I get asked what a painting business really looks like. So here is the honest version, along with the real numbers.
First, what it's not. This type of painting company is not the "chuck in a truck." I did not buy some paint brushes and a van and start painting walls. Both businesses I built used a more scalable model, one where professional subcontractor crews do the actual painting. I run a sales and project management operation. That is the setup I recommend for most corporate professionals, because it plays to the skills you already have.
What a job looks like
A typical interior residential repaint runs $5,000 to $7,000 and takes roughly 3-5 days depending on crew size. Picture someone selling their 2,500 sq ft home who wants it repainted before listing. That is a normal job.
I teach painting business owners to aim for 45-50% margins on residential work. That means after paying the subcontractor crew and covering materials, you keep about half of what you charge. On a $5,000 job, that is roughly $2,500 to you.
What it costs to start
Here is the part most people are surprised by.
When I bought my CertaPro franchise in 2021, I put in $88,000 plus the debt I took on. When I started my second painting business from scratch, I got it up and running for about $6,000 Insurance, licensing, basic equipment, and initial marketing. No franchise fee. No royalty. No personal guarantee.
The math
Use a $6,000 average job at 45% margins. That is $2,700 per job.
Seven to eight jobs a month puts you around $19,000 to $21,000 before overhead. Back out insurance, software, and marketing, and you are still looking at a number that competes with a lot of corporate salaries.
That is not a hypothetical. That is roughly what my third month looked like in the new business.
Run those numbers for yourself. Change the average job size, change the margin, see what it takes to replace what you make now. Most people are surprised how few jobs it actually takes.
The part nobody tells you
There is real seasonality. Summers are busy, winters are slower, and if you do not have a grip on cash flow that will hurt you.
And it is hard. Some weeks your subcontractor becomes unreliable and you are dealing with a picky customer at the same time. Other weeks lead flow drops and you start doing the math on whether you will make money that month. If you want the freedom and the wealth that can come from a trade business, you have to mentally prepare for those weeks too. You do get used to it. But early on, it will test you.
Lead generation is its own topic — I'll break down exactly how I get jobs in the door, free and paid, in a coming issue.
Until next time,
Zac
P.S. Hit reply anytime. If you are considering a leap into entrepreneurship I would love to hear about it.