractor then be that person, because chances are others want the same thing.