When Mark Nguyen started looking for a summer job, he had no
idea he would be the one hiring people.
But when Nguyen, a third-year cognitive science and mathematics
student at UCLA, received an e-mail from the district manager of
Tuition Painters about starting his own summer painting business,
he decided to give it a try.
Tuition Painters is a Virginia-based company that specializes in
teaching students how to run a company and then helping them to set
up their own painting business for the summer, said Evelyn Clark,
Tuition Painters director of finance.
She said the company was started when the owner, Paul Flick, who
had also been a painter in college, decided to offer this
specialized type of summer internship to college students.
If selected, candidates receive training and then manage their
own mini-business for the months leading up to and during the
summer.
Almost 10,000 students applied for only a few hundred positions
nationwide, through a system requiring no formal resume or
application, Nguyen said. He simply replied to the e-mail, and was
contacted to set up an interview.
After two interviews, Nguyen was chosen to attend a training
session as one of about 20 new “marketing product
representatives.”
At the training session, Tuition Painters provide a crash course
in the basic principles of management and marketing, as well as
professional-level training in the various painting skills, Nguyen
said.
After the training, the new representatives go out into their
communities and attempt to secure clients. They paint both
interiors and exteriors, at both private and corporate locations,
Nguyen said.
Product representatives must also hire a team of employees
““ mostly students ““ to work during the summer.
Nguyen is currently conducting interviews with potential
employees; he hopes to hire 10 to work for him over the summer.
“The decisions are up to me,” Nguyen said, “I
determine who gets hired, and how much they get paid.” All of
the employee’s salaries come out of his profits.
Nguyen also said he has had difficulty finding people who want
their houses painted.
Much of the “pre-season” work, during the months of
April through June, involves going door-to-door in various
neighborhoods, looking for clients.
“It definitely takes a lot of perseverance and mental
strength,” Nguyen said, adding that out of the 20 people in
his training session, only eight or nine are still continuing with
the endeavor.
“You cannot take the “˜no’s’
personally,” Mark said.
Another barrier in this business is the lack of experience
students have. Despite their professional training, conducted by
Sherman-Williams Painting, many perceive them as amateurs.
“The difference between amateurs and professionals is the
attention to detail,” he said, adding that all the students
have been trained to pay meticulous attention to every detail of
the job.
“This goes beyond simply completing the work ““ the
customer must be satisfied as well,” Nguyen said.
He said he strives to keep the customer informed at every stage
of the operation.
“You have to tell your customer what you’re doing,
why you’re doing it,” Nguyen said.
One advantage this service presents to potential customers is
the lower price, compared to professional painting firms.
“It’s a professional job at a not so professional
price,” Nguyen said.
But perhaps more important is the unique opportunity this
provides to students of all ages.
Eric Cervera, a junior at Options for Youth Charter School in
Irwindale, was recently hired by Nguyen. Cervera said this is his
first job.
“It’s a great experience for any student,”
Cervera said.
Nguyen, who is considering business or marketing as a
profession, said running this business has been invaluable.
“You learn things you can never learn at school,” he
said.
One of the most important things he has learned, Nguyen said,
has been learning to practically apply the more abstract concepts
he learns in school.
“You learn how to deal with people,” he added.
Ultimately, Nguyen said, such practical knowledge is more
valuable than the monetary reward.
Nguyen emphasized the importance of enjoying the overall
experience ““ doing the job well, and having fun in the
process.
He is trying to build relationships with his employees outside
of the professional arena, saying that he is going to try to
organize group dinners or barbecues on him.
“I want my painters to want to work for me,” Nguyen
said.
He looks optimistically toward the summer, where he already has
two residential jobs lined up, as well as estimates at a local car
dealership and the restaurants Acapulco and Black Angus.
As with any business, he said, “You take a risk, but you
know you’ll walk away with something good.”