<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re learning how to start a painting business, it\u2019s safe to say you have a lot to learn before you launch a large-scale painting enterprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting your own painting business for the first time means that you don\u2019t have intimate knowledge of the painting industry. Maybe you\u2019ve worked in the painting industry and have a bit of experience that gives you more knowledge about the industry than some other business owners may have, but starting your own painting business is quite a different ball game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The traditional business startup method makes the assumption that you already have expert-level knowledge of the painting industry. The reason this assumption is wildly flawed is that it can take decades of working in the industry to master it and gain the type of knowledge that this startup method assumes you come pre-equipped with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lean startup method allows you to learn about the painting industry and gain experience before<\/em> you build your painting business, which will contribute to the overall success of your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Assumption 2: Your needs and wants are more important than your customers\u2019 needs and wants. <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe goal of every business is to make money, regardless of the type of business. A business that doesn\u2019t listen to customer feedback or doesn\u2019t care about the wants and needs of its customer base will quickly fail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the traditional startup method, you\u2019re encouraged to focus on all the reasons that YOU want to start a painting business, rather than why YOUR CUSTOMERS would want to purchase your services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A marketing strategy of \u201cPlease buy my painting services\u201d is not a good advertising tactic, and it will not make your business look good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you use the lean startup method, you\u2019ll begin developing relationships with your customers and learning about their painting needs. Do they want a painting business that provides both interior and exterior painting services? Do they want a painting business that offers more than house painting services? Do the other painting companies in the area only offer commercial painting services? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The traditional startup method makes the flawed assumption that the business owner\u2019s desires are more important than the wants and needs of their customer base. With the lean startup method you\u2019ll research what your customers want from a new painting business before you start a painting business. You can use the information customers provide to build your painting company based on what your customers want. Doing this market research before you open your painting business will give it a better chance at long-term success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Assumption 3: You have unlimited cash to burn. <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUnfortunately for us, money is not a never-ending renewable resource. If it were, it would put an end to a lot of human suffering. Alas, because money runs out, even the wealthiest people on the planet don\u2019t spend their money needlessly. Every business owner must occasionally make risky financial decisions, but that doesn\u2019t mean you should be careless with your money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you start a painting business using the traditional startup method, you\u2019ll start out with a brick-and-mortar business, a slew of top-of-the-line equipment, and a crew of professional painters. The traditional startup method makes the assumption that you have enough money to start a major commercial painting company from the start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can cost at least $2,000 to start a painting business, and that\u2019s a significant amount of money to lose should your business go under. So, assuming that you have that much money to blow isn\u2019t reasonable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lean startup method encourages you to start smaller. Maybe rather than spending loads of money on your own equipment initially, you contract paint jobs out to a professional painter. Using creative business solutions of this sort will be a less expensive way of starting your painting business, and you\u2019ll get the chance to test out your products and painting services, as well as your marketing tactics, without needing to take any significant financial risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to avoid becoming one of the four businesses out of five that fail during their first year using the traditional startup method, you\u2019ll need to think outside the box and use a different type of startup method: the lean startup method. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>What is the lean startup method?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe lean startup method is a name given to a technique that entrepreneurs use to start a new business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lean startup method consists of three basic principles: build<\/em>, measure<\/em>, and learn<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThroughout the startup process, you\u2019ll experiment with business ideas after doing market research and getting feedback about the viability of your ideas. So you\u2019ll dive right into the painting industry immediately (but take baby steps to do so) instead of creating a business plan and sticking to it before you even know how your business works. Another driving factor behind the lean startup method is finding the cheapest, most efficient, and easiest way to deliver your services to customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first phase is the build<\/em> phase, during which you\u2019ll identify a problem that your community faces and then develop a solution that they like well enough that customers will pay for it. Is there a lack of painting companies in the area? Do consumers want a painting company that provides both interior and exterior painting services? <\/p>\n\n\n\nOnce you\u2019ve completed the build<\/em> phase, it\u2019s time to move on to the measure<\/em> phase. This phase gives you the chance to apply the solution you\u2019ve developed and then determine whether it\u2019s a good feasible solution or if you need to start the process again. Do customers feel satisfied with the services your painting business provides? What is the most popular service of your painting company?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAfter measuring, it\u2019s time for the learn<\/em> phase. During this portion of the lean startup method you\u2019ll gain valuable feedback about your painting business that you can use to determine which aspects of your company are successful and which aren\u2019t. Do all your services sell frequently or are there some that people never purchase? How do people feel about your employees? Do customers complain about any of your painters? How do people feel about your painting company overall? If any of your ideas aren\u2019t hits, this phase allows you to assess the situation and step away from any tactics that aren\u2019t working so that you can focus on the ones that do work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Why use the lean startup method?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf someone wanted to sell you an expensive product and you knew it had an 80% chance of catastrophic malfunction within a year of purchasing it, would you still buy it? This may seem like a crazy scenario, but it\u2019s exactly what you face with the traditional startup method. Four out of every five businesses started with the traditional startup method close their doors for good within a year of opening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You avoid this dilemma when you start a new business with the lean startup method, however. Your startup costs won\u2019t be as high with the lean startup method, and you\u2019ll develop a customer base for your business before you officially open it, which will provide you with a more successful painting company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you use the traditional startup method to start a painting business, then you\u2019ll have to take significant financial risks to cover the high startup costs instead of performing extensive market research to determine the types of products and services that your potential customers request. The traditional startup method expects you to open a business and immediately start making a profit rather than learning about the desires of your customer base first. The lean startup method allows you to test your products and ideas throughout the life of your painting business. Using the lean startup method to start a painting business will give you an advantage over other painting businesses, especially those started with the traditional startup method, because you\u2019ll create a community of loyal clients, and they\u2019ll create a demand for the services your painting business provides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using the lean startup method to start a painting business means you\u2019ll have fewer startup costs than those associated with the traditional business startup method. The traditional startup method assumes that every business owner has access to vast amounts of money, which is not the case for every small business owner. The lean startup method allows you to learn about your painting business, as well as the painting industry, instead of immediately taking huge financial risks before you test the waters. And without the stresses of massive startup costs and financial risks, your painting company will have a better chance at success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many small business owners dive right into the traditional business startup method because they\u2019re either unaware of its inadequacies or they mistakenly believe that it can\u2019t be too flawed if the majority of business owners use it to start their businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact of the matter is that the lean startup method is more effective than the traditional business startup method\u2014so much more effective that if you use the lean startup method to start a painting business, then your business will have an automatic advantage over other businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How can I tell you with such confidence that the lean startup method will work for you? I\u2019ve started five different businesses over eight years using the lean startup method. I successfully sold three of those businesses, while the other two are still operating to this day. I\u2019ve also helped thousands of people to open the business of their dreams using the lean startup method, and I can help you open your painting business too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How do you use the lean startup method to start your painting business?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEvery time I start a new business, I use the basic principles that make up the lean startup method: build<\/em>, measure<\/em>, <\/em>and learn<\/em>. The lean startup method encourages you to develop products and services at the lowest cost so that you can build your business relatively cheaply. Starting a painting business with the lean startup method will also provide it with better odds of success because it will be built on solid business foundations rather than on false assumptions and outdated business advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Build<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe first of the basic principles of the lean startup method is build<\/em>. During this phase you\u2019ll develop ideas about your services and start building your business. Key tasks you\u2019ll complete during the build<\/em> phase include: identifying a problem that people in your community have in common, building a community for your painting business, thinking up solutions to the problem you identified, and then developing that solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCompleting this phase will ensure that you use good ideas for your business, and that the solution you provide will be eagerly accepted by the community of potential clients you\u2019ve created. This will ultimately provide your business with a strong start and help it to thrive in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Step 1: Identify a problem<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBefore you develop a solution, you must first identify a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason you can\u2019t skip steps and start selling your services is that hundreds of new businesses start every day in the painting industry, and the average consumer doesn\u2019t have enough money to purchase services from them all. It\u2019s far more effective to provide potential clients with a compelling reason to buy your services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The real trick is finding this compelling reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When people are presented with a problem, they naturally will seek a solution. One of two things happens when people seek a solution to their problem: they will either develop a solution themselves or pay someone else for a solution. In the painting industry, the answer that people are seeking is simple: a painting business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As someone who wants to own a painting business, providing the same services that other painting businesses already offer won\u2019t be effective. You should instead pinpoint a problem that people have regarding their paint needs. Are customers dissatisfied with the paint or the expertise of the painters that other painting businesses offer? Do they want a business that offers both house painting and commercial services? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talk to locals and investigate the other painting businesses in your area. If people want a company with painters they can trust inside their homes, then you should design your brand around reliable and trustworthy service because this will meet the needs of your potential clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask questions and conduct thorough market research to find out the paint needs of your community. Do they need a painting contractor who has specific equipment that goes beyond the typical brushes, rollers, drop cloths, and paint sprayers? Do they want a selection of high-quality paint to choose from? Do they want a professional painter who\u2019s able to perform a number of painting techniques and follows the latest trends? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you\u2019re talking to people, you\u2019ll find it\u2019s easy to obtain information from them if you simply ask. The average consumer will typically provide you with tons of information if you just listen to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem is not learning about a problem, the problem is knowing which problem you should choose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How do you choose which problem to focus on?<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nSome steps in the lean startup method have specific instructions for how to complete them, but unfortunately there are no such instructions for how to go about choosing which problem to focus on. However, here are three guidelines that should make the task easier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Pick a problem that affects the most people. A problem that doesn\u2019t affect anyone isn\u2019t a problem, and it definitely isn\u2019t a good business idea. Are people having trouble finding reputable painting contractors to fill their house painting needs? Are there no painting companies that offer both interior and exterior painting services? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Choose a problem that can be considered a \u201cpain point.\u201d This is a business term that refers to the amount of pain or distress that a problem causes people. If a problem causes extreme pain or distress, consumers will be desperate to seek a solution. Is it hard to find painters who provide quality paint in a wide array of colors? Are people dissatisfied with the painting techniques of other painters? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Choose a problem that your business can easily solve. If people want name brand paint and custom paint jobs, but they don\u2019t want to pay top-shelf prices, then that\u2019s not the solution you\u2019re looking for. But you can offer specials on one specific brand or paint color a month, or monthly specials on specific types of paint jobs. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The most important parts of this step are to identify a problem that affects the most people and to make sure that it affects them so much that they\u2019re willing to pay for a solution to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n