Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marian Pouch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Marian , thanks for joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

Social media is the only way I market myself, and I feel like quality over quantity is what I focus on. My clients who hire me are mainly regional, so it doesn’t benefit me to have a million followers if they aren’t people who will hire me. I try to Be authentic and show who I really am, what my personality is, and I’m confident that a social media company would not be able to achieve this. I do set limits on time on social media. I don’t spend a ton of time making the perfect reel or taking the perfect shot, because I’d rather spend that time working on the actual painting project. I think I’ve built an audience who appreciates that I am the real person behind the account!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a South Carolina based interior decorative wall painter, using patterned and freehand designs to create unique spaces. After working mainly on canvas for years, I began painting on walls in my own home and after posting my work to social media, I began to book jobs for others. Now I paint approximately 2 rooms per week for clients across the Carolinas.

When a client reaches out to me about a potential project, I ask that they send me pictures of their space. I then work with the client to come up with a pattern and color scheme that will work in their space. It’s important that a handpainted space still flow with the surrounding rooms, so sometimes a FaceTiime call or pictures can help me narrow down ideas!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me is word of mouth from a client to friends, family, and neighbors. The thing about painting walls is that every homeowner has a potential blank wall that could be painted. Once I work in a new neighborhood or a new town, I often get an email from someone who saw what a friend had. I also get a lot of clients from Instagram by posting final photos of projects.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I did have to learn about raising my prices to make my job worth my time. In the beginning I would charge practically nothing because I wanted to book jobs and I didn’t want someone to tell me no because of the price. Over time as I grew more confident in my output, I slowly raised my prices. I had some growing pains with this, for example someone I painted for 5 years ago expecting things to be the same price. In the larger scheme of things, I try to keep my cost competitive in the industry and competitive with a wallpaper installation.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.marianpouchart.com
• Instagram: @marianpouchart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marianpouchart

Image Credits
Margaret DiBiase Photography (yellow dress photo)