An Orillia woman is hoping to brush up on her business skills this summer.
Amy Thompson will be running a Student Works Painting business in the area, and she’s looking for both employees and clients.
Thompson, 20, is studying neuroscience at the University of Guelph. While that might seem like a far cry from painting, she one day hopes to own a business that incorporates aspects of her field of study.
“I’m really interested in business, but I’m not learning about that in neuroscience,” she said.
When she learned of the chance to operate a business through Student Works Painting, she saw it as an opportunity.
About a month ago, she began marketing Amy Thompson Painting online and by going door to door. She has been booking jobs, which will be completed between the beginning of May and the end of August.
She is in the process of hiring painters. They need not have experience, as training will be provided.
“They just have to be coachable,” Thompson said.
Those interested should email their resumés as soon as possible to [email protected]. They can expect to paint exteriors and interiors of homes and undertake deck-staining, sanding and power-washing duties. They will also receive their heights safety certification.
While Thompson, a Twin Lakes Secondary School graduate, isn’t looking to get into the painting business as a full-time career, her interest in it began years ago, when she lived with her grandfather, who runs The Lazy Farmer Trading Post in Severn Township. The two would paint and refinish furniture together.
“Watching him wake up excited to work every day, I really looked up to him,” she said.
She hopes her two nieces, one in elementary and one in high school, will look up to her as she takes the reins of her own painting business this summer.
“I want to make a successful business at 20 years old so they can see that they can do it, too,” she said. “I want to show that there are opportunities for girls to be in leadership roles.”
Those who want to book a job through Thompson can contact her at [email protected] or 705-205-3491. Those who book by the end of April will get a 10 per cent early-bird discount if they stick to the agreed-upon date of the job. Estimates are free.
