Billie Asmus - February 2025 Entrepreneur of the Month
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce Billie Asmus of Repaint Studios in Hampton, IA as the February 2025 Entrepreneur of the Month.
As the founder and CEO of Repaint Studios, Billie Asmus is revolutionizing the painting and home DIY industry with her eco-friendly invention, the Repaint Tray. Her journey from a home-based furniture restoration side hustle to developing a sustainable product available in stores nation-wide showcases the power of innovation and determination in entrepreneurship.
Billie’s inspiration for the Repaint Tray was sparked during her early days running a small furniture restoration business. “I was painting pretty much every single day,” she says. “I remember cleaning up my supplies at the end of the day and I looked at my garbage can – it was filled to the brim with those flimsy plastic paint tray liners. I remember thinking there's gotta be a more sustainable solution.” Finding no reusable paint tray with a lid on the market, she decided to create one herself. Billie used foam board, hot glue, and raw silicone to create her first prototype. Her first prototype worked as she’d imagined it would. “And that was enough clarification for me to pursue this and that it could really be something big,” Billie says.
Billie enrolled in the Fall 2021 Venture School program at the NIACC Pappajohn Center. The University of Iowa Venture School is a premier statewide program for Iowa entrepreneurs, using a streamlined curriculum that emphasizes real-world innovation and hands-on customer discovery, with cohorts located across the state. Billie says, “In Venture School, I learned a lot about my business and realized who my true customer was going to be.” The NIACC Innovation Center also provided Billie with access to advanced prototyping tools, allowing her vision to take shape.
The Repaint Tray offers a reusable alternative to single-use plastic paint tray liners. This innovative product is not only environmentally friendly but also practical. Unlike disposable liners, it is designed to be used multiple times, reducing waste and cutting costs for consumers. The lid allows for extended usability, preventing paint from drying out and minimizing waste.
Billie’s creativity and innovation have led to remarkable achievements, but her journey wasn’t easy or instant. Billie notes that the Repaint Tray wasn’t an immediate success at pitch competitions and encourages other startups not to get discouraged. “Don’t stop applying for pitch competitions,” she says. “In the first two years, I didn’t make it through or got honorable mention. It wasn’t until the third year that I applied that I finally won.” With grit and determination, Billie has worked tirelessly to achieve what she dreamed Repaint Studios could be. In December 2023, Billie received the coveted Gold Ticket at “Into the Blue: Lowe’s Product Pitch Event”, a global pitch competition. The Repaint Tray secured the largest purchase order in the paint category, placing it in Lowe’s stores nationwide. After three years of competing, Billie won First Place at the John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition in August 2024. Then, in December 2024, Billie won the Iowa InnoVenture Challenge, a winner-take-all pitch competition for early-state startups. Through her determination and perseverance, Billie has brought her invention to national attention, secured critical funding for production and expansion, and built important relationship with investors and industry contacts.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, Billie is already looking to the future of Repaint Studios. “We’re already working with European partners to expand into the European market and I’m really excited to see what happens there,” she reflects. Billie is focused on scaling production to meet demand, and is looking at the possibility of developing additional eco-friendly painting accessories. As Repaint Studios takes its next steps, Billie has already shown that anything is possibly for this innovator from rural Iowa.
For those embarking on their own entrepreneurial journeys, Billie emphasizes the importance of seeking support and resources. “Tap into the SBDC and the Pappajohn Center because you can’t do it all on your own,” she says. “Entrepreneurship is not possible without support. You need those core people who believe in you from the very beginning.”
The Repaint Tray can now be found in Lowes’s stores across the United States, and on Lowes.com and HomeDepot.com. To learn more about Repaint Studios and the Repaint Tray, or to buy directly online, visit www.repaintstudios.com.