Meet Christina Dornbierer | Owner of Painting Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Dornbierer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
What I love about owning my own business is freedom. I have the freedom to set my own rates, my own hours, my own work areas, my own lunch breaks (very important), and determine my own vision behind what I do. I think that was what lead me down the path of entrepreneurship, being able to shape my work to reflect what I am passionate about. For me, I love to see restoration. With my work, I get to see that tangibly almost every day. I love that I can be a part of the change I want to see. When I worked for other painting companies, I had such a hard time with the amount of waste we would have at the end of a job. With my own business, I can create procedures that cut down on the use of plastic and use eco-friendly materials and supplies that make me, and my clients, feel good about the work we do. I’m excited, as my company grows, to continue to find ways to use my freedom as a business owner to make my industry better and my city more beautiful.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Being a woman-owned business, especially in the construction industry, has probably been the most obvious aspect that has set me apart. Whenever I tell someone that I am a painter they always assume I’m talking about canvases, not drywall. The vision behind my business always has been a little deeper than impressing people as a woman who can use power tools. My vision for Blue River is to see restoration through restoration. I have spent quite a bit of time working with incarcerated people here in Los Angeles, it’s really given me a passion for helping people who aren’t often given a second chance. I have been able to offer employment to those who have been previously incarcerated, and I am excited, as my business grows, to create training programs to bring on more men or women who just need a source of stability to help get them back on their feet. The restoration we provide as a company is to do excellent work on homes, using high-quality, healthy paint, and really taking pride in our craftsmanship. On top of that, we try to bring restoration to our planet through recycling, reusing, and being innovative in how we go about our projects.

It has definitely not been easy to get where I am today, and I still feel a long way from where I want to be in my business. When you start a business you don’t have much of a reputation. I had a friend tell me, “if you do good work, your phone will ring.” That has been very true, I have hardly had to market my company, almost every job we have done has been word of mouth. That makes me really proud of my company. Creating a strong reputation in the early stages of your business can be hard. I think one of the biggest challenges was asking for what I was worth. People often don’t know all the work that goes into painting before you even open a can of paint. When you are just starting out and don’t have much of a name for yourself, it’s hard to convince people to go with your company over cheaper companies who don’t put as much time into prep work. I have definitely lost money on projects, bidding it so I would get it, but then maintaining my level of excellence. I remember one project I did, I had already lost money on the project, but I still came back over the weekend to work on little touchups, because I figured even if I lost money, I definitely wasn’t going to lose my reputation. That client ended up hiring my company again for their entire interior, I raised the price pretty significantly and they didn’t even bat an eye because they knew we did great work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Los Angeles has so many incredible places to explore. I am a big nature girl myself, so I would take people out to Malibu to check out some of those great hikes in the Santa Monica mountains. There is also great camping out there, and El Matador Beach is a breathtaking place to visit with all of its rock formations. My favorite restaurant in the city has to be a place called Killer Noodle. It has this amazing broth with such a rich and interesting flavor profile that I am always craving. There are a lot of great things in the city to explore, such as the Observatory, LACMA, the Arts District in Downtown, all the cute little corner coffee shops and boutiques, etc, but it’s hard to beat a sunset drive along the 101 when the ocean turns that silverly blue color and people all park in random, illegal places, just to watch the sun drop behind the horizon. It’s pure magic.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Mom, who was also the one who taught me how to paint, has been one of the biggest supporters and champions on my journey of entrepreneurship. She has encouraged me when I have been discouraged and celebrated with me when I have succeeded. She has even come out to LA (from Nebraska) and helped me on some projects. I always know she is there for me and I can’t imagine doing this without her.

Website: www.blueriverpainting.com

Instagram: @blueriverpainting

Linkedin: Christina Dornbierer

Facebook: Blue River Painting Company

Yelp: Blue River Painting Company