7 Painter Success Stories [2024]
Becoming a painter is more than earning a living; it's about creating your own art and enjoying the freedom of working for yourself.
In this list, you'll find real-world painter success stories and very profitable examples of starting a painter that makes money.
1. Art Lovers Australia ($1.92M/year)
Nancy and Jarrod, both with backgrounds in the arts industry, recognized the obstacles that artists faced in gaining visibility. They decided to start Art Lovers Australia, an online gallery, to showcase the talent of Australian artists and make buying art easy for art enthusiasts. Through collaborations with designers and TV shows, their audience has grown, and they now have almost 1000 artists on their platform, with monthly sales averaging $160K.
How much money it makes: $1.92M/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
How many people on the team: 4
Art Lovers Australia grew from 50 to almost 1000 artists and increased their monthly sales to an average of $160K by collaborating with designers and TV shows, building an audience on social media before launching, prioritizing advertising and marketing, and creating partnerships.
2. Hometown Painting LLC ($330K/year)
Matt and his wife started Hometown Painting LLC, a local painting company in Oklahoma City, after recognizing the need for high-quality and efficient painting services in their area. Despite facing challenges and not making any sales in their first year of operation, they grew the business to the point where it now generates over $100,000 in net profit. Through business coaching and implementing effective systems, they were able to overcome obstacles and create a successful painting company.
How much money it makes: $330K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3K
How many people on the team: 2
Hometown Painting LLC, an exterior residential painting company founded by a husband-wife duo, went from no sales in their first year to over $100,000 net profit the next year, and is projected to reach half a million in annual sales with a 30-35% net margin with continued growth and adding more crew in the next year.
3. Mapply ($180K/year)
Scott Wood, co-founder of Mapply, came up with the idea for his map print business after seeing the success of a similar brand called Mapiful. With a background in digital marketing and a love for travel and art, Scott saw an opportunity to create personalized and colorful map prints. By starting with offline validation and gradually expanding his product offerings, Scott has grown Mapply from a few hundred pounds in sales to over £30k ($40k) in prints per month, with plans to expand further in the future.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 0
UK-based co-founder grows map print company Mapply from a few hundred pounds a month in sales to over £30k ($40k~) in prints per month, without much marketing, and expands to brick-and-mortar stores while focusing on continuous product expansion.
4. Innerglow Art ($51.6K/year)
Painting had helped Sarah channel her emotions of getting rejected from grad schools in a positive way, as she had been the "artsy" girl in college as well. It started as a hobby but within a few months, her friends and family encouraged her to sell her art. Seeing the demand on her store, she started Innerglow Art.
How much money it makes: $51.6K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Innerglow Art is a successful custom abstract painting business that incorporates scripture and personable connection with buyers to produce beautiful and unique artwork.
5. Sarah Paints Pets ($42K/year)
Sarah Miller, the founder of sarahpaintspets, came up with the idea for her business in college when she painted her boyfriend's cat as a gift. After receiving positive feedback and selling over 100 paintings for Christmas presents, she realized there was a demand for her custom watercolor pet portraits. Since then, she has been able to increase her prices and attract customers through her personalized approach and social media presence.
How much money it makes: $42K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Sarah Miller started a small business, sarahpaintspets, where she creates custom watercolor pet portraits for animal lovers across the US and Canada, which has lead to an average income per painting of $150 and receives word-of-mouth referrals as the biggest source of income.
6. Brush Tokes ($30K/year)
After realizing she needed a real hobby, Kelly rediscovered her love for art and decided to sell her creations. Partnering with Natasha, they came up with the idea for Brush Tokes, a 420-friendly art class that combines their shared interests in art and cannabis. Since launching in January 2018, they have sold out classes and experienced steady growth, with monthly income reaching up to $2,500.
How much money it makes: $30K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Brush Tokes is a 420-friendly art business that combines the enjoyment of cannabis with artistic expression, offering various services including painting, plant, and art classes, and generates up to $2,500 per month through its word-of-mouth business.
7. Twisted Boards ($12K/year)
Connecticut police officer Dave Cruickshank came up with the idea for his business, Twisted Boards, when he was relaxing with his ex-girlfriend and they molded their faces out of plaster for an art project. Holding the face mold against his dry erase board, Cruickshank had the idea to create a three-dimensional dry erase board. After building a thermo-molding machine in his basement and creating a prototype, Cruickshank realized the potential of his product when a friend's wife, who was a teacher, requested boards for her classroom. Thus, Twisted Boards was born.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Twisted Boards is a company manufacturing three dimensional dry erase boards with an impressive broad customer base, growing from a basement to a manufacturing plant and fulfillment center in Michigan, with start-up costs of approximately $100k, and developing an intellectual portfolio that will help the business grow.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
