Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Blakely.
Hi Ryan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It’s a pretty simple story. I saw a post online, looking for a painter, and I thought to myself, “I can do that!”
I had painted enough of my own home that I was confident in my skillset and booked the service for hire. My first customers were very kind and appreciative of my work.
From there, I kept my eyes open for more opportunities. I was fortunate enough to have others hire me.
Eventually, word spread and work kept finding me. I was able to pivot away from this as a part-time side gig and make it my full time job, self employed and all. It has been very good to me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road hasn’t been too rough. Ha!
The toughest decision I’ve made so far was to leave my prior career and embrace this fully. It certainly wasn’t a passion project, just something I was pretty good at and had a willingness for. Now look where I am!
I’ve acquired plenty more skills along the way. Mostly do’s and a handful of don’ts. Plenty of nuanced things particular to the trade.
The largest struggle is not getting down on yourself when you don’t land a project. Sometimes you’re talking to people, saying the right things, asking the good questions, and you feel like you’ve really made a connection with a potential customer. But after you deliver the estimate, you never hear from them again. Rejection can be hard, but it just means we weren’t the right match, and that’s okay.
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?
My company has my name on it and I’m definitely most proud of that.
We provide painting & coating services for residential and commercial customers. We do exterior painting, interior painting, cabinet painting, and deck and fence staining.
We are known for being a humble crew that prioritizes communication and attention to detail. So often we hear that a customer contacted another painter, “but they never showed up and stopped responding.” Or in other instances they hired a painter only have them “leave a mess, or do sloppy work.”
The simplest thing you can do is show up. We definitely do that and once we’re finished, we leave it better than we found it.
What does success mean to you?
Classic question. Love it!
I’m not sure it has a dictionary definition, for me. Success is certainly not stagnant. You don’t ever really become successful. It’s like the work of success.
I think it’s a mindset. We can chase things, but at what point is that success? How much stuff do you need to check the “success” box?
I think of it more like a pursuit. I’m pursuing success. At the moment, I have some. And I will continue to put in that work. There is no success destination, because it’s very fragile and whatever that success is can be lost. Success is a path, one that you grow on, forever.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ryanblakelypainting.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanblakelypainting
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanblakelypainting
