Winter doesn’t exactly scream “exterior painting”. For most homeowners they don’t want to think about it until March or April. What happens, though, is that all of these homeowners begin calling in March and April looking to have work done, and everyone suddenly wants it produced the first week of May! I mean, wanting your work done in May makes perfect sense, however it generally needs to be scheduled a few months prior. Who doesn’t want to re-paint their entire front trim in early May and enjoy it all summer? Not to mention, booking well in advance gives the space to plan the budget properly. It just makes good sense.

As a College Pro Painters franchise owner, I personally offer an early bird special for homeowners who book now rather than later. Depending on the nature of the job, I will usually offer a discount between 5-10% if a homeowner books a job in the month of February through the first week of March. Booking this early can raise some concerns for homeowners so I would like to address those concerns I have come across most frequently: Some folks feel that if they book this early that I may forget about them because the job won’t be happening until the summer. One thing I pride myself on most is ensuring that my client understands exactly what I will be doing and when I will be doing it. After booking a job I will follow up with my clients as painting season nears, to confirm the original date we had agreed on. I will also always update my client well in advance if there are any weather reports that may interfere with the work. It is important that my clients play a role in the entire process from selecting colors to any touch ups at the end.

As a College Pro Franchisee last year, I noticed that many homeowners were reluctant to book early due to the work possibly interfering with their summer vacation plans. Whenever I schedule a job I always leave room for possible re-scheduling. I understand that once we start getting closer to summer, some homeowners may plan trips,and, here at College Pro,we are flexible in accommodating you (it’s like doing a puzzle, you just have to adjust the pieces accordingly – and some other customers are often flexible on time). I make sure, early on, that there is a strong line of communication between the homeowner and myself. From there, we work together until the work is done and the homeowner is happy!

Early June is one of the busier times in the season for a College Pro Painters Franchisee.  At this point, along with help from your painters,you will be booking and producing work simultaneously. At this point [early June] in the season, your painters should be fully trained and able to work independently. Of course,it’s smart to check in from time to time and see that everything is on track. College Pro Painters will help you distribute flyers in your target markets and coach you through the various transitions of your business term – all while holding you accountable to your weekly and year end goals.

A typical day in June is certainly busy and hopefully hot! Not too hot of course but as long as it’s not raining, we’re in business! These four weeks will significantly dictate the volume business you will run. For myself, I would wake up most weekdays at 6:30-7:00 AM. I would be in touch with my painters by 8:00 AM sharp making sure they were at the jobsite and that they understood the game plan for the day. I would then go replenish any used up stock in regards to sand paper, roller heads, brushes etc… It’s important to have one painter per job site that is responsible for making sure that they have the necessary resources to do a great job! You can find me checking in with my jobsite managers a few times each day, wanting an update on thejob progress and customer interaction. At the end of the day I will usually call the homeowner and give them a full update along with our plans for the following day. Communication with your client is the single most important factor in customer service. The customer always wants to know that you care.

Towards the end of the day, many College Pro Painters franchisees will go give estimates to potential new clients. It is great if you can do some of these estimates during the day also; however, with work schedules, these estimates often fall after 5pm. Once I know all my current jobsites are cleaned up, organized, and my painters have gone home, I head on home and try to relax for an hour. College Pro Painters truly helps you grow and deal with the everyday stress. You develop a routine over time, you learn how to block schedule, you get better at problem solving – and still, everyday something new is thrown at you! It’s how you deal with these curve-balls that will determine your success!

I first heard of College Pro two years ago, when a representative walked into my entrepreneurship class at McGill University. I was initially skeptical of this student job offering, but was also intrigued and eager to learn more about it. At the time, I was working on and off as a busboy at a local restaurant and, needless to say, hated my job. As the semester moved forward, procrastination took over and my College Pro Painters’ interest was put on hold.

After reading the Globe and Mail article “Why Canada’s Youth Are Losing Hope For The Future”, it became evident that today’s students will have a very difficult time finding jobs in their desired fields after they finish school. In addition to the changes in the economy, and the decreasing number of jobs, there is an increasing number of graduates each year, making the competition for work very aggressive. As is, students struggle to find summer jobs (including part-time) in their field of study.

Regardless of the degrees today’s students are graduating with, the full-time job market will be saturated upon graduation. However, there are definitely ways students can set themselves apart from their peers. Companies are inclined to hire students who have experience and are likely to be a good fit in their culture.

College Pro provides students in all programs of study with the experience of running their own business. College Pro franchisees learn a plethora of skills first hand, including; hiring, training, customer service, teamwork, financial management, organization and leadership. The culture is one of action – do it, don’t just talk about doing it. The people at College Pro eat sleep and breathe the mantra ‘work hard, play hard’. It takes a certain type of person to fit the bill at College Pro – but those who commit themselves leave with unparalleled stories to share.  It’s not enough to say you’re a “leader” these days… you need to be able share experiences where you’ve been thrown into the fray and have learned to succeed.  You need grit.

As the media and marketing intern for College Pro, I have had the chance to meet and interview hundreds of College Pro franchisees over the past 6 months. I am a fourth year student at Wilfrid Laurier University, and can tell you that these franchisees are far ahead of most students in my class – they have hands-on experience running a business, have developed themselves personally, and have set and achieved goals far beyond any I have ever imagined. In addition, they tend to exude a confidence and maturity far beyond their years.  They are chalked full of employable traits – qualities employers look for upon hiring university graduates. If you see glimpses of yourself in any of this, inquire further to set yourself apart from your graduating class! Check out www.collegepro.com for more info.

Check out www.facebook.com/collegepro for more about the College Pro Culture.

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Harry Seaton (Franchisee in Thunder Bay, ON) and myself at a mid-summer College Pro event… Harry is ‘dressed to impress’.

As College Pro’s first ever Media & Marketing Intern, I have had the chance to witness the incredible relationships between College Pro Franchisees and their managers, as well as develop similar relationships with my managers. The relationships I am speaking of are different than any relationship I have had with employers in the past – I would use words such as mentor, coach, and supervisor to describe College Pro’s management/employee relationships.

As College Pro franchisees are technically running their very own business, the people who hire them are more coaches than managers. From what I have seen, each General Manager has a very close relationship with their franchisees – because they look after the hiring, training and operations, it’s a continued partnership.  From what I can see, their personalities often tend to be similar. Although the managers are technically there to help their franchisees along the way, I have seen that most managers are quite close with their franchisees. Franchisees are mostly university and college students. Managers are not too far off from having graduated university or college, and also most have run College Pro franchises in the past. This allows the managers and franchisees to relate to each other, and therefore form a strong bond that is helpful in coaching.  Many of the franchisees and managers I have met still keep in touch with their co-workers years after they worked together. Many connections made with College Pro appear to be lifelong friendships.

The culture of College Pro is very fun, upbeat, and social, yet everyone in the company works incredibly hard at their jobs. The relationships I have built with my managers fit this structure to a tee – like me, my managers are all very social, have great senses of humor, and generally like to have a good time. However, they are also dedicated, committed, and hard working.  My role requires a lot of guidance from my managers, and having similar personalities and worth ethic allows coaching to be efficient. The similarities in personalities allow us to connect beyond our work – while they are still my managers, and a certain level of respect and persona does exist, I would say we have formed a friendship.

From my personal experience in the office, and from what I have seen in the field this summer, College Pro employees are all treated equally, as long as they are self-motivated, and committed to succeeding.  Managers, franchisees, and interns such as myself, no matter the age, all have personalities that fit with the College Pro culture, and therefore all get along in a social sense. Apart from being coworkers, College Pro franchisees tend to become close friends also.

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Steel is a Business Administration student at the University of Windsor, and runs a College Pro Window Cleaning Franchise also in Windsor. Steel appreciates the opportunity he has been given to run his own business. He enjoys being his own boss, and has learned a lot from running his franchise. From experience, Steel says that it does take a lot of effort and time to profit from running your own business. However, he also says that if you really work hard, you will be successful. Steel’s favourite part of his job is training his employees – not only is he succeeding himself, but he is helping his window cleaning techs succeed as well. A challenge Steel has faced this summer is scheduling – he has realized that in order to succeed, he has to schedule every minute of every day. Steel has gained a number of skills with College Pro: leadership, assertiveness, customer service, and social skills. When asked what he thinks of comments about a College Pro Scam, Steel says, “Everyone has their own expectations – most think College Pro is a minimum wage job and that you are guaranteed money. However, it takes a while to actually have a turnaround point. Most businesses it takes 2 or 3 years to be profitable – with College Pro it’s about 3 months! The word scam comes from people who don’t know what they are getting themselves into – they get overwhelmed and feel unsuccessful, and deem it a scam.”

Watch more of our chat with Steel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzZmGlDyDQM&noredirect=1

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The best thing any student entrepreneur can do is get out and get experience! Find a company or a program that will let you get in there and build a business plan, manage the financials, even work through some real conflict resolution. Communication and problem solving are huge keys in the success of any business and the only way to build your skill level is to physically work through these areas as well as many other skills (i.e. selling, leadership, and customer service). College Pro Painters, as the example program, provides students with an opportunity for full ownership of a College Pro Painters or College Pro Window Cleaning business. Each student is provided with substantial development opportunities through various training sessions, weekly business analysis and in-field coaching. Through the College Pro Painters internship program, students wanting to learn about being an entrepreneur actually get to try it out and develop their skill base by running their own business for the summer.

All in all, the most effective way to learn is by doing. Get involved – work with an organization that will provide coaching and developmental focus towards student entrepreneurs! Entrepreneurial ventures not only provide great development for those desiring to run their own business in the future; they also provide exceptional hands-on experiences in every aspect of a business

If you would like to look into the opportunities listed above with one of North America’s longest running and most successful student companies, visit collegepro.com and see what they have to offer.

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When did you start working for College Pro and in what role?
I signed up to run a College Pro Painting Franchise in the fall of 2005 and ran my painting franchise for the first time in the summer of 2006.

What were your prior job experiences?
Prior to College Pro, I had a variety of jobs in the restaurant industry; they were my high school jobs. After getting involved with College Pro, I ended up running my own franchise for four years and then, upon graduation from University, I worked as an account executive for a sign manufacturing firm. Then I returned to College Pro, this time on the full-time level.

What is the most important lesson you have learned with College Pro?
The most important lesson I have learned with College Pro is that nothing worth working for is ever easy. If you put your mind to something and work through the obstacles, however, then success feels so much sweeter. I’ve learned that development is continuous, not instantaneous, and once you have reached a plateau then it is time to get out of your comfort zone and strive for more.

What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I find the opportunity to create my own division very rewarding. It gives me the autonomy and freedom along with the support I need. This is the environment in which I strive. I also find it very rewarding to take people who have never operated a business before and provide them with an opportunity to run a successful business in the summer.

What is a typical job day like for you?
All days are different. Some days consist of me coaching my franchisees all day long and helping them move their businesses forward. Some days I am meeting with potential candidates for the Franchise Manager role, other days I work on training sessions for franchisees, other days I meet with university groups to see if there is a way we can help each other by working together.

What skills are most necessary to succeed in your position?
Ability to work through obstacles, tenacity, problem solving, ability to make decisions; whether right or wrong, you need to be able to make decisions and move forward. It also is important to be able to look back at your mistakes and learn from them, and to be able to work independently, because I do not have a boss looking over my shoulder every second to keep pushing me.

Who or what inspires you?
There isn’t a specific person that inspires me, but it is characteristics of some successful entrepreneurs that inspire me. It inspires me to know of entrepreneurs that started with nothing, no financial backing and no real support but themselves, and were able to become successful against the odds. It does not have to be a multi-billionaire; it could be a regular, successful entrepreneur who achieved his/her goals and lives the life style that they want, whether it is spending quality time with loved ones while running a successful business or building a huge empire.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to work for College Pro?
Look at College Pro as one of the greatest learning and development opportunities in your life. When times get tough, stick through it and get advice from the network of people around you instead of giving up. The success and learning that come at the finish line far outweigh the challenges and speed bumps along the way.

What is your best memory related to College Pro?
My best memory with College Pro so far is my achievement of $1 Million in career sales after four years. It meant so much receiving the award at President’s Award because I still remember being at President’s Award after my second year and witnessing the first two people ever getting the $1 Million Career Sales Award. At that point the people accomplished it in six years, and I remember looking over at my friend who was sitting next to me and saying, “We should go for that!” And that moment he and I decided that we will achieve this award in four years — and we both did.  When I received the award after four years, it felt like the four years of my career had just flashed in front of my eyes, all the fun and challenging moments.

In your opinion, why is College Pro a great place to work?
College Pro is a great place to work because it is one of the only places that provides capable people an opportunity to really grow and develop. College Pro takes people who might not be fully qualified for a position and teaches them how to become excellent at it. Once a person has over-grown that role, College Pro quickly tries to move that person into a different role with even higher learning potential. It is truly a company that is in the people development business, first and foremost.

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Five Reasons to Hire a Professional Exterior House Painter

1) There’s more to prepping your home than a quick power wash.
One of the most important aspects of exterior house painting is the surface preparation. Cut corners during the prep period and your paint won’t adhere properly and you’ll be left with a streaky final product. A quick power wash simply isn’t enough to ensure that your home has been properly prepped. A professional exterior house painter like College Pro knows exactly what sort of soap to use when washing the surface of your home, as well as the correct flow rates, and soap ratios. Our studentmanagers and painters have been trained extensively to handle everything, including the most important prep stage in a professional and quality way.

2) Professional exterior painters do more than just paint.
When you hire a professional exterior house painter to work on your property you’ll receive much more than a fresh look and polished finish. A professional painter like College Pro will also help improve the efficiency of your home. College Pro student managers and painters are trained to caulk and seal all windows, doors, and casings. Any unsightly holes or superficial cracks will also be puttied over and sanded down.

3) Trained professionals are meticulous.
Residential painting is laborious, monotonous work. Let your guard drop for just a second and you could make a costly mistake. Professional exterior house painters like College Pro are paid to be meticulous, so you’ll never have to worry about careless mistakes. College Pro’s student managers and painters will bring their experience and energy to every job, will treat your property with care and respect, and will treat your home as the prized possession it is.

4) Professionals have all of the necessary equipment.
From the proper paint to specially designed brushes, exterior home painters use only professional grade materials and equipment. This includes paint sprayers, masking tarps, and fall arrest systems, if required. You can’t find this sort of equipment at your local hardware store; professional exterior home painters like College Pro source their tools from leading providers ensuring they have the very best tools for the job at hand.

5) Painting a home is physically challenging and can be very risky.
Painting the exterior of a home is a tough job. If you aren’t in good physical shape, you will experience difficulties and setbacks. Ladders are high and offer a risky proposition for someone who is not used to working at heights. What’s more, a team of professional exterior house painters like College Pro can cover far more area per day than one DIY amateur, completing the job faster and with much more precision. At College Pro, on-the-job safety is our number 1 priority. We train our student managers and painters extensively on the importance of on-the-job safety, and our safety program has been designed to comply with safety regulations for the painting industry.

Painting the exterior of a home is a detailed-oriented job. It’s also physically-challenging, extremely time-consuming, and can be very dangerous. This is why we recommend having a professional house painter like College Pro work on your exterior painting project. Your home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, so why trust it to an amateur painter? Hire a professional exterior painting team from College Pro Painters today.

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