We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rj Dunn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with RJ below.

RJ, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful is something you have to work on everyday and not just Monday-Friday like it has a cut off point. I was scared to start my company and it seemed easy when I started but once I got into the thick of it that’s when things got real. I was ready to quick about 2 years in because it was so much and I just didn’t think it would work and here we are going on 4 years in May. So to get here I couldn’t give up I had to make a choice of working for myself or working for someone else..

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am RJ and I have been a business owner going on 4 years in May. I’m the 2nd oldest of 9 total kids and I have a 14 year old daughter (GiAnna) and she’s my favorite daughter lol. So to get back to the business, I didn’t know I wanted to be a business owner actually I thought it was something I would never be to do, but the killer part is when I left the painters union in 2017 I thought I’d never pick up a paint brush again lol. It wasn’t so much of the union itself it was more of the people that made me hate it so it left a bad taste in my mouth leaving the union. Believe it or not Covid was a blessing/curse for me starting the business. I was working in a warehouse and was honestly pretty happy with where I was and then Covid hit. My mom passed in August, which at the time I was an “essential worker,” so that started causing some problems and I need to take some time away from work. It wouldn’t be 2 weeks later I got into a head on collision headed to work at 4am by a man who had stolen a car and that put me out of work for 2 months. This caused me to have to see a therapist for 9 months and after 9 weeks of physical therapy I started painting just for fun. I started painting for friends which they would be on one side of the house and I would be on the other painting. This went on for a few months not before I quit the warehouse and started working 4 10’s for from home for MasterCard. I would get off work at 6pm and go paint and of course I would paint on my off days. Scared I would not succeed because I didn’t know how to start or run a business but let’s be honest it’s easy to fake 40 hours and you can do that when you get paid based on what you do. So I did that for about 3/4 months working at nights and on off days and after hearing “just do it,” from so many other people on May 21st I became a business owner and hear we are going into our 4th year in May.

Since being an B.O I’ve learned and grown and become so much more discipline as a person that it’s like night and day.. I never thought I’d love painting so much but it seriously has become my most prized possession. We all have to work but it is so much better when you love what you do. No job is ever the same, so many colors to choose from and from the finished product I get instant gratification. Hearing someone’s vision and making it happen just makes me smile so big. We paint interior and exterior residential and commercial properties, with residential being the bread and butter. But I say all of this to say this, I took my worse loss and made it into a brand. The stress drinking and depression and not to mention the hair loss I took all of that and decided I had more to do than to let this defeat me. It was not easy by any means but looking back I’m making it all worth it.

If I had to pick one thing I’d say I’m proud of the man I’ve become because of all of this. All the early mornings and late nights the working weeks in a row without a day off, that’s what’s gonna pay off whenever one day gets here, but that’s what I’m proud of, me.

I think I would want my fans, followers etc., to know that “it’s not done if it’s not Dunn Right.” I had to get that in there lol, but I’d say “I love what I do and I can’t wait to get all of their paint projects Dunn Right.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I would say my best source of new clients would have to be word of mouth. When you provide a service exceptional work is the bottom line, when you do great work the client does all the rest for you. Do great work and people will talk about it.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Doing great work and knowing a lot of people! The support of my friends helped enormously with this, sharing post, and referring me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paintingdunnrightllc.com
• Instagram: paintingdunnright
• Facebook: Painting Dunn Right
• Linkedin: RJ Dunn