Dayton has long been a city for entrepreneurs. From the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop and pioneering aviation work to John Patterson’s NCR making the cash register ubiquitous, the city has thrived on the talents of those eager to build a business.
Phill Mullen, a freshman at the University of Dayton, may well be cut from the same cloth as these Dayton businessmen. He has always had the goal of owning his own business, and when the opportunity presented itself, he acted.
Upon hearing about a presentation by Young Entrepreneurs Across America, Mullen was intrigued, and he got involved with Student Painters. This business allows young entrepreneurs to learn business skills while potentially earning a substantial commission on jobs contracted over the summer.
Student Painters specializes in exterior painting and other projects. Mullen started out going door to door and offering estimates on homeowners’ projects. He was able to book his first 40 jobs that way.
Since then, he has grown his team, hiring marketers and painters to sell and complete jobs. “I’ve done everything you need to do to run a business,” he says. He finds the experience invaluable, and he is not afraid to invest in both his business and his community.
“I want to run a $100,000 business this summer,” he says, speaking of sales goals. As of this writing, he is more than a quarter of the way there, which bodes well for the future success of this arm of Student Painters.
The average student manager of Student Painters, like Mullen, is expected to make $10,000 or more in commissions in a summer. Mullen is, of course, hoping for more. But his income won’t just pay for tuition or future needs. Mullen is committed to the mission of St. Vincent de Paul, and he gives 10 percent of his profits to this charity to help support the community. He also invests in his business, opting to pay his painters more than usual to be sure he has the best crew.
Mullen appears poised to become a successful business owner one day. He emphasizes his commitment to learning entrepreneurial skills while making an impact in the Dayton community. It appears that Dayton will be proud to count him as one of our own.