the Painting Business-What to Expect

The painting business involves much more then many would suspect. First and foremost the owner of business has to have a good working knowledge of the trade of painting or hire very capable and trustworthy tradesmen.

A person operating a small painting business may want to focus on one type of painting. There are different schools of thought concerning which type of painting is the most profitable.  Some will focus on commercial painting which would refer to painting commercial style buildings and offices.  This is desire some to some because the work is often done at night and during off hours when no one is present in the business itself.  Some prefer this since there is little if any contact with building owners or managers. 

The downside to this type of work is that payment can be delayed sixty days or more after the work is completed.  This is simply something one has to get accustomed to when painting commercial establishments of just about any type from doctor's offices to restaurants.  Another negative to dealing with this type of work is usually you have to work at a fast pace which might require extra employees then would be necessary in residential work.

Residential house painting can be a very nice source of income.  Again, depending upon your likes or dislikes you could focus on new construction or repainting older homes.  Generally speaking bidding on new construction will provide more homes to paint but your hourly rate will decrease.  Of course, new construction is usually much easier work since you have empty homes and no home owners to deal with.  In most cases, it is a fact of life that building contractors are looking the least expensive job versus high end custom work.

Many very successful house painting businesses have learned to focus on repaint jobs of older homes.  Even within this category you can specialize even more depending upon your preference and business plan. The negative side to repaints are you have to deal with home owners and preparation work will take twice as long due to the home's furnishings.

The positive side to residential repaints is the fact that payment is due upon completion which certainly helps with a small businesses cash flow.  But regardless which type of painting you key on, you'll find plenty of work as long as you learn how to market to your target customers.  A good business plan will help with this.