The Branch Manager

Being a Branch Manager is unlike any other experience available to college students. Other companies do not entrust critical tasks to inexperienced students. Student Painters thrives upon challenging young people to perform one of the most difficult roles in business; that of the small business owner. Other positions may sound interesting and challenging at first but end up consisting of merely repeating a memorized process or sales pitch or mainly observing other people doing interesting and challenging work.

Branch Managers make decisions that count. Marketing, pricing, selling, hiring, management, customer satisfaction, cost control and profitability; all are within the Branch Managers purview. Interviewing 20 applicants and deciding which four should be given the job and then managing those four to perform their duties effectively; it doesn't get more real than that.

The task of a Branch Manager is to run a $40,000 house painting business during their summer break. The business does not need to be created from scratch however; Studentpainters.net is a pre-established company with all necessary licenses and a well known presence in the market.

The steps necessary to create a $40,000 business are also well known. We employ a highly skilled cadre of previous superstar Branch Managers who will bring the written training materials alive through one-on-one field training, operations meetings, training seminars, and daily phone meetings. We know and train the best processes for each of the necessary tasks so that each Branch Manager has the best possible tools for success.

Having the right tools for the job, however, is not enough to ensure a superior result. The Branch Manager must have the personal abilities to make our systems work. Sales requires excellent speaking and listening skills. Hiring the best employees requires professionalism and the ability to judge another's character quickly and accurately. Management takes discipline, organization, and leadership. Being a Branch Manager means making the fullest use of your best qualities and actively working to overcome your weaknesses.

WHO APPLIES?

Newly hired Managers in Training uniformly report that they wanted to take on the position because of the challenge, experience and above average earnings. They say that the difficulty is a big part of the draw. They are most specifically not looking for something easy or average.

Many of our Managers have some entrepreneurial experience already in their background or have serious plans for self-employment after college. Others are hungry for real business responsibilities and the desire for personal growth and achievement.

Finally, the money is always an exciting factor. The minimum guaranteed earnings alone already gross more than most students make in a summer. This is true because the minimum number of hours required to run a business are much more than the average summer job provides. When you add in the operating bonus potential of an average of $4000 to a possible $15,000 it is enough to make anyone give it serious consideration. With this in mind though, most candidates already know that no matter how much it ends up being it will be money well-earned through a lot of hard work.

WHO IS ACCEPTED?

The Branch Manager position is not easy to come by. We rarely hire more than 20 Rookie Managers per state. We advertise the position extensively in an attempt to draw the largest applicant pool possible and then select less than 10% of the applicants for the Manager in Training position. Our success for the whole year is 100% driven by the quality of our Branch Managers. If your application is chosen for consideration you will have started on a selection process more formal than any you have yet experienced.

Success requires a maturity that has little to do with age. Applicants must be at least 18 but there is no other age requirement. The average Rookie Manager is just finishing their sophomore year but year-in-school is not a criterion. The program is open to students of any major.

We are looking for people who are active, accomplished, and ambitious. Work history is a major criterion: six cumulative months of work history is preferred. The ability to work long hours and balance diverse responsibilities is favored. Leadership experience is also highly important. We look for people with experience in being the driving force behind a project, club, team, or class.

Independent, active, and responsible people are going to be a better fit for the position. There is no "pack" to follow as a Branch Manager; there is just you and your business. If you don't do it, no one else will. We look for people who are busy, who take responsibility for their lives and who make independent decisions.

Finally, we look for people who are ready to make a commitment. The Branch Manager position is an incredible experience but it cannot be done half-way. Student Painters is not a "middle of the road" summer job. It is a temporary but complete immersion into the world of small business ownership. The people we select have the self-assurance to take on something far outside the norm and create success.