The New Business of Faux & Decorative Painting

Is faux painting a business, which can sustain you and your family?
Can you make a comfortable living as a decorative painter?

Of course you can…however, as with most things it requires some work, study and practice! You cannot take one class, hang out your shingle and expect super earnings immediately. Being successful in any business requires preparation, practice, hard work and, of course, opportunity (some call it luck).

I hear the frustration of many finishers today. Work has slowed. The economy is taking a toll! How do I survive?

First, I advise that you find a mentor in our industry and/or attend a good business workshop with someone who has been a working decorative painter for many years.

I took a survey of professional decorative painters where I asked, “What is your number one concern about your business?” The answers were overwhelmingly, “Marketing to find more business/clients.” I then asked, “Would you attend a workshop dealing solely with business principles?” and most answered, “No!” They added that they would attend a workshop that combined business and finishes, but felt that it would cost too much to attend a business-only workshop.

This mindset puzzled me. You could have hundreds of techniques to sell but if you don’t have anyone to sell them to, you aren’t going to be in business very long. The vast majority, who make a successful career of decorative painting, take business very seriously. They look at it as a business and operate it as a business and nurture it as a business.

One of the first questions I ask the decorative painters I counsel is, do you have a business or a job? It is vital for you to get clarity on this if you want to be a business owner and have a long, stable career. It is a much different set of rules for running a business owner versus being an employee. The people who don’t get this concept will never make it as a business owner. Neglecting the business side of your business is a sure-fire way to find yourself working for someone else.

Heidi has developed a new 4-Week Hybrid (Online/Onsite) Business Workshop where students will learn everything they need to know to run a successful faux and decorative painting business through online teaching and then create a stunning portfolio in a week-long hands-on class.

Blessings,
Rebecca E. Parsons