Owner of Preferred Painters in Lake Worth, Florida, Ed Stiefel has been working as a professional painting contractor since 2004.

The biggest challenge of running my own company is…

…having enough hours in the day between scheduling, managing crews, writing estimates and balancing books – all while keeping customers happy.

My favorite part of running my own company is…

…the independence. Hands down, it’s having the freedom to call the shots and present myself in the way I want my business interpreted.

The biggest turning point in the success of my business…

…was when I started trying to make it happen. Doing some marketing and taking risks turned out to offer big rewards.

The best business advice I ever got was…

…to make it happen! You need to be hungry and want it, to have success. When it starts coming together, you will FEEL it.

Some advice for young painters:

If you are determined, hard-working, have good people skills, as well as good trade skills, you can run your own successful business. It is a nonstop everyday endeavor and you must be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2016 issue of PPC magazine. Ed Stiefel was interviewed by Mike Starling, PPC Editor. Read more of what pro painters have discovered on the job in the PPC What I’ve Learned archive.