Ten years in and still going — a decade on the tools

On 2 November 2015 I walked away from subcontracting and the unreliable rota of site work and started taking on my own jobs full time. That decision was driven by a simple truth: I wanted control over the work I did, the clients I served and the hours I worked. Ten years on, those first two weeks of diary entries have led to a business and a life I’m proud of — and that’s worth pausing to reflect on.

Why I chose to go independent

Before going solo I was used to the patchwork of site-based work, long motorway commutes and the sometimes toxic politics that come with larger projects — unfair criticisms, conflicting instructions from site agents, and plots that changed once the job was underway. For about 18 months I had been building an online presence and doing the odd private job. A minor operation and the time off that followed made it clear I didn’t want to return to that pattern. The seed was planted, I took the leap, and those first two weeks became the start of something bigger.

What a decade has taught me

The last ten years have been rewarding, challenging and humbling in equal measure. Highlights and hard lessons sit side by side:

• Meaningful client relationships: I’ve worked for many wonderful customers, several of whom still call me back. Those repeat clients have been the backbone of the business.
• Highs and lows of workmanship: I’ve completed jobs I never imagined I could tackle successfully and also made mistakes that cost time and reputation. Each error taught me how to prevent the next one.
• Resilience through disruption: Like everyone else, I navigated the uncertainty of the COVID period when work was restricted. It tested the business, required flexibility and reinforced the value of careful planning.
• Personal change: My life changed significantly during this time — marriage, divorce and finding someone new — and I became a single parent arranging work around school runs. Those changes taught me how to schedule effectively and balance priorities without compromising quality.

Professional growth and recognition

Becoming a member of Dulux Select not long after I started was an important step. Through that association I entered competitions, won an award and received nominations that recognised workmanship and dedication. The experience introduced me to exceptional decorators and gave me the confidence to take courses that pushed me beyond my comfort zone.

Each course, event and peer connection influenced how I work today — from technical refinements to customer communication — and helped me build a reputation based on consistency and care.

Lessons learned and rules I now follow

Running a small decorating business is as much about people and decisions as it is about paint and brushes. Over the past decade I’ve developed practical rules that keep projects on track and clients satisfied:

• Set clear expectations up front and document them.
• Know when to walk away from a project rather than push through a poor fit.
• Invest in training and industry relationships — they pay dividends.
• Plan work around family commitments to maintain balance and reliability.
• Own mistakes quickly and make amends; it builds trust more than perfection ever will.

Gratitude and what comes next

I’m grateful to everyone who supported me over the years — customers who recommended my services, fellow tradespeople who shared advice, and the networks that helped me learn and grow. That support made it possible to reach ten years in business and to do so while maintaining standards I believe in.

Looking ahead I’m focused on continuing to deliver high-quality decorating work, expanding the kinds of projects I take on and staying responsive to customers’ needs. If you’d like to see examples of recent work or hear from clients, head over to the reviews page for feedback from customers and cases that show how I work.

Get in touch

If you have a decorating project you’d like to discuss or would like a quote, please get in touch. For more about the business and how we work, visit the about us page or browse other articles on the blog for practical insights and updates.

Here’s to another ten years — thanks for being part of the journey.

David