New Sign Shop in North West Ohio

[BDR Graphics]

Hi all i just started my own sign shop last september i am very small and it is not my main source of income right now but i hope it to be down the road. my question is how long does it take ball park to get a steady flow of business going i want to do it the right way not come in under cut ever body and have a fly by night sign shop. i am hoping in 5 years to be where i need to be do something i love to do and not have to clock in for someone else.


BDR Graphics
Brian

 

[Fred Weiss]

For some it takes a short time and others never get there. It depends on lots of different things like

• how well people like your work and your service
• whether you're starting at home on in a commercial location
• competition and market size
• Your sales ability
• etc.

I started at my current location in 2000 after having been in the business fulltime since 1983. We were in profit after 3 months but we also had made a commitment to paying serious rent in an Office Depot anchored plaza, had good equipment and the knowledge to get good production out of it. At this point, after 6 1/2 years, we are going to downsize and work at home with just a comparative handful of well established repetitive customers.

 

[BDR Graphics]

thank you for your imput i got i long term plan i just need to stick to it and keep up grading my equipment and go from there.


Brian

 

[The Big Squeegee]

Welcome from Oklahoma!

:Welcome: to :signs101:​

Starting out with good equipment will earn you the reputation that you want. Take a look around to see if there is a need that could be filled. Practic designing stuff and compare it with the what others are doing. Focus on those things you do best. Good luck!

 

[james2]

Fred,
are you downsizing because of competition from other sign places, mainly the franchises?

just curious.

You seem to have quite a history in the biz and just wondering if you have ever considered buying into a franchise.

jim

 

[Bigdawg]

Brian - just keep the quality and service at a premium and word will get around. We have operated on mostly word-of-mouth for about 5 years now and you can't ask for better. It does take a bit to get established though.

Fred - we are kind of doing the same thing right now except we are consolidating everything to the production location. The retail store just wasn't doing what I needed it to do in order to justify 2 locations and I like working with my solid base of customer more than spending an hour discussing a $30 decal the customer may or may not buy. Hope all goes well with your move!

 

[Fred Weiss]

Fred,
are you downsizing because of competition from other sign places, mainly the franchises?

just curious.

You seem to have quite a history in the biz and just wondering if you have ever considered buying into a franchise.

jim

No, I'm in my mid-sixties and just reorganizing my life a bit. My clipart business is going very well and Signs 101 generates a modest profit. I nearly got heat stroke a few years ago doing a boat and haven't been able to tolerate working in the heat ever since.

My sign-decal-label making business is totally debt free but we were unable to generate an acceptable offer on it in a recent attempt so we decided to keep what we've built and eliminate the retail store. The savings will be fairly dramatic ($60 to $70K a year) allowing us to do a lot less work for the same or greater net income. At the same time, it will allow more time for Signs 101 and for my clipart business.

 

[Jillbeans]

This is my 22nd year in the biz, and it's still never been a steady flow.
But things are looking up.
Love....Jill

 

[Fred Weiss]

Fred - we are kind of doing the same thing right now except we are consolidating everything to the production location. The retail store just wasn't doing what I needed it to do in order to justify 2 locations and I like working with my solid base of customer more than spending an hour discussing a $30 decal the customer may or may not buy. Hope all goes well with your move!

Yes I gathered that. We considered the same type of thing but in my area industrial rentals are as high as I'm paying for retail after 6.5 years. I have the same feeling about the time wasted with daytrippers and really am no longer looking for new clients.

Example: We just turned away a girl that makes stained glass and has a running tab arrangement for tiny orders of 2 to 15 letters at a time with FastSigns. She's upset with them because they just bumped her up from 30 cents to 50 cents a letter.

Example: We just received a $1,600 order for labels from a repeat customer. He has averaged $6K to $8K a year for the last five years.

Good luck to you as well with your reorganization.

 

[THATgirl]

It depends on how hard you want to work. I used to want to work a lot harder than I do now. I have been at it for 30 years and have watched the changes. You learn which type of signs make you the most money and the happiest and concentrate on those. I found when I tried to do everything....installs, permits, old vinyl removal.....very high signs.....I wasn't happy. Now I just do the signs I like.

 

[BDR Graphics]

Thanks for all the comments it's nice to have somewhere to go when you need some help or just another's view point.

Brian

 

[letsoren]

Re. Signs

Hi, where are you from in Ohio, I am from Paulding Ohio

 

[jdelbar1]

Great info

After reading all of the downsizing going on, am I not understanding this business correctly when I want to buy an existing shop that has been not marketed at all and put a full time person in place so I can go out and bring business in. In other words, do more of running a business than working in it. Don't get me wrong, I am sure I will be doing plenty of inside work but I would like to spend the majority of my time having a free up mind to be creative on market concepts.

What do you think, head in the clouds?

John