Learn Successful Business Essentials

You are currently making one of the best decisions of your life. Yes, there will be struggles and hard times but the reward is so much greater than any of the problems you are going to face.

I just finished my first summer with SWP and signed back for another year. The amount that I have grown as a person is incomparable to any other job. Going into training, I was this shy girl who knew nothing, nobody, and was absolutely terrified. Now, looking back, I don’t even recognize that person anymore. With Student Works, you not only learn the essentials to run a successful business, you also learn a lot about yourself.

The days at the beginning of production season were long. Sometimes 14+ hours a day, but by the end of summer I was working maybe five hours a day. If you put in the effort at the beginning of summer it will make the rest so much easier. There will be problems. Don’t go in expecting easy sailing. Crazy clients are a real thing, painters mess up, and you yourself will also mess up. Nobody is perfect. The way that you push through these speed bumps will truly set you apart from the others. You will learn what to do, what not to do, and how to avoid situations like that in the future. For me, I had a few jobs that made me want to quit. I would come home from work physically and emotionally exhausted, just to go back and do it again the next day. Those are the weeks that seem endless. But trust me, they do end.

Next, I want to talk about the preseason. Listen to your DM when they tell you to book in the preseason. I went home every weekend in the preseason and ended up booking almost half my sales! Marketing is so important. If you don’t market someone else will get to those places first and you won’t get the job. Even though going door to door in -25 sucks, it will pay off.

The best part of the whole summer is the people you meet through Student Works. I have lifelong friends that I would have never met if I didn’t do this job. The people are all as hardworking and determined as you are. Seeing them in Mexico is an even bigger incentive to work your ass off and get there. I know I will be seeing them all again next summer in Cabo (while my painters are back at home still making me money). It’s a great feeling to work hard all summer and then be able to play hard because of all the hard work you put in.

If you chose to do this it will be worth it. IF YOU MAKE IT WORTH IT. It’s all about what you put into your business. You need to work and work hard. You need to put in countless hours marketing to get your name out there. You need to go and do estimates, book work and then produce that work. You need to have a good relationship with your painters and clients alike. And lastly, you need to make time for you. I know at the beginning it may seem difficult to find that balance, but it will come.

I can’t wait to see what my second year with Student Works brings and what else I will learn to become a better business owner and person.