One man shop growing pains

[Stacey K]

Until you have a massive heart attack at age 51...That's what happened to me. Now, my customers all know that I don't work weekends, nor do I answer the phone past 6pm or reply to emails that arrive after work hours until the next morning. When I first started taking weekends off it was tough because I had spoiled my clients. After the heart attack, I told them sorry, I am going fishing this weekend. They got used to it. I have had one of my customers since 1999 (before I was really in the sign business). Most of my (good) clients have been with me at least 8-10 years. They have adapted just like I have. I went from having 3-4 guys working for me down to 1 now. At the end of the day, I am making the same money with less hassles. Best advice I was given by a friend(and people here as well), raise your prices. Make the same money with less work and less stress. Then, get a hobby to relieve the stress of daily life. My last full check up, the cardiologist was surprised to see that I have Zero scaring on my heart, my BP is perfect, my blood work exceptional, and my refraction rate is that of an athlete. Yeah, I dont have a big fancy shop, big fancy house, or a big fancy bank account but I enjoy my life more now than I have in years.

Sorry to hear about your heart attack, glad you are doing so well! My Dad had one at 52 because of stress, he lived. He also worked 6-7 days a week. It scares me so I try to make sure to take time to relax.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

The joys of owning your own business.
Stacey, you've seemed to have found and maintain a good balance. I wouldn't feel guilty about not doing more.

 

[Stacey K]

The joys of owning your own business.
Stacey, you've seemed to have found and maintain a good balance. I wouldn't feel guilty about not doing more.

Well, that damn truck with the rocker panels kept me tossing and turning until midnight the other day so, I'm not sure if I've learned to turn it off completely LOL

 

[Moze]

I guess I see your situation as a challenge, not so much a problem.....or, at the very least, you have 'a good problem'. You said you have more work than you can handle. That's wayyyyy better than not having enough work.

Maybe an apples to oranges comparison, but when I started my business 10 years ago, I offered installation of both non-illuminated and illuminated signs (using a friend's license), preliminary and technical surveys, providing (through vendors) vinyl graphics, dimensional letters, fabricated signs, etc. That variety of offerings kept me going those first few years. But it got to the point that I was buried and recognized the need to streamline. Installs took the majority of my time and were the most profitable, so I gradually eliminated other items. First, I stopped offering any installation of illuminated signs. Still too busy, I next eliminated offering vendor-provided signs. Still too busy, I've started declining most survey jobs, especially the ones that I won't be installing (ie: surveys for channel letter installs, pylons, etc.). I now, almost exclusively, install signs & graphics provided by other sign companies. Installing keeps me pretty busy, then there's invoicing, quoting, taxes, financials, keeping the van and garage/shop organized, etc.

I try to recognize my limitations. I have a wife and family I need to be available for. I value my time with friends. I enjoy working on my property. I feel it's important to have a 'reset' from the stresses of life. For me, that's travel, so I make time for that. Balance in life is key.....I was going to say 'in my opinion', but I think that's a fact.

I'm a one-man-show. I liken it to guerrilla warfare. Small and mobile with a very specific skill set. If you have too much work, streamline. Find your niche.

 

[gnubler]

Some days I sorely regret ever becoming a business owner, but I keep on going when I think about the alternatives. Working for someone else never really worked out for me, I'm too independent and have no tolerance for bullshit or unethical behavior and have quit a couple jobs on the spot because of it. Now when I get pissed off I can only blame myself, so I fire myself and close the shop for a few hours and go to the lake. Wine helps too.

Those who run 7 days a week and never take time off are going to hit a brick wall eventually. Workaholics have never impressed me.

 

[Precision]

I started with myself, my wife and a production/designer/vinyl installer employee. He would design, print and install what we could. We would use outside installers for vehicle wraps, and do all other installs ourselves. As time went on, we hired a vinyl wrap installer, then a small sign installer. We have 5 employees now and did close to a million in sales last year. As you get busier, raise your pricing, use an install board, once you are booked about 3 weeks out, raise your prices substantially and only do the good profitable jobs. Quit trying to take all the nickel and dime work that you don't really make any money on. You'll be suprised.

 

[Scotchbrite]

We do like others and use prices and lead times to try to keep the workload manageable. Never fails tho, you have a slow period and need more work so you bid a few things a little lower than normal, and bam all of a sudden you get ALL of the jobs and you're buried. I've also noticed around here the other sign shops get slow and then super busy as the same time we do; even the vendors will tell me the same thing.

I too used to work a lot of extra hours, but now I've done like TopFliteGraphics mentioned; very strict work hours/days. And it's not just for me, it's for everyone here. We're fortunate to have been able to keep our employees a long time, decades even. But that also means we're all getting closer to retirement than our 20's. We're trying to keep our work hours to where everyone is happier. We've been doing half-day Fridays for the past couple of years and I think once the daylight hours get longer, we'll move the shop and installers to four 10 hour days. The guys really like getting 3 days weekends.

I agree with what Stacey K said earlier, there are no emergencies in the sign business. You don't need to be on-call for any sign work that comes up at the drop of a hat. Unless we're talking about a sign that's falling off the wall, but we've only had that happen once or twice in my time here; and those weren't our signs. There are fewer and fewer of us skilled trades people, and it's time we stop getting crapped on. If people think it's so easy to do this stuff, then they can get out there and put up a no parking sign on their Saturday afternoon.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I started with myself, my wife and a production/designer/vinyl installer employee. He would design, print and install what we could. We would use outside installers for vehicle wraps, and do all other installs ourselves. As time went on, we hired a vinyl wrap installer, then a small sign installer. We have 5 employees now and did close to a million in sales last year. As you get busier, raise your pricing, use an install board, once you are booked about 3 weeks out, raise your prices substantially and only do the good profitable jobs. Quit trying to take all the nickel and dime work that you don't really make any money on. You'll be suprised.

So what do you do when it's the same core group of people loading you down with work rather than a bunch of individual jobs? I can see overpricing to shed the 1 offs but I can't really figure out how that would work if it wasn't.

 

[Gino]

When we were going strong 5.5 days a week, when scheduling things, I generally left Monday morning open for all the things which go wrong over the weekend and we could schedule them instantly. I also kept Thursday afternoons open. Friday was left for buttoning up all the loose ends from that week. Sometimes it was a long Friday and sometime it was an early afternoon for all of us, but everyone got paid til 5 o'clock. I was generally the only person who came in on Saturday's.

Y'all need to be flexible. Ya never know what's gonna happen, like JB's generator going out or something getting damaged by accident, regardless of who's fault it is.

 

[Scotchbrite]

I guess you've never seen a set of letters dangling over an entrance from the electrical flex?
But that's for service guys to handle, as an owner, nope, no emergencies except when your crane's generator throws a rod while in the air...

I did mention "Unless we're talking about a sign that's falling off the wall..." But we've only had 1 one of those happen that I can remember and it was pretty much what you describe, hanging by the conduit (again, not our sign install originally).

Better than a thrown rod, a hydraulic line rupturing in the knuckle and spraying fluid all over your customer's store front.

 

[Stacey K]

There's plenty of days I've been here until midnight or 9pm because something goes wrong. I hate those days and I've learned that giving a little extra lead time can help that - as long as you don't procrastinate LOL

 

[Scotchbrite]

Ahh, missed that.
But dammit, I hope that was a glass storefront, and not a whole mess of fresh EFIS or something stupid.

It was EFIS..... ugh

There's plenty of days I've been here until midnight or 9pm because something goes wrong. I hate those days and I've learned that giving a little extra lead time can help that - as long as you don't procrastinate LOL

The rush jobs are always the ones that have something go wrong.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

don't procrastinate

That there is my #1 problem. Hell, I'm doing it right now.

 

[Scotchbrite]

If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done....

 

[RetepK]

I have run a one man shop for the last 35 years and LOVE IT! It has taken time to sort out how to make it work but it's not rocket science. First charge enough. Second schedule the work at a reasonable pace. I personally used to work 60-80 hours a week but at this point my motto is work less and make more. If you have to much work raising prices is the way to go. Keep the high paying customers that understand it takes time to get something worthwhile and let the others go somewhere else. I have found brainstorming what exactly the problems are and implementing an actual plan to eliminate them. Good luck. It's a great way to make a living.

 

[rjssigns]

Lots of solid advice in this thread. The best of it echoed by most posters. Raise your prices, have minimums and don't overbook.
Minimums are important to weed out the time sucks. Funny to see the reaction on someones face when I tell them their bumper sticker will be 65 bucks.

Over the years several of my clients have told me point blank; "Ya know, you're expensive."
Yet they keep coming back. Biggest reason they said is because I don't lie to them.
Top grade materials combined with realistic project goals and no BS.

Speaking of materials I only carry two vinyls and 13oz banner. Cut vinyl gets subbed to another shop.
I still do installs on yachts, windows, doors, vehicles but no longer dig holes, fabricate or go up on ladders.

I'm also adjunct faculty at a local college so one day a week I do very little if any shop work.
It's a nice break from daily "stuff".

 

[signage]

I'm also adjunct faculty at a local college so one day a week I do very little if any shop work.
It's a nice break from daily "stuff".

So you don't make signs on the cheap but you work as a professor on the cheap.

 

[Boudica]

So you don't make signs on the cheap but you work as a professor on the cheap.

Lame.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Professors aren't paid well because of the generous benefits... such as young college girls who can't seem to pass their exams with extra help from teacher.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Professors aren't paid well because of the generous benefits... such as young college girls who can't seem to pass their exams with extra help from teacher.

Tex you've been watching too much 80s porno. Quit being so cheap and update your collection.