The construction boom continues to sweep across Zimbabwe. If you have not been to certain places in a while you might get disoriented when you get there. This is because the whole place might look different due to new buildings. All this spells business opportunities in the construction industry. There are countless ways to make money in that industry in Zimbabwe. One specific area you can settle for is painting. Painting is quite strategic because it is boundless. It does not only cater for newly built buildings alone; any building new or old can require a paint job. Let us look at how you can start a painting business in Zimbabwe.

Approaches

The way you can roll out this business comes in several different ways. You can start solo, depending on the nature of the work presented to you. This will involve your active participation in the actual painting process. This cannot be sustained for the long haul though as you will not be as fast. If running solo like this, you might consider looking for others to partner with so that more hands are available.

The other approach involves indirect involvement. Here you start a painting business but hire the ones who will do the actual painting. Your role will essentially be to mobilize resources, find gigs or contracts, and manage your team.

The third approach which can be scaled or incorporated with other approaches is retail. You can start a retail business where you source and sell paint and associated tools and accessories. To widen your revenue base you can incorporate actual painting services.

Diligently look at what other players are doing. Looking at your competitors can help you in noting gaps and possible strategic niching.

There are so many services that can be offered under a painting business. Some examples are ordinary painting, specialized painting effects, wall-lining, reparative painting, floor coatings, and decorative painting. Services can even expand to associated ones that might not be directly painting-related.

Key Requirements

I always encourage registering your business. Especially in this line of business, being formally registered can open doors for you. Over time it can be wise to get a Vendor Number. This will enable you to participate in or get big tenders from e.g. the government. There is some equipment needed for this type of business. Examples are paint brushes, ladders, protective clothing, transportation, and so on.

Human And Financial Capital

Human capital is inevitable. The more hands-on-deck, the faster contracts or gigs can be completed. In turn, that leads to more work and more money. From the onset, that means you will most likely have to remunerate some people. When starting, you might not require significantly high financial capital. Some of the required tools and accessories you can borrow or hire. Some of the materials needed for paint jobs you can cover in your billing of clients. For example, you can require clients to pay deposits before the commencement of work. So, it is possible to figure out ways to limit capital needs from the beginning.

Market

The market is there and is of course highly segmented. You have the liberty to choose how you will niche; your options are many. For example, you can choose to target households based on income levels. You can choose to target commercial buildings. You can also choose to target industrial buildings. This all just depends on your size, sophistication, and capacity as a business. There is a broad of client types namely, homeowners, enterprises, construction contractors, local authorities, and so on. The bottom line is, the market for your services is always available.

The global painting industry is a multibillion-dollar industry that is still growing. Painting businesses tend to have limited to zero barriers to entry. Plus the overhead costs over time are low and manageable. Painting is a good fit if you are interested in starting a lucrative business. The domain is always active and mostly never experiences dry spells. There will always be prospective clients out there requiring your services. The business can be started small and is scalable.