Career Change – Page 2 – America's Color Consultants

October 14, 2020October 14, 2020

Interior Designer or Paint Color Consultant?

A few years ago, I received a call from a desperate homeowner. She told me she had hired an interior designer, and she just hated her new living room. She told me that the room was beautiful, but she just felt something was wrong.

When I arrived for the consultation, I looked at the room: it was beautiful. She had paid about $14,000 for the new furnishings and paint job. So why did she feel it was not right?

It was because she hated blue, and the entire room was decorated in shades of blue.

What is the difference between a paint color consultant and an interior designer?

Not all interior designers are experts in color or paint. They are experts on styles and products. Color is often just a single class in an interior designer’s degree program. Interior designers make their money on upselling products – buying at a significant professional discount and reselling to the client. The paint color of the room is often dictated by the available products for that year.

The Color Marketing Group works on forecasting future color trends which then defines product development and the colors that will be used that season. Interior designers often follow trends and buy those products for their clients.

Paint color consultants are experts on color. Their training is all about how paint is made, used, applied and perceived. Paint color consultants can improve the look of a room with color, at the same time using either existing furnishings or new. Understanding a client’s color perception and mutual communication is key. A good consultant will listen closely to the likes and dislikes of their clients, and will consider lighting, use and mood when helping select the perfect color for a specific space. Not everyone wants to change everything: nor can they afford to. A carefully selected paint color can go a long way to refresh any space.

So what did we do for the desperate homeowner? We could not do anything about the blue patterned rug and blue sofa and blue chairs. We DID change the color of the walls to a soft shade of white, removed some blue pillows, changed out the blue chairs with others we shopped from another room, and recommended the use of an analogous color (that we selected together) for accents to distract from the blue overuse.

Now she loves her new living room.

(BTW: We would never recommend blue if blue was strongly disliked.)

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020

The Age of Creativity

Going into a new decade, I am observing a strong movement towards “creativity”.

We are living in the Modern Era, which has included the Space Age and the Dot Com era, both based on science and technology. During the last 20 years I feel the Arts have been disregarded. Five years ago a guidance counselor at my son’s high school told him there was no point in taking an art class, because there are no jobs in art. I was horrified! Everything around us is, was or will be created by an artist: the computer you use, the car you drive, and even the label on the can of tomatoes you buy, all were designed by an artist.

Lately we are beginning to recognize this creativity. You can see it all around you. Paint colors for homes are no longer just shades of white or beige. Paint manufacturers are putting more time and money into promoting paint colors: everyone has a “Color of the Year.” We are seeking out more creative and unique products for our homes. Food products are more creative in stores, and presentation, in addition to taste, is an important element at restaurants.

In our era of shrinking job stability and stagnant wages, people are finding ways to generate additional income through their creativity. A “side hustle” is a common second or even third job. Creative sites such Etsy.com offer unique creations such as this Starry Night Birdhouse or Fantasy Hoof Boots . Visit your local farmers market and you will see that we are even becoming more creative in our local food products such as Immortal Mountain Chocolates.

If you have a creative urge, but don’t know where to start, a subscription to a site like mybluprint.com might be the answer. With on-line tutorials in everything from quilting and photography, to jewelry making and cake decorating, it is a fun way to exercise your creative muscles. Perhaps you caught the competition “Making It” hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. The goal of the show was simple: to encourage everyone to “Make It”! It was a “Project Runway”-styled show for crafts people with different skills and backgrounds in which the makers were given projects to create each week. The variety of creative skills and imagination on display was staggering: both impressive and inspiring.

Why all this creativity? Perhaps it is the resurgence of concepts such as Ikigai that are driving this new age of creativity. This Japanese concept means “a reason for being.” The word “ikigai” is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile, the word translated to English roughly means “thing that you live for” or “the reason for which you wake up in the morning.” Read more at en.wikipedia.org.

America’s Color Consultants franchise model fits perfectly into this new trend. We offer a home-based business which you can pursue part time as your “side hustle” by adding creativity back into your life. A great way to start the next decade.

May 21, 2019

Five Franchising Misconceptions

Misconceptions 1- Franchises discourage creativity/freedom

While franchises create the basic framework for a business, that doesn’t mean they would micromanage all decisions that the franchisee makes. In fact, most of the day to day dealings are up to the franchise owner, including who they hire/fire, where they advertise, what events they host, or any other similar details. The guidelines put in place by the franchise aren’t there just to tell people what to do – they’re tried and proven methods for success. Many of the guidelines are put in place to maintain the franchise brand.

Misconceptions 2- Franchises are too expensive

While the startup costs for certain franchises can be expensive – even exorbitant – that doesn’t mean all of them are: the price is much less if you’re operating a home- or service-based franchise rather than opening a chain restaurant, for example. Besides, the most common occurrence in franchising is a one-time franchise fee which is used to set-up and train the new franchisee. An additional royalty paid to the franchisor is also required. Royalties support the cost of additional back office services provided for the franchisee.

Misconceptions 3- Franchises are not small businesses

Most people want to support small businesses over big ones, and that’s great! Support the local businesses run by people in the community. However, that often does include franchises- just because there’s a bigger corporation involved farther back in the start of the company, doesn’t mean the local chapter of it isn’t owned by a mom and pop couple who wanted some support starting out.

Misconceptions 4- Franchising only applies to fast food

This is patently untrue. While the most visible franchises out there are fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Dairy Queen, that doesn’t mean every franchise is built from milkshakes and French fries. There are pest control, house cleaning and even doggie day care franchises. If the business in question is a chain, then the chances are that it may also be a franchise.

Misconceptions 5- Having a franchise will instantly make you rich

In many ways, being a part of a franchise is a lot like taking a short cut in building your business. A lot of the trickier parts are already set up from you, and there is built in support and ways to make it work, but it doesn’t mean every franchise location is successful. It takes hard work and determination to make a business successful, even if you have a franchise backing you up. Are you ready to put in the work?