The Online Resource for the Painting Industry
Random thoughts and interesting articles
“If it aint broke, don’t fix it” “But we always do it this way” “I use this paint all the time” “That won’t work” Sound familiar? For a bunch of entrepreneurs, painting contractors sure can be a stubborn bunch! It is hard for us to try something new and get out of our perceived “comfort zone”. […]
I love George’s posts! His business model with Ecopainting has always impressed me, as he has generously shared his ideas and expertise on various topics online. One of my favorites is his take on customer testimonials. It is a testament to his staff and the environment he creates when you read them. He has been doing organically what all […]
In contracting, there are several business models, from the sole proprietor who likes to do all the work himself, to the owner who has project managers, office staff and crews and never touches a brush. That is the beauty of being an entrepreneur, you can tailor the business model to fit your style. No matter what size and […]
There is a lot of talk in the industry lately about “going green” and what it really means. If I offer a customer the option of using a Low VOC paint does that mean I am a “Green” painting company? I think not! I believe it is more of an overall philosophy and mindset. A […]
One of the perks of being a “social butterfly” is the wide variety of people you meet online. Yesterday we had a rainstorm move through the area, a Facebook friend (who, although I have purchased her homemade cupcakes, have never met her in person!) posted on my wall asking if I knew a roofer. Early […]
There is no doubt the way we communicate has changed over the past decades due to the internet. When was the last time you hand wrote a letter? Email has allowed to respond immediately or fire off a heated rant, not always a good thing! Thanks to email and Smartphones, we can be in constant […]
The first observance of Father’s Day actually took place in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, who wanted to celebrate the lives of the 210 fathers who had been lost in the Monongah Mining disaster several months earlier in Monongah, West Virginia, on December 6, 1907. From […]
Rob and I recently attended a seminar sponsored by Sherwin Williams in Las Vegas. Rob and I both agreed that this was one of the best seminars we have attended in years, especially for a husband/wife team. It had a balance of product, business and marketing topics that kept us both interested. The seminar opened […]
How often do you get a chance to use your skills to be a little more creative than usual? I love this blog by iPaintokc. This is also a great example of a good project blog, the steps are clearly laid out, without giving away all the author’s secrets! The pictures are very clear and […]
How do you help your customers choose colors? Do you just send them to the paint store? Bring in a designer? Spend hours looking through the fan decks and then applying samples? Color is such a personal choice and I think many of us are hesitant to guide customers, especially if we have no formal […]
Today’s pick is a blog by Heidi Nyline of Warline Painting. Recently Heidi took a lot of flack on an online painter’s forum for a recent blog, “Sending customers to the competition”. The opinions on both sides were pretty strong, the majority of those who responded agreed that we can’t always be everything to everybody. […]
For at least a couple of years, I was a skeptical spectator of social media and blogging. I thought these types of media were just bells and whistles, free attempts by contractors to avoid traditional methods of marketing their businesses. Then, last November, that changed for me. I decided that I needed an effective way […]
