If you have a love of creativity, enjoy being around people and aren’t afraid of a little work, with a little planning running a paint party business can be an extremely lucrative business model. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably made a sign or two, or maybe even have a business model started creating custom art for people. While painting custom orders is a great entry into generating profit from your art, you are limited by the time it takes for you to individually paint each sign. Last I checked, no one has figured out how to grow 8 arms — so to truly diversify your income possibilities, consider teaching your craft to others to maximize your profits and decrease your time investment.
Step 1: Decide on Your Initial Product Offerings
In the creative world, it’s tempting to want to do ALL. THE. THINGS. Often as my clients are starting their businesses they feel overwhelmed that if they don’t offer hundreds of design options or a variety of sizes that they won’t be able to generate a customer following. This just simply isn’t true.
One of the best tips of advice I can give you is to START SMALL and keep a running list of the ideas you have flurrying around in your brain, because these are all the gasoline you’ll be able to refill your tank with once your customers have consumed and got enough of your first idea.
For example, when I started bringing mobile sign painting parties into people’s homes, I offered ONE size board with 10 design options. That was it. And you know what? People booked. And they booked again. And again. And again. I didn’t need to overwhelm my new audience, I just needed to make things simple to understand. Reasonably priced and build a great experience around it.
When we try to go too big too fast, it’s really hard to build the firm foundation of party experience because you’re juggling too many things at once before you’ve become a master of them.
Our initial board size was 15”x20” pallet style board. It still is a size we offer today and we call it our “Signature Board”. (It just now, nine years later, has over 100 design options to go along with it!)
Step 2: Make your Supply List as you complete one of your projects.
I travel a lot. And one of my least favorite things to pack had always been tolitries— that was until I started putting my little Pura Vida Pouch out the night before and as I did my evening bedtime routine, I’d toss each item I used into the bag. Then as I was getting ready the morning of the trip, I’d toss the last of the items in the pouch- and Voila! Everything I needed to complete a evening and morning routine was packed and I knew I had everything I absolutely needed.
Do this same concept with your project. As your getting ready to launch, you want to have your supply list in place — just in case you find yourself in a situation like I did and someone schedules a party a whole lot quicker than you were expecting. You don’t want to be panic packing. So whatever your craft is — from hand stamping to sign painting. Go through your procedure of setting up and write down a list of everything you touch and need. Do you craft and write all the things you used and then clean up and write down everything. The last step is to mentally walk yourself through driving there, setting up, putting paper out, cleaning up etc and add any missing items! You can get a copy of my mobile supply checklist HERE.
Step 3: Invite friends over for a “starter party.”
This was literally the best thing I could have done for my business. It gave me the “walk through” of what it would be like to collect registrations, set up, and plan out the words and demonstrations I would need to teach with a group of people that loved me no matter what happened. I charged just enough to cover my materials and a few snacks as a “introductory price” and had 10 of my friends join in my living room.
This is PRIME time to take TONS of photos. As you progress in this business more, You’ll learn very quickly that EVERYTHING is content. So take Timelapse videos as you set up, take mini videos as people paint. Have a spouse or friend snap pictures of you instructing. These are all resources you can use to get the word out that you are launching a business and creating branded photos to put your best step forward.
Once you get these initial steps under your belt, it’s time to dial up the heat and start building this business to put cash in your pocket and create sustainable income that creates social proof!
You got this!
Heather Bennett is the owner and operator of Paisley Grace Makery in Fernandina Beach, Florida. She has won Young Business Leader of the year for Nassau County and the SBDC Women Owned business of the year for the state of Florida. She has a passion for helping other feel empowered and confident on their own business journey and shares her knowledge in her Maker Bootcamp Course.
