4 Tips for Running a Painting Franchise

Running a franchise is an exciting way to become a business owner at a lower level of risk, and if you have a creative streak, a painting business might be perfect for you. If you’re ready to invest and wondering how to make your commercial painting business as successful as possible, check out Point Franchise’s four top tips for running a painting franchise.

If you dream of becoming a professional painter, but you don’t have years of experience backing you up, franchising might be the perfect way to make an effective and profitable career change. As a franchisee in the painting and decorating sub-sector, you could smoothly enter the UK construction industry, which reached a record value of £118,977 in 2019 [Office for National Statistics].

Why start a painting franchise?

If you’re a creative, active person looking for a job that suits these traits, you could really thrive as a professional painter. You could join a growing sector and capitalise on demand following a year where home improvements have become a more popular expenditure than ever. During the pandemic, 3 in 5 people were inspired to start a home renovation or improvement project [Houzz]. Beyond this demand, there are many advantages to making a career change with a painting franchise, including:

• The opportunity to work with others, making customer’s visions into a reality
• The chance to see projects through to completion
• The chance to flex your creative muscles and stay active at work
• The room for expansion and growth over time
• The franchisor support and guidance on hand at all times
• The quality training you’ll receive, equipping you for every aspect of the job

You could truly thrive running a painting franchise, provided that you’re: Attentive to detail, able to perform under pressure, and ready to handle all the tasks that come with day-to-day business ownership (on top of the painting tasks). If that does sound like you, an investment with one of the top painting franchises in the UK might suit you perfectly.

4 tips for running a painting franchise successfully

Once you’ve made the decision to invest, and signed that all-important franchise agreement, what comes next? It’s a natural question to have at any stage of the process, from research to launch, but the answer depends on you. On how much effort and work you put into making your franchise business a success. Here are Point Franchise’s best tips for running a painting franchise and cultivating a bright long-term future for your decorating business...

1. Stay up-to-date on the latest painting industry trends

In any industry, keeping up with your competitors is crucial. The best way to do that is to stay up-to-date on the latest consumer trends in painting, paying attention to what your wider research suggests, and what your customers seem to be requesting most often. Trends to check out in 2021 include:

• Warm, rich paint colours like browns and golds, rusts and caramels
• Statement walls in shades like pink, navy blue and yellow
• Statement furniture pieces matched to paint shades
• Grandmillennial decor that combines old and new aesthetics

When you’re scrolling through Instagram, everything starts to look the same - there are so many bright, white-painted rooms. What I love about [the grandmillennial] aesthetic is that it actually lets you show your personality. When someone walks into my apartment, I want them to get a sense of who I am and what I collect and where I’ve traveled, not just that I’m on-trend.
- Nan Philip, Simply Elegant

2. Seize development and training opportunities whenever they’re offered

As a franchisee, you’ll be provided with plenty of training when you first sign that agreement and you’re being welcomed into the network. You’ll be trained in everything, from technical painting skills to day-to-day operations. But with any good franchisor on your side, it won’t stop there.

Even years down the line, a good franchisor should be offering you training and professional development opportunities that enable you to keep enhancing your knowledge base and improving your business acumen. When these opportunities come to you, be sure to seize them. Never feel that the process of learning is complete, because we can all learn something new every day.

3. Create (and keep adapting) a strong marketing plan

Marketing matters, and - in a saturated industry like commercial painting and decorating - it could easily make or break your franchise business. There are many different ways to advertise a painting franchise successfully, from incorporating video content to building an effective website. Here are some of the biggest marketing mistakes you can make:

• Incorporating alienating messages/jokes with discriminatory connotations
• Sticking with unpopular branding or rebranding
• Underestimating your customers and over-committing to a promotional offer

There are dozens of “how to” guides and “best practices” marketers can follow. But the truth of the matter is, if your audience doesn’t connect with it, it doesn’t matter how successful it was for another company or brand. To truly develop a “successful” marketing campaign, understanding your customers is the only thing you need to do.
- Neil Patel

4. Invest in the provision of quality customer service

If there’s any one place to spend your time and effort as you embark on your painting franchise journey, it’s in the field of customer service. Though you’ll have the brand’s existing reputation to fall back on as a franchisee, it will still be crucial to make a good impression on your local territory. Quality customer service guarantees repeat business and secures referrals that generate even more business. Care and provide for your customers by:

• Showing care, friendliness and compassion
• Responding to queries and complaints promptly
• Getting to know your customers so that you can anticipate their needs
• Completing painting work to the highest standard you can
• Charging fairly for the work completed and making it easy for customers to pay

Become a franchisee in the painting industry and start running your own business today

There are many different painting franchise investment opportunities out there, including in more specialist areas like damp prevention. If this appeals, look into franchising with Prokil, a network of damp and timber experts with over 50 years of experience. You can become a Prokil franchisee for a minimum initial investment of £30,000.