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Paint your way up the success ladder

Painting houses as a business can be rewarding if you know what you are doing. If you are good with a paint brush, then you can start your own business as a painter. This article will give tips on how to break into the painting business.

You first need to get your basic materials and equipment together. It is a good idea to contact your local paint supplier and set up an account and contractor pricing before launching your paint business. This will save you money when you start getting lots of jobs.

One important thing to consider before getting started is getting insurance. A basic umbrella policy should cover you if you accidentally damage someone's property. Talk to your insurance broker to find out exactly what you need to cover yourself for.

To get clients for your business, you must place advertisements in the classified section of your local newspaper. This is a good way of introducing yourself to homeowners and small businesses.

You must also do some cold calling when you start up. Talk to real estate and rental agencies about your service and how much you charge. These can be your good clients if you do a good job for them.

Remember, they are in property business and properties always need painting or repainting, especially when one is selling or a new tenant is moving into the apartment. A good relationship with them will mean repeat business for you.

Once everything is set up and you are ready to start, it is important to come up with a good pricing or quoting strategy. This is important because it determines your working capital and cash flow in general. Decide how you are going to quote: by the hour, square metre, room or job.

Most importantly, you need to be reliable. Once you have landed the job, be dependable, especially with commercial accounts. If you agree to be there at a certain time, be there. Always call if there is a problem. Customers may not complain, but this is good business practice.

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