You’ve probably heard the old saying, “When you stop learning, you stop growing.” That’s just as true for your painting business. If you want your business to thrive and expand, learning and development is important for every member of your team.

Whether you’re the new hire who’s never held a roller before, the team lead with decades of experience, or the owner trying to manage a growing business in an ever-changing market, Sherwin-Williams has resources to help you grow through its new Learning Pathway.

Sherwin-Williams Learning Pathway provides online courses, tools and training for Pros at every stop on their painting journey. In short, it’s where Paint Pros go to grow. Registration is quick and free, and you can immediately access training resources specifically designed for Pros like you.

Right now, the training modules are broken into two main focus areas – Pro Painter Training and Business Training – with additional modules being added regularly to both areas.

Pro Painter Training

The first major area of focus is painting and application – skills you can use on the jobsite. New painters can benefit from the “Painter Skills Training” course, which features eleven modules that cover everything from safety and surface prep to clean-up.

(Even experienced painters might pick up a trick or two from these training videos.)

Once through the basics, you can expand the capacity of your team with more advanced skills. Learning Pathway courses include:

• How to choose the right applicator for the job (Do you know when to use a Purdy® Clearcut® Elite™ Sprig versus a Purdy® XL® High Capacity™?)
• How to offer specially tailored color advice to homeowners (Which color should you use to elicit a certain emotion in this room?)
• How to improve your team’s overall productivity by using the Sherwin-Williams PRO+ Program’s suite of digital tools (What time-saving features on your PRO+ Dashboard are you not currently taking advantage of?)

With Sherwin-Williams Learning Pathway, you and your team can become experts at different facets of the job, helping your company to offer even better services to your customers.

Business Training

Learning Pathway also offers courses for Paint Pros who want to get better at managing their business. The PRO+ Business Training Series webinars have been adapted into a special course that walks Pros through such business essentials as:

• job estimating
• generating leads
• the fundamentals of using social media for marketing
• generating positive reviews
• marketing their company
• recruiting quality employees
• building a strong company culture

Sherwin-Williams has also partnered with the Painting Contractors Association (PCA) to offer additional business-focused content. The Business Legacy module features wisdom from industry leaders who share the personal experiences that led them to creating lasting businesses.

Learning Pathway users can also purchase premium content from the PCA at a discounted rate. Their “Business Foundation,” “Business Accelerator” and “Business Legacy” courses are designed to help businesses making less than $500,000 a year and between $500,000 to $1.5 million a year (respectively) take the next step forward in their journey to growth.

An industry first

The new Sherwin-Williams Learning Pathway offers free online training to help you and your team sharpen your skills and build your business.

“This program is the first of its kind in the painting industry,” says Francia Ordoñez, Manager of Marketing Communications Strategy at Sherwin-Williams. “Sherwin-Williams is always proud to be an industry leader – not only when it comes to paint, but also when it comes to the learning and development of our customers.”

This story was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of PPC magazine. ©2024 Fusable. Photos courtesy Sherwin-Williams.