It’s only been a year since Cameron Date started 705 Painting, but what a year it’s been. The young business owner went from participating in a student entrepreneurship program to running his own painting business in a span of just six years. Thanks to the high-quality work of Cameron and his crew, 705 Painting has been a popular hire in Sudbury.
“It’s been awesome. Much better than I could have asked for,” says Cameron, who now has seven employees on his payroll. He previously worked as an accountant for a year and enjoyed his workplace, but didn’t get the same satisfaction. “Seeing our customers and team members get an amazing result makes me happy,” he says.
Cameron and his team do nearly all jobs related to painting, on both residential and commercial projects, including all the associated prep work; repairing drywall damage, sanding down surfaces, pressure washing, and more. They’re looking at adding cabinet refinishing to their services in the new year.
The crew especially shines on their high-quality interior work. They do a lot of large projects on people’s homes, where homeowners get intimidated by the enormity of the task or hard-to-reach ceiling heights.
“Our interiors are our bread and butter, but we’ve also got a crew who have become stellar at all things exterior siding,” Cameron says. This includes aluminum, galvanized steel, wood, brick, and stucco.
705 Painting currently try to book most of their jobs 1-2 months in advance, in order to make a solid plan for both the crew and clients. They also keep a few rush spots available every month.
Cameron has been managing painting businesses for five years, but 705 Painting is the first business he’s run on his own. He credits the business’ early success to its committed workers, who look after each other just as they look after their clients.
This workplace culture is reinforced by Cameron’s leadership approach. When training a new employee, he emphasizes that their business is trying to be different from certain industry stereotypes— not showing up on time, pushing the project back, and charging extra.
Cameron is quick to emphasize that 705 Painting is fortunate to collaborate with many excellent contractors and tradespeople. His goal is to help set a standard within the industry. “We want to help raise the bar for what clients expect from a painting company,” he says. “Those are the things we’re really trying to break through and provide something completely different.”
Cameron often refers back to what he knows as the four referability habits — four habits that make people want to refer you to their friends. 1) Do what you say, 2) be on time, 3) say please and thank you, and 4) finish what you start. “It’s very simple but it works in business and it works in relationships. Those are things that I try to have each worker focus on on each site,” he says.
“ A lot of people can make a wall look nice, but not everyone can make a wall look great and deliver top-notch service,” he adds.
Cameron is originally from Haileybury, but has family in Sudbury, so has been coming to the city since he was born. He relocated to Sudbury when he started attending Laurentian six years ago, which was an adjustment from his smaller hometown. Cameron loves that Sudbury retains a small-town feel, but has city opportunities, as well as endless green space. “Being outside is what I enjoy, whether it’s golfing, running, hiking, or being on the water. It’s the perfect place for that.”
As word has started to spread about his business, Cameron has been happy to hear that the reviews are positive. He hopes that now that 705 Painting has their feet under them, he can start to get more involved in supporting the city that has supported him.
“We’re excited to keep growing and keep providing value to the Sudbury community, whether that’s providing amazing service, providing career opportunities, or giving back.”
For more information, visit their website or follow 705 Painting on Facebook.