Started his company in Residential. Decided to move to Commercial to get bigger jobs.
$900,000 in revenue per year..
Got all his business from 7 Commercial Customers.
$350,000 In Net Profit.
Runs the entire company with just 1 employee.
#02
Commercial painting has high profit margins…
Here’s a few recent jobs our commercial members have done…
Example Commercial Job: HOA Fence
"Landed this job today. 3,200 linear feet of 8; tall fence in an HOA community. Wash and 2 coats solid color stain. 1 side this year. Opposite side next year. $24,000 job. Make 10k on it. Opposite side next year for the same price. This is the kind of Commercial Work that is easy and pays"
Example Commercial Job: Exterior Repaint for a Condo Complex
Ben Landusky: Condo Complex
$308,000 Job $180,000 Profit Took 8 Weeks
#03
Commercial Customers arenʼt as picky as Residential Customers
They’re less likely to run their hand down the wall to make sure everything is smooth.
Everything doesn’t have to be “perfect” because they’re having the family over for Christmas.
As a result, you have less call backs. And, you don’t have to deal with those crazy jobs where you have to go back out over and over again to make everything perfect.
#04
Commercial Painting is a huge opportunity!
Get it right the first time
This is what we wish we knew when we were just getting started.
Let's address the elephant in the room.
If Commercial Painting is so great, then why isn’t everyone doing it!?
Here’s why. There’s a lot of risk in Commercial Painting. Hundreds of Painting Contractors have gotten burned on Commercial Jobs. They’ve been stiffed on payment, experienced costly overruns, and much more. So…
Yes there is a ton of risk in Commercial Painting. But, even though there is a ton of risk, it’s actually much lower than you think. In fact…
Commercial painting can be low risk - if you get into it the right way. Let me explain.
The reason that Commercial gets a bad rap is because people start off in the most difficult part of Commercial. I’ll explain what that is in just a moment.
Many Painting Contractors donʼt realize that many Commercial Jobs are similar to Residential:
If you can paint the exterior of 1 townhome, then you can paint the exterior of 20 townhomes.
Sure, the job is complex. But, it’s not much more difficult.
If you can paint the interior of a home, then you can paint the interior of a standard office building.
Yes, the job will be more complex, and you’ll need to adjust your bid for it. But, it’s still painting. And, you can get paid upfront and upon completion, just like a regular Residential Job.
Here are the 3 main reasons that Commercial Painting has a bad reputation:
Reason
#01
Painting Contractors get burned painting for GCs on lowest bidder projects.
These GCs often have cost overruns. Or, they get squeezed by the customer. And since the painter is one of the last people on the job, the GC squeezes the painter the most.
If they run out of money, they stiff the painter. The Painting Contractor also has to deal with other subs beating up their work, call backs, cost overruns, and countless other problems they’ve never dealt with on a residential job.
Reason
#02
Painting Contractors go straight from standard Residential work to complicated Commercial Jobs.
Because the jobs are more complicated, they don’t estimate them correctly, and don’t make the margin they expected.
Then, their remaining margin is destroyed by other subs beating up their work, and countless other problems.
Reason
#03
Painting Contractors waste countless hours doing bids for Non-Negotiated work.
They’ll waste 15 hours putting together a bid on a big job - where the GC hasn’t even won the job.
Just in case you don’t know, Non-Negotiated work is where the GC hasn’t even won the job. One painter I know submitted 50 bids on jobs like this, and won none of the jobs. What a huge waste of time!
If you can avoid these issues, then you will avoid 80% of the problems in Commercial Painting.
So, if you want to get rid of most of the problems in Commercial, then avoid these things:
Non-Negotiated Work.
GC work
Complicated Projects
And start with Commercial Repaints instead. Do simple jobs like painting the exterior of a Residential Apartment or Condo Building, or the interior of an office building with 10’ ceilings.
Gilbert Chen: Residential Townhome Community
$440,774 Job
But, what about the other issues with Commercial Work?
Issue:
“Iʼve heard about painters getting stiffed on Commercial Jobs.”
Here’s how to make sure you get paid. First off, avoid GC work. This is the biggest place where painters get burned on Commercial Work.
And focus your time on Commercial Repaints. These customers have the money in the bank, and are professional businesspeople.
They do business with lots of people every day, maintaining buildings, buying supplies for their business, etc. They deal with vendors, suppliers, and contractors all the time.
They’re always looking for good people to work with them. So, if you do good work for them, then they’ll treat you well.
Issue:
“Iʼve heard the profit margins are low in Commercial.”
That’s a common myth. How much you allocate to production, sales, estimating, project management, etcetera is a little different. But, if you do it right, Commercial Painting has great profit margins.
We recently did a Commercial Repaint with a 58.4% Gross Profit Margin. Now, that doesn’t happen every time. But, it does show that Commercial can be highly profitable.
Even better, the job was painting the exterior of condo buildings. So, it was very similar to the residential painting we already do.
Mike Ford: Kohls Department Store
$40,000 Job $20,000 Profit Took 5 Days
Issue:
“I’ve heard that I’ll have to float tens of thousands of dollars for Commercial Jobs.”
That’s another common myth. The most common jobs where you have to float money are new construction projects. But, that’s only one category of Commercial Painting.
We recommend you start with Commercial Repaints, because the owners and managers have the money for the job. In many cases, they’ve got the money sitting in the bank ready to go.
For example, we did a Commercial job with nothing out of pocket. The paint store fronted the price of paint. The customer paid a down payment to start the job, which covered the cost of the subcontractor.
And, we got the payment for our profit in the final payment after the job was completed.
Issue:
“I’ve heard that I’ll have to deal with other subs beating up on my work, and cost overruns on Commercial Jobs.”
Yes, that is true for New Construction Commercial Jobs. That’s why we recommend you avoid that work.
But, that’s not the case on most Commercial Repaints. Most of the time, you’re the only trade on the job, and so you avoid those problems.
Matt Bopp: Commercial Office Building
$31,000 Job $14,000 Profit 1 Week to Complete
Issue:
“Iʼve heard that Commercial Jobs are complicated. Iʼm worried about messing up my bids, and losing money.”
Yes, Commercial is more complicated. That’s why we recommend that you start with the Commercial jobs that are similar to Residential:
Exterior painting of Residential Apartment and Condo Buildings, no taller than the homes you’re already painting.
Interior Painting of standard Office Buildings with 10’ ceilings.
And, if you want to bid on more complicated jobs, then make sure you look into our Commercial Painting Membership.
We’ve got complete A-to-Z Training on everything related to Commercial Painting, so you can avoid the complicated mistakes.
So, now that you understand the pros and cons of Commercial Painting, let’s talk about the best way to get started…
Here’s the best way to get into Commercial Painting with the least amount of Risk:
Follow in the footsteps of experienced Commercial Painting Contractors who have made all the mistakes. When we decided to go into Commercial, I hired the best Commercial Painting Coach in the country, and invested over $62,000 to learn from him.
And now we’ve partnered up to provide you with a complete A-to-Z Commercial Coaching Program that will enable you to learn everything you need without having to invest $62,000 like I did.
It’s called the PBP Commercial Coaching Program. And when you join, you’ll discover the best ways to get started in Commercial:
The most common Commercial Painting Mistakes and how to avoid them.
How to bid on Commercial Jobs the right way so you account for ALL the expenses involved, and don’t lose money.
How to put together solid contracts that protect you, with the correct Scope of Work, inclusions, exclusions, and much more.
How to get Commercial work. We’ve got complete training on the entire Sales Process, including getting commercial opportunities, screening, estimating, sales, negotiating, and much more.
Learn from a 30-Year Commercial Painting Veteran
Scott Lollar, Commercial Painting Expert
Scott is the Co-Creator of the PBP Commercial Coaching Program. He has over 30 years of experience in the commercial painting industry.
He specializes in helping companies $300k and up scale quickly with commercial projects. He’s passionate about helping painting contractors and improving our industry.
Chad Smith: 6 Story Hotel
7 Location job booked under a single contract
Here’s everything you get when you join the PBP Commercial Coaching Program:
Big Picture and In-Depth Training on everything you need to know about Commercial Painting. We’ve got over 30 hours of video, and new content is being added every month.
The core differences between Commercial and Residential, so you can get into Commercial the right way.
Information on all the different types of commercial jobs, which ones are easy to get into, and which jobs to avoid.
The Ins and Outs of Commercial Painting Sales, how to build relationships with fast sales cycles, how to get jobs with no competition, and much more.
Training on the entire sales process from beginning to end, including how to sell commercial jobs with high profit margins and great payment terms.
The complete guide to producing Commercial Work, so you’re on time, on budget, and keep customers happy.
All of the Templates and Documents that you need for your Commercial Painting Business. This will save you countless hours, so you can go further faster.
All of our best documented Systems and Processes for running a Commercial Painting Business.
How to get repeat business from your Commercial Clients so you can build a solid, consistent, low-stress business.
Our best Commercial Estimating Systems & Training, so you can accurately bid Commercial Jobs, make sure all your costs are covered, and you’re still profitable.
Blueprint Estimating Training so you can bid jobs from the blueprints.
An extensive Contracts and Templates Library, including payment schedule, terms and conditions, Scope of Work, etcetera. Plus, you get training on how to protect yourself and your customers.
Complete instructions for producing Commercial Jobs, including planning before the job, doing a Project Checklist, building a Project Plan, Daily Plans, Safety, Record Keeping, Tenant Notices, and much more.
Best practices to create an experience customers and employees/contractors love.
Helpful information for screening potential jobs and customers to avoid risks and only bid on profitable work. You’ll discover how to identify red flags early so you avoid bad jobs.
Tips and strategies for building your company to millions of annual revenue without sacrificing your personal life or time with family.
How to build a solid base of clients who send you work over and over again for many years to come.
A step-by-step game plan to grow annual revenue significantly.
Ongoing Support, including a Facebook Group, Monthly Webinars, and Member Success Manager.
And much, much more!
Tom Iwema: Country Club
$45,000 Job $15,000 Profit
You Save 30 Years of Time and Avoid Countless Expensive Mistakes.
You get 30 years of experience in the course, so you can avoid countless $10,000, $20,000, and $30,000 mistakes.
Scott has been in Commercial Painting for 30 years, and ran two difference commercial painting companies for 20 of those years. He’s made countless mistakes, and will tell you everything he knows so you can avoid those mistakes yourself.
Ready to get into Commercial Painting the right way?
Join our exclusive Commercial Coaching Program. Click the button below to apply now.
Now, you may be thinking, “I don’t have the money for a Coaching Program. I can figure this out on my own.” I get it. Money can be tight.
You have to juggle so many expenses to make money as a Painting Contractor. So, think about this…
Here’s Why It Could Cost You $100,000+ To Figure Out Commercial Painting On Your Own.
#01
You risk making countless expensive mistakes when you “go it alone.”
Because, no matter what you do, you’re going to make mistakes. And I say that because I’ve made countless mistakes in my business.
We’ve lost $20,000 on Residential Jobs. We've lost $40,000 on Commercial Jobs. When I first started I learned things the hard way.
Then I realized that I could learn from other people’s mistakes, and avoid making all the expensive mistakes myself.
That’s why I choose to invest in the best coaching and training possible, so I can avoid those expensive mistakes.
#02
You risk losing out on millions of dollars in Commercial Work when you “go it alone.”
Let me explain. The world of Commercial is much different than Residential. One good Commercial Client can give you a million dollars in work over the years.
Many of the big Commercial Clients know each other. And your reputation matters in this world. Think of it as reviews, but even more important.
So, let’s say you get a Commercial Job for a million dollar client. If you don’t have the best coaching and training available, then you risk making one little innocent mistake that messes up the whole job.
That could put you on the bad side of that client, and they may never give you a second chance. Even worse, they could tell one friend about their experience, and you lose out on their work as well.
And as a result, you could miss out on millions of dollars in potential work. I know this may sound unfair. But, that’s the way the Commercial world works.
Now, there is some good news with this. If you do good work, then you can build up a good name in Commercial, and you’ll have less competition.
#03
You risk losing tens of thousands on jobs that go wrong.
We all know that people who have lost 24k, 40k, 90k, and even 100k plus on one single commercial job
They did everything right, completed the job on time, and got stiffed on the final payment. That’s no fun!
But, what about jobs that go wrong? You can get back charged for delays, or spend thousands trying to fix mistakes that could have easily been avoided.
Tai Aracen: Disney World
Won the Maintenance Contract
#04
You risk wasting countless hours bidding on work.
One of my friends decided he wanted to get into Commercial. So, he bid on about 50 different projects, and won none of those jobs.
It was a huge time waster. And he got sucked into it because he didn’t know any better.
The other risk is doing bids for people who you don’t want to work with. Let’s face it, some clients are simply not worth the trouble.
They beat you down on price, are demeaning, and may avoid paying you. And, if you don’t know the red flags, then you risk getting sucked into doing work for them.
This page is ending and it’s time to make a decision.
At this point you have 3 options:
Option 1.
You can “go it alone” and learn the hard way.
You can jump in, start getting work, make the expensive mistakes, and learn as you go.
And until recently, this was the only way to get into Commercial Painting. The rewards were huge, but the risks were huge as well.
And if you’re lucky, and you have staying power, then you can power thru the expensive mistakes, and
Option 2.
You can go work for a Commercial Painting Contractor,
and learn the industry from the ground up. But, that’s not really feasible if you’re already in business.
Option 3.
You can choose to take action.
You can click the button below, apply for this opportunity, and find out more about the coaching and how it works.
You can learn the ins and outs of Commercial Painting from experienced pros, and avoid the expensive mistakes.
So, choose to take action now and click the button below. You’ll be redirected to an application to see if you qualify to join this exclusive program.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to helping you get into Commercial Painting the right way.
It’s an amazing opportunity and I look forward to helping you take advantage of it.
Talk Soon,
Eric Barstow Founder of Painting Business Pro Co-Owner of Foothills Painting and National Painting Group
P.S. If you’re wondering if the PBP Commercial Coaching Program is for you, then just ask yourself these 4 questions:
#1
Is my Residential Painting Business running well with a good foundation?
#2
Do I have good, reliable crews or subcontractors that I can work with to produce Commercial jobs?
#3
Do I have my estimating dialed in, so that I rarely lose money on jobs?
#4
Do I have extra time available to commit to this new endeavor?
If you answered “YES” to the questions above, then you may be ready for the PBP Commercial Coaching Program. If so, then take action now and apply to join the program.
Hear from our members
How Painting Business Pro Commercial was a game changer.
P.P.S. I know you may have some questions about the PBP Commercial Coaching Program. So, I’ve tried to answer them all here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included with the PBP Commercial Coaching Program?
There are 4 parts to the Coaching Program.
1. Big Picture and In-Depth Training on all things Commercial Painting, including getting work (Sales), screening, estimating, negotiating, contracts, protecting yourself, producing the work, project management, and much more.
2. An extensive Contracts and Templates Library, including payment schedule, terms and conditions, Scope of Work, etcetera. Plus, you get training on how to protect yourself and your customers.
3. A powerful Support Community, including other Commercial Painting Contractors. You’ll join our exclusive Facebook Group where you can post questions and network with other Painting Contractors.
4. Ongoing Support, including Monthly Webinars, the ability to ask questions, and a Member Success Manager.
How much money do I need to start?
You don’t need a lot of money to get started. We’ll show you how to find low risk Commercial Repaints that pay you upfront and pay you along the way. Use those to get small wins, and then you can slowly piggyback those wins to bigger and bigger jobs.
Can anyone learn this?
If you’re already doing Residential Painting, then you can do Commercial. You just need the right playbook and processes to follow. Because unlike residential, commercial is less forgiving of beginner mistakes. But you can de-risk getting into Commercial by getting coaching, using copy-and-paste templates, and learning from experts who have built multi-million dollar commercial businesses.
How soon will I get a return?
It all depends on how you apply the program. The members who apply themselves usually make a strong profit within a few months. If you’re willing to do the work, then we’ll help you get there. There are twice a month coaching calls, on demand access to the FB groups, and free 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day check-in calls to answer all your questions.
Am I truly ready for this?
Not every Painting Contractor is ready for Commercial. This is not a “Get Rich Quick'' Opportunity. Ask yourself these 3 questions to determine if you are ready:
1. Is my Residential Painting Business running well with a good foundation?
2. Do I have good, reliable crews or subcontractors that I can work with to produce Commercial jobs?
3. Do I have my estimating dialed in, so that I rarely lose money on jobs?
4. Do I have extra time available to commit to this new endeavor?
If you answered “YES” to the questions above, then you may be ready for Commercial Painting.
How will I find the time to implement this? I don’t have time to implement anything else in my business!
We can help with that. We have training available to help you free up your time, and get out of the “busy all the time” cycle. We will help you reclaim your time without loss of income in a matter of weeks.
Do you have a payment plan?
Yes. We have payment plans available to make this accessible for Painting Contractors who qualify.
If I’m struggling, will there be support available, or someone I can call to get help?
Yes. We have training webinars twice a month to answer your questions in depth. In addition, we have an online community with amazing coaches, leaders and business owners. We always have your back, and you will get answers to all your questions.
Is the course and program up-to-date?
Yes. I am a partner in several different Painting Companies that produce $10 million a year. We’ve done many different Commercial Jobs and have experience in this area. Plus, you’ll get access to Scott and other Commercial Painting Contractors who have years of experience in all areas of Commercial Painting. Everything in the program is constantly being updated, added to and expanded on.
New updates and lessons are added every month. Updates to the program are based on what we have learned and mistakes we make in our own $10MM company, and based on feedback and questions from members
Don’t see your question here?
Reach out and we’ll give you an answer within 24 hours.
Evan Kieser: Merchandise Showroom
$6,500 Job
Top industry experts endorse painting business pro
“Eric Barstow has spoken at PCA's annual EXPO and has appeared on the Paint ED Podcast, and we couldn't be happier with the results. He is demonstrably successful, and he invests in the success of his fellow painting contractors. Our industry is better for leaders like him.”
Chris Shank
Former Director of Education, Painting Contractors Association, Founded in 1884 with over 300,000 members.
“He goes above and beyond to serve his industry and his clients. Every time I meet with Eric I learn something new and I am motivated to work on growing my business. I would definitely recommend working with Eric and his team.”
Randy J Brothers
Founder, The Roofing Academy Ran a $20MM roofing business before launching Roofing Academy.
“Eric is a true champion of the industry. He is one of the rare thought leaders in the painting space who has the knowledge and passion to get results quickly.”
Danny Kerr
Founder and Director of Sales, Breakthrough Academy, Coach members to over $900MM in annual revenue.
Christiaana, our member success manager, will schedule a kick off call with you to make a custom game plan to get further faster.
Fill out your business plan
With this business plan, you’ll see the gaps in your business and know exactly what steps to take and how to utilize the program.
Submit your business plan
We’ll give specific-to-you feedback on your business plan so you can get the most out of the training, on demand coaching, and community.
Use the webinars for coaching
We have multiple webinars every month. Submit topics and show up to get 1:1 coaching. This alone will pay for your program if you use it.
Communication with our member success manager
Check in, ask questions, get support, reply to our check-in emails and you’ll get the results you’re looking for.
Join the Facebook community (and use it)
We have an amazing community of people. This group will inspire you, contribute to you, and help you be better. Use it for questions or help.
The Bottom Line
If you’re committed to using this program to build a business people love and gives you the lifestyle you want, we’re here for you. If you follow the steps above and don’t get a return, you can cancel your membership for a full refund. Guaranteed.
