Start a Painting Business

Most painters are terrible at quoting and communication; showing up on time with a clean written estimate already puts you ahead.

1. 1

   Build a portfolio fast

   Paint two or three rooms for friends at cost and photograph everything. Before-and-after photos are what close painting jobs.

2. 2

   Learn to quote by the numbers

   Price by square footage: labor hours plus materials plus 40 to 50 percent margin. A written same-day estimate already beats most competitors who never send one.

3. 3

   Handle licensing and insurance

   Check your state's contractor license threshold (many exempt jobs under a dollar amount), register the business, and carry general liability. Property managers will ask for the certificate.

4. 4

   Open a contractor paint account

   A Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore contractor account cuts paint costs 20 to 40 percent, which drops straight into your margin.

5. 5

   Pitch property managers on turnovers

   Rental repaints between tenants are steady, repeatable, and booked by one decision maker. Five property managers can keep a crew busy year-round.

6. 6

   Deliver clean and communicate

   Show up on time, tape and cover properly, and text updates. In painting, reliability is the differentiator, and it feeds the referral loop.

7. 7

   Add crews to scale

   Once you are booked three weeks out, sub out labor, keep quoting and quality control yourself, and take margin on every crew.