How do I start a commercial painting business in Australia?

Is it hard to start a painting business?

Is it hard to start a painting business? Yes, and no. It all depends on how committed you are too making it work…

If you want nothing more in this world than to own your own painting business and be successful, then it will be easy (ish).

If you are not all that fussed and just trying to find a way to make some fast cash, then perhaps it might not be as easy as you might expect.

Starting a business in the literal sense is incredibly straight forward. The difficult part is getting it off the ground, up and running, and making money.

With plenty of research, patience, dedication, and a hard graft, you shouldn’t run into too many problems!

 

How much money do you need to start a painting business?

In truth, you can start a new painting business for as little as $500. It all depends on your plan, approach, and overall finesse when it comes to execution.

Here’s a list of what you need to get started:

• Registering your business – $100 – Registering your business is easy enough. Simply follow the instructions, go through the motions, pay your fee and voila!
• Creating a website – Free – Creating a website doesn’t have to cost you a penny. Well, you’ll need to pay a few bucks for the domain name, with a small annual fee for hosting, but otherwise, you can build your own website relatively painlessly. That said, if you don’t want to bog yourself down with more work than you need to, you can have someone build you a website.
• Getting insurance – $100 per month – Being insured is key to picking up clients. They need to have faith in that you won’t damage their property (but that you are covered if in the event you do).
• Your painting equipment – Free / Charged up-front – This is a tricky one. You can go ahead and buy all of your equipment in advance, but it will set you back a lot. Alternatively, you can charge 25-50% upfront with your first gig in order to secure what you need. Or alternatively, you can pick up jobs and outsource them to existing painting companies for a lower fee.
• Make a profit

Do painting companies make good money?

Absolutely. Sure, you aren’t going to make your millions overnight, but the money in commercial painting is quite good. The fact is, you will certainly be able to earn a quality living once you are established and running smoothly.

That, and if you wish to outsource the painting work to sub-contractors, you can make a tidy profit on each job without even having to lift a finger. Or of course, if you want all of the money for yourself, then you can keep the circle small and do the bulk of the work by yourself in the beginning.

It all depends on what type of painting you are doing. Commercial painting contractors in Brisbane can earn lucratively; however, you may find it easier to pick up residential painting gigs in the early stages. In either case, there is good money to be had, provided you are willing to do the hard work!

Don’t over pay subs

A common mistake is overpaying subcontractors. If you wish to establish a strong relationship with quality subcontractors, then these are the only 3 rules that you need to remember:

• Always pay them on time
• Be true to your word
• Be honest and upfront about how much work is involved

By following these simple steps, you will gain the loyalty of your subcontractors without having to pay them over the odds.

Stick to the essentials

Getting started with a new painting business is exciting, but it is all too easy to get swept up in the excitement when it comes to buying supplies. What should be a 15% spend on materials can soon turn into 25% and before you know it, you are eating into your profit by spending it on crap that you don’t need. Stick to the essentials! Anything else is a waste of money.

Hire the best

It is your business, so don’t be afraid to say no to people who just don’t quite live up to the standard that you wish to set. Hiring sloppy painters who take little pride in their work is only going to cost you money and cause you headaches in the future. Do not waste your time on people who aren’t interested in delivering the best results, every single time!

How do you charge for commercial painting?

On average, commercial painters in Australia charge around $2-$6 per square foot and about $60-$100 per hour. That said, there are a number of different factors that will impact the way that you charge for a commercial building:

• Size
• Labour
• Materials
• Accessibility

At first, pricing a job might be difficult for you. This is why you need to do as much research as you can and speak with other experts for a second opinion. Just make sure that when you visit a site, that you take your measurements immediately and cost up all of the materials that will be needed in order to get the job done. That way, you’ll have a much easier way of figuring out how much you will be able to charge a commercial business for their painting project.

Conclusion

Is it easy to get started? Sure, it is easy enough to get the essentials in place. The hard work begins when it comes to securing the best commercial painting contracts. Just take your time and do your best to deliver the results that you promise. In the commercial painting game, there is no room for anything short of perfection!

If you are doing some market research and need a good example of a premium quality commercial painting company that is absolutely owning their space at the moment, check out Platinum3Painting for a little inspiration.

In any case, we wish you the best of luck with your endeavour! 

 

META

How To Start Commercial Painting Business | Australia | Brisbane

How do I start a commercial painting business in Australia? Is it difficult to do? Is the money worth it? Here’s a quick and easy guide for you…