I have to admit; when I was hired into Student Works Painting as a franchisee I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I reassured myself that this was going to be another simple mindless job that anyone could do, even after the prospects of sleepless nights and challenging problems my DM had promised me would come this summer. After the training weekend in Vancouver however, my opinion changed dramatically, and for the first time I began to seriously doubt that I could actually do this. That was my first thought, my second thought was: They have to be exaggerating all these stories a little bit at least. Stories of bad painters ruining client’s driveways, the overwhelming amount of stress, angry clients and unruly painters all sounded a bit fabricated to me. Sooner rather than later I found out that they were all very true, and I had many comparable stories myself to tell.

This is to date the unparalleled adventure and biggest challenge I have undertaken in my life. My DM told me this would be the hardest summer of my life and there would be times when I wanted to quite. Not “if”, but “when”. Of course already being told that, I was bound not to let it happen, and it didn’t. Had I not had the support of my colleges, family, friends and of course the SWP systems and most importantly my DM, it would have been so easy to fail this summer. Yes there are challenges that will utterly bewilder you, and times when it’s all just too much; but the answer to a successful summer is simple: follow the SWP systems to a T (do not cut even the smallest of corners) and ask questions, listen to and practice exactly what your DM tell you.

Being a franchisee is not for the light hearted. You will have people scream at you, call you crazy or try and cheat you at least once this summer. It is a huge challenge to undertake but fortunately you will be equip with all the tools you need to succeed, I guarantee it. The one thing you will hear everyone say to you – as cliché as it is, nothing hits closer to the truth: What you put into this you get out of it. That means work hard, don’t get lazy and you will see results. This program is set up to help you succeed and also protect you should you hit difficult times. You will accomplish nothing without hard work. There are so many things you learn along the way that will ensure you succeed at any future endeavour you may chose in your life.

The one thing that I absolutely loved about Student Works Painting was the amount of support and dedication I received. Between the systems and my DM there was literally nothing I did or had to figure out on my own if I didn’t wasn’t too.  It’s almost like they hold your hand the whole way though. So buckle down and get ready for the most exciting and exhausting summer of your life as a Student Works Franchisee, and good luck!

Kim Lemky

SWP Franchisee