Starting a painting business is one of the easiest and well rewarding job
It is a scalable business and can easily grow with little cash to start with
You just require a hard dedicated painting projects when you start
After that you can have your best painting projects documented with photos
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That's why in this guide I am going to discuss how to start a painting business
And all the tools you need plus how much you expect to make from painting business
Steps to start a painting business
Starting a painting business is very straighforward process
You begin by painting houses by yourself and master the process confidently
At least you should complete 3 to 4 tasks in less than 2 months
But before that you should apply for the following
1- Establish a business plan and define your guidelines
This step is critical when starting your painting business
You build a business plan that defines what your company can do
Before and while doing the job and after you complete
Look at your competitors in the market and analyse what they do
Then come up with a plan that over achieve their plans
Think about all the details and put yourself in the customer's shoe
For example, all customers like to get their painting jobs delivered as soon as possible
Also with high accuracy and cleaning stains after you have done
You never see a painting business advertise to put back your furniture after they finish and cleaning 100% of all stains
It would be beneficial if you establish your point of strengths based on all details
Also you can state if you are comfortable to have yourself or your workers do their job while pets are around
2- Choose a name for your business
Although choosing a name is not important as defining your business plan
But you should not rush choosing a name just to start the painting business
Take your time and come up with an unforgettable name
Make it unique and memorable as this faciliates your advertisement process
If someone catches your business name and doesn't know your contact
Once they google your name your website should come up
It would make sense to have a domain name matching your business name
3- Register your painting business
I know some handy workers do most of their work under the table
You pay them cash and most of the times don't get a receipt
But remember you cannot guarantee that all customers accept that
Some customers ask for invoice and don't be surprised they expect to see taxes on it
You never know may be few customers use invoices when doing their taxes
That's why you have to register your business as corporate or even sole proprietorship
4- Get funding for your painting business
The best thing about starting a painting business is that it doesn't require large capital
You need to buy some materials to do the job
Few of these materials can be used from one painting project to another
While all other painting materials are replaceable
Some painting business buy only the materials when collecting the deposit
5- Prepare all legal documents like business bank account
You need to open a business bank account to pay yourself and buy painting materials
Also you need to build an invoice with your business name and logo on top
In every invoice you should list the materials and the amount you charge for labor
Remember some customers will bring materials for you
6- Buy your painting materials
As I mentioned earlier you need an ongoing materials like ladders and measuring tape
Other materials like painting rolls and colors you buy it when you collect the deposit
7- Apply for business insurance (optional but recommended)
Although it is optional but it is highly recommended to apply for a business insurance
Who knows may be you get a painting project in a 9 feet ceiling or more and you slip from the ladder
Materials required to begin painting right away
When starting a painting business you are required to get some materials to do your painting projects
Not all the below are mandatory
But if you buy them you painting projects will be easy to complete
1- Domain name and a website
Remember having domain name and website helps to convince more customers to hire you
How? by listing your contact and having a voice mail in case you're busy
Also you can list all of your previous painting projects
You can show before and after painting
2- Vehicle or truck
The good thing about starting a painting business is that you can use your personal car
Although it can happen that sometimes you can get a painting project in big house
Probably a mansion and this requires many gallons of paint
If you are using your personal vehicle you have to transfer them in multiple rides
3- Ladders and/or Scaffolding
In order to start a painting business buying a ladder is a must
At least 14 to 16 feet minimum is highly recommended
Actually you should consider buying multiple ladders for different lengths
Scaffolding is also a good choice especially if you are painting external ceilings
4- Paint Brushes, Rollers, and Sprayers
According to your painting project you need to buy different paint brushes
Also you need rollers to finish project fast and efficiently
Sometimes you have to switch to small rollers when it comes to corners
Also paint sprayers is good option for exterior paintings
Actually I have never seen painters using them inside houses
5- Paint, Primer, and Stain
According to your customer's taste you need to estimate the paint you need to buy
Before your start your painting project you need to decide what is the quality to use
Some expensive paints require one layer to cover the old paintings
But it is really worth it while cheap paints take 2 or more covers
Don't worry about building this experience
Definitely it won't make you lose money
Consider establishing yourself as a big consumer with local construction stores to buy your primer and painting materials with discount
6- Dropclothes and all other Supplies
Definitely when you start your painting business you would need painters tape
This would help prevent any wrong touches of rollers to upper ceilings
Some professional painters don't use painters tape
They know how to control the rollers by using a roller in one hand and a thick paper in the other hand to prevent the painting from touching parts they don't want to paint
Anyway below are the list of things you need to buy
- Measuring tape
- Drywall patch
- Paint trays
- Painters tape
- Mineral spirit also known as white spirit
How much does it cost to start a painting business?
If we exclude buying a truck and using your own vehicle
Starting a painting business costs you less than $3,000
You definitely need a domain and web hosting which cost around $200 per year
Commerical ladders cost around $500 each
Definitely you need 2 or more ladders if you are painting with another worker
How to grow your painting business?
There are many techniques you can follow to grow your painting business
When you start your first painting projects you need to take lot of pictures
Take a permission from customers
Or ask nicely to take pictures and in return give a good discount
Build an attractive website
Take care of maintaining a website that includes your best painting projects
Make sure you have your contact information clearly listed there
Answer the phone promptly
I know you may get some calls while working in your painting business
But don't expect to return calls to customers after 72 hours and expect to hire you
Customers make impression on how reasonable your return their calls
Leaving a clear voice message that indicates why you aren't able to take the call
Then state when they can expect to return their calls back
This is the key when starting a painting business
Quality painting means more customers
The key here to growing your painting business is quality
You need to repeat that 100 times
Think about every painting project as if it is your first project
What is the benefit of building big client base and start losing them one after the other
Clean after you're done
If you think about quality then consider tidiness and cleaning after you're done
You can get many satisfied customers but they won't promote you
Customers who spent days cleaning all the mess and stains around their houses
For example, some painters remove all receptacle outlets before painting then put them back
Taking care of these details yes take more time but it builds your reputation
Promote your business on social media
Painting is a visual business so customers need to see images
You can use Instagram and Pinterest to advertise your business
Ask for referrals with incentives
Existing customers promote your business using word of mouth
Their friends and families if they like your painting they would like to know your business name
You can offer your existing customers an incentive that drive them to promote your name for you
Actually you can offer a 2 way by giving an incentive to your existing customer
And another incentive in the form of a discount to give to your referee
Advertise your business by sending mails in post boxes
Your local post office can send your flyers in mailboxes in specific areas
Try to use newly constructed areas as some customers decide to paint a different colors before they move in
Also old neighborhood is most likely require a new painting
Place signs for your business in local construction stores
Best places to advertise your painting business beside local construction stores
Also you can invest in flyers you can distribute with local newspapers
Start small and see what works for you
Be ready to expand your team
What if you get multiple painting projects at the same time
You have a capacity so certainly you need workers to work with you
How much can you charge for your painting tasks?
Actually most professional painters charge per square footage
So you need to measure areas you will be painting
Usually average painters charge between $25 to $100 an hour
Within a particual hour how many square feet you can cover
Study the market and come up with a price to stick with
Your reputation will not be affected by other cheap competitors
How much can you expect from painting business?
Good question, it all depends on working by yourself or with a team
Working by yourself makes you complete around 3 projects a month
If you net income $2,000 in each painting project that's a $6,000 in your pocket
Working with a team will help complete more projects
But you will use most of the money to pay workers as labors really cost a lot