Is Running A Painting Business Seasonal?

I was just eavesdropping in on someone’s conversation this morning who just started their own painting business but complains that it is a bit slow. Someone else remarked saying that “they didn’t want to burst their bubble but painting is seasonal”.

Well, I WOULD like to burst that guy’s bubble and say, “No, painting is not seasonal. Only the type of painting you do can be classified as seasonal”. Yes, EXTERIOR painting is seasonal from spring until fall unless of course you live in a warmer climate.

But other types of painting like faux painting, mural painting, interior painting for residential, commercial and industrial are year round markets you can stay busy in.

As a matter of fact, when I first started my painting business, it was in the early fall. I found residential work all the way through the winter – even the toughest part, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not too bad I guess for my first year starting out.

Look at it this way, if running a painting business was seasonal then all painting companies (big, medium-size and smaller ones) would only be able to work half the year. Paint stores might as well shut down for the winter as well. Even window washing isn’t seasonal no matter how cold it gets.

If you don’t want to do interior painting and just want to be an exterior house painter then yeah, it’s seasonal. You just need to find a winter service like snow plowing or something. But if you want work all year long there is plenty of it.

If you are serious about operating a successful, painting business that stays busy year round, you are going to need to know how to run the business end of it successfully as well as the painting end. Having a business partner for this could be an advantage for you.

Two important secrets to running a successful painting business are advertising and doing accurate estimates. Get these two things right and the rest of it pretty much falls in place.

Some companies focus more on doing commercial and industrial painting and some specialize more in the residential and smaller commercial painting markets.

Once you decide if you are going to want or need a reliable business partner, employees and which painting markets you want to capture, you can then focus on your marketing better.

I read about one large painting contractor in the Chicago area that decided to focus on the commercial and industrial painting markets. He found out quickly that these two markets have deep pockets.

Of course with this type of painting you will have to buy some serious painting equipment. And you will need an experienced crew that is used to commercial and industrial painting.

Is this type of painting seasonal? They might slow a down a bit during the winter but then again there is plenty of large interior projects all year round. If anything were seasonable about the painting trade it would only be because of exterior painting in colder climates, not staying busy or the money.

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Basement Remodeling – Where to Begin?

Do you want to upgrade your basement but don’t know where to begin? Are you doubtful and don’t know where you can save money? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, keep on reading. Knowing where to begin with any type of project is the key, especially for a Chicago basement remodeling. Nothing is more frustrating when there’s no money left and the final completion is far from being done.

So, Where to Begin?

You may think that a basement remodeling is a do-it-yourself project, well I have bad news for you. If you are thinking about renovating by yourself, chances are that you will probably mess up on something. To avoid mess ups and stress, the best solution is to contact a contractor. This choice is the wisest. After contacting a contractor you should receive a basic free estimate; it will give you an overall price of how much the project will cost. Once you know the price you can finally begin on planning. The best way to do this is to draw it on a piece of paper. Even if you aren’t great at drawing, putting the ideas on a piece of paper will make you remember what you wanted and how the basement will look afterwards. Also, a wise idea is to ask your friends and family for ideas. The more ideas you have, the easier it will be to begin the basement renovation. After you have a basic idea of what you want and how you want it, your next step will be to contact the architecture. Once this is completed the only hold up will be the permit. Sometimes receiving a permit can take a while, so the best choice to make is to have the architecture take care of everything.

What’s next?

If you’re trying to save a lot of money, here is what you should consider: knowing the right materials to buy. If you are placing tiles on the basement floor, there are many standard tiles that range in price. However, you can in fact find the type you love for cheap. If you are thinking of placing a carpet down, it can range in price and here’s why. There are different types of padding, and if you choose the 3/4 padding, the price will be much higher. But if you go with lower size padding, you can save a few hundred dollars. Does padding really matter? Are you asking yourself that? When it comes to basement remodeling, it is suggested to have bigger padding because it will feel much more comfortable when walking barefoot. Also, choosing cheaper tiles, paint, doors, windows, bath tub, lights, and all other small materials can end up saving you thousands of dollars. Those cheaper materials are known as standard materials. So, when a contractor asks you what kind of materials you wish to buy, by standard he means the average product or a bit cheaper.

By choosing standard materials, you will be able to save thousands of dollars. Even the bathroom and kitchen will look beautiful with standard materials. But, if you are considering on getting rid of a bathroom or kitchen in a basement, that alone can save you thousands of dollars. Getting rid of a kitchen might be a wise idea when you are on a low budget, but a bathroom not so much. Since you already have a full kitchen, a second kitchen might not be needed. When it comes to bathrooms, everyone uses them many times throughout the day, especially kids. So, when family is over or you’re having family time in the basement, having the bathroom right there is wonderful.

Budget not a concern?

When money isn’t an issue, investing more money to the basement remodeling is a wise thought. The new basement renovation will improve the house’s value. But best of all, everyone in the family will benefit from it.

Now you can finally relax and have the contractor take care of the basement remodeling project.

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Vivo Resorts: Puerto Escondido Comes of Age With Luxury Oceanfront Homes and Condominiums

Two-time Canadian Olympian and World Cup downhill champion Cary Mullen was recovering in Maui, Hawaii, from a ski accident. He began to ponder a prime location in the world to build an affordable beachfront community of homes and condominiums for people like him; those who are still relatively young, yet are already starting to think about a warm climate for part – time residence, a future for themselves and their families. He compiled a list of 44 factors to consider, investigated 30 countries, and personally visited over a dozen before settling on Puerto Escondido, in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca.

Mullen wasn’t interested in building simply a sun, sand and surf retirement community. In a conversation at his Vivo Resorts building site, he explained that the idea was never to attract just retirees:

“I was looking at two demographics; Baby Zoomers, and generation Mex. ‘Pretired’ Canadians [and Americans] who realize that they don’t have to live in a cold weather climate all year round. People like me who want to practice for retirement, which might come three, four or 10 years down the road.”

In 2007, Mullen purchased 30 hectares of land, about a 12 minute drive up the Pacific coast from Puerto Escondido. The development has 735 meters of oceanfront, is 400 meters deep, and includes a tranquil piece of property (slated to remain as such) for the exclusive use of residents, backing onto a lagoon filled with mangroves, fish, birds and other assorted flora and fauna.

Mullen has already sold a number of oceanfront and ocean view lots, as well as several condominium units in Phase One of his development. As of late November, 2010, construction of the condos and pool was well underway.

Why Buy in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Versus Anywhere Else Around The Globe?

Four of Mullen’s 44 factors stand out. A comparative analysis made the choice of Puerto Escondido, as opposed to any other beach location, relatively easy.

Weather as a Key Determinant in Selecting Puerto Escondido

Amongst other considerations, Mullen studied frequency and strength of hurricanes, temperature variation and rainfall. He found that, for example, over a 150 year period Cancun has had 38 significant hurricanes, compared to only three in Puerto Escondido. In Puerto Escondido there is only a 5°F average temperature variation year round, ranging from 78.3 to 83.3, and total rainfall between the end of October and the end of May is about 1/3 of an inch.

The water temperature is warmer in the Pacific at Puerto Escondido than in the Caribbean or Hawaii. “When vacationers can only take off work for a week or two, they want good weather; they actually want to be guaranteed that they’ll have great weather the entire time,” Mullen stresses. He continues: “I came to realize that real estate agents only want to show warm climate ocean properties in the mornings, because in the afternoons the wind tends to pick up. But in Puerto Escondido we’re blessed with just gentle breezes.”

Investment Timing for Purchasing Land or a Condominium in Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido is one of the few beach locations still showing relatively low cost of land and construction per square foot. Mullen cites resort properties in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, as an area where exorbitant land costs have made purchasing there inaccessible for most. He illustrates that in Cabo San Lucas it’s almost five times as expensive as buying along Oaxaca’s Pacific coast.

“And here in Puerto Escondido we’re seeing really strong investment returns for condo rentals.” He continues, with a sound prediction: “Just wait until the highway widening project between the city of Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido is completed. A lot more people, both residents of and vacationers to south and central Mexico, will be interested in renting homes and condominiums along the coast. Mexico has one of the strongest world economies; compare it to that of the US in recent years, for example. The Mexican stock market has been performing phenomenally.”

Safety & Security in Puerto Escondido, Mexico

“I spent a big part of my life on the World Cup circuit, risking my life,” Mullen admits. “The last thing I want to do now is anything which would create fear and insecurity in my life. I’m in my forties with a wife and three young children, and parents in their sixties who are thrilled to be able to spend time here in Mexico with their grandchildren. I’ve bought a condo unit in the development for us. Right now I, my wife and children live here six months a year, and in Canada the other six months. But our future is Puerto Escondido, perhaps not 12 months a year any time soon, but it’s something I want for my wife and our family, and an investment for our children; so they’ll always have somewhere to go to vacation, and the option of making Puerto Escondido their home.”

Mullen cited the recent arrival in Puerto Escondido of a new hospital, several car dealerships, vastly improved options for private schools for children, and a large grocery store chain. In addition, a number of construction material outlets have been springing up, evidence of a building boom. “And there’s more on the way. Look, in the state capital,” he boasts, “we already have a Sam’s Club, Sears, Fábricas de Francia [similar to Bloomingdale's]. These chains don’t open up unless they’ve done their homework, and are confident about growth potential, signifying confidence in future safety and security of the region.”

Mullen correctly cites comparative statistics in support of the proposition that the media carelessly and wrongly paints all of Mexico with one broad stroke of the brush, and that Puerto Escondido is much safer than the cities in which most Canadians and Americans live. He continues:

“Last week in Calgary there was a bad snowfall; there were more than 600 traffic accidents in one single day. People caution about swimming in the ocean, yet only five people die of shark attacks annually worldwide, while 200 die from faulty toasters and 1,000 from hippopotamus incidents. My mom has no qualms whatsoever about going for long walks by herself along the beach here in Puerto Escondido, or in town for that matter. Do you think she’d feel that way about walking alone in Chicago, New York or Acapulco?”

People & Pace in Puerto Escondido

While it’s difficult to compare statistics when it comes to the people and pace of living in one part of the world versus another, according to Mullen Puerto Escondido does stand out from many other warm weather retirement and tourist destinations. He finds the people extremely friendly, always greeting with a smile and offering their assistance. He believes that he and other non-Mexicans don’t particularly stand out, and are certainly not constantly harassed by hawkers of every kind of product and service. It’s easier for Canadians and Americans to become part of the broader society if they’re so inclined, perhaps because residents of Puerto Escondido have been accustomed to dealing with foreigners for generations; Puerto Escondido has existed as a port town for literally hundreds of years, with non – Mexicans coming and going, and staying.

Puerto Escondido Versus Huatulco, A Short Drive Down the Pacific Coast Highway

My personal bias has always been in favour of Puerto Escondido over Huatulco, two vastly different cities, yet separated by only 1½ hours of coastal highway. Back in 2005, I predicted that over time, Huatulco, a resort town built by the Mexican government to be a world class tourist destination, would develop its own quaintness akin to that of Puerto Escondido, and a unique culture complete with color and pageantry. My thinking was that over the course of a generation, the Mexican population in Huatulco, that is, those individuals transplanted from other parts of the state and country to provide goods and services, would inevitably build for themselves neighborhoods, marketplaces, bars and comedors, and other indicia of a complete social structure. Mullen sees such a metamorphosis as being a long way off. He maintains that there’s still a significant difference between the two sister cities; I have to agree with his assessment:

“Huatulco is like a movie set; designed and manicured. Except for the very small downtown area, La Crucecita, which is a fair distance from most of the resort areas, there’s an air of unreality to it. And even La Crucecita seems moulded for tourists and no one else. It just lacks something. Puerto Escondido has a soul, and there’s a positive vibe that Huatulco in my estimation is missing, plain and simple.

“Even the surfing sub-culture component to Puerto Escondido is remarkable. And yes, it feels to me like a [winter] ski town. Perhaps that’s part of what attracted me to it. It has vibrancy; it’s full of youth and energy. But at the same time, there’s a very strong local dimension, with traditional native festivals going on throughout the year, as has been the case for generations. So while Huatulco does have many of the attributes of Puerto Escondido, and ranks up there based on the factors I initially enumerated and compared, there’s a significant difference, in the respect I’ve indicated.”

Cary Mullen’s Pedigree: Success in Real Estate Development Leads to Mexican Investment

Cary Mullen is far from just a retired ski champion looking to conquer a different series of moguls. Success in real estate is in his blood; no different than his athleticism. When Mullen was 10 years old he saw his father buy his first investment building, and he took notice of it, and an immediate interest. Mullen would spend weekends alongside his dad, learning the trade. At 19 he got his real estate license, and at 21 purchased his first property, on his own: “I knew that I had to have a fallback plan, and that being a professional athlete is a short career, especially as a skier. We’re not like major league pitchers who can work into their forties by finessing how they throw the ball, or like the Bret Favres in the football world.”

Mullen had an eye for the residential real estate market, such that he began buying and selling houses, invariably making a handsome profit at every turn. He would always purchase prime geography. He converted a duplex into a four-plex, then an apartment building into condo units; all this while competing on the ski hills.

The Canadian real estate experience taught him to look for opportunities – undervalued properties. “This is my new play, finding affordable beachfront that is attractive to people in my kind of demographic. I didn’t just go out and buy a piece of oceanfront and decide to build and market. I’ve been doing my homework for several years, using study habits I’ve honed and perfected over the course of more than 20 years.”
It’s one thing to have investors, and to work with their money and hope for the best. But it’s another to do it all on your own, relying on your experience, instinct and research, and to put it on the line. Indeed Mullen has had opportunities to take in partners in Vivo Resorts. But he’s an expert at what he does; the same drive, passion and talent which lifted him onto the world stage in skiing, is guiding him in Puerto Escondido.

“Wait just a minute Alvin,” Mullen says as we’re walking through one of the oceanfront condos under construction. “I have to speak to one of my men and show him something. A couple of days ago I decided to make a change to this unit, to make the living room larger and appear much more spacious, with more of an ocean view. I have to show him what I mean. You see if I had investors, we’d have to have meetings and discussions; but it’s just me, so I can decide on my own what I know is best for the people I’m selling to. And yet I am very fortunate to have an incredible team working with me.”

Vivo Resorts in Puerto Escondido Caters to a Cross-Section of Investors, Vacationers & Retirees

One of Mullen’s goals is to provide as much of a view of the ocean as practicable, to as many condo units as possible. At the same time he’s committed to making prices as accessible as possible to the broadest range of prospective purchasers.

In his initial development there are 156 condominium units and 104 building lots, although he’s now just concentrating on the first phase of the development. The prices of the condo units range from $59,000 for a studio, to $549,000 for a 3,886 square foot four bedroom oceanfront penthouse… and everything in between. Vivo Resort building lots range from the $40,000 mountain-view lots, up to sprawling $265,000 sandy beach oceanfront properties. I did the math, and the pricing per square meter impressed, both in terms of the serviced lots, and condominium units built with higher end finishes.

Those purchasing raw land have the option of using one of Mullen’s recommended contractors (he opted for a Mexican crew for his development after interviewing and evaluating Mexican, Canadian and American companies), or retaining architects and contractors on their own. Homeowners have access to all of the facilities of the condominium clubhouse such as restaurant, lounge and spa; meditation and yoga room; tennis courts and sports field; ocean view fitness club; VIP business center; conference space; general store; and kids’ club / daycare center; “As you can see, Vivo Resorts is not just for retirees; I want families just like mine to have the option of spending a large part of the year here; and with the internet and the global economy, many working men and women have the option of earning a living from anywhere, even here – while gazing out onto the ocean from their living rooms.”

Casa Rubia in Puerto Escondido Facilitates Opportunity to Visit Vivo Resorts

Even though Mullen sponsors information sessions to attract prospective purchasers, he’s not one who believes in the hard sell, or in the guise of giving away something for nothing. He assures: “No, no, no; that’s not me, and it’s not my style, and never has been. I know what I have and what I am building, and that it sells itself; at least to those who have done their due diligence. In fact I never dissuade people from looking around at different opportunities. That’s exactly what I initially did a few years back, looked at all of my options, and why I purchased this tract of land and am doing what I’m doing.” He’s up front about it: “And I’m not giving away free trips to a Mexican resort.”

What Mullen is in fact doing is providing potential buyers with an opportunity to fly down to Puerto Escondido, spend a few days scoping out the area, and his resort, within the context of a vacation. While visiting, they stay at Mullen’s Casa Rubia, an ultra – luxurious oceanfront complex with six bedrooms each with en suite, media room with WIFI and satellite TV, living room with expansive wraparound sofa opening onto an exquisite dining area, and other facilities all spread over 15,000 square feet.

Yes, Mullen pampers his guests, with a dedicated bilingual staff including maids, butler, property manager, chauffer / handyman, and Mexican chef. But he doesn’t give away free trips to Puerto Escondido. Prospective purchases can look at his website, communicate with him or his staff by phone or email, and then if the interest is there, fly down at their own expense, and stay at Casa Rubia at a rate well below the value provided. “Sure, for those who end up buying we reimburse part of the cost of the vacation,” Mullen acknowledges, “but those who come down and decide it’s not for them, for whatever reason, they leave having had a great vacation, first class all the way.”

Mullen provides visitors to Casa Rubia and Vivo Resorts with an all-inclusive package. Each visitor is provided with a personalized, comprehensive and extremely detailed “Stay & Play Itinerary” for the full six days, outlining meals and happy hours, shopping and boat tours, visits to the main beaches, relaxation periods to sun and swim at Casa Rubia, and of course, time to visit the Vivo Resorts development to learn and ask questions. Significantly, portions of only three days out of six are devoted to visiting the development and question and answer periods – two mornings and one after – lunch discussion session.

One thing for sure, a visit to Casa Rubia and Vivo Resorts makes you start thinking about your future, and the quality of life you want for yourself and your family, both down the road and right now.

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