I need a designer who can also do production

[equippaint]

Our company wants to grow, wants to do even more interesting and creatively demanding work and on average pays several dollars per hour more than most of our competition. In our area there is a lack of commitment, motivation, diversity of skills and flat out reliability regardless of age group or experience. We've grown at least 10% per year for four consecutive years, but its mostly on the backs of my spouse and I working long days and many weekends because "the help" is off enjoying their time off and project the patented grimace and stink eye whenever the word overtime is mentioned. They'll all gripe about how expensive it is to live here but do little to expand their income.

Unfortunately, this is the story of the American small business owner.

 

[TimToad]

Unfortunately, this is the story of the American small business owner.

I'm not griping, just sharing our experiences after owning several different type businesses and having the opportunity to hire and try to retain employees.

We have one right now who is in his fourth week and has used the company phone to explore other opportunities and we've had at least one of the potential employers leave voicemails for him here. That is despite assuring us how great we are treating him and how committed he is to learning the production end of things. Needless to say, the conversation about him using our equipment to connect with another potential employer didn't go great.

We love working hard and being our own bosses, we just want to find others who want to share in our energy and success.

 

[sign_chick]

Do you have a twin? LOL

No, not LOL. I'm dead serious. I'm sorry to inform you but you are the exception to the norm. Especially in your age demographic.

My boss tells me this every opportunity she gets. And boy do I wish I had a twin or triplet. (or maybe my own set of Stepford Cuckoo's type chicks)

I do feel bad though as well as I do my job... I just want to draw and paint and create with kids all day.

I also enjoy my off time but ask for it well in advance and I am the employee that staggers in a little late, but I work my full 8/8.5/9 hour shifts or more when needed and count when I start and leave when I'm supposed to leave (not when everyone else does).

There are faults to me being an exception but that's also cuz I do work outside of work for me I actually had to ask for less hats to wear as we started getting more jobs so I can focus more in printing because I am also a perfectionist and like seeing the stuff we produce made with little to no mistakes.. but I help out in all areas if I can or am needed.

I'm sure if I/we were to find someone like me, I wouldn't share either hahahha

---

I wish there were a way to help you though. unfortunately, it's hard for me to find someone who likes doing what we do as well. My boss got lucky

BUT! I think if you continue to search and make connections.. you will find someone, like I said, who is young and hungry and has the skills to work with.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Do you have a twin? LOL

No, not LOL. I'm dead serious. I'm sorry to inform you but you are the exception to the norm. Especially in your age demographic.

Our company wants to grow, wants to do even more interesting and creatively demanding work and on average pays several dollars per hour more than most of our competition. In our area there is a lack of commitment, motivation, diversity of skills and flat out reliability regardless of age group or experience. We've grown at least 10% per year for four consecutive years, but its mostly on the backs of my spouse and I working long days and many weekends because "the help" is off enjoying their time off and project the patented grimace and stink eye whenever the word overtime is mentioned. They'll all gripe about how expensive it is to live here but do little to expand their income.

This area is still regarded as more of a playground and low wage haven, so we're constantly fighting to attract and retain motivated, reliable help. Several of our primary competitors are family staffed businesses and based on the frequent want ads we see with wage ranges posted, they likely aren't paying their own family members market rates either.

Why on God's earth do you want to grow more and you and your wife are breaking your backs working so much?

 

[equippaint]

My boss tells me this every opportunity she gets. And boy do I wish I had a twin or triplet. (or maybe my own set of Stepford Cuckoo's type chicks)

I do feel bad though as well as I do my job... I just want to draw and paint and create with kids all day.

I also enjoy my off time but ask for it well in advance and I am the employee that staggers in a little late, but I work my full 8/8.5/9 hour shifts or more when needed and count when I start and leave when I'm supposed to leave (not when everyone else does).

There are faults to me being an exception but that's also cuz I do work outside of work for me I actually had to ask for less hats to wear as we started getting more jobs so I can focus more in printing because I am also a perfectionist and like seeing the stuff we produce made with little to no mistakes.. but I help out in all areas if I can or am needed.

I'm sure if I/we were to find someone like me, I wouldn't share either hahahha

---

I wish there were a way to help you though. unfortunately, it's hard for me to find someone who likes doing what we do as well. My boss got lucky

BUT! I think if you continue to search and make connections.. you will find someone, like I said, who is young and hungry and has the skills to work with.

They're all young and hungry, 2 weeks in content but late everyday, a month later attitude comes out, 2 months later total whiners and dragging morale down. This is why people are so hard nosed and apprehensive. A-hole bosses were not born, they were built over time.
Edit to add that I am griping and had to deal with this crap today.

 

[Rick]

LOL I made this statement before and had a lot of backlash. nice to see other people see this too (says the millennial)

---

I came into the "industry" on a whim to help a friend/now boss. I took interior design, architecture, drawing classes, some graphic/web design classes all at a community college. already crafty and artsy, I came in initially for organizing and stuff as a part time job. Started weeding and doing hands on production first then helped with installing. Boss knew I knew the basics of illustrator (I TA'd one semester for an intro to the Adobe Creative Suite class) so she had me doing easy layouts and eventually, learning flexi and running the plotters and printers. Prior to this, I worked retail at a clothing store and gamestop…...

It's been almost 5 years and I could run this shop if I wanted but overall, I know how to quote/invoice, customer service, do site surveys for the jobs we do, print, lam, weed, run a CNC, make cut files and all that Gucci stuff. I run production and train or have shown my other coworkers how to run certain machines and stuff to get our shop moving.

Get someone young, hungry, and hopefully someone who is into stickers, wraps, and/or signs.... Someone with a good work ethic and can bring their skills to help your shop grow. but by god, do NOT take advantage of us. We need to work to make a living too. Reading this crap about wanting to pay someone close to nothing or doesn't want to give a raise pisses me off as though WE DONT have sh!t to work for or aspire to do... Do you wanna grow? Your employees will and will need a paycheck that reflects that just as their lives grow too. Of course, their progression and improvement is a very important factor in this but don't be a Richard about it.

I've never worked for a sign shop for more than 2 years, I do have a sign shop client that I have had for over 10.

Unless your current friend/employer is paying you the going rate for the experience you now have, most of us hungry/skilled/talented designers with production skills have to find better paying sign shops... when getting back into this - I worked for 5 (I have worked for 8 shops altogether), before falling into high end sign design. It was the only way to get a raise so I could feed 4 kids, a wife and get a house. Now that the kids and wife are gone. I still need to make about 70k to live on my own... even with my skills and abilities to design million dollar sign projects, how many sign shops are willing to pay that...

I will agree with what Toad has stated, I have freelance work because most designers at sign shops are not all that enthusiastic about this kind of work. I have heard sign shop owners say that all employees are expendable... I believe that... but that attitude gets them in trouble when they hire an exceptional employee and fail to pay them for advancing their business - notice how I avoided saying the going rate... If you make your employee more money than they anticipated, you should be compensated. If you can do the work of 2 or even 3 people, you should be paid better than the going rate. But I also believe that exceptional designers are not that likely to stay. Most have their own dreams to follow so a sign shop will hold back in their compensation as they anticipate your departure. It's true, small sign shops struggle, but they can afford to pay IF you can make them more profitable - but first an owner has to be relieved of the constant overtime and stress to see your worth, by that time, most exceptional designers have flown the coup...

 

[ams]

He may have received PMs? Straight out of the gate people jumped on him for not paying enough without even knowing what country he was from and what he even paid lol.

Gotcha, I didn't read much of the thread, was looking for the reply

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Replies are now getting deleted around here...

 

[brycesteiner]

Id have to respectfully disagree. There is much more that goes into offset printing than running something through a digital printer. If you use a quality vinyl, you wont have peeling issues either. You can easily teach yourself how to work with vectors, digital printers and plotters but good luck learning how to run an offset press on youtube.

I wasn't referring to the process of offset printing itself, but, instead designing for offset printing. There is still a lot of knowledge that goes into it. Most people don't know what overprints are and so they automatically think that's what they want. Of course, sometimes you do, but those who have never ran a Heidelberg or a Komori will have a much harder time knowing when and how. Others, will try and make the blacks 400% and then wonder why they get setoff between pages, or why the next day the entire stack glued themselves together.

 

[TimToad]

Why on God's earth do you want to grow more and you and your wife are breaking your backs working so much?

Because we have the shop space, long term lease, equipment and enthusiasm to grow. While we work plenty hard, this isn't even close to as strenuous of days we've both had in our past work lives. We make a decent, middle class living at this size, but at 58, we would like to kick it into high gear for the next 7-10 years so we can sell it as a more valuable business and put away more savings for our retirements between now and then.

You know, the old American dream.

My wife used to own a restaurant and worked 70 hour weeks. We owned a B&B for 8 years that was far more stressful and demanding and I was doing sign work on the side. I used to be a 911 Dispatcher working 60+ hours per week. We both come from blue collar, hard working roots and our long term goals for this business are to see it have four full time, engaged, well compensated workers and owners pulling together and enjoying doing top notch work.

Doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.

 

[DerbyCitySignGuy]

Replies are now getting deleted around here...

Doesn't seem to be any consistency either. Posts are being deleted for being "off topic" but this thread is 90% off topic (and not deleted). Selective moderation or inattentiveness?

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Because we have the shop space, long term lease, equipment and enthusiasm to grow. While we work plenty hard, this isn't even close to as strenuous of days we've both had in our past work lives. We make a decent, middle class living at this size, but at 58, we would like to kick it into high gear for the next 7-10 years so we can sell it as a more valuable business and put away more savings for our retirements between now and then.

You know, the old American dream.

My wife used to own a restaurant and worked 70 hour weeks. We owned a B&B for 8 years that was far more stressful and demanding and I was doing sign work on the side. I used to be a 911 Dispatcher working 60+ hours per week. We both come from blue collar, hard working roots and our long term goals for this business are to see it have four full time, engaged, well compensated workers and owners pulling together and enjoying doing top notch work.

Doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.

Must be very expensive out there in Cali.... I spend about 20-25% of what I make a month working about 50 hrs a week by myself...and I'd consider us well into the middle class...maybe a little better.

 

[TimToad]

Must be very expensive out there in Cali.... I spend about 20-25% of what I make a month working about 50 hrs a week by myself...and I'd consider us well into the middle class...maybe a little better.

How does $400 or more per square foot for a very average house sound? Gas is currently $3.69 per gallon. We have a 2,500 square foot shop and pay about $1.00 per square foot per month in rent. Insurance is reasonable on most types of policies because of low crime and most people's healthier life styles, but its not cheap by any stretch. There are people here spending 50% of their income JUST on housing. Its a tough situation that the movers and shakers just don't seem interested in solving. We have a premier college in CalPoly here and graduates are leaving in droves after getting their degrees because they don't see the point of racking up so much educational debt to live somewhere that won't pay them what they need to just survive let alone thrive.

When average wages and cost of living is factored in, our county is the highest cost of living in the entire state. This is why we struggle to find and retain qualified, motivated help. Folks move here because of its beauty, laid back attitude and proximity to lots of recreational assets, but once here realize that they have to work their tails off to just get by. Its not limited to just the creative arts either, its every single industry.

 

[Gino]

So move......??

It's not good to live beyond one's own means.​

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Damn, it's $100 sq. ft. here in the nice suburbs...gas is HALF that... Shop rents are about 0.50 - $1 sq

I make fun of Texas being ugly, but DFW isnt that bad... Sry, those tall palm trees are not worth the added expense. And having variation in weather is nice.

 

[TimToad]

Damn, it's $100 sq. ft. here in the nice suburbs...gas is HALF that... Shop rents are about 0.50 - $1 sq

I make fun of Texas being ugly, but DFW isnt that bad... Sry, those tall palm trees are not worth the added expense. And having variation in weather is nice.

Oh, its far more than palm trees that are the appeal. That's more LA. We're 3.5 hours between LA and SF. Where we are is more oak forests and coastal influences. Look up Morro Bay, Big Sur, San luis Obispo, Pinnacles National Park, Cambria, Yosemite, Sequoia, etc.

We have gorgeous weather and while not getting much winter we do have three seasons. Our local schools are phenomenal, we have great beer, wine, produce, restaurants, etc.

 

[AKwrapguy]

"the help" is off enjoying their time off and project the patented grimace and stink eye whenever the word overtime is mentioned.

OVERTIME..... I love over time. I understand that not everyone does, and sometimes the scheduling gets complicated but still your telling me that your going to pay me time and a half to do the same thing I've been doing all day anyways. I worked one job where 10-15 hours a week were overtime.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Oh, its far more than palm trees that are the appeal. That's more LA. We're 3.5 hours between LA and SF. Where we are is more oak forests and coastal influences. Look up Morro Bay, Big Sur, San luis Obispo, Pinnacles National Park, Cambria, Yosemite, Sequoia, etc.

We have gorgeous weather and while not getting much winter we do have three seasons. Our local schools are phenomenal, we have great beer, wine, produce, restaurants, etc.

Sounds like a paradise! You enjoy it out there, I'll live in Cali though you!

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I give to you a designer who can do production. Thank you. Thank you.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I make fun of Texas being ugly, but DFW isnt that bad... Sry, those tall palm trees are not worth the added expense.

As a 6th gen native of Plano, not too sure how much I like that. Especially considering how much variation in Texas compared to some places.