H-D-CAL grad gains business ownership experience through painting internship

A Hampton-Dumont-CAL grad is using a unique entrepreneurial opportunity to help improve his hometown.

Emilio Valenzuela, a 2019 H-D-CAL grad, is currently participating in an internship through College Works Painting. The company offers internship opportunities to college students, allowing them to essentially operate their own business.

Valenzuela, currently pursuing a degree in agricultural studies at Iowa State University, said with the internship, he is responsible for obtaining clients and conducting home improvement projects on their home, but he also has to interview and hire employees, produce tax information and work with clients on financing options.

“One of the things that pushed me towards this is, in internships, you help out here and there, but for this one, they give you 100 percent responsibility,” he said. “You get out of it what you put in.”

The business is paint-oriented. Valenzuela said they do interior and exterior jobs and work closely with clients to design an appropriate project for their case. He said they do get some clients through referrals, but a main focus is business attraction through door-to-door sales.

“That has pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he said. “That’s something that takes courage. I was social in high school, but going up and doing that aspect is a little intimidating.”

Nonetheless, Valenzuela said he’s enjoyed the opportunity to make the rounds and watch his business grow from a plan to an operating entity with employees and clients, all of which he’s helped build from the ground up.

“Getting those social skills and going through all those processes, it’s a lot but at the same time, it’s a challenge and something I’m looking forward to,” he said.

Valenzuela hopes to start his own trucking business after college, which is a major reason why this internship appealed to him. One of the hidden aspects of owning a business is the ability to expect the unexpected. Valenzuela has already learned that lesson first-hand with the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that has forced him to adapt to how he meets clients and how clients pay for projects. He has learned to communicate with pictures and other ideas through email and has implemented deferrals, financing and payment plans that provide some relief to clients who have had their income affected by coronavirus-related closures and cancellations.

“I come from a small town where everybody knows everybody, so when I book a job and people tell me they’ve lost a job or income, that’s what gets me going,” he said of his desire to ease the financial burden on customers.

Part of the reason he has taken that ability so seriously is the fact that his main coverage area is Hampton and Franklin County. He said he not only wants his business to be successful, but he wants to help Hampton and the surrounding area continue to be an attractive, vibrant community.

“I wanted to do this because of the opportunity to give back to the people who have helped me so much,” he said. “That really gave me the drive to take on that challenge and to be successful.

“The most satisfaction I get is when I get a smile and a handshake from people I’ve known forever,” he added. “It makes you happy being able to give back to the community.”

For more information regarding Valenzuela’s business and financing information, contact him at 641-456-8073.