Five Star Painting Franchise

Freshening up the exterior of your dwelling can add immediate value to your home and increase its curb appeal. However, doing so can also be a big commitment – in both time and money – so make sure you get the job done right the first time by consulting experts at a specialty paint store.

From planning to application to clean up, a specialty paint store can help make the project a smooth one with professional tips and expert advice. This type of store can also help with color selection, choosing products that will last for years to come and determining the right tools needed for the job.

When preparing to paint your home’s exterior, one of the first tasks at hand is to select color, and there are a variety of tools available to help you choose just the right hue. For example, Sherwin-Williams offers an online color visualizer that allows you to experiment with hundreds of shades before you even leave your house. Once at the store, to inspire your creativity, the company has idea cards available to help you visualize how to use a particular color, be it on the front door, shutters or main facade. You can also refer to generously sized 3 X 5-inch take-home samples, available with suggestions for complementary colors noted on the back of each paint chip.

Once you’ve chosen your colors, it is important to buy exceptional quality paint products. When it comes to paint, you definitely get what you pay for, and when you put a lot of energy into an exterior painting project, you want it to look fabulous for decades.

A specialty paint store can offer advice on choosing the right product needed for the job. For example, Sherwin-Williams innovative paint, Resilience, allows you to get the job done even if rain is in the forecast. And with just two coats, it’s guaranteed to last for as long as you own your home. Resilience is made with MoistureGuard technology to provide superior moisture resistance—and it cures in about half the time of most conventional exterior paints. Resilience ensures you will not have to forfeit a weekend paint job due to impending bad weather.

After you’ve made your color and product choices, a specialty paint store is your one-stop shop for purchasing tools to help you complete the project. Ask about quality exterior brushes and rollers, which are sturdier than their interior counterparts and will give you better results. After the colors and products have been chosen, the tools have been prepped and you have your game-face on, the fun begins! For more tips, tools and techniques for exterior painting, visit the Sherwin-Williams website or your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams paint store. To receive a FREE estimate for any paint job, please call Five Star Painting at 1-866-965-STAR or visit our website.

Decorative ceilings are back, you can call it “the fifth wall”. Eileen Smith Dallabrida with Painting and Wallcovering Contractor (PWC) has accommodated Five Star Painting with great insight on decorative ceilings. Many people living in contemporary homes are now wanting to get a bit of personality, so ceiling decorations, along with complementary wall trims, are on their way back. A decorated ceiling can beat out any painting project, making it an eye-popping room.

Art filled ceilings are becoming more popular whether they are finished as a stand-alone project or part of a larger job. The market in this field is increasing for all manner of dramatic and subtle finishes high above the traditional wall space. The talented painters behind these projects are busier than ever.

Options for ceilings cover the spectrum of decorative techniques. These include faux painting, wood graining, stenciling, plaster work, gold leafing, murals on canvas, and any other technique that springs from an artist’s inspiration. Mixing a variety of textures and sheens boosts the sophistication level of a room.

When considering a ceiling project, photos are worth a thousand words. Viewing before-and-after shots are very effective in showing the difference a well-appointed ceiling can make. Also, seeing past projects in person can be especially helpful. Preparing overhead surfaces can be a lot heftier compared to prepping and painting walls. Most likely, the primary cost will be labor.

Decorating your ceilings can be more than just a paint job, with classic decorative pieces adding character and charm to your home’s interior. Please feel free to visit the PWC website.

Have you experienced a language barrier within the workplace? In most businesses, language barriers can have a dire affect; however for others it can benefit their business. Affecting businesses usually begins with the cultural differences, which pose additional problems, and misunderstandings in the workplace. It can benefit businesses by increasing recruitment, hiring, and advancement for immigrant workers.

According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, immigrants currently make up about 15 percent of the U.S. labor force. More than half are from Latin America and a quarter are from Asia. Only about 40 percent speak English when they arrive in the United States. The western states will likely see the largest increases, followed by south and southeastern states. Immigrants are projected to account for half the growth in the nation’s working-age population by 2015 (Inc.com).

When a person speaks little English, they can get intimidated and frustrated trying to communicate with an English-speaking supervisor or coworker and vice versa. Workers may act like they know what is being said, but in fact, may not know. In some jobs, this can be dangerous. For example, when ordering food at an American restaurant and the server cannot understand English, you might not be getting what you asked for. All language barriers may not have such appalling consequences, but they could contribute to a lack of productivity and mistakes being made, all of which could be avoided if communication were clearer.

Here are a few pointers from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Workforce regarding language barriers in the workforce:

• Never assume your communications with someone with limited English-speaking abilities has been understood. Ask for feedback or for demonstration, particularly when you are training them.
• Be patient. A thoughtful supervisor or co-worker can make all the difference in helping prevent feelings of inadequacy and embarrassment when a person cannot express him or herself clearly or fully.
• When working with immigrants, refrain from using slang that might not translate well. Choose words that convey the most specific meaning and stick to one topic at a time.

Many immigrant workers have little or no problems absorbing into the American workplace. They are able to speak English well and can understand the business and social culture. However, others can find it more challenging. With the melting pot of workers coming into the new reality of the American workplace, it is important for employers to understand the many cultural differences of immigrant workers so they can help them incorporate faster. This understanding and sensitivity will help employers increase recruitment, hiring, and advancement of immigrant workers. Ultimately, it will help businesses remain competitive by maintaining a stable and profitable workplace.

It is time to advertise online using social media. 2009 was a pretty wild year in the world of marketing. While social media was building up steam in previous years, it pretty much went mainstream this past year. As the hype mediated and people began to understand how to use these new programs, more change was developing. The expansion of social media in 2009 prepared some significant trends to pop up into the world of small business in 2010.

Most accounts for advertising through social media are free, but for some you will need to be educated on how to function them. Because social media is so cost effective, you can determine the cost by choosing how much production time you want to put into your content. Professional quality is extremely crucial.

The major goal is to stay on a personal level, so that you get a connection with your audience. It is to share one’s voice, to be authentic, and to encourage a community. Others will notice that they can relate to you in similar experiences. The more the audience connects with your business, the more they will want to work with you. When a business owner shares their passion through social media, it really shows how much they love their work. It can be far more effective compared to an ad.

Here are some ideas before you jump into the social media scene:

• Find out what forms of social media your clients or customers use. The most popular are Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.
• Search the forms of social media that your business could benefit from.
• Use advertising content that you already have and be creative with new ideas for new content.

Below are a few tips when maintaining your accounts for social media:

• Answers your readers’ emails
• Be prepared to speak with customers
• Keep your content original
• Good quality design and easy to read

We will see small business owners finally start to embrace these significant expansions in the New Year. It is essential to understand how social media plays a beneficial role in your business. You would be surprised the number of customers social media brings in. It also expands your search engine optimization, which improves the volume or quality of traffic to your website in a natural or unpaid way. To better your understanding, you can sign up for webinars regarding Social Media 101.