I'M A SECOND-GENERATION OWNER of King's Paint Store, a business my dad (Ron) and uncle (Bill) started back in 1976. They began by purchasing a store named "Thompson Color Corner" in Santa Cruz, which they ran for two years before renaming it King's. And that’s how it all began!
My dad and uncle were instrumental in introducing me to the paint world. I joined the family business in the late 90s, working part-time while attending school. Although I hadn't planned to stay for my entire career, I guess it was meant to be—I've been here ever since. As time passed, I gained significant experience and, 10 years ago, took over the role of store manager. My aspirations to do something else faded as I realized that I truly loved the paint business.
Around 6 to 7 years ago, I began buying out my dad and uncle while managing the store, as they began planning for retirement. Although they're no longer involved in the day-to-day, they remain part-owners, and I have taken on the managerial responsibility. While the shop hasn't changed much, customer service remains a top priority—something my dad and uncle instilled in me.
We currently employ around 8 people, and I ensure that customer-oriented values are deeply ingrained in the team. If someone doesn't focus on customer service, they aren’t a good fit for the team. The team members in the store are sharp and quick learners who genuinely prioritize our customers. Not all of them have had much experience, but for me, the ability to understand customers is more important.
Being part of the independent paint world is exciting. There's always a demand for independent stores due to our personalized service and expertise. I believe what people appreciate most is our focus on exceptional customer service. For me, that side of the business isn't work—it's what I enjoy: interacting with people. I'm an extrovert at heart; I love the opportunity to help people with their projects and get to know them personally.
The biggest change we've had at King's is the technological advancements we've started adopting. These upgrades have helped us streamline our business. It's up to the younger generation to drive upgrades, such as adopting Rundoo and incorporating new tint machines.
The turning point for our point-of-sale system occurred when Nick visited our store. He assured me it wasn’t a sales pitch, but he needed help developing a point-of-sale system. His background was in tech from Google, and his family was in paint. He wanted to build software for paint stores—I loved the idea! We met and discussed the specifics of what paint stores need. Nick returned a few months later with updates on his point-of-sale, and we continued collaborating as he further developed the system. It was an exciting journey, especially when the prototype began functioning properly. We were eager to be part of it. We helped build some of the features that save us so much time. For example, we can now easily transfer inventory between locations.
Our journey had its challenges at first, as we were the first to adopt Rundoo. However, over time, Rundoo's product has developed into a polished and reliable system. Any concerns are promptly addressed by the Rundoo team, unlike our experiences with other software providers like Epicor, where issues often went unanswered.
The team at Rundoo cares. They don’t view us the way big box stores do, seeing us as just a number. Instead, Rundoo sees us as individuals who need support.
