I am very lucky that I have a job I absolutely love. I love everything about it. Creating events, bringing paint parties to new venues that have never had them before. Working in different locations each night, and the best part meeting people in a creative environment. People are always so excited to try something new and learn about art and I get to teach them (often while playing music and having food and drinks). I also get to create an atmosphere where it feels like a party but a party that anyone can go to. I have had people paint with me that are 22 and that are 90! You can come alone or with friends or with your mom, sister or significant other. When people leave our events they are proud of what they created and they want to come back.

Running my own business offers complete flexibility. I can book events 4 days in a row or every other day or whatever is convenient with my schedule. If I have family commitments or travel I just don’t create an event when I am not available. Since we bring the party to people we get to work with them on scheduling and creating the paint party from start to finish. It is a fun process as the event organizer gets to pick a date, a painting and work with us to make their event a success. Their excitement makes it easy to get new accounts because we offer them something unique, fun, and special. We also make it very easy for the customer. Being completely mobile we take care of all the setup, supplies and every detail of the event—they just have to bring the people!

The systems that JJArtworks has in place are also carefree and so simple that you basically are plugging in all your information and not only creating your event but tracking sales, promoting, and working with clients so that the paint party is something they would like to have on a regular basis

Being a licensee allows me to market my own events and I can create materials to help sell the brand and book tickets. Other social painting companies control your marketing and also control your profit. They use third party discounts such as Groupon, Living Social, etc. and this makes it almost impossible to profit. JJArtworks does not discount their product. We create a price that is fair but at the same time allows us to profit. The licensee program allows you to make as much money as you can by maximizing ticket sales. I started off with only a few accounts and word spread quickly about our events and I started getting referrals. I currently work with over 40 different accounts running onsite private events. The customers that I meet painting at events have also reached out to me to have a fundraiser or corporate event so one event always leads to more!

As I have expanded, I began scheduling multiple events on weekdays. This allowed me to hire more artists and assistants to work for me. We all always help each other out and work as a unified team where we all start off doing everything. From unloading the car to setting the tables and cleaning up, we help each other out and support each event. When new staff sees how we are all an active part of the company they step up and do the same and it builds a really enthusiastic environment. To make an event a success you have to really love being there and everyone that I or J.J. hires feels the same way. This philosophy has helped us train assistants and encourage them to start painting and teaching their own events. It is exciting to see someone you hired take the next step and start helping your events succeed even more by creating beautiful artwork and teaching events.

JJ has been extremely supportive and is always available any time of day to answer the smallest of questions or challenges. He is very tuned into people and a great communicator and has very realistic, practical, and thoughtful solutions to any question I may have. He understands both our customers and also our events and has the most creative insight when it comes to making everything flow smoothly.

In addition, he has also supported new painting concepts and event pricing and structuring. JJ has allowed me to help my events be even more profitable. We have successfully increased the price of certain events and also attendance and we constantly work together to help improve the brand to be stronger and more profitable.

JJArtworks is formatted in a way to help you succeed in all the ways possible, and it is your efforts that really make it worthwhile! From training videos and documents, to a wonderful team of supportive artists willing to help out and answer any question, you are never left lost in the dark. Though the company receives regular requests for events, it is important for the licensee to reach out to new clients to build your own network and stream of events too. I myself work another job, and  can still make time to reach out to clients throughout the week and schedule events. This is one of the greatest perks of being a licensee, the flexibility of my work schedule and control of event dates and travel distance!

I joined the licensee program for the experience of building and managing my own course, and to share with others the joy of painting and creativity. It has been an incredible journey so far, and I am so thankful for the team and glad to have given this experience a chance! This job has many rewards and benefits, with the cherry on top being the smiles and laughs at the end of the night from guests who have had a good time and are excited about their creations.

If you are diligent, can get a good work rhythm going, and enjoy sharing your skills and knowledge with others, you will do just fine. We are a mindful group who understand the beginning can be a little intimidating, and are all here to help one another climb up! :)

It all started in March 2016, when JJ organized a paint party at our apartment complex in Medford Massachusetts. It was the first paint party I’d ever attended, and we all had an amazing time hanging out and drinking with friends and neighbors and of course, painting. JJ. led the party, and within minutes of starting, it felt like we were all great friends. When we were wrapping up, he singled out my painting and asked whether I would be interested in doing this kind of work. He mentioned he was planning on expanding soon and was looking for assistants and artists. I said I would definitely be interested.

A few months later, he reached out and asked me if I could assist him at a paint party for client in Cambridge MA. I was thrilled and agreed to help out. Now I was on the other side of the podium. At the beginning of the party I assumed my attention would focus on just helping participants with their paintings. But I soon learned that it was just as much about meeting great people, having fun, as well as painting together as a group. That evening when I got home, I raved to my husband about how exhilarating it was. I was definitely going to do this again.

After assisting several events, and running several more as the lead artist, I realized this was something I was good at, something I enjoyed, and something I wanted to do as a career. In 2017, JJ started the licensee program, and asked if I wanted to become a licensee artist, which basically meant running my own paint party business. After just a few phone calls and in-person meetings, I was quickly able to learn the whole process: how to find new clients, set up events, do ticketing, billing, etc. The process was easy, which gave me the confidence to take the plunge. So I did. JJ made it so easy for me to become a licensee. He ensured me that he would always be there to lend a helping hand whenever I needed. I very quickly realized that this was the best career decision I could have made. And each subsequent paint party boosted my confidence even further. 

What’s great about the job is that I get to do what I love to do – create artwork, help others do the same, and drink beer and wine – and the more fun I have, the more fun the event will be. Even though it can be a lot work, I’m usually even more energized at the end when the participants tell me how great of a time they had, and thank me for making it happen, and complement me and my work.

And the flexibility makes it like no other job. Yes, prime time for us is in the evenings. But the days, weeks, and months that I want to work are up to me. If I know I’m going on a long trip, I just don’t schedule events for that period. If I have friends and family visiting from out of town, I don’t schedule events for that period. I mean, as much as possible I do my best to work around the client’s schedule. But most of my clients are flexible as well. They don’t have a lot of social events scheduled throughout the year, and this party is bound to be special no matter when it is. Obviously with birthdays and other time-dependent events I need to be more accommodating.

Introducing clients to the idea of a paint party is surprisingly easy. Like me, the people on the other end of the phone are in customer service—their job is to please their own clients, and so they’re also quite friendly. And often, they’ve been looking for ideas on how to engage their residents, staff, or friends with an interactive and fun event. It’s amazing how often I hear that I called at the perfect time. Usually it takes a bit of back and forth, but I’ve also managed confirm paint parties by the end of my first introductory call. What seals the deal is the fact that we do all of the work for them, and come to where they are. I have run these parties in club houses, living rooms, swimming pool decks, bars, restaurants, lobbies, etc. I have worked with all age groups for all kinds of celebrations – birthdays, bachelorette parties, team building, Valentine’s Day gatherings, Halloween parties, festivities welcoming the spring, the summer, etc.

About JJ And The Company

JJ is absolutely delightful to work with. He is genuine, professional, reliable, and helpful. He has a solution for every problem, or if he doesn’t have one on hand, he will carve out the time to think about and come up with a solution. And he’s listens to us and is never too proud to take advice or even criticism. Even before I was a licensee—when I was an assistant and then an artist—he never acted like a boss, but always like a partner, an equal, a friend. His first concern is always our benefit (the licensees, artists and assistants). His own personal financial interest has always seemed like a secondary concern to him. And on top of it all, he really is someone you want to hang out with (drinking Lagunitas IPAs) whenever you get a chance.

The company as a whole is a good reflection of JJ—we are a team. Whether we’re short of supplies, need assistance with an event, or need to find a substitute artist if one of our schedules doesn’t work, we’re always there to help each other out. And JJ organizes team gatherings quite frequently so we all get to hang out, socialize, and brainstorm new paint party ideas together.
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There’s just so much to love about being a licensee at JJArtworks. With the type of work, the people I meet, the amazing team, and the inspiring and supportive leader, I consider myself extremely lucky to be where I am.