Struggles And Things You Learn

By the time you are reading this, you are more than likely just at the beginning of your own journey into the world of running your own painting business. Are you scared? Confused? Good. You absolutely should be and you’re not the only one. I was in the exact same position you were, wondering what to even expect from such an opportunity. You will hear time and time again that should you take on this opportunity, it will be the hardest summer of your life. To be completely honest, “hardest summer of your life” is an understatement. The struggles you go through and the things you learn along the way cannot be completely understood until you have stood there and lived through them. This being said, the reward on the other end (gained only through hard work) is something that I can guarantee you will not find anywhere else, especially this at this age. The first thought that crossed my mind when I first started, and that I am certain a handful of you are thinking as well, is whether or not this is some pyramid scheme or some other form of a “get rich fast” scam. I had this thought and fear too, even after I signed on, however the second I started building my business the worries of this being a scam were immediately erased and replaced with the understanding of just how hard I was going to have to work to accomplish what I set out to do. Over the course of the $70,000 I booked, I had not one single job come from my family or friends. I earned my work going door to door for hours every night, spending time and money handing out flyers and marketing my business in any way that I possibly could. This is not a scam, but it is hard work.

Running your business, you are going to learn some of the most valuable lessons you can learn as a university student. You are going to learn how to manage your very own clients (very cool! sometimes…), your own employees, and most importantly yourself. The people you meet along the way, and the problems you get yourself through are going to develop your character and have you come out as a much stronger individual than you initially were. Not many people your age are going to be able to say that they have accomplished what you have, and once you get through the hardships of running your own business, everything else in life is going to feel much easier once you can look back at what you got yourself through over the summer.

This being said, you have to be ready for the challenge. If you are not someone who is able to get yourself up and go make your goals happen, this is not for you and I recommend you ditch this opportunity right now. This means coming home from class, and then immediately going door to door for three hours in negative thirty-degree weather. This means getting up at six in the morning every day, only to work for the next ten to twelve hours. No excuses, no procrastination, just work. The fact of the matter is that businesses fail, no one is immune to this and neither are you. However, Student Works has their systems down to a science. So as long as you are not a lazy bum and are capable of pushing yourself to succeed, you will.

All in all, if you are extremely self motivated, confidant, and hate working for others this is for you. You will hate your life at points, and you will feel like there is no way out. But as long as you work hard and give it your all you will be standing at the end thinking that you could have done even more. You have a great network of District Managers and fellow franchisees who have or are going through the exact same sequence as you and they are there to help you. Your business is independent, but that does not mean that you are alone. Take this opportunity to figure out who you are, grow as an individual, and challenge yourself to see what you are capable of doing. I promise you’ll be impressed at what you are truly capable of accomplishing.