House Painting

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If you really want to help "Keep America Beautiful". . . learn the house-painting business! You'll find, as I did, that the venture can bring you a good income and many fringe benefits: outdoor work, varied location, a choice of hours and plenty of chances to meet new and interesting people. You'll also have the satisfaction of performing a valuable service. A home, after all, is a lifetime investment which its owner wants to protect.

HOW TO GET PAINTING JOBS

Of all the good, inexpensive ways to hustle painting jobs, the best is word of mouth: One satisfied customer tells another . . . and the system goes to work for you as soon as you've got a first assignment in a given neighborhood. A nearby homeowner sees you in action, approaches casually, asks a few questions . . . and just minutes later you may be across the street at his place, looking over a potential job. One paint crew will often get two or three homes to do, all in the same block.

First, though, you've got to get that original contact. Use as many free sources of publicity as possible . . . for instance, the community bulletin boards in supermarkets and laundromats.

Your hand-printed bulletin board notices should be worded to appeal to a particular neighborhood. "Student seeks house-painting jobs" is often a good approach (people seem to think that student labor comes cheap). An offer of "free estimates" is also attractive, since it assures the potential customer that he won't be ripped off. On the bottom of the note write the phrase "House Painter" and your phone number, vertically, eight or ten times and cut between the slips. Tear off a few to make business look good.

If your local radio station or newspaper has a swap service, get yourself listed (or take a three-line ad in the classified section of the paper for $3.00 to $5.00).

Another good source of jobs and information is a local paint store . . . one that carries a good, reliable line and does a high volume of business. A friendly management can help you get started by giving you a lead in return for using their products.

In many cases, the firm that supplies your materials will also open an account for you so you can paint now and pay later.

ABOVE, FROM LEFT: Use a wire hook to hang the bucket of paint on your ladder. If you tote your equipment in boxes... you can stand on the
containers as you work! Haul your ladders on a car-top ladder... and don't forget a red flag on the back if they're longer than the vehicle.

ESTIMATES

A good paint store can also be of assistance with your first estimate. Some of the larger firms have special representatives who advise customers about their problems during the summer home-improvement season. If you can, get one of these troubleshooters to help you size up your first job . . . and ask him how he does it.

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