Seasons greetings everyone,
I have not posted in a while so I first want to say I'm sorry for that. Been busy wrapping up the jobs that have been a big part of what we did this year and of course getting ready for the Christmas season(shopping, etc...)but that brings me to the reason that I decided to post today.
This time of year professional painters as with any other types of contracting business usually find that the jobs are becoming harder to find because people are holding on to their money with Christmas and New Years right around the corner. The same thing happens every year and I'm hear to tell you that it will happen again next year and the year after that and so on, but as a business owner and a professional you need to stop panicking and quit worrying because everything will be fine.
What you need to do is exactly what you have been doing(or should have been doing)all along and that means that you need to keep advertising, promoting your business any way you can.
Calling your past customers and asking if they need any painting work done or if they have any neighbors that need any painting. There are many ways to get your name out there in front of potential customers, but the bottom line is you need to work as hard to acquire new customers as
you did with the customers that you had this previous year. You'll find that you'll build your pipeline back up again and be able to continue to move forward with building and growing your business and that is what we all strive to do.
Good luck in the new year and beyond.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Communication
That's the key to avoiding a lot of problems in our lives isn't it?
Think about all the problems we would avoid if we only had better communication skills.
We would have a hard time making our marriage work if we were not communicating well with our partner or we would make our relationships with our children very difficult if we were not on the same page with them.
The same is true in business,when we do not communicate very well with our customers ,our employees, our vendors, we will not succeed in our field. When you decide to own your own business you had better sharpen up you communication skills because you will use those skills as long as you own your company.
When you are in business as in any thing else you want to succeed(marriage,parenting,etc...)you should always strive to be the best that you can be. When you don't put communication high on your priority list then you are doomed to fail before you even begin. Once again too many businesses end up that way. So I hope you will try to make this more of a priority so that your business will be everything that you envision it to be.
Now go home and talk to your wife and kids.
Think about all the problems we would avoid if we only had better communication skills.
We would have a hard time making our marriage work if we were not communicating well with our partner or we would make our relationships with our children very difficult if we were not on the same page with them.
The same is true in business,when we do not communicate very well with our customers ,our employees, our vendors, we will not succeed in our field. When you decide to own your own business you had better sharpen up you communication skills because you will use those skills as long as you own your company.
When you are in business as in any thing else you want to succeed(marriage,parenting,etc...)you should always strive to be the best that you can be. When you don't put communication high on your priority list then you are doomed to fail before you even begin. Once again too many businesses end up that way. So I hope you will try to make this more of a priority so that your business will be everything that you envision it to be.
Now go home and talk to your wife and kids.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
R -E- S- P- E-C -T
Those words are very important in our life and in our business.
Respect people and you will get respected. That should be everyone's goal when your in business, that to me is an overlooked part of too many companies now a days.
All that seems to be in the business owners mind is to get in and get out and get a check and that is the end of the whole transaction when in fact it is only part of the deal.
When dealing with a client you have to give them your undivided attention when you are with them so you can understand their needs and that in the end will lead to a quality job.
Too many painters have the attitude that they will do what they want to do and the customer will have to understand, well that is how you end up sitting at home wondering why you have been with out work for months at a time. People just want you to listen and respect their opinion.
My mom was always an inspiration to me in soo many ways in my life, and she would always have a saying for everything. I would like to pass on these two:
1).You can never learn anything by talking, only listening.
2).Treat people the way that you would want to be treated.
I think that says it all.
Respect people and you will get respected. That should be everyone's goal when your in business, that to me is an overlooked part of too many companies now a days.
All that seems to be in the business owners mind is to get in and get out and get a check and that is the end of the whole transaction when in fact it is only part of the deal.
When dealing with a client you have to give them your undivided attention when you are with them so you can understand their needs and that in the end will lead to a quality job.
Too many painters have the attitude that they will do what they want to do and the customer will have to understand, well that is how you end up sitting at home wondering why you have been with out work for months at a time. People just want you to listen and respect their opinion.
My mom was always an inspiration to me in soo many ways in my life, and she would always have a saying for everything. I would like to pass on these two:
1).You can never learn anything by talking, only listening.
2).Treat people the way that you would want to be treated.
I think that says it all.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Building a winning team
I thought I'd write a post about a topic that is not mentioned often enough and that is the topic of surrounding yourself with good employees. When you think about having a successful business of any kind you think about all the obvious things(tools,supplies,etc...)but you don't often think about one of the most important things to any business and that is having good people to do the work.
Lets face it I can not be in 10 different place at the same time so I need to know that I can have reliable people in those places who can do the job and do it the way I want it done. I feel really good every time I hear one of the other trades comment on how good my guys are and how hard they work. As in employer I can take pride in hiring guys who know how to get it done.
As employers we also have to learn to play to our employees strenghts and weaknesses, as an example I would not want to put a man in a situation that he would not excel like if I knew that an employee is a good painter but might not be the best people person then I might want to not have him on a residential job alone where he would have to have a lot of interaction with a customer, I might want to use him in more of a new construction setting.
You get the idea, that just comes with experience. Remember in the end an employer is only as good as his 0r hers employees.
Lets face it I can not be in 10 different place at the same time so I need to know that I can have reliable people in those places who can do the job and do it the way I want it done. I feel really good every time I hear one of the other trades comment on how good my guys are and how hard they work. As in employer I can take pride in hiring guys who know how to get it done.
As employers we also have to learn to play to our employees strenghts and weaknesses, as an example I would not want to put a man in a situation that he would not excel like if I knew that an employee is a good painter but might not be the best people person then I might want to not have him on a residential job alone where he would have to have a lot of interaction with a customer, I might want to use him in more of a new construction setting.
You get the idea, that just comes with experience. Remember in the end an employer is only as good as his 0r hers employees.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Owning your own business
When you set out to start your own business no matter what business it is there are always going to be obstacles in you path, but I'm going to try to get you started off on the right foot.I find it very important to have a plan in mind that you can follow to make it a little easier to get a jump on your competition. You have to planto set aside some money for advertising as well as setting aside some capitol for your license and insurance.
You need to open a business account with your local bank and if your like me you have to purchase a license for every town that you plan to work in. You need to decide if your going to be a one man(or woman) show or if your going to hire employees. Have a plan as to how big you want your business to become and set out customizing it to fit your vision.
Make sure to follow some or all of these suggestions because all to many businesses don't make it past the first year because they thought that would be a waste of time to have a plan before they just jump in.
You need to open a business account with your local bank and if your like me you have to purchase a license for every town that you plan to work in. You need to decide if your going to be a one man(or woman) show or if your going to hire employees. Have a plan as to how big you want your business to become and set out customizing it to fit your vision.
Make sure to follow some or all of these suggestions because all to many businesses don't make it past the first year because they thought that would be a waste of time to have a plan before they just jump in.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Prep,Prep,Prep
Were all into instant gratification, were only interested in the bottom line, the final product is what gets our attention but in the world of painting it's really only a by product of a lot of hard work.
The client sees the fruits of our labor and upon being satisfied pays us and we go on but the real magic goes on behind the scenes,
The client sees the fruits of our labor and upon being satisfied pays us and we go on but the real magic goes on behind the scenes,
- Sanding
- Patching
- Taping
- Priming
These are the things that seperate a good job from a great one. Lets face it anyone can paint but the secret lies in the Preperation,when that step is skipped it can ruin a whole job and the customer will not sign a check over to a person that does a half assed job.Painters please spend more time on the little things and you will always produce professional quality work.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Finding & keeping good help.
I was just sitting here thinking that when you are busy enough that you need to hire some help is that a good thing or a is it another headache that you don't need?
I want to make as much money as I possibly can and still remain reasonably sane so for me the only way to do that is to try to assemble a crew.
If you haven't done this before and are used to just being a one man show then you are going to be then you are going to be extremely frustrated. Because this is not as easy as it sounds.
If you are as concerned about quality as I am then your finding the right people to accomplish this is going to drive you nuts.
When your lucky to be able to find people that do a good job(maybe not as well as you would want but..) then you have to make sure that they being paid well so as to keep them or they will jump to someone else who will pay them more.
This is a delicate balance that you are constantly juggling. I am not apposed to hiring inexperienced help and teaching them but that can also slow your production down.
I currently have a crew of 4 that I employ(not full time) so I understand the work that has to be put into accomplishing this so I will be writing more on this subject as I think it is very important to anyone looking to expand and grow in this or any other business.
I want to make as much money as I possibly can and still remain reasonably sane so for me the only way to do that is to try to assemble a crew.
If you haven't done this before and are used to just being a one man show then you are going to be then you are going to be extremely frustrated. Because this is not as easy as it sounds.
If you are as concerned about quality as I am then your finding the right people to accomplish this is going to drive you nuts.
When your lucky to be able to find people that do a good job(maybe not as well as you would want but..) then you have to make sure that they being paid well so as to keep them or they will jump to someone else who will pay them more.
This is a delicate balance that you are constantly juggling. I am not apposed to hiring inexperienced help and teaching them but that can also slow your production down.
I currently have a crew of 4 that I employ(not full time) so I understand the work that has to be put into accomplishing this so I will be writing more on this subject as I think it is very important to anyone looking to expand and grow in this or any other business.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Working with Contractors
This is a subject that we as painters need to discuss and that's we need to get along better with the contractors (or GC's) it's not always the easiest thing for us since us painters are a different breed but in the long run it will be most beneficial to us and our business if we do.
Contractors want things done there way and there used to dealing with subs that give them a hard time so they can be rather demanding on you sometimes but that is really not that big a deal when you understand that we can usually benefit by this when they push us to complete a task because that will get us closer to our next draw and put more money in our pockets.
I tell all my guys that if the GC wants them to help him move a door or carry in some trim then do it because that will make him less demanding on you and maybe not be standing over you so much.
We all need to learn to work better and more effectively with each other since most new construction jobs last between 1 and 3 months. That's longer then some relationships.
Contractors want things done there way and there used to dealing with subs that give them a hard time so they can be rather demanding on you sometimes but that is really not that big a deal when you understand that we can usually benefit by this when they push us to complete a task because that will get us closer to our next draw and put more money in our pockets.
I tell all my guys that if the GC wants them to help him move a door or carry in some trim then do it because that will make him less demanding on you and maybe not be standing over you so much.
We all need to learn to work better and more effectively with each other since most new construction jobs last between 1 and 3 months. That's longer then some relationships.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Remebering 9 11
I am extremely sorry that I didn't get a chance to post on the worst tragedy this country has ever known, Sept, 11. This date should forever be in our hearts our minds and our culture and
I was amiss not to post on it.
This country has had many tradegies to deal with but none were as tragic as having our innocent men and women be killed through those ruthless acts of terrorism.
It should haunt us until those bastards that are responsible are brought to a proper justice.
Many dates about our country stay ingrained in our minds but none should be as memorable as 9 11. This is a date that changed our country forever.
We must never let our children forget.
I was amiss not to post on it.
This country has had many tradegies to deal with but none were as tragic as having our innocent men and women be killed through those ruthless acts of terrorism.
It should haunt us until those bastards that are responsible are brought to a proper justice.
Many dates about our country stay ingrained in our minds but none should be as memorable as 9 11. This is a date that changed our country forever.
We must never let our children forget.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The Big Box Stores
We've all shopped them and yet I hear painters complain all the time about Lowes and Home Depot. They say that they carry just enough paint supplies to keep the average homeowner happy and nothing more or the people working there wouldn't know a quality paint brush from a garden hose.
I can agree with some of the complaints but I also will point out that I have picked up some good deals on Ladders and Scaffolding,and their 5 gallon buckets of Olympic primer come in handy when I'm doing a 3300 sq. ft. house. The savings over SW looks a whole lot better in my pocket then the GC's. I guess all I'm saying is that don't knock the "Big Box Stores" all the time you never know when they'll come in handy.
I can agree with some of the complaints but I also will point out that I have picked up some good deals on Ladders and Scaffolding,and their 5 gallon buckets of Olympic primer come in handy when I'm doing a 3300 sq. ft. house. The savings over SW looks a whole lot better in my pocket then the GC's. I guess all I'm saying is that don't knock the "Big Box Stores" all the time you never know when they'll come in handy.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Bargin Hunting
People will always continue to amaze me, hunting for bargains is fine when your shopping at Walmart but when your making a decision to make over the look of your home maybe cheap isn't the way to go.
Saving money is a natural instinct but you can carry it too far, cheap and quality do not go hand in hand, if I can pass along any advice to anyone in the painting industry it's when you run across a customer that is concerned about the "bottom line" more then the quality of the job just turn around and walk, you'll save alot of aggravation in the long run.
The old saying"You get what you pay for"still rings true.
Saving money is a natural instinct but you can carry it too far, cheap and quality do not go hand in hand, if I can pass along any advice to anyone in the painting industry it's when you run across a customer that is concerned about the "bottom line" more then the quality of the job just turn around and walk, you'll save alot of aggravation in the long run.
The old saying"You get what you pay for"still rings true.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Weather followers
With the cooler weather coming my thoughts turn to getting the exterior jobs done and then focusing on the interiors. We as painters are always conscience of the weather because our business depends on it so we have to make sure we follow it so we can give accurate estimates to our customers as to how long a job will take. Knowing if it will rain or snow that particular day will mean that we might have to reschedule a job for another day, then we can see if we can call another customer so we maybe could come over and work on a living room or kitchen that we have'nt gotten to. Ahh just another day in the life of being a painter.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Painter "Keep On Rollin"2
To go along with that last post I received very encouraging news from the local businesses that I get supplies from(Sherwin Williams,Benjamin Moore,Home Depot,Lowes,etc...)they keep telling me that business is picking up over what it was a couple of months back and they've seen a steady increase in the number of customers(Home owners,Contractors) that are purchasing painting products from them. I myself love to see HO's buying paint because I know they'll be calling me to repaint what they painted in the very near future.
Painter "Keep On Rollin"
Despite our tough economic time us Painters just keep hanging in there.
We keep on acquiring new business and we stay busy, I think that is the nature of the beast in our biz. While construction and real estate numbers have plummeted I have continued to stay busy. Home owners will always need painting work done and that is not because our work is so difficult to do it's just that it is work that not a lot of HO"S are equipped to do(Ladders, Heights,Clean up etc..)so we benefit from that. I've stayed busy and hired 2 new employees despite the grim numbers that the government has presented us with. So take heart painters everywhere if you are not busy now you will be in the near future just hang in there.
We keep on acquiring new business and we stay busy, I think that is the nature of the beast in our biz. While construction and real estate numbers have plummeted I have continued to stay busy. Home owners will always need painting work done and that is not because our work is so difficult to do it's just that it is work that not a lot of HO"S are equipped to do(Ladders, Heights,Clean up etc..)so we benefit from that. I've stayed busy and hired 2 new employees despite the grim numbers that the government has presented us with. So take heart painters everywhere if you are not busy now you will be in the near future just hang in there.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Hello Everyone!
Thanks for checking out my blog.
I'm house Painter who works & lives in the great state of Delaware. I've been in the painting business for over 15yrs and have owned and operated my own biz for more then 5yrs. My company is Sun Coast Painting we specialize in all types of painting projects from: Interior/Exterior to Commercial/Residential to Faux Finishes to custom Murals, we also offer Drywall Installation, Finishing & Repairs as well as Powerwashing.
We know that our customers are the life blood of our business and we do whatever it takes to keep make sure they are satisfied and happy. We feel our work speaks for itself and we have plenty of satisfied customers who would agree. I could go on and on about our company but I will control myself and tell you that the reason I created this blog was to supply my readers with a wealth of knowledge about the painting business and to give helpfull tips about painting and small business in general.
I will give you reviews about products I've used and just try to share my expertise with all my loyal readers.
Thanks for checking this blog out and if you want to learn more about my company or to contact me just check out my site:http://www.suncoastpainting.vpweb.com/
I'm house Painter who works & lives in the great state of Delaware. I've been in the painting business for over 15yrs and have owned and operated my own biz for more then 5yrs. My company is Sun Coast Painting we specialize in all types of painting projects from: Interior/Exterior to Commercial/Residential to Faux Finishes to custom Murals, we also offer Drywall Installation, Finishing & Repairs as well as Powerwashing.
We know that our customers are the life blood of our business and we do whatever it takes to keep make sure they are satisfied and happy. We feel our work speaks for itself and we have plenty of satisfied customers who would agree. I could go on and on about our company but I will control myself and tell you that the reason I created this blog was to supply my readers with a wealth of knowledge about the painting business and to give helpfull tips about painting and small business in general.
I will give you reviews about products I've used and just try to share my expertise with all my loyal readers.
Thanks for checking this blog out and if you want to learn more about my company or to contact me just check out my site:http://www.suncoastpainting.vpweb.com/
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