- The template adds lead-safe work on older homes to the standard plan sections.
- Example text fills empty boxes in one tap. Prices, costs and goals stay yours to type.
- Download a real Word file or print to PDF. Your draft stays in this browser.
Why write a painting business plan
Painting is easy to start and easy to underprice. A plan forces the price to come from production rates and prep time, and records the EPA lead-safe certification you need before bidding older homes.
What goes in a painting business plan
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Executive summary | Written for you from your name, area, services, goal and startup total |
| Company description | Name, owner, legal structure, service area, start date |
| Services | One line per service |
| Customers and competition | Who you serve, who else does the work, why customers pick you |
| Pricing | How you set prices, your hourly rate and average job |
| Marketing plan | How customers find you |
| Operations | How the work gets done day to day |
| Lead-safe work on older homes | How the business meets the EPA lead rule. |
| Startup costs | Each item you priced, and the total |
| Financial goals | Revenue goal, and the jobs and hours a week it takes |
| Milestones | The steps for the first year |
Example text for a painting business plan
Press "Fill empty boxes with example text" in the generator and it fills these in, ready to edit. They are a starting point in plain words, with no numbers: your prices, costs and goals are yours to type.
Services
- Interior repaints
- Exterior repaints
- Cabinet painting
- Deck and fence staining
- Drywall repair before paint
Customers. Homeowners, realtors preparing listings, and property managers with move-outs.
Competition. Many solo painters and a few larger companies. We will compete on fast written bids, careful prep and protection, and finishing on the day we say.
Pricing. Priced from our production rates per surface, our hourly cost, paint and supplies, and prep time. Good, better and best options on paint and scope.
Lead-safe work on older homes. The firm holds EPA certification under the Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, and a certified renovator runs every job that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978.
Startup costs to price
The generator starts the startup cost table with these lines, unpriced. Price each one with a local supplier or dealer and type what you found; the total and the summary update as you go.
- Ladders and planks
- Brushes, rollers and drop cloths
- Airless sprayer
- Lead-safe supplies
- Business registration and licenses
- Insurance (first payment)
- Phone, website and software
- Marketing to start (cards, signs, truck lettering)
Startup costs swing with what you already own and whether you buy new or used, which is why no amounts are filled in. Our guide to starting a painting business explains what moves each line.
From a yearly goal to a weekly number
The goals section turns one big number into a weekly one, using only what you type:
- Revenue a month is the first-year goal divided by 12.
- Jobs a year is the goal divided by your average job, rounded up.
- Jobs a week is jobs a year divided by the weeks you will work.
- Billable hours are the goal divided by your hourly rate, a year and a week.
If the jobs a week look impossible for one person, that is the plan doing its job. Raise the average ticket, add a recurring service, or plan a hire. To set the rate itself, use the labor rate calculator; to see how many jobs a month cover your fixed costs, the break-even calculator.
Word, Google Docs and PDF
Download for Word saves a real .docx file built in your browser. It opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs (upload it to Drive and open it), Apple Pages and LibreOffice, with headings and tables you can edit. Print or save as PDF prints the plan alone, without the page around it; pick Save as PDF in the print window for a file. Your draft is kept in this browser so you can come back to it, and nothing you type is sent to Koira.
Last checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how painters run on Koira.