Most times its the things you learn when you’re down that stick.
Having begun in business in 1985, I built a larger, viable commercial painting company that grew from nothing to 60 employees and $3 million in sales. We had systems, procedures, a good grasp on the market, and even bought land and constructed a 10,000sf office/warehouse.
In my 38 years as a Lansing-based painting contractor, customer-expectations for a finished product have been all over the map. From the warehouse owner who just wants his space brightened up with a quick coat of paint, to the home owner who with flood lamp in hand looks for flaws, it can be a challenge for painters to know exactly what to do.
One thing that differentiates the painting industry from other types of businesses is its lack of professionalism. By this I don’t mean that there aren’t many highly skilled painters in the market—because there are; being a great painter, however, does not make one a good business owner.
Ceramic paint products have been on the market now for several years, and they have fast become T. L. Hart’s product of choice. Sold in both interior & exterior formulations, ceramic paint is 100% acrylic, low odor, and formulated with ceramic spheres to impart excellent stain resistance properties.
If you’re like me – a small business owner with minimal staff – no doubt there are times when you wish you had someone to bounce an idea off of or help you through a difficult decision. If this is the case, you could benefit by forming an advisory board.
I'll not forget the spring of 2002, which is when the effects of 9/11 finally hit my painting firm, T. L. Hart, Inc. Like most other companies the world had been a good place to do business in; Michigan had been booming during the 90's along with the rest of the country.
Listening to Robert L. Trezise, Jr., President and CEO of LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership) two times in one month makes me think that former Mayor David Hollister’s vision of Lansing as a world class city is coming to pass. Consider the facts:
Lansing area ranked best in the nation for job growth in three major sectors
Lansing region’s GDP is 2nd best in the State of Michigan
Area population is growing
Greater Lansing named one of three in Michigan with growing housing market
Lansing is home to a number of major insurance companies and three state-of-the-art GM plants
I could go on (read all the good news at www.
One person you will seldom read about in history books is Booker T. Washington.
Unlike many contemporary black leaders, Booker T. taught a lesson that many would do well to heed today, that regardless of skin color or social environment, it is man’s relationship to God that determines the outcome of his life.
Sometimes you have to be careful about what you ask for.
It was a cold November morning in 1977, and I was working for the City of Lansing on their street patch crew. Our job that day was burning high spots off the asphalt pavement. To do this, we used a hand-held burner attached to a kerosene tank, which was strapped to the rear-end of a dump truck.
I was a bum in the late 60's. I barely made it out of high school, and I flunked out of college at least three times before I finally buckled down and got an Associate's degree. Though I hated to paint and was anti-business at the time, I ended up taking painting job in 1974 with a view to making more money.
