Decorating your home can be a daunting task at times. Although you might want to change your living space, making sure that the wallpaper is straight, that the interior design looks just right, and that the paint has the perfect finish isn’t always easy for those who aren’t professional painters and decorators. This is why a lot of people decide to hire the experts so that their homes can look exactly how they want them to, rather than staring at a dodgy paint job for years to come. If you have previous experience as a professional decorator, perhaps you have considered starting a business yourself? If this is of interest to you, here are a few tips to help you get started.
Plan
No matter what business you’re going into, you need to have a thorough business plan before you start doing anything. This will outline your goals for the first few years of trading, your predictions for how much profit and/or loss you will make during this time, how much your business expenses will cost, marketing strategies, and so on. When you come to apply for a business loan, the bank or investor you’re approaching will need to see your finished business plan. This will be one of the factors upon which they will base their decision, as well as your current credit score.
Marketing
You might have your business plan and loan approved, but without customers, your company won’t last long. This is why marketing is vital for any business to get right, and you can use social media as a good starting point to help promote your decorating business. You should also get a professional website where customers can find more thorough information about your business, see previous customer reviews, find a price list and look up your contact details. You might want to explore hiring a marketing agency to help boost your visibility if you can afford it.
Equipment
You can’t paint or decorate anybody’s house without the right equipment. As a trader, you should be able to get discounts if you buy in bulk from specialist retailers, as often they do have these deals in place for professionals. However, it’s worth shopping around to see where you can get the best quality products for the right price. You’ll need everything from steamers, pasting tables, paintbrushes and rollers, plastic sheets, scrapers and stripping knives.
An Appropriate Vehicle
As well as having the right equipment, you’ll need a suitable vehicle to get yourself from job to job. A van will be the best choice for this, as you can keep all of your equipment safely in the back and there should be plenty of space for everything you need. If you’re on a tight budget, consider looking into second-hand vehicles from dealerships like this one that offers used vans Manchester, as this might be more cost-effective for you.
Insurance
Finally, make sure that you have the correct business insurance in place before you start working for any clients. This is a legal requirement and will help to keep you and your business protected. Make sure you have cover for your van, equipment, public and employee liability and professional indemnity.
If you’re interested in starting a painting and decorating business, make sure you do all of the above to help you start taking the first steps to business success.
