You can start a painting business for $2,000 to $10,000 by handling seven things in order: register the business, check licensing, get insurance, buy core equipment, set your pricing, line up your first jobs, and get reviews rolling. The trade itself is the easy part — the business around it is what most new painters underestimate.
We run our own home-service companies, so this guide is about the real first ninety days, not theory. Where the website and getting-found part matters, that's where we help. Where it doesn't yet, we'll say so plainly.
Register the business
An LLC is the usual choice — it separates your personal assets from the business and costs $50 to $500 to file depending on your state. Get an EIN from the IRS for free and open a business bank account.
Check licensing
Many states require a contractor license once a job passes a dollar threshold. Check your state board before you bid. A local business license is often required regardless.
Get insurance
General liability runs roughly $500 to $1,500 a year for a small painter and protects you if you damage a home. Add workers' comp once you hire. Many customers ask to see proof before they hire.
Buy core equipment
Brushes, rollers, a sprayer, ladders, drop cloths, and tape — $1,000 to $3,000 to start. Add a used van for $5,000 and up. Buy as jobs pay for it rather than maxing a card on day one.
Set your pricing
Price by square foot or by room, then add for prep, trim, and ceilings. Interior work often lands at $2 to $6 per square foot. Always walk the job and quote in writing.
Land your first jobs
Tell everyone you know, claim your Google Business Profile, and knock on a few neighbors' doors. The first five jobs are about proof, not profit.
Get reviews and repeat
Ask every happy customer for a Google review the day you finish. Reviews are what turn strangers' searches into calls, and they compound for years.
Sprayer, ladders, brushes, drop cloths, and a sander. Buy quality on the tools you use daily; rent the specialty gear until a job justifies owning it.
A used cargo van is the workhorse. You can start with the truck you have and upgrade once the work is steady.
Varies a lot by state. It feels like dead money until the day a customer asks for proof or you put a ladder through a window.
A Google Business Profile is free. A real website becomes worth it once word-of-mouth slows and you need strangers to find you.
We sell websites, and we'll still tell you to wait if that's the right call. Hold off when:
The right time for a real site is when referrals plateau and you want strangers searching "painters near me" to find you and call. Until then, work the free channels hard.
Once referrals slow, you want a site that turns "painters near me" into booked estimates and an AI assistant that catches calls while you're up a ladder. We run our own cleaning and HVAC companies on this exact stack, so it's built for how service customers actually buy.
The site plus AI lead capture starts at $249/month, month-to-month, and you own it. See our painting website work, painting SEO, the AI receptionist, or how to get more Google reviews first.
We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →
It depends on your state and the job size. Many states require a contractor license above a dollar threshold and a business license regardless. Check your state contractor board before bidding anything large.
A solo painter who stays busy can clear $50,000 to $100,000 in a year once established, more with a crew. Year one is usually lower while you build reputation and reviews.
People you know, a claimed Google Business Profile, and neighborhood referrals. Do great work on the first few jobs, ask for a review each time, and the reviews start bringing strangers.
Send your company name and city — we'll confirm your market is open and build a working demo within 48 hours. Free, no card, no commitment.
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