Lennon alumnus turns paint passion into successful business

Dressed in a silk Dolce and Gabbana shirt, plumed with fiery patterns, black jeans and earth-toned cowboy boots, Winston Mitchell makes the point unequivocally that he is a man with his own sense of style.

"Hardworking man fi look good," the 41-year-old said in his rural-Clarendonian vernacular.

He is not a fashion designer; however, patterns and designs appeal to him naturally. From childhood he was preoccupied with colours. Reds, blues, yellows, and the brighter they were, the more they jolted his senses.

Although he pursued science related subjects at the then Lennon Secondary School in Mocho, Clarendon, at age 18, young Winston graduated and followed his calling into a world of colours. His journey to success started when his father got a job with the Urban Development Corporation and moved the family to Ocho Rios, St Ann. The move opened up opportunities for young Winston.

"At age 18, I wanted to become a master painter," he said. "So I got a job with the Cedar Construction Company, which had hotel and resort contracts."

He worked with that company for seven years and then moved to another construction company, where he met his business partner, Barrington Smith.

"I was not making enough money," the father of four explained. "So I decided to branch out on my own, and Barrington Smith and I decided that we were going to hit the road." The two freelanced as painters for about seven years, expanding their enterprise and subcontracting other painters as business grew.

Then one day, Eureka! The idea emerged: Mitchell figured that if he could do the work and also sell the product, it would be a plus.

He continued to explore the idea, saved to finance it and eventually, in 2005, opened Mitchell's Paint Store in the heart of the buzzing and booming resort town of Ocho Rios. The operation sold a variety of brands, such as Berger, Sherwin Williams, Diamond, BH Paints and Edge Chem, as well as trowel-horn decorative finishes, and other decorative products and tools.

First location

"The first location was not excellent. But I took it," he recollected "and, for the first three months I did not sell directly to the public, I sold to my painting-contract clients". Subsequently, he acquired his current location at 87 Main Street.

"If you come to Ocho Rios and you are heading to St Mary, you must pass this location," he said, excitedly. The new location attracted new clients and soon business grew. However, as business grew, so did the demand and funds did not always flow quickly enough to maintain supplies.

"I was going through Ocho Rios one day when I noticed a JN Small Business Loan promotion in the town centre. So I approached the team, took a brochure, looked carefully at what they were offering and decided to apply for a loan," he said.

"The loan was very helpful and the process to obtain it was not difficult," he pointed out, noting that the funds kept his business steady.

"Mr Mitchell had a sound operation, which was providing meaningful employment to several persons; but it was new and like many fledgling businesses, it needed an injection of capital to assist it to grow," commented Frank Whylie, general manager, JN Small Business Loans. "We recognised the need as well as the potential, and took a decision to finance the growth of the business."

Since 2005, Mitchell's Paint Store has added two branches to its operation, opening in St Ann's Bay in 2009 and Port Maria, St Mary, in February this year. He employs nine people on a full-time basis at the three locations.

"What drives our business is quality customer service," he said. "Our service thrives on simple courtesies, such as assistance to take goods to our customers' motor vehicles, and just simply telling them 'thank you' for doing business with us. They could have gone somewhere else."

In another five years, Mr Mitchell plans to produce his own paint, drawing on his early education in science. "The business is already poised to do that, so I will definitely be making my own paints soon," he said.