New to Painting Biz in Nashville - No Gigs Yet But Grinding Hard, Worth It?

I'm 27 and kicked off my painting business 2-3 months back, working out of Nashville. Zero customers so far but I'm hustlin' - hittin' up realtors, builders, and even other painters for sub work. Been postin' my old jobs on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Nextdoor, sharin' pics of Sherwin-Williams Emerald jobs I did before goin' solo. Cold calls and emails are my jam, but man, the rejections suck - they want proof of big jobs or a van, which I don't have yet. I could drop 7k-10k on a used one since I've got the cash, but holdin' off til I see some real money roll in, y'know? Saw a thread on r/paintingbusiness about this, mixed advice there. Someone in the Painters Lounge FB group swore cold outreach pays off eventually. Am I on the right track with this marketing grind, or should I pivot?

rejection from realtors is the worst, feels like every door slams shut.

same here man, no customers for months when i started.

get that van if you can, changes everything for credibility.

those platforms like nextdoor are hit or miss, focus on local fb groups instead.

cold calling builders worked for me, script it out tight.

realtors ghosted me too until i sent samples of benjamin moore aurora jobs.

handling rejection builds thick skin, you'll need it in this trade.

subcontracting is key early on, dont chase full jobs yet.

watch idaho painter's vids on marketing, he breaks it down real.

dont invest in the van til you have steady leads, waste of cash otherwise.

rejection sucks but it's normal, keep track of who you called.

the big boys with vans and crews crush us solos at first.

insurance companies and picky clients are screwing over small ops like us.

asked on r/painting about this, most said grind through the first year.

cold emails rarely work without a personal intro.

big painting firms lobby to keep barriers high for guys like you.

realtors want insured pros only, van helps prove you're legit.

proud i stuck with it, now doin 200k year on residential interiors.

felt your pain startin out, rejection after rejection.

hang in there, nashville market is competitive but grows.

us new painters get no respect til we prove it.

post in house painting professionals fb group, good leads there.

cold outreach is a numbers game, 100 calls for 1 yes.

what's your pitch when calling realtors?

craigslist can work if you price low at first to build portfolio.

got burned on a sub job early, always get contracts now.

keep sharin those sherwin pics, quality shows.

idaho painter has a vid on cold calling scripts, check it.

totally get the hesitation on the van spend.

how many cold calls you makin a day?

platforms like angi are ripping us off with leads that suck.

laughed when a client asked if i had a ladder rack on my non existent van.

we're all in the same boat early on.

rejections build character, or so they say.

same struggle, no gigs but learnin the ropes.

painters with crews dominate referrals, tough break.

had a guy in contractors network fb group say sub work saved his biz.

keep at the emails, personalize em.

customer thought my backpack sprayer was a toy til the job was flawless.