Aussie Painting Contractor December 2015

Paint Product Stewardship Program

ACCC Approves Paint Price Rise to fund

CSQ Excellence Awards 2015 Qld Construction Industry’s night to celebrate

Cutting Your Price‌

Does it really help you make the sale?

Falling Behind?

How to use it motivate you to success!

www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

From the Editor Hi Everyone, This month in Painting news, the APMF has been awarded the right to raise the price of paint by up to 15c a litre to cover the cost of a new Paint Stewardship Program. How do you feel about paying the extra, in the knowledge the funds will hopefully make our industry less polluting, and more sustainable?

EDITOR Nigel Gorman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Caroline Miall CONTRIBUTORS

It’s probably safe to say that people in general have never before been as ‘busy’ and ‘accessible’ and ‘connected’. Only a few years ago the world didn’t have Facebook and Twitter - and now millions of people spent countless moments of their day on it. Heck, whole careers are based on the use of it! Many of us in the painting game grew up in a world that knew nothing of mobile phones, PC’s or the internet. We weren’t expected to answer a phone wherever we went, reply to emails, manage a website; a facebook page, a linkedin profile, etc. etc. Can you believe the first mobile phone call in Australia was only made 30 years ago?! Remember (or imagine for those younger among us) what a far simpler life it was! Now 74% of Australians do not separate themselves from their smart phones...’like, eva ;)’

• Caroline Miall

But as another Christmas season approaches, I consider all these wonderful opportunities that technology has provided, but also keep in mind an understanding of the new demands placed on all of our time because of them. The end of the year is a time for reflection after all, so with all that in mind, it’s not surprising to look back and think how quickly 2015 went.

• Monroe Porter

Take the chance to look back and decide if all of those moments that made up 2015 were ones well spent.

Have a great break with family and friends, and get in touch in 2016!

Nigel Gorman

nigel@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

07 3555 8010

• Jack Josephsen • Jim Baker • Justin Barlow • Leo Babauta

• Nigel Gorman • Robert Bauman • Sandra Price • Scott Robertson • Steve Pavlina

GRAPHIC DESIGNER J. Anne Delgado

Contents 6

Hitting the Road with

Painters Training Wheels Welcome to the face on the other end of the line...

8

5 Things to Accomplish in your Business over the

Clive Brown Glow Paint at Home

10

What to do when

12

Signwriting Decorative Epoxies

16

You’re Falling Behind

19

Lend Lease Ordered to Report on Cladding Installation to

20

Why you need

Polished Concrete and Warehouse Looks

CSQ Exellence Awards 2015

37

Cyber Protection Insurance

23

The Underrated, Essential Art of Coping

38 41

Christmas Break The Specialist Art of

A totally illuminating idea!

How to turn on the Money Tap

Does cutting your price really help you make the sale?

26

Coggie’s Tips and Tricks ACCC authorises levy for National Paint Product

30 32

44

Stewardship Scheme Industry Idiots

48

Important Contacts

49

Melbourne Hospital

Opinions and viewpoints expressed in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher or any Aussie Painters Network’s staff or related parties. The publisher, Aussie Painters Network and Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine personnel are not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission.

Information contained in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine is intended to inform and illustrate and should not be taken as financial, legal or accounting advice. You should seek professional advice before making business related decisions. We are not liable for any losses you may incur directly or indirectly as a result of reading Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine.

Reproduction of any material or contents of the magazine without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Just-In Hi Good people, I would like to firstly wish everyone a safe and very merry holiday season.

Goodbye 2015 and welcome 2016. What a great first year of training for Aussie Painters Network. We are very proud to be aligned Australian Consolidated Training Rto No. 31731.

Our Apprentice numbers have grown from just 13 in December last Year, to over 100 apprentices in just 12 months. The mobile training that is available for employers has definitely seen a massive shift away from the block training model. I suppose a lot of people may ask why this is so, and the answer isn’t rocket science. It is simply about providing a service that is beneficial to your clients, that also has the ability to endorse quality training, offering flexibility to both the employer and apprentice.

Towards the end of my first year with APN, I would like to thank all of the team for their hard work; Nigel, Caroline, Clive, Jenny, Mandy and James have been awesome to work with, and we are like family.

Our dynamics makes it a pleasure to go to work and assist our fellow painters to run a successful business, train your next apprentice, or to provide the latest legislative, product and training information through the Aussie Painting Contractor.

If you would like any further information for your business regarding Apprenticeship training please call us on 1800 355 344.

I hope the holiday season is full of happy memories. See you next year!

Justin Barlow 07 3555 8010 / 0433 724 794 justin@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

Hitting the Road with

Painters Training Wheels

This month we’ve been all over South East Queensland training in the truck, with visits to apprentices from the Sunshine Coast to Toowoomba, Morayfield to Browns Plains and Rocklea to Capalaba; and we are coming to a place near you!

The Painters Training wheels has been very well received by both our apprentices and their employers.

Throughout November we facilitated training in Workplace Health and Safety, Erecting trestle and planking systems, Removing graffiti & applying protective coatings, Colour

6 | Aussie Painters Network

matching, Lead paint and asbestos training, Decorative finishes - including Rag roll, sponging, graining & marbling, just to name a few. It is great to see the apprentices’ excitement as they master a new skill of the trade. “Wow, that was easier than I thought, I can’t wait till I can get home and do a wall in my room with this.” We heard from Antony, apprentice from Toowoomba.

ment and staff all had a good look and couldn’t believe the quality of training and the skills that are being passed down to the apprentices.

When we leave the stores they are already looking forward to the next visit to see what further training will be covered.

December you will find us out and about again; we will be in Capalaba, Toowoomba, and It’s been fantastic pulling up the truck at trade events at Taubmans other areas around south east paint stores and the BMS Mitre Queensland. Keep an eye out 10 store in Toowoomba. Manage- for us, and say G’day!

2015 December Issue | 7

Who’s that on the phone?

Welcome to the face on the other end of the line...

Clive Brown

Clive was one of our earliest staff members and has really made a difference in our growth and longevity at Aussie Painters Network. Many of you will have spoken with him, hung up on him, sworn at him, and even sometimes confided in and reached out to him. He is that friendly voice on the end of the line.

We get that we all have a difficult relationship with telemarketing and unsolicited calls. But the fact is that without Clive providing this function, thousands of people would not know about us, and all of the Painters who have been so grateful for our help, would still be going it alone. Through their contact with Clive, hundreds of painters have joined Aussie Painters Network and tell us they continue to enjoy the lively chats with him. Clive has found a niche spreading the word of the opportunities here at APN and he keeps the office full of laughter. He has made a difference in many of our lives for the better, and he’s our main outgoing communicator. Be nice to him. He’s one of the good ones!

We have grown into a strong team here at Aussie Painters Network, and feel lucky to have a group who work together well, and provide a bit of encouragement and support for each other. So, we wish to take this opportunity to thank Clive for his tireless contribution and buoying of our morale when times are tough. We hope you are with us for many years to come.

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Do you like working outside? Wouldn’t it be good to be out of an office or not on the same site 48 weeks of the year?!

With today’s apprenticeships you can even do your theory without going into a classroom situation by enrolling a course offering online learning. You do all the under-pinning, theoretical part of an apprenticeship on your computer. These videos show how the theory component of painting and Decorating can be undertaken online giving students and employers greater flexibility in training. gr

Australian Standards - Surface Preparation

Preparation for Texture Coating Application 2015 December Issue | 9

GLOW PAINT AT HOME

A totally illuminating idea!

Outdoor living is a signature of the Australian lifestyle, especially in summer around the pool when many of us spend a bit more money and time on the comforts of these spaces. Often, its plants and paving rather than paint dominating this scenario, except for the side of the house or fence or furniture. But imagine illuminating features of your outdoors with glow paint products to brighten up the exterior spaces with paint in the dark of the evening, creating a whole other dimension to your outside.

Traditionally these sorts of paints have been used for their functional safety aspect, highlighting hazards, illuminating walkways and signs in the dark. A brilliant solution to sudden power failures, to reveal exits and stairs.

But what a sensational way to light up your garden path at night! You don’t even have to spray the whole path, but could scatter painted rocks to pepper the walk with light and mark the way.

Once you start considering the applications for this sort of product, now so readily available, you can’t help but think of more and more ways to use it. Life hacks galore!

I’ll be painting the guy-ropes when I go camping next; No more tripping over them in the dark! Street numbers could be high-viz! Might paint the TV remote too!!

I’m always losing it. I’ll be able to find it by simply turning OFF the light!

Phosphorescent paint Commonly called “glow-in-the-dark” paint. It is made from phosphors such as silver-activated zinc sulfide or doped strontium aluminate, and typically glows a pale green to greenish-blue color. Phosphorescent paints have a sustained glow which lasts for up to 12 hours after exposure to light, fading over time.

10 | Aussie Painters Network

Make your pots plants a feature at night as well as in the day; they really light up a dark garden corner too.

Clearly a winner for interior applications as well as outdoors too like kids bedrooms, and a multitude of craft ideas.

They can be found in waterbased, you can get it in spray form, or in a tin and a variety of brands produce versons of it, easily found at the local hardwares.

Can’t wait to get me some! Think I’ve discovered my next bunch of weekend projects.

Caroline Miall caroline@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

2015 December Issue | 11

How to turn on

THE MONEY TAP

You’ll hear me talking about numbers a lot, I guess I can’t help it, being an Accountant and Financial Planner.

In my last article “Net Profit is King” I talked about the importance of setting healthy profit margins for your business.

important thing is that you set up certain routines, and stick to them.

Make this task a high priority, put it in your diary or set yourself a reminder. It’s so critical that this occurs regularly in order to keep the money flowing.

The other, equally huge cog in your business wheel is, of course, cash flow. You need money coming in at the right time, at a steady pace, without fail, as easy as possible, with as little follow up as needed… to grease the wheels of your business.

2. Issue invoices for progress payments more frequently Tradies have big and small projects.

With the larger jobs that can go over a few weeks, or sometimes a couple of months, it is a good idea to spread the load. This will not only be good for your own business cash flow, but also for your client who can pay you in smaller chunks that might be more manageable for them. So at the time of negotiating the job terms, let your customer know your proposed progress payment schedule, so that they’re not unduly surprised when the first invoice comes in before the job is finished.

For that, you need effective systems and processes to make sure that you receive the money you are due from your clients in time. That includes bookkeeping and invoicing systems with a high degree of mobility and flexibility, especially for tradies who are out and about most of the time.

It also includes training your staff in the use of these systems.

More importantly though, there are some great cash flow strategies I know, which I want to share with you here. Implementing just a few of these strategies could help you make a big difference in a short amount of time, and turn on that money tap for your businesses. It’s no use working from dusk till dawn and deliver a lot of jobs and services, and wait weeks before you receive payment.

1. Invoice weekly and review your cash position at least weekly Nothing works better than setting up routines. If you invoice at the beginning or the end of each week is not so much the point. The most

12 | Aussie Painters Network

3. Encourage your customers to pay using online technology It’s so easy these days to make online transactions and many are taking advantage of this convenient way of banking. Make use of the trend and encourage your customers to pay you by credit card, get an authority to debit their bank account, or ask for a direct transfer into your business account using online banking. Bringing more and more customers in line with this strategy will avoid delays for cheque processing and clearances.

4. Introduce 1 to 2% discount for early invoice payments.

The reward principle works in every area of life and business. If you knew how much it costs your business in time and resources to chase up late payments, you would understand immediately that a small discount on early payments is an absolutely cash positive investment.

5. Send multiple invoices to non-payers You’ll always have some customers who may be in a difficult situation to pay your bill. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are not willing to pay. However, following up on outstanding invoices is as important as the way you do it. Your customers need to be reminded at appropriate times that you are still waiting for your payment, and you need to do this systematically. Continue to send invoices with increasingly demanding tone at 15, 30, 45 days as part of your Debt Collection System, and engage a professional debt collector, if you have to.

I have many more cash flow strategies to share with you, but I can’t fit them all into this article. The good news is that you can download them for free at our website. Visit www.adhamilton.com.au/cash and download our FREE eBook “21 Cash Flow Strategies to Boost Your Business”.

Copyright © 2015 Robert Bauman.

A D Hamilton & Associates www.adhamilton.com.au

2015 December Issue | 13

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2015 December Issue | 15

What To Do

When You’re Falling Behind When I was a kid, it took me longer than I would have liked to learn how to ride a bike. I kept using a bike with training wheels and I didn’t practice much, so of course I didn’t learn how to balance. One day I observed that my sister (younger by 2.5 years) was getting close to figuring out how to ride a bike. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she was clearly much closer to balancing than I was. I couldn’t let her beat me to it!

So I grabbed my bike, pushed it out to the street, and decided that I was going to learn how to ride it then and there. I hopped on — sans training wheels — and swerved all over the place like an out-of-control maniac. I tried to stay near the grass when I could muster some degree of control, so when I fell, I’d hopefully crash onto the lawn instead of the street or sidewalk.

What finally motivated me to face the fear and take action? It was the feeling that I was falling behind. My peers were leaving me in the dust. If my younger sister got there first, I’d look like a failure in comparison, and I really didn’t want to deal with that.

That build-up of pressure worked to my advantage. I was capable of facing the fear and developing the skill, but I’d been delaying. I was letting fear get the better of me. That pressure gave me a much needed kick in my complacency!

“Many results (such as learning to ride a bike) practically require you to fail — sometimes a lot — before you can succeed.”

Many years later, I found myself in a similar situation.

When I started college, I didn’t take school seriously and goofed off a lot. I basically triple-majored in shoplifting, alcohol, and poker… and was eventually expelled. By the time I had a second go at it, my old high school friends were all starting their senior year, while I was starting over as a freshman. I was three years behind my peers, and I really felt the weight of that.

After many short-lived attempts, I finally learned how to balance. Then I was off and riding. I rode my bike a lot that summer and have had the skill ever since.

Up until that point, I’d been making a big deal out of the whole process. It seemed scary and daunting.

I was afraid of falling. But once I confronted the fear and mustered the courage to risk getting hurt, I quickly emerged on the other side with a whole new skill. From the moment of decision to the time I had gained the basic skill was probably less than an hour.

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Once again, the feeling of falling behind became a powerful motivating force for me. Instead of taking four years to graduate, I made a huge commitment to master time management and tried to earn my degree a lot faster. I took about 3x the normal course load, and I earned two Bachelor of Science degrees (in mathematics and computer science) — in three semesters, receiving recognition for being top computer science student when I graduated.

I had no idea I was capable of that, just as I had no idea I could learn to ride a bike so quickly. Instead of trying to squelch those disappointing feelings, like I’d been doing up to that point, I allowed myself to feel the weight of that pressure. I used those seemingly negative feelings to motivate action and overcome resistance.

Using this social pressure to beat yourself down is pointless. Using it to motivate fresh progress is powerful. When you perceive that you’re falling behind, how can you leverage this feeling to speed up your growth?

First, let yourself feel the heaviness of the pressure.

Stop trying to repress it, minimize it, or distract yourself from it. Feel the pain. Feel the disappointment. If this makes you feel like a complete loser, let those feelings flow freely for a while. Own those feelings. They’re temporary.

Once you’ve had a chance to let those feelings circulate and you no longer feel like you’re repressing those emotions, then pause and forgive yourself. So you fell behind. It happens. Let it go so you can move on quickly.

Forgive yourself, but don’t let yourself off the hook completely. It’s okay that you slacked off in the past. It’s not okay to keep slacking off. Resolve to be done with that dissatisfying past behaviour. No more falling behind.

Now, redefine your short-term vision of success as a vision based on action, not on immediate results. One reason we fall behind is that we make a big deal out of failure. However, many results (such as learning to ride a bike) practically require you to fail — sometimes a lot — before you can succeed. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself to achieve a specific result just yet. Instead, feel the pressure to take simple actions. Turn this pressure into movement.

When I committed to learning to ride a bike I made the commitment to go ahead and try my best, to fall as much as I might have to fall, to endure the scrapes and bruises, and to quickly get back on the bike and try again. Accepting the possible outcome I feared, I decided I’d rather be a bruised and bloodied boy who could ride a bike instead of a pristine boy who couldn’t!

What’s the equivalent bloodied version of yourself that you’re avoiding and thereby causing yourself to fall further and further behind? Is it a vision of yourself having to work or study for long hours? Is it a vision of yourself being repeatedly rejected? Is it a vision of yourself making mistakes and losing money? You can endure all of those things. And you can keep right on going after they occur. They’re all petty fears to begin with. You’re strong enough to handle them.

Doing Your Best

Define success as doing your best. Face the fear. Make the valiant effort. Don’t worry so much about the end result.

One reason you may feel like you’re falling behind is that you haven’t been doing your best. It isn’t the perception that other people seem to be passing you that’s such a bother. What really gets under your skin is believing that you could have prevented it. The consequences of not doing your best can be very unsettling when they finally catch up to you.

Asking yourself the question, “What would my best look like?”

is a powerful way to shed light on those situations where we clearly aren’t doing our best. And that’s where the feeling of falling behind starts creeping in.

Let it creep in Immerse yourself in those feelings.

Feel the unpleasant heaviness and disappointment of falling behind, then define your best in the form of simple and direct action. What is the best effort you can make? What can you do? What’s the action to take now?

You can try and fail. You can try and get rejected. You can try and learn.

If you keep making your best effort again and again, you’ll power through old fears and snivelling worries faster than you thought possible. And soon the results you desire will become visible… and then fully realised.

Where do you feel like you’re falling behind? In which areas of your life are you underperforming? Let yourself feel the weight of those disappointments. Forgive yourself. Identify what your best effort could look like. Then go take action. Make the attempt. Fall. Get bruised. Get up and try again. Persist until you create your desired results.

It’s just like riding a bike.

Steve Pavlina is an American self-help author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur. He is the author of the web site stevepavlina.com and the book Personal Development for Smart People.

2015 December Issue | 17

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Lend Lease Ordered to Report on Cladding Installation to

MELBOURNE HOSPITAL

• Lend Lease on the hook to rectify cladding which does not meet safety requirements on major hospital project in Victoria.

• Victorian health minister orders report after an investigation in August revealed non-compliant cladding was present.

• Hospital will be placed on heightened fire surveillance by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, costing taxpayers more.

Victorian health minister, Jill Hennessy, has ordered construction giant Lend Lease to provide details of the cladding installed on the exterior of Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital, possibly forcing the company to undertake millions of dollars’ worth of work to rectify the situation. The Department of Health and Human Services is looking into the matter to ensure any aluminum cladding installed on the building complies with Building Code of Australia safety requirements.

The cladding is a composite ¬material containing a plastic core encased in aluminium sheeting, and is similar to the cladding that caused the firestorm of Melbourne’s Lacrosse apartment complex last year.

Ms Hennessy played down any immediate threats to patients, families and staff but confirmed they are awaiting “urgent” advice from Land Lease. In response, a spokeswoman for the company said the builder is working with the government to resolve the issue quickly.

An inspection of the hospital conducted by the Victorian Building Authority in August revealed the use of non-compliant cladding. The investigation was part of a Melbourne-wide audit of cladding types in response to the rapid spread of fire up the Lacrosse apartment complex in December 2014. The VBA immediately referred the matter to the Department of Health and Human Services. So far, the VBA has investigated 70 buildings in Melbourne, where so far seven buildings have been found to have non-compliant, unsafe cladding, including the nearby $1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre which is still under construction and a number of inner urban apartment complexes.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade has placed the hospital under heightened fire surveillance, meaning that twice as many firefighters and more trucks would be dispatched in the event of a fire emergency until the cladding is replaced. This would cost taxpayers more as the hospital would be forced to pay extra in the event of an emergency.

aubis.com.au The Australian Business Information Service (ABIS) is Australia’s most innovative source of marketing and news, using its combined experience, specialised knowledge and vast network to keep you informed and expose your business.

2015 December Issue | 19

Does CUTTING Your Price REALLY HELP YOU MAKE THE SALE?

There is no retail price for contracting. As much as we might think, as hard as we try, this is the case. Yes, many folks quote square footage guidelines but are they really accurate? I say no and so will any other experienced sales/estimator. Square footage prices are averages. If I had one foot in a bucket of ice water and another foot on a hot stove, by average I would feel ok.

Too many contractors solution of having little work, is to merely cut prices. While at first glance this makes economic sense, the reality is that cutting your price does not ensure you will be awarded the job. However, cutting your price does ensure that if you get the job, it will not be profitable.

With consumer sales, let’s suppose a professional contractor that knows his or her costs price a job at $10,000. Others who estimate poorly or may not know what their overhead costs are may be $7000 or $8000 for that same job. So if you cut your price 10%, you still will not be low bidder. It only ensures that if you get the job, your company probably will not be profitable.

If your company did $1,000,000 in sales at 30% gross profit and your overhead was $300,000, you would need 100 jobs at $10,000 to breakeven. $10,000 times 30% equals $3000 per job multiplied by 100 jobs and you have your $300,000. If you cut your price from by 10% to $9000, your gross profit would shrink to 20% or $2000 per job. You would now have to do 150 jobs to

20 | Aussie Painters Network

reach your $300,000 breakeven point ($2000 per job multiplied by 150 jobs equals $300,000).

One of the problems in cutting your price is that you also cut your price on customers who will buy the job anyway. Research shows that if you quote 10 jobs, 20% of those customers will probably buy from you as long as your price is within reason. In fact, some research shows that 1 out of 5 people only get one bid. So cutting your price on these two jobs, just ensures you will do the work at a non-profitable level. When bidding those 10 jobs there are another 2 or 3 jobs you had no chance to be awarded. The customer was not really interested, did not have the money to do the job or was just trying make sure the contractor relative he or she was going award the job to had a fair price.

I recently had a conversation with one of our customers, Doug, who lives in a seasonal area, regarding winter work. His comment was “We’ve always discounted winter work to ensure our guys are kept busy. What we discovered is that the deep discounts just ensure we lose money during the winter. We sell just as much work at a higher price.”

Even cutting your price on commercial quotes does not ensure you win the contract. The CM or general contractor may have a favorite contractor that is asked to match the price or it may simply be a negotiation ploy and you are already the low price.

So what should you do rather than just lower your price?

1. Be more strategic. Understand the segments of the market and the customer base where you are most competitive. Stick to your core competency.

2. Don’t assume it is always about being low price.

Ever quote a job where you were not low price and you were still awarded the contract? Sure. You probably won the job because the customer thought you were more competent than the competition. What did they tell the other bidders; you were better? Of course not, they said they had a different price or had to think about it.

3. Qualify better. Ask the caller questions. Probe. If they are getting 4 or 5 quotes, it is doubtful you will be competitive. Look up the property on Google Earth and see what the value of their home is. Is it a target neighborhood where you do a lot of work? When bidding commercial work, ask more questions rather than wasting the time to throw out a price on a job you have no chance of winning. In many cases the person looking for a price has nothing to do with the actual awarding of the job.

4. Spend more time with jobs you have a chance to win. Sell better. Communicate better. Ask questions.

Find out what the customer’s real needs are. Then offer product options and alternates that fulfill those needs.

Get to know the customer and what they want.

5. Learn to be a better salesperson. Improving your sale skills is one of the few areas where you can increase profits without it taking more time and creating more stress.

6. Work existing customers harder and try to develop more referrals. Look for an in rather merely bidding public projects or blind internet calls. Build quality leads by working your customer base.

In closing, cutting your price is probably a knee jerk reaction of your not marketing and staying on top of your backlog. You may find it much more effective to merely cut overhead or lay people off than to create a pricing structure where it is impossible to be profitable.

Monroe Porter is president of a PROOF Management Consultants.

For consulting or a seminar, just call 804 267-1688 or email him at monroe@proofman.com | www.proofman.com

Developed by Jim Baker 2013

For $35.90

it’s money well spent!

‘My Costing Guide’ is a fully automated program where all you have to do is add or change the variables and the total price will appear in an instant. It is simple to use and can be personalised to your own business.

2015 December Issue | 21 www.mytools4business.com/mycostingguide

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5 Things to Accomplish in your Business over the

Christmas Break As a business owner, we don’t often get a chance to work just on our business. That’s why it is really important to take every opportunity we get! If you are like us, the Christmas period is usually when we slow down and catch our breath from EOFY. We also take the opportunity to plan the year ahead. With this in mind, here are our top 5 things to accomplish this Christmas break:

Rest

No one likes a grumpy business owner to deal with. Although we may not like to admit it, the truth is, we are not invincible. It is still necessary to take some time off to relax. To tune out, turn off, shut down and do something different. Spend some time with those you love.

Plan

Every time you get in your car, you have a destination.

Whether is school, post office, business meeting, you know where you are going. Your business should be the same. How can you create a successful, profitable business if you don’t know what your destination is?

A business plan is just that. The road map to your end goal, whatever that may be. It doesn’t have to be pages and pages long, it just needs to include – Your vision, standards, a detailed list of product and services you provide, a detailed description of your target market, how you will market to them and a budget. See our template for more details (hyperlink to download)

Review your figures

How healthy is your business? Review your Management Reports- Cash flow, Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet to start with. Take some time to look at trends, peaks and troughs. This will help you create your plan for 2016. Be aware of what’s in your books rather than looking just at your bank balance.

Database

Update your database or if you don’t have one, time to start looking for an affordable CRM. Many offer a free version up to a certain level. This is usually enough to start with. Make sure it does everything you need.

Keep in mind – Is it cloud based, does it provide email marketing capabilities, can you add tags or notes, can you customise it and finally does it integrate with your other applications like Xero.

Marketing Plan

Your Marketing plan doesn’t have to be scary. Just list 10 things you can do to market your businesses. For example: Strategic alliances, Join a networking group, update your website. Don’t over complicate it. Just write it down and develop each point from there.

Don’t forget to head to our resources section on the website and download our free template. Happy planning!

Price Bookkeeping Solutions www.pbks.com.au sandra@pbks.com.au 2015 December Issue | 23

Trace MY Business Written and Developed by Jim Baker

Trace My Business will keep a record of ALL your clients.

It collects the basic information like their contact details, job description and client notes but the beauty of this program is that it also tracks

• Where the referral came from

• The quote success and failure rates • Suburb comparisons

• The different advertising campaigns • •

•

(what works and what doesn’t)

First projects vs repeat business

New vs existing revenue and projects

• Yearly and overall client revenue • Growth analysis

Projects, who referred them, and the referrals they subsequently provided

This is a brand new online product and like my other programmes, it is accessible on any computer or smart phone just by using your email address and password.

I am offering this to you on a 30 day ‘Trial Before You Commit’ price of $1.00. After the trial period and you like the product, the cost on a monthly subscription will only be $14.50.

So for the low cost of $14.50 a month, you will be able to access all your clients and where they found you, monitor what advertising campaigns are working and what are not, but best of all, have these records available to a new purchaser when you want to sell your business.

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24 | Aussie Painters Network

2015 December Issue | 25

The Specialist Art of

SIGNWRITING Forty-Five years have now passed since I began my painting career and it made me think of the modules that are taught to the apprentices of today. When I look back there’s really not much difference from all those years ago. One subject that has been dropped from the curriculum though is Signwriting. I remember when we, as apprentices, had to sign-write our name on our assigned cubicle as part of the apprenticeship course.

This entailed writing your name in block letters onto tracing paper followed by punching holes around the outside of the letters with a Pounce Wheel. The tracing paper was then placed on the wall and chalk was pushed through the holes using a Pounce Bag. This left a dotted outline of the lettering onto the wall which you could then fill in using signwriting brushes. Now, it is becoming a forgotten art as digital printing and vinyl wrapping has taken its’ place. A shame really because there’s still a need for it in some cases.

For those of you that have not experienced the pleasure of learning this original method of signwriting, I would like to take you through the process and the tools that were used.

Brushes For fine lettering, long sable hair brushes with a chisel edge were used. They came in different sizes and width depending on the type of lettering. These particular brushes needed to be kept in good condition and cleaned thoroughly after each use. It was best if they were kept greased after use to preserve their shape and prevent any residual paint caking.

Normal paint brushes could be used for larger lettering.

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Mahlstick A Mahlstick was used to aid the balance of the signwriters hand to keep the fingers away from the wet paint.

The soft rounded end, which was usually padded chamois or rubber-tipped, was placed outside the work and away from any wet paint.

Palette This was similar to an artist’s palette. The brush was dipped in the paint then shaped on the palette and could be cleaned quickly in solvent after use.

Measuring Tools These can consist of a retractable steel tape measure, a tailor’s cloth measure, or a ruler. Other tools used were a square, compass, protractor, straight edge, a plumbline and spirit level.

Marking Tools Chalk, charcoal, crayons and pencils were used for setting out work. Soft graphite pencils were good for freehand drawing on paper, hard pencils were better for tracings and technical pencils were best for precision work. Wax pencils or water-soluble crayons were generally used for marking and setting out on painted surfaces or glass. String impregnated with chalk was used for snapping long straight lines, commonly the top and bottom of a line of lettering.

2015 December Issue | 27

Pounce Wheel

This was used to perforate a drawing so that chalk or charcoal would pass through the holes when a pounce bag was applied. This left an outline of the work to be painted. A wheel was more likely to be used off-site as part of the drawing preparation.

Thankfully this (now) old method of signwriting is still being applied on custom built cars and trucks and also where customers prefer this than to digital printing, so it is slowly becoming a specialist trade.

Over the years, technology has gradually replaced some of the work performed by tradespeople, so what we have to do is keep up with the times or get left behind.

If you look at the painting trade over the past twenty years, you can see what has replaced painted surfaces.

For instance metalwork, such as gutters, fascias, garage doors, windows and handrails are now Colourbond or Powder-coated. Some rendering is pre-coloured and timber houses are cladded in metal siding. Although manufacturers guarantee these to never peel or crack, fortunately for painters they can’t guarantee them not to fade. So in this case they need painting after 12-15 years.

Pounce Bag

A pounce bag is a piece of suitably permeable cloth, tied with string, containing powdered chalk or charcoal.

The pouncing method was very accurate and used the least amount of time on site when working with a prepared drawing.

To sum it up, I don’t think painters will be out of a job for a long time as customers like a change in colour.

Jim Baker www.mytools4business.com info@mytools4business.com

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www.aussieappstore.com.au 2015 December Issue | 29

Decorative Epoxies

Polished Concrete and Warehouse Looks You’ve been asked to do a “Polished Concrete” or “Warehouse” look for a client with your decorative epoxies – what do you need to know?

The traditional form of Polished Concrete involved 10-12 passes with a diamond grinder to hone the concrete into a smooth, glossy surface. While this type of flooring has been extremely popular in recent times, not every slab can be polished successfully and pricing is typically at the higher end. Because of this, a somewhat simpler and more cost-effective alternative can be done through the use of clear epoxies that rely on the resin to flatten the surface instead. This can be a very basic “grind and seal”, which results in the more rustic warehouse look, or, with the right product and thicker films, it can create a mirror-like, genuine Polished Concrete look.

Either way, if you think the idea of slapping a clear epoxy over concrete is a walk in the park, don’t be so sure! Believe it or not, there are few traps that regularly catch contractors out when taking on jobs like this.

Change your preparation goals First and foremost, the Polished Concrete and Warehouse finishes will benefit from a slightly different approach to surface preparation. The natural inclination for many contractors is to whack a big, heavy grinder onto every slab and keep going until it’s completely flat. While there’s nothing wrong with that thinking as far as thorough preparation is concerned, ripping the tops of every high spot results in patchy, inconsistent aggregate exposure that rarely looks great in the final product. Instead, you want a grind that follows the contours of the slab and only removes the top layer across the entire area. An example of this type of thing is in using something called Diamabrush, which uses diamonds on flexible brushes to do just that.

Clear epoxies aren’t dead basic!

Ok, so you have a freshly prepared slab with a relatively even “salt and pepper” appearance. From here many contractors would simply mix up their clear epoxy, pour

30 | Aussie Painters Network

it onto the floor to roughly spread out, and then start back rolling. The problem with this practice is you can often see a dark patch form under the thicker sections of the poured clear epoxy – what I call the “pour line”.

You can never fix such a blemish if it shows through the final coat, so you need to prevent it by changing your approach when working with clear epoxies, i.e. working from a roller tray is generally a safer option on the first coat.

This type of staining effect can also cause headaches in other situations, especially when applying in warmer weather. In these instances, the hotter conditions lead to large variations in the viscosity of the clear epoxy, i.e. freshly mixed product is thin and soaks into the slab easier (looks darker), whereas older product that has begun to gel is much thicker and doesn’t penetrate as much (looks lighter). The result of this viscosity difference is the appearance of noticeable bands across the floor corresponding to the rolling pattern used, and is particularly visible where an old mix meets a new one.

Once again, there’s no quick fix and prevention through measures such as smaller mix volumes is the only way around it.

Another potential trap when working with clear epoxies is the formation of “holidays” or, in simple terms, missed spots. Unlike the staining that happens on the first coat, holidays are more common in latter coats when the finish is darker and the clear epoxy isn’t as easy to see. Unfortunately these defects always have a habit of standing out much more the next day and can only be rectified with extra coats and extra cost.

I’ve found the use of low-level lighting to be an effective way of reducing the number of misses, however there’s no substitute for working carefully and using a slow, methodical approach to application.

Your clear epoxy must be capable The final point I want to make on the Polished Concrete look and Warehouse look is an important one: you have to make sure your clear epoxy is actually capable of delivering the finish you’re after. The main focus in this sense is how well it flows/levels and the gloss it can achieve. The warehouse look is pretty forgiving and many clear epoxies will be suitable for that type of finish, however, I know from experience there are only a handful of clear epoxies that can make a good fist of a high-end Polished Concrete look. Regular readers of Epoxy School will know I always come back to doing homework on products before committing to any projects and it certainly isn’t any different here!

• • • • • • • for more details, visit our website!

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Jack Josephsen epoxyschool.com 0408 877 256

On the usually ominous date of Friday the 13th, the Construction Skills Queensland Gala Awards night for 2015 was held with over 750 guests, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Fortunately the dark date had no bearing on what a fun night it turned out, with a celebration of the hard work of apprentices, trainers and dozens of other players across the industry.

Supported by Major Event Partner BUSY At Work, the Awards are the Queensland construction industry’s premier celebration of training and skilling achievements.

CSQ CEO Brett Schimming said 2015 marked a special milestone for the awards.

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“This year we are proud to celebrate 20 years of training excellence in the Queensland construction industry.

“CSQ congratulates all winners, finalists and nominees of the 2015 Excellence Awards for their outstanding achievements and dedication over the past year.

“They are making an invaluable contribution to the future of our industry,” he said.

Award winners were announced in 12 categories along with the Judges’ Outstanding Achievement Award.

The event has come to be a night to anticipate surprises, with each year trumping the last on marvellous themes, a great variety of entertainers and fun table props, sparking a vibrant energy and quick conversation among friends and strangers.

This years event opened with a BANG! ...literally that is. The drum troupe Bang! have wowed corporate audiences across Australia and from Shanghai to Mumbai. I love a good drum band, the energy is amazing.

Master of Ceremonies, the very switched on Adam Spencer, kept the proceedings rolling and intelligently entertaining.

The food is always exceptional at this event!

Adam Spencer as MC of the awards.

It was certainly an excellent night for the painting industry, with several of the awards being claimed by some of our outstanding professionals. Usher and Sons, Amanda Pennycook, was not only nominated for the NAWIC award for Construction Female of the Year, but took out the Judges’ Outstanding Achievement Award! Amanda came to her current role through painting, and has studied to become the official Workplace Health & Safety Officer for the organisation. Her role sees her cover many titles such as Working at Heights Team Coordinator, Project Manager, Foreman and Women’s Mentor. Amanda has clearly shown amazing leadership and ability as a great example for women in this male dominated industry.

2015 December Issue | 33

Another one to fly the Painters flag was Winner of the Evolution Training Award for Employer Commitment to Training up to $20M was Applied and Decorative Painting. Earning the accolade for ongoing investment in his team with training at every level, Gary fosters the shared values of growth and nurture in his business, to great success.

Aussie Painters Network congratulates all the winners from the 2015 CSQ Excellence Awards. A lot of hard work well rewarded.

For all the information and a full list of this years’ winners, go to http://csq.org.au/ news-events/news/construction-superstarshonoured-at-csq-excellence Caroline Miall caroline@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

Winners of the 2015 CSQ Excellence Awards

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2015 December Issue | 35

www.consolidatedi .com.au Phone: +61 7 3292 1100 | Fax: +61 7 3292 1110 Email: contactus@consolidatedi.com.au I just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU for referring me to Consolidated Insurance Pty Ltd. I spoke to Scott about our Business Insurance and with little time, Scott emailed me back a comprehensive package for our Business and we saved over $1,000.00. Thanks again Aussie Painters Network for the great referral and all your ongoing help.

Sonya Baker www.bakerbrosmasterpainters.com.au

WHY YOU NEED

Cyber Protection Insurance If you have a database of customer details, or if you have customer details on someone else’s computer (like the cloud or with your accountant) then you have a “cyber privacy” risk.

What is cyber privacy?

Under laws brought into effect in 2014 a company may be penalised if they fail to responsibly manage their customer’s information. This includes customer information like their name, address, banking details or phone number. The information is valuable to many different people to use in lots of different ways – from simple things like companies wanting cold calling lists to more nefarious things like fishing for bank details. If client information is leaked or hacked then your company may be responsible for the breach.

Depending on the particulars of what happened and the size of your business you might be required to individually post or call each client and advise them of the hack – which can have high upfront costs and then a hefty reputational cost. That is in addition to the IT costs to repair the hack and try to stop it happening again.

Insurance companies have responded to this increased digital risk. You can obtain “cyber insurance” which includes protecting the business for a breach of privacy, and even has protection if your website or Facebook account gets hacked. As it is a new insurance product each company offers a distinct package, so I recommend getting your insurance broker to carefully review each one to see which best suits how your business operates.

Scott Robertson Compliance / Account Executive Email scott.robertson@cib.com.au

www.consolidatedi.com.au 2015 December Issue | 37

The Underrated,

Essential Art of COPING

by Leo Babauta

You might think that when someone says, “I’m coping,” that it’s not such a big deal.

You’d be wrong.

The skill of coping is highly underrated, and our inability to cope with difficult feelings can lead to major problems, including health problems, financial ruin, work procrastination, even death.

Not such an insignificant skill!

How can the lack of coping skills lead to death and other major problems? Well, let’s say that you’re bored and lonely, but don’t know how to cope with those feelings in a healthy way. You might try to avoid these problems with distraction, food, TV, smoking, drinking.

I know, because I’ve done those things myself, many times. These aren’t such a big deal once in awhile, but frequent use of these coping mechanisms will lead to eating way too much, smoking or drinking too much, inactivity (from watching too much TV or being online too much) … and these all can lead to long-term obesity and related health problems, even death from an obesity-related disease like diabetes or heart disease.

What would be another way to cope? If you’re bored, you might cope by learning something new, or tackling a new challenge. If you’re lonely, you might try to exercise, write, teach yourself a new skill, or meet new people. These are just a few examples, but you can see that these are much healthier ways of coping.

So how you cope can be the difference between a good life, and a sick one. We all have unhealthy coping

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mechanisms, and finding better ways of coping will help us procrastinate less, eat healthier, exercise, and be happier.

Self-compassion as a way of coping

When you find yourself facing difficult feelings, your first reaction might be to avoid thinking about the feelings.

Let’s say someone close to you has gotten sick or died — you might not want to face the pain, so you cope with it by avoiding, finding ways to numb the pain or distract yourself. This is running from the problem.

If you notice yourself doing this, it’s a good time to pause. Just say to yourself, “I’m avoiding.”

Now instead of avoiding, you have the choice to gently turn toward the pain, and say, “I’m hurting.” Or “I’m angry.” This is an acknowledgement of whatever you’re going through. And it’s OK to feel these things.

Next, you can deal kindly with the pain, with the boredom or guilt or grief or anger or loneliness. These are all very difficult, and it’s OK to feel them, and it’s OK to comfort yourself with kindness, compassion, love.

Wish for an end to your pain, and wish for your own happiness.

Curiosity & Openness

You’ve given yourself some compassion, but what to do about these difficult feelings?

I suggest curiosity.

The benefits of coping

Stay with the feeling(s) you’re having, and be curious about what it’s like. For example, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with a project, instead of avoiding the project and seeking distraction (procrastinating) … try staying with this feeling of being overwhelmed. It’s not a fun feeling, and you’ll want to run. But be curious — what’s it like to just feel overwhelmed without running?

Face the feeling with an attitude of openness. Be open to uncomfortable feelings, and as always, you’ll find that it’s not comfortable but you’ll be OK. You develop a trust that everything will turn out fine. It’s not pleasant, but it’s fine.

Curiosity means that we don’t instantly decide we know this is a horrible experience and try to run away … it means we decide we don’t really know what this will be like, and we’d like to find out more. It’s a learning stance, instead of one that assumes we know what things will be like.

It’s an approach of exploring new territory, and finding out what this new experience has in store for us.

This isn’t an easy practice, I’ll admit. But it’s worthwhile, because with this kind of healthy coping, you can find better ways of dealing with all kinds of things, including: • Procrastination — instead of running from scary and overwhelming tasks, we can see what it’s like to feel afraid and overwhelmed, and still take action on these tasks. Writing a book, for example, is scary and overwhelming, but we can still write even with these feelings flowing through us.

• Anger and frustration — instead of wanting to lash out at people (or avoid them) when we’re frustrated with them, we can stay with these difficult feelings and just be curious what it’s like to feel them. And then, when we’ve stayed with these feelings (and given ourselves some compassion), we can see what it’s like to deal compassionately with someone who we’re frustrated with. To try to understand them instead of judging them.

• Unhealthy cravings for food, drink, smoking — we turn to these things for comfort when we’re feeling stressed, bored, lonely, sad … but we can stay with these feelings and be curious about them, and learn to do other, healthier actions instead, like taking a walk, doing yoga, meditating, talking with people, creating, learning, practicing a skill, and so on. These are healthier ways of coping, but we often avoid them because we don’t like to feel these feelings and want to stuff the hole in our hearts with comfort food, drugs, etc.

• Death and illness — when someone we love becomes sick or dies, the grief and sense of loss can be overwhelming and devastating. We want to comfort ourselves, and so we often turn to unhealthy ways of comforting. But instead, we can give ourselves compassion, stay with the powerfully difficult feelings, and be curious what it’s like to stay with these feelings. Really get to know these feelings, become intimate with them, and trust that we’ll be OK even if we give in to feeling them. We can deal, we can feel, we can get through this, because while it’s far from comfortable or pleasant, it’s doable. And temporary.

That’s just the start — as you learn to cope with selfcompassion, staying, and curiosity, you will find that you can deal with anything life throws your way. And come out smiling.

www.zenhabits.net 2015 December Issue | 39

from $45.00 40 | Aussie Painters Network

COGGIE’S Tips and Tricks

Introducing Clayton Coghlan (aka Coggie), with Coggies Tips and Tricks! With 25 years in the industry, Coggie has offered to share some of the tricks of the trade that he’s picked up throughout his career. He is very passionate about the Painting Industry and will be sharing with us regular videos to assist in your business. Enjoy the videos and hopefully you’ll pick up something that makes a difference!

2015 December Issue | 41

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2015 December Issue | 43

ACCC authorises levy for

National Paint Product STEWARDSHIP SCHEME

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has granted authorisation to the Australian Paint Manufacturers’ Federation, Paint Stewardship Limited and certain paint manufacturers to introduce a 15 cents per litre levy on paint to support a National Paint Product Stewardship Scheme.

The Federation represents paint manufacturers responsible for over 90 per cent (by volume) of paint sold in Australia; Dulux Group, PPG Industries, Valspar, Haymes and Resene have been given the regulatory approval for the price rise. The Paint Stewardship Scheme will be a national program intended to promote the safe disposal of all waste architectural and decorative paint. The Federation estimates that around half of all waste paint in Australia is not disposed of properly.

“Waste paint often contains hazardous chemicals which can harm the environment if disposed of improperly,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“The ACCC considers that the Paint Stewardship Scheme will result in public benefits by addressing this potential environmental harm.”

“The Paint Stewardship Scheme will provide a safe and accessible method of waste paint disposal program for both domestic and trade consumers. It will replace household hazardous chemical disposal programs currently run by state and territory governments,” Ms Rickard said.

The Federation will establish fixed and mobile waste paint collection points within a reasonable distance of 85 per cent of Australians by 2021.

The scheme will be operated by Paint Stewardship Ltd from May 2016. Stage one of the roll-out, will have sites in the mainland State capitals with Tasmania, ACT

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and NT to come by end 2016. Stage two will move to major regional centres throughout 2017.

The industry also will fund research to find better uses for unwanted paint. Typically, waste paints diverted from landfill have been used to replace fossil fuels in energy consumption. There has also been small scale recycling into reusable paint.

Authorisation provides statutory protection from court action for conduct that might otherwise raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Broadly, the ACCC may grant an authorisation when it is satisfied that the public benefit from the conduct outweighs any public detriment. The authorisation applies until 1 June 2021.

Further information, see http://www.accc.gov.au/ and http://www.apmf.asn.au/

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2015 December Issue | 45

46 | Aussie Painters Network

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2015 December Issue | 47

The Industry

Idiots

48 | Aussie Painters Network

Important Contacts Aussie Painters Network www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au Ph. 0430 399 800 National Institute for Painting and Decorating www.painters.edu.au Ph. 1300 319 790 Australian Tax Office www.ato.gov.au Ph. 13 72 26 / Ph. 13 28 65 Award Rates www.fairwork.gov.au Ph. 13 13 94 Fair Work Building & Construction www.fwbc.gov.au Ph. 1800 003 338 Mates In Construction www.matesinconstruction.com.au

Ph. 1300 642 111

Workplace Health and Safety Contacts Comcare WorkSafe ACT Workplace Health and Safety QLD Victorian WorkCover Authority WorkCover NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Tasmania

www.comcare.gov.au www.worksafe.act.gov.au www.worksafe.qld.gov.au www.vwa.vic.gov.au www.workcover.nsw.gov.au www.safework.sa.gov.au www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ www.worksafe.nt.gov.au www.worksafe.tas.gov.au

1300 366 979 02 6207 3000 1300 362 128 1800 136 089 13 10 50 1300 365 255 1300 307 877 1800 019 115 1300 366 322

www.actcancer.org www.cancercouncil.com.au www.cancercouncilnt.com.au www.cancerqld.org.au www.cancersa.org.au www.cancervic.org.au www.cancerwa.asn.au

(02) 6257 9999 (02) 9334 1900 (08) 8927 4888 (07) 3634 5100 (08) 8291 4111 (03) 9635 5000 (08) 9212 4333

Cancer Council Australia ACT NSW NT QLD SA VIC WA

2015 December Issue | 49

Standard Membership • Five postcode listings in our online directory • Work, Health and Safety Plan • Risk Assessment and Safe Work Method Statements • Incident Investigation Forms and Incident Investigation Form Register • Instant access to our pricing and estimating guides • Quotation guide to assist you when quoting • Personal service and phone advice • Web Listing for prospective customers to find you easily • Free targeted online marketing & advertising • Back-links to assist you in SEO rankings • Assistance with Debt Collection and Discounted Terms of Trade • Discounts on Courses • Painter Help section if you are looking for work or looking for painters to help