Everyone is talking about Tony Piloseno, TikTok’s paint mixing superstar right about now. If you haven’t heard about him yet, we’re happy to catch you up.
Ready? Okay.
Tony Piloseno, who goes by the name @tonesterpaints, is HUGE on TikTok. He’s famous for his relaxing and creative paint mixing videos, that admittedly are impossible to stop scrolling through.
Piloseno got fired from Sherwin-Williams when they saw that he had been making TikToks while on the job, even though he was buying the paint he used in the videos with his own money. After the firing, Piloseno was offered a position from almost every single national paint company, even the big names like PPG and Behr.
Ultimately, he decided to on board full-time with a smaller family-like competitor, Florida Paints. While working in sales, he will also develop his very own @tonesterpaints line of paints with the company.
Our hot take on the topic
What does this mean for small businesses?
Media sources have reported this story as a feel-good tale of a 22-year-old Ohio University senior making it big, which we admit, is incredible! But we want to take a deep dive into what this means for our friends over at Florida Paints and other small businesses like them.
Let’s breakdown the four essential actions this small corporation took in order to make the best decision of their business journey.
And the best part?! You can do these things too!
The 4 things Florida Paints did right (and so can you)
#1 Leveraged a moment
Yep, we’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again (and again and again and agai…). Take advantage of a moment.
Whether you’re hopping on a new trend, creating content surrounding some cultural shift, or deciding to make a big announcement, there’s no way to be successful without staying up to date with what is going on in the world. We talk about this in detail in our blog, When Life Gives You Lemons – Leveraging A Moment in Advertising.
Florida Paints did a great job of this. They knew Piloseno was trending on TikTok and they were on top of their game when they heard he was up for grabs. If the small business had been a beat behind, they may have missed this insane opportunity.
#2 Stayed true to their roots
As mentioned, Florida Paints was not the only company to reach out to the young TikTok star. Larger companies like Benjamin Moore offered up positions to join their team too. Although Piloseno met with many others, he ultimately turned them all down and went with the small business in Florida.
How did a small business like this pull it off? They stayed true to their roots. This is proof there’s a benefit to living through the message and capabilities of your brand.
Piloseno liked the fact that Florida Paints was on the opposite side of typical corporate culture. He even mentioned that the owner of Florida Paints “was probably the only one who understood and appreciated” the way he viewed paint. He even claimed that they “both view it as an art”.
#3 Utilized a relevant platform
The young man has about 1.4 million followers on TikTok, which ultimately opens Florida Paint up to the opportunity of having 1.4 million brand new customers. This small business kept up with trends and relevant platforms and in return gained a whole new target audience.
Read up on our blog about TikTok and how it could benefit your business.
#4 Embraced creativity
Who would have thought that a small paint business could gain the attention of over 1 million new, young consumers in such a short time?
Adage talked about this best claiming that when a business comes across creative talent like Piloseno’s, “you don’t fire them, you embrace the creativity and hire them for a larger role”. This is exactly what Florida Paints did.
By thinking outside the box with the offer of a new paint line in the famous TikToker’s name, the seemingly impossible became possible. Shoutout to creativity!
Small but MIGHTY
Small businesses are playing with the big guys now.
Social media and digital advertising make it easier than ever for even the smaller players to get recognized and move up the ladder of success.
It’s important to keep your finger on the pulse of culture and news (and TikTok, of course), especially when running a business. You never know when the next opportunity will arise or better yet, when the next TikTok star will be available for hire!
DAY Vision is made up of digital marketers and advertising enthusiasts and it’s our job to stay on top of what’s happening in our fast-paced world of media and the arts. Let us help you stay on top of the trends and create those big ideas that will grow your business. Check out our portfolio to see what we’ve been up to.
Reach out to chat any time. We’re here to help!