Memorable Thoughts During SWP Journey

The summer has finally come to an end. I have to say, it was one awesome experience with Student Works! I’m going to share my thoughts on some things that I feel are most memorable during my SWP journey.

DMs: All DMs in SWP are awesome people! They are knowledgeable, competent and are always there to help. They will always be there to give guidance when needed but also encourage you to think of a solution beforehand. That way, I learn to think and solve problems on my own, without relying on others. If my DM was unavailable it didn’t stress me out because I know I can reach out to any other DM that can help with my questions. They are very supportive and patient which made it easier to get through the busy summer. I recommend using your DM as much as possible because they are very experienced and they do know what they are talking about.

Clients: You are going to have many different kinds of clients throughout the summer. There are laid back clients, those who bring snacks and drinks out to the painters, who tip big, who are willing to be part of the team and work together. Then there are pain-in-the-ass clients, those who pick out the tiniest bumps on a wall, who accuses a perfectly colour-matched paint a mis-tint, who asks for extra work when it wasn’t included in the quote. Every client that I’ve dealt with, whether good or bad, now that I think back on my SWP journey, I enjoy dealing with every single one of them. Together they are what helped me learn to grow and be better for the next client.

Marketing: Cold call, B2B, flyers, personal letters, home shows, referrals, lawn signs, etc. It took me a long time to realize that, out of all the ways we market, there is no single best way to market; they all work together to build up your business. There are times when no lead comes through after hours and hours of marketing, which is extremely disappointing and there are times when leads just come flooding in after few hours of marketing. It’s best not get discouraged when you are having troubles getting leads, if you put in the time and hard work I promise it will pay off.

Franchisees Living in Kamloops I didn’t get to go to a lot of payroll events but the ones I did attend were amazing. You get to meet so many new people who are dealing with the same problems that you have. It really helps to talk to other franchisees to view other ways of doing things. I also made mexico which was one of the best experiences of my life. I highly recommend you try your best to attend as many of the events as possible.

Hard days: It is inevitable that with Student Works you will have some bad days. When clients are difficult to deal with, crew is not meeting expectations, or when everything is just working against what you wanted, days can be very sucky! Having good painters that you can rely on will help you tremendously so find a crew chief that you can really count on. I know sometimes you just want to leave it as long as possible and deal with it later but it is always best to deal with your problems right away. Make sure to not stress too much and take a day to yourself if you need to.

Overall, I had a fantastic summer, I learned a lot of valuable lessons, and I definitely had a positive change in the way I deal with things. I highly recommend running a franchise to anyone as long as they are willing to work hard. Money aside, even just for the experience, it’s incredibly well worth the time! I am very grateful for becoming the person that I am now today, through running my SWP franchise; it was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to come back next year.