Textbook Painting

textbook painting 1

How’s this for an interesting business model: Textbook Painting. No, the company doesn’t paint your textbook. It’s an entrepreneurial painting service that serves two purposes: job training plus house painting.

To provide college students with hands-on work experience beyond books and classrooms, Textbook Painting offers selected students the opportunity to run their own painting business during the summer, through providing the necessary funding and training. According to the company, there are currently 28 Textbook Painting branches across five states. All Textbook Painting branches are managed by a college intern/entrepreneur who handles everything from working with customers to hiring his own painting crew.

“The most rewarding experience that I’ve received from being a manager at Textbook Painting is learning how to hire and manage other workers in order to get the job done. I gained a new perspective of how businesses operate and an appreciation of the skill it takes to manage and work with others,” says Bryan McCarthy, Branch Manager in Lakewood, Ohio.

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Textbook Painting workers are reportedly fully insured with workers’ compensation. In addition to the Branch Manager position, Textbook Painting also offers part-time positions in marketing and exterior maintenance. Full-time workers generally paint houses and sheds, in addition to performing other miscellaneous jobs.

“Besides painting, we stain decks and basically deal with any coatings from sealing driveways to garage floors,” says Austin Hildebrandt, Branch Manager in Indianapolis, Indiana. “On rare occasions we do odd jobs, such as helping people move, but that depends on how busy we are painting or staining.”

If you ask me, this sounds like a solid idea. Not only does it fill the ever-present need of home maintenance, but it readies the participating students for competition in a rocky job market. And in addition to gaining management experience, learning first-hand the many challenges of operating a business, the students also gain experience with hands-on manual labor, which should foster respect for the many skilled tradespeople who go about their daily work without the benefit of a college degree.

Put it this way: If I were hiring for a new position, I would always choose the candidate with a firm grasp of hard work over the one with no experience outside a classroom.

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For more information, visit www.textbookpainting.com or call (440) 332-0600.

— Matt Weber

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