Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Johnson.
Hi Cody, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The story of how Paint4Less has grown has been an interesting one to say the least. Back in 1991, my Uncle and mentor Leon Howell started purchasing paint in bulk from local contractors. My uncle was one of the last of a dying breed, always looking for new opportunities and not scared to take a chance on something that he thought he could make a dollar on. Over the years, I knew of his business but was never really involved because of either time restraints or he had other people working for him. In December 2016, I was approached by Leon and his wife Sang, to see if I would have any interest in possibly taking over the day-to-day operations of his business and buy him out over a period of four years. When I started working with him in January 2017, I had no idea where the path would take me, but I, like him, have never been scared of hard work and getting my hands dirty.
For the first year and a half, I ran the business how he had run it for the previous 26 years, trying to expand my knowledge on paint as well as how his system had been operating. Around July 2018, I was comfortable enough with the product and my understanding of the business and began to slowly integrate needed changes as well as modernize the business. We started advertising more and expanding our clientele list of not only who we purchased paint from, but who was purchasing it from us.
Each year the business grew little by little. Last year I took another leap of faith, and opened a more permanent store front open nearly 40 hours a week. By this time, I have been fortunate enough to find a solid team to help me expand. The North Kansas City Neighborhood and Business association has been a blessing and have allowed us to hit our highest sales numbers ever last year.
I pride myself of doing business the right way, learning long ago to do right by people and not be greedy. As my uncle always said, “Pigs get fat, Hogs go to slaughter.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was very fortunate to always have a mind for business and I feel that it has helped me tremendously throughout the course of my life. I have never been risk-averse and have always been willing to take calculated risks. That being said, the road has not always been smooth. At one point a few years ago, we lost one of our biggest clients with no notice as their business was going through a restructuring and that added a fair amount of stress on the business. Fortunately we were able to work out a new agreement that benefited both parties and we continue to do business to this day.
The other rough part of the road has been finding employees who not only have a strong moral compass, but have exceptional business ethics and are trustworthy. I have had to go through quite a few bad employees to finally get the ones I have now.
I would not be able to sustain the growth of our business without the help from my Operations Manager Keith Kelsaw JR, who has been with me for almost three years. He is one of the most integral pieces of my operation, as he allows me to procure more paint and meet with contractors while he runs the storefront.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The business in its current format has been around nearly 8 years, even though the seeds for the business were planted by my uncle long before. We are a wholesale paint store open to the public that strives to help people find the best paint or product possible for the job they are doing, while also being one of the most competitive with our pricing. We have customers come in and purchase 1 gallon of paint while others come in and purchase hundreds. Either way, we treat them all with respect and try to help them to the best of our abilities.
We are known for not only being one of the most aggressive with our pricing, but also for standing behind what we sell. We try and go above and beyond with each customer to make sure they feel like family while they are in our store. I am probably most proud of the amount of repeat customers and those who drive a long way just to see us. One of my longest customers lives around 4 hours from us but still comes by frequently to purchase his paints for jobs.
We have an inventory of around 5000 gallons of paint in stock at all times with 100-500 new gallons arriving weekly. We spend an enormous amount of time organizing and separating all of the paint so that when customers walk in, they have as seamless of a shopping experience as possible.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lessons I have learned while building this business is to have integrity within your personal life and business. My business has grown naturally from a lot of word of mouth and as of more recently, online advertising. I only sell quality products which I use in my own home. I have seen many small businesses not be appreciative and helpful when you visit their places of business. I try to instill in my staff and myself that our customers are paramount and every single one deserves our respect and help.
Pricing:
- $13 Per gallon on Tinted Paints
- $15 per gallon on Untinted Paints
- $65 per 5 gallon bucket on Tinted Paints
- $75 per 5 gallon bucket on Untinted Paints
- Assorted Pricing on Supplies
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Paint4LessKC.com
- Instagram: @Paint4LessKC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Paint4LessKC
