If you’re a painter, Kathryn Freeman wants you to put down your paintbrush and become a visionary. That might seem like unusual advice for a professional painter who uses visual instinct as part of his tool kit; but Freeman is referring to developing a long-range plan for business success.

“I want painters to stop thinking about the application of paint and start thinking as business owners,” explains Freeman, a business coach with Nolan Summit Services based in Havertown, PA.

Many independent painters mistakenly assume that because they are busy, they are headed in the right direction. According to Freeman, who advises a variety of contractors, if you don’t have a clear idea of where you’re going, you’ll probably end up in the wrong place.

She suggests small-business owners create a detailed road map to follow––a business plan, which is a living, breathing, very modifiable document with goals and steps you intend to take to achieve success.

Often, small-business owners believe that developing a business plan is too complicated so they don’t bother creating one. But business plans can be simple, Freeman says. Painters can look to the National Federation of Independent Business to learn some business plan basics. Getting one done, even if it doesn’t seem like it has everything it should, is better than not doing one at all.

Freeman also encourages business owners to further evaluate their mission and goals to ask themselves what type of company they would like to be and the revenue they expect to earn. In addition, she also advises paint pros to develop manageable and realistic strategies that are easily tracked.