COMMUNITY is at the heart of everything we do at The Paint Bucket. As part of our ongoing effort to best serve our community, we started using Rundoo for all of our software needs last month.
I want to write today about my philosophy on running a paint store and how it led me to using Rundoo.
But first, I think it would be helpful to share a bit about my journey to paint. I don’t like to talk about myself, so I’ll keep it brief.
In college, I studied business management and philosophy, two subjects that still fascinate me. Searching for a way to apply these skills, I worked as a suit salesman for JC Penney and then as a financial planner for American Express.
Yet as I approached thirty, I felt like I still hadn’t found my purpose. My wife and I took a break and backpacked around the world for a year. When we returned, I took off my suit and put on my comfiest pair of jeans, ready for something new.
I stumbled into managing a paint store, and I loved it. My business education helped me improve operations. And philosophy guided how I ran the business.
I came to see our business as a means of enabling community members to achieve their vision—from the farmer building a new barn to the homeowner renovating their kitchen.
Thirty-five years later, I am both the manager and owner and still loving every second of it.
So there you have it. That’s me. Let’s move on to my business philosophy.
I believe in being laser-focused on our customers.
Customers don’t simply buy paint from us. They come to us to make their imagination a reality. So my team and I work hard to understand their goals and ensure we recommend the best products and practices. Afterwards, we follow up. Did they achieve their dream? How can we serve them even better next time?
This is how we provide real value to members of our community. I think of our transactions as community transactions, not financial ones. If we focus on empowering our community, the money will follow.
The way customers shop is changing, though—evolving with technology. We need to change with it.
Which brings me to Rundoo.
In the last thirty-five years, I have used three different point-of-sale systems. None of them kept up with the times. Until Rundoo.
I’ll give you one big example. Rundoo is the only system I’ve seen that has a mobile app for customers. This has transformed our customer experience by providing the convenience and immediate access to information that people today expect when they shop.
Because Rundoo brings over all historical sales, our customers can see every color and product they have ever purchased at our store. They don’t want to call us every time to check what is on their walls, and now they don’t have to it. Their data is theirs.
Our customers can also pay invoices in the Rundoo app. Before, they had to mail us a check or call us to read out their credit card information. Now they can simply tap a button and pay.
Finally, our customers will soon be able to place orders in the Rundoo app, including sending photos of formula labels. They’ll save time: they can place an order and know when it’s ready for pickup. They can operate on their schedule: they could place an order after hours, and we’ll see it in the morning.
Rundoo’s mobile app is just one example of how they push the bounds. I want a technology partner that is malleable, and Rundoo has already improved more in the month I’ve been using it than prior systems did in years.
I’ll close by saying that us independent paint stores are not in competition with each other. We are a collective that can help one another navigate the changing economy.
I hope my story resonates with you. If you would like to get a hold of me, feel free to reach out. I am always excited to meet other paint store owners like myself.
