I’ve seen people do this all day, charge up to $40 per painting and do whole neighborhoods:
Re-painting the address numbers on curbs of houses.
I always thought this was a cool and easy way to make some extra money, but I’ve never given it a try. So in some spare time this week I bought some plastic stencils (About $8) and some black/white outdoor spray paint (About $10) and decided to see how hard it could be.
I took the materials outside and gave it a rough shot on some newspaper:
It was a little messy, and I had to end up cutting the stencils apart, but my first painting came out alright. Not perfect, but alright.
I then started using tape to seal any loose areas of the stencils together, and I successfully made a semi-neat spray of the numbers. This isn’t hard stuff, but it takes a little trial and error testing.
I’ve seen lots of neighborhoods around Austin where I couldn’t find a house because of the lack of address numbers, think of what would happen if a police car or ambulance couldn’t find your house number.
Perhaps in the next few weeks I’ll give this a shot. I tried it out on some old curbage at my apartment complex, and it turned out decent….very rough….but nothing a little practice won’t clean up.
This would be an awesome way to make a good $100+ a day for a couple of high school kids or Boy Scouts. I think I’d actually like to try it myself though. I haven’t had any door-to-door selling experience in over 4 years, and I kind of want to do it again.
It seems everyone nowadays is talking about “Making money doing nothing” …..which is great….but making money from good old manual labor is sometimes very rewarding!
Nev, you’re always coming up with creative little ways to make money. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish in the next 5-10 years!
I am impressed by your blog.
I ran into your inspiriting blog by accident.
Actually,I am a student from China.Though the idea of making money emerged in my mind once,I did not take actions yet.Maybe it is due to the culture enviroment.
I am surprised at your financial income list on right column of your blog.
I just can not believe you are a student also.
I am eager to communicate with you.
My email:kenbeyond@gmail.com
I will be appreciate if you send me an email.
Reminds me of a recent Simpsons episode…”Looking for a way to get easy money, Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson go around town spray-painting people’s addresses on their curbs and make them pay them ten dollars. After they already add the “7″ and the “4″ to the Simpsons’ curb, Homer tells them that he won’t pay, so they leave without finishing. The next day, the letter carrier delivers them someone else’s mail…”
I’ve actually considered this, as well for years now. So simple yet, so profitable. It’s a practicle and necessary service, so you’ll always have a customer.
This reminds me of a day when I went outside to talk to the guy who painted my curb address. He simply knocked on my door, gave his offer and I accepted. In all honesty, I really did it just so I could pick his brain about his business. It worked. His entire business was inside his backpack! Yup, his planner, his supplies and his receipts. Awesome!
After speaking for about an hour, I learned that this person was an Army Veteran and decided to try this out soon after he got out of the Army as a weekend deal to earn a few bucks. In his first weekend alone, he earned $300+ and these were 5 hour days. He’s been doing it ever since. I remember asking him if he made a good living doing it. His response:
“People may laugh or wonder why… once you look at my deposit slips, you’ll know why. Let’s just say I live very comfortably, I work 3 days a week, no more than 5 hours a day.”
Entrepreneurship at it’s best!
Yep, this idea is so universal! People also do it here in Australia!
Instead of having another lazy weekend watching boring old TV, I might just go down to the hardware shop, buying the goods and then selling my service around the neighbourhood.
You might want to do a little “product development” too. Some people who came knocking at my door had “special” reflective paint. That was their USP. The reflective paint was white, so they first painted the kerb with a few layers of the white paint, then the numbers with the black paint.
Thanks Neville!
The only tactic I’m not a fan of is when the person paints your curb FIRST, and then asks for payment.
Maybe you didn’t want it painted? And I don’t like guilt-trip sales pitches.
A curb is public property. What you are doing is called graffiti.
And who would pay $40 for that? $10 max.
Dipshit.
Great idea, Nev, let us know how it goes. Keep doing your thing ;)
-Ro
http://www.rohailrizvi.com
Cool idea Nev. Go out and try it and tell us the results! haha
What am I missing? Nev, you have graduated from a great school with a degree in computers I believe. Your parents paid good money for it. And now you want to paint curbs and you make it look more complicated than it is. BTW around here they will make the numbers raised, reflective and rather fancy for $20.
They are hiring computer geeks again and paying more than $100 a day and that is not even counting the benefits.
How do you have time to run all the other supposed & very secret businesses you are working on? One good biz idea and you will be working 24/7 for a while (at least that has been my experience and everybody else’s I know).
I understand your drive to be entrepreneur but so far you are “much ado about nothing”. Sorry, Nev you are no longer in college, time to stop playing around and get to it.
Believe it or not I’d like to see you succeed BUT….
Had to laugh when I read this. This has been going on for years because I did this one summer in high school – and that was over 20 years ago- of course, we only charged $20 back then, but it is a nice, profitable business. Need to make sure that the city allows it – some don’t which can get you in trouble.
If you want an even easier way to earn money, you can earn $100 – $300 a day sitting in a car
Hi, i have seen your site. It’s really very educated one for painters. The topics are vast and interesting.
that is a cool idea!
so what would the pitch sound like when you ring the door bell?
“hello, Jay here from Priority Address Painting — would you like to have your address painted on the curb so emergency vehicles and such can find your house better”
I wonder what the line was…
This is rather creative! However, I figured out a way to make $50 in 15 minutes and $95 for a friend/family member at the same time.
Take a look here:
Need Some Quick Cash?
Hi -
I just came across you site on google and what a great entry.
I don’t know if you ever watch MTV but they had an episode where kids were trying to move to New York but they needed the money to get there. They did the same exact thing you’re thinking of doing and they made a killing.
I defintely think it’s worth a try.
Take care,
Tom
http://www.gotalkmoney.com
dude, yes, ill be honost.. i have been reading your blog for a while from time to time to see if anything decent comes around… but NOTHING yet. that curb shit is so GAY. no class whatsoever. get a real professional job. who da fuck paints curbs?
I have never heard of that as a way of making money and never seen anyone doing it in the various places I have lived. Gather together a team of motivated people, teach them how to do the job and send them out there. You of course get a cut and don’t have to do manual labor.
I agree manual labor can be satisfying at times but not for long stretches or as a career. If you have other options then take them, which of course you do.
hey, my son started this just a few days ago. He was halted by rain so in the meantime, he worked on his stencils. He was out for 2 hours this morning before rain fell again and in that time he made $80! He is still on his first cans of paint which cost him about $9. Not bad for a few hours work.
Hey, my son started doing this a few days ago. He made his own stencils and a few neighbours were nice enough to let him practice on their curbs. Then they ‘donated’ to his cause! Today, he was out for 2 hours before the rain hit, and earned $80. He is still on his initial cans of paint ($9) too.
Yep it’s true you really can make a good living curbpainting. i have been doing this for awhile now, and sell kits online at addressing.biz for those who have to go power to work without a boss.
the only problem i run into is cities who think its their job to regulate what i do. the truth is no city is allowed to stop a homeowner from having their address painted, make one get a permit before they go door to door offering this service. this is your right to go deliver your information right to the homeowner, unless they have a no soliciting sign posted. your flyer that you leave offering this service is protected by the first admendment, and free speech. the first admendment was put in place so we can share our idea’s with our neighbors without any restraints from any city government, or police. its really funny but people that go door to door are guilty until proven otherwise. what other people need to go register with police departments, or city hall before they go to work. the Ohio supreme court ruled in 2002 http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16431
going door to door is the life blood of any poorly financed group. don’t let your city stop you from earning your legal living by putting illegal ordinances in place to stop your right to go door to door. for those of you that don’t want someone knocking, simply plce a no soliciting sign up. don’t call the police to try to stop someone from earning legal a living most of your neighbors want this service, and they are not there for you, they are there for the people that really want this service.
good luck out there all you curb painters. i hope this will help if your city tries to stop you.
p.s. one city put a warrant out for me for painting curbs, and i beat the case by letting them know the law. it’s time for your city to police itself, and remove any illegal ordinance that they have put into place to stop you from earning your honest living.
feel free to email me with any info of a city violating your 1st admendment violations.
Ted@curbpainting.com with curb painting in subject line
My son is trying to earn money to fund his Boy Scout Eagle project and I’ve been researching this idea for that purpose. Not sure which method would work best, put out flyers with price or ask for donations if the homeowner approves of work. Which one works best for those of you who have done this???
He had a great idea (at least I thought so) to show movies at the baseball park and charge for concessions (not movie admission). We live in a small subdivision in Dallas and people go to the neighborhood baseball park when a game is going on even if they don’t have children playing. Anyway the city told him he was required to hire 3 city police officers for security and that they couldn’t donate their time to his project which would eliminate any money he would make.
This seems like a great idea for kids to make some money too. My son plays football, as I said previously in scouts, add school to the mix and he can’t find a job that will work with his schedule.
I had to laugh when I found this shit. I have to laugh at Ted the curb painter too. I wonder how much money he’s made selling his “secrets”, and how much competition he’s created that will eventually come back to bite him in the ass. I’m glad I don’t work in his state. I have enough moron competitors in mine (CA). I have never sold my secrets, and I have never painted as poor a number as you displayed in the blog. My god, I wouldn’t pay 50 cents for a number like that. I charge $20, and mine are worth every penny (and I make more than $150 a day. I haven’t made that little since 1978). I liked the comment from the guy who said “Who the fuck paints curbs?” lol Well, a lot of people (mostly drug addicts and college kids, tho) including me and (arrgghhh) Ted.
Nice site with good info. Just wanted to say I ordered a complete kit at curbaddresskits.com I already made $300 bucks in 3 days part time. Thought you guys might be interested to know. The kit is complete and informative and Id highly recomend it.
Nice idea, I bet one could make money with curb painting. Low overhead and plenty of profit. No headache to boot!! Here are a few of my ideas. Gutter cleaning. Get a second hand leaf blower to start out with, a ladder, a plumber’s snake, an ole work truck, a little knowledge on the subject and get to work. A good fall season business when the leaves are falling. Firewood business: During the summer and fall season have a tree removal business as well. Need a chainsaw and perhaps a trailer. Charge people to remove their trees from their land and break it down to firewood. Of course u need to try and cut down trees like oak that make good burning logs. Then when it turns cold outside, rent a little piece of land and sell the firewood. You can even look on craigslist where people give away firewood as long as u come pick it up!
That is a really awesome business idea. I have never lived where there are house numbers on the curb but I have seen them. What an awsome idea!
Curb Painting Business
this idea rocked! i went out and made $680 in 2 hours!! not bad for 3 hours of work. thanks nev!
Anonymousm, what’d you do, charge then $200 a pop? Retard.
This is against city rules in most places out where I live in California. I also feel it’s wrong if you paint curbs because you aren’t paying your income tax, are you? Then if you aren’t, are you or are you not considered a leech on American society who does pay? Why, you are worse than a bum. At least a bum has problems finding work and just drinks himself to oblivion. You, on the other hand, take money from people and tell us that you are doing if for a worthy cause (what’s that, for your very fat pocket?). PUH-lease!
I work for the Transportation Dept of a City out here in California, and we completely allow it here, in fact encourage it. We have many difficult areas that police, ambulance and fire need to find. It is only a benefit to us. There are not too many complaints or people doing it here, so i can see what a great opportunity it would be. We are a small City of about 100k people, who still value the sense of small community. I get calls every so often asking me if we allow such a thing.. to their surprise i say yes.
If you are smart you can outsource the actual labor out the mexicans that stand in the labor line waiting for cheap work. (if you live anywhere in the south west US, their is a labor line or illegals immigrant workers willing to do a positive thing for the community.
Who are you to judge someone for painting curbs. There are alot of elderly people and disabled people that are unable to do it themselves. You must be a bitter person who went through a bad tax audit possibly….anyway I suppose everyone across America having a garage sale, flea market, or selling on Craigslist are all leeches as well and should be locked up for tax evasion right? In this economy you might end up being one of those curb painters yourself.
I have been doing this as a business since I was 14 years old, my dad ran this business and I now have my own. Those numbers you painted are hideous! As a professional with over a decade of experience in this line of work, I'd advise anyone out to make a quick buck to at least put some effort into their work. anyone can grab some stencils and shoot some paint on a curb, You need to take the time to touch up your overspray and have a decent looking number. Not trying to be rude, but those numbers look like crap, and if I requested my numbers painted for $10-$20 on my curb, and got something like that done, I'd stiff you.
I use to do this business and made a pretty good deal of money from it. In fact at one time I was making 90 bucks an hour that's 6 address at 15 bucks a pop! The customer's loved them because I would give away a free picture on the side for free.
I wrote about as well, including how to sell the service.
http://pennyroll.com/2009/01/the-address-business/
I think this is a great idea. I recently bought a book called 1001 business's you can start from home and this was listed in it. So now I'm researching it. As far as the person who believes that someone with this kind of small business is not paying taxes and insulting anyone that does this business. All I can say is obviously you have never owned your own business or you would know differently. Anyone that making any kind of money in a business like this and doing it for very long is paying taxes. It's just not taken out like your employer does for you. You are considered self employed and if you're a legitimate company then you will claim all of your profit and expenses on your taxes. Does everyone claim it, no but trust me those people probably aren't in business for long.
where did you get the stencils?
This Business is Unique for sure. I started out as a House painter until a friend of mine showed me how to do this. With a ninth grade education,a lot of motivation to succeed and to overcome impending homelessness, I have been painting addresses on curbs almost ever since I arrived in Long Beach,California in 1984.
Since then, i have fathered and raised a 20 yr old daughter and a 4 yr old son as well as purchased a half million dollar home and new truck.
Yes, the American Dream is obtainable if you are willing to Work Smart and sometimes Hard.
I was wanting to start doing this can someone share some tip. Thanks for any help