Fancy a new career for the New Year?
If you enjoy DIY projects and want to work for yourself, you might want to consider starting a business as a painter and decorator. Good painters and decorators are always in demand all around the UK, making it a safe business option to start if you’d like to become self-employed. Painters and decorators work on a range of domestic, commercial and industrial projects completing tasks such as preparing surfaces, repairs, painting, wallpapering, and more. Self-employed painters and decorators are free to set their own rates for their work, which will depend on your skills, reputation and competition. Before taking the plunge into starting your own painting and decorating business, these are just some of the key things you’ll need.
DIY Skills:
First of all, make sure that you are skilled enough to offer your painting and decorating services to the public. This probably isn’t a job to dive into if you painted your living room once. There are plenty of courses that you can take at local colleges and trade training centres to improve your painting and decorating skills while gaining industry-wide qualifications that will improve your credibility and desirability in the market. You’ll learn the basics of painting and decorating along with more advanced techniques and methods, and there are several additional courses you can take to top your skills up or learn something new later down the line too.
Equipment:
Once you’re qualified and ready to get started, you’re going to need a range of equipment to ensure that you’re able to fulfil your clients’ demands. Most of the time, clients will supply their own paint, wallpaper and other materials to the decorator. However, you will be responsible for bringing tools such as paint rollers and brushes, wallpaper paste and hanging brushes, filling knives, wallpaper scrapers and steamers, sanding tools, a jigsaw, various ladders suitable for different environments, cleaning supplies, and any other tools that are relevant to your work. Invest in high-quality tools from reputable brands that you can rely on for a long time.
Transport:
As a painter and decorator, you will need a way to get to your clients’ properties with your equipment in tow. A van is usually the best way to do this as it has enough space to store all your equipment safely along with any materials that the client has requested you source as part of the job. Smaller vans can be driven with a car driving license in the UK but if your vehicle is classed as an HGV, you will need to make sure that your license applies to driving them. You’ll also need to get business insurance on the van that you use for work. Visit quotezone.co.uk who are one of the most popular comparison sites to find a range of van insurance quotes and choose the right one for you.
A Website:
Having an online presence is important for all tradesmen, with more and more people looking for these services online. While you are also likely to get work through word-of-mouth recommendations, don’t rely on this alone.
The good news is that setting up a website as a painter and decorator is easier than ever thanks to DIY website platforms like Wix and Squarespace, where you can use pre-designed, professional templates to create a website that reflects your brand and provides customers with more information on what you do. Some key things to include on your website are before and after pictures, starting rates, areas that you cover, links to reviews from past clients, and a contact form that potential clients can use to get in touch with you.
Suitable Insurance:
The last thing that you want as a painter and decorator is legal trouble, but sadly this could be the case if an accident happens while you are working in somebody’s home. As a painter and decorator, you could be held liable for any accidental damage caused to a property if something goes wrong, or if somebody is injured in the process of the work. That’s why it’s vital that all tradesmen take out the right insurance policies for their business. If anything goes wrong, you know that you are covered by insurance that will pay the damages on your behalf, allowing you to avoid the destruction of your business and reputation.
People Skills:
Finally, along with brushing up your DIY skills, painters and decorators would do well to improve their people skills too. Often, this is a very personal job that involves going into people’s private homes, so painters and decorators who do well tend to be individuals who have a great way with others and can put them at ease. As a painter and decorator, your clients need to trust you to do the best job in their personal environment.
If you enjoy DIY and improving the way a home looks, starting a business as a painter and decorator could be ideal for you.