If you think signmaking materials have increased...ask any auto body repairman/painter what he thinks about escalating costs. (Those of you who have had occassion to buy automotive paints/materials recently will know what I mean)
We happen to be in a business that is not REQUIRED in most people's mind.
If your roof leaks, your electricity quits working, your plumbing screws up, your vehicle won't start or any number of other things quit working...you HAVE to get someone on the job to rectify the situation so that you can continue living normally. (OR fix it yourself to save money.)
If a guy doesn't have a sign, or his sign looks shabby he DOESN'T have to get one made or refurbished. In his mind he can get along without for a while. (OR he can make one/fix one himself.)
It may not be correct thinking but it is practical thinking for many people.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
One way to keep it in perspective is to remember that we are on the low end of the food chain...
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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Sure made me think last Friday afternoon when I went to letter the 3rd new truck this month for one of my Plumbing customers - the service guy driving this one lives in a $300,000 house - -he was drinking iced tea & manicuring his yard while I did the graphics - - shameful . . .
-------------------- Carl Wood Olive Branch, Ms Posts: 1392 | From: Olive Branch,MS USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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quote:and i also am one of the few that is happy with my life(cancer free, 60 and building my shop while making signs FULL TIME)and you all want to jump me for an ATTITUDE???? i think you need to stop...and check your own TUDES.....
...relax Joe, I really don't think anyone's "jumping on you"
Ron said "attitude is contagious" after observing some differences between your "telling it like it is" comments on some negative facts of life & Dan's comments on a more positive outlook.
I'm not saying he doesn't see & deal with those other facts... & I'm certainly not saying you are missing all the positive stuff either, but I do think what you choose to post about on a discussion of profitability does, to some degree, reflect a mindset or a viewpoint (or the dreaded "A" word) & IF that were contagious... well I'm an optimist & I like positive attitudes.
That doesn't mean I'm trying to insult you or think you need to change, but I do believe that those who see the glass half full, also manifest it filling up & those that see it half empty manifest it draining. In your life you may be way ahead of me on this, but from your posts it sometimes seems like being around more optimistic viewpoints could be good for you too.
As for what has changed, I went back & read my older post. At that time I was impressed with a 200K increase in the value of my home (& I had already enjoyed the savings of refinancing once) I also posted about hitting 100K in sales for 4 years running.
..so what is new for me is the same house has increased in value another 250K in less then 2 years, & last year I did 130K in sales (by myself again) ...but this year, thanks in part to 3-1/2 months of full time help... I'm over 110K already & just made my biggest investment ever in new equipment. I also work less then last year.
posted
I have close to 50 years on this planet (not counting several on other planets) and I have found that what I think is going to happen in my life, generally does. Being an optimist has nothing to do with your circumstances, they will change. This is why a persons attitude is so important. I have been around people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, yet their life is spinning out of control. Others, who have had constant and relentless setbacks seem to have it all together. Anyone can have a positive attitude when things are going good, it's when everything seems to be falling apart that you find what they are really made of.
OP...I'm not picking on you, I have enjoyed your posts over the years (although you would be happier if you were a Republican)
-------------------- Carper's Signs 594 Union School Rd. Mount Joy, PA 17552 carpersign@earthlink.net Posts: 157 | From: Lancaster, PA, USA | Registered: Aug 1999
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After reading "the millionaire mind" I think the most important thing in making a living is to pick your customers. If you work for small business owners who are also struggling to get by you won't be able to get much for your work.
On the other hand, if you sell to large corporations money is not a problem. You can charge them a fair amount for your work.
Think about the most successful signmakers you know, do any of them serve the low end customers? I bet their customers have plenty of money.
ernie
-------------------- Ernie Balch Balch Signs 1045 Raymond Rd Malta, NY 518-885-9899 Posts: 405 | From: Malta, NY | Registered: Jan 2003
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I agree with OP except for maybe I'm a bit more cheerful. I do think he's 100% right...there is a glut of plotter people (I can't even call 'em sign makers) They will make their stickers cheaper than anyone until they have hurt everyone's business. They have devalued what we Letterheads have striven to present to the public. But you know what? The public can have 'em. Let them run themselves out of business and see if I care.
I think to survive in this biz, one must be a hard worker, a perfectionist, and dedicated to producing good-looking products. Like so many have said, one must create a niche for themselves, and to provide a service that their competition cannot. And one must know the value of the service that they provide and not be afraid to charge for it. (like me) That's not saying you have to be an arrogant ass tho.
Unfortunately, most of the people in my area do not see a sign as a good advertising investment. It is often the last thing that they think of when opening a business. How many of us have had a last-minute frantic call from some client opening a business the next day? And people know the price of everything but the value of nothing.
I myself am an extremely poor businesswoman. I make signs with my heart, not my head. I used to spend hours trying to convince a person to buy a classy-looking sign. Now I just shut up and crank out Brush Script. Why waste precious time on someone who doesn't give a rat's patooty? Hey, we all have to eat.
It reminds me of a lady with a 1960's beehive hairdo...she has worn it for years, the look works for her (in her own mind) she thinks she's stylin....why try to talk her into a new 'do? Why bother? I would just get out the Aqua-Net and keep teasing if I were her stylist. And charge her for my time.
I know I need to change my habits tho, my sales style and my self-esteem. If someone wants vinyl, they are gonna pay me what it is worth. No more handing out sketches. No more "instant" quotes. If they want a logo, they are gonna be billed for it and also told just why it will be in their best interest to buy it from ME. And the only all-caps Old English stuff I do will be for my kid's friend's cars (but not for free) I have invested the past 20 years of my life into this biz and I'll be damned if I'll let some low-baller bring me down.
Mark, buddy, I wish you the best. You are a good person and a brave man to write what you just posted. I appreciate your honesty. And good luck with your health. You are one of my heroes.
Love....Jill
[ July 28, 2005, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: Jill Marie Welsh ]
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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(And yeh Opie, what Ron said, PLUS you'd be happier at LEAST eatin' fish, if ya won't do steak . . . lol, did you know I LOVE to pick on you...?)
This IS a good thread-ressurection.
BTW, nothin's changed here: My little 'hick' town is still boomin', with several new Dr, offices recently built, a new farmer's Co-op, new YMCA soon, new hotels, new business offices, and we also have a new township started.
Do I get ALL that sign work? Nope . . .don't even try, 'cause one person can only do SO much and work just so many hours in a day. But I get enough of it, and growth means future demand too.
Just as an another example, Dallas has'nt changed either. Since 1979, massive highway construction booms and apartments and buildings. Something going on ALL the time.
I suppose it DOES depend on where you are, and it definitley depends, not so much on WHAT you choose to do, but HOW you choose to do it, meaning attitude goes way further than the almighty dollar.
How much IS 'enough' money anyway?
Being easily dis-satisfied or tryin' to keep up with material desires is most people's problem anyway. What is enough to me may seem like poverty to another, yet to those in poverty, I'm like a millionaire.
It's not wrong to have wonderful nice things. It's wrong when that's your only joy.
All 'classes' of people, every person, should understand the 'Money ain't everything' concept.
(I know lot's of very unhappy 'rich' people, and very happy 'poor' folks.)
If you work hard and try to do right, but bring home a limited income, are you really poor?
If you act like a fat-cat & rake in millions from devious schemes, are you really rich?
So, I belive that a combination of optimism, sweat, callouses, and love of God & people will render you a shining success in this life even if you lose every single thing.
It's not HOW MUCH you have or can get, it's ONLY WHAT YOU DO WITH IT....not just money or even a specific talent, or even your material things, . . .but also, as has been so adequately illustrated by OP and others, your health . . .and your eyes, your hands, your feet . . . . your brain.
What do you actually DO with the things you have?
~~~Theme song: Moon shadow
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
OK, OK, I can say I can relate to OP and Jill a whole lot better than I can Dan. Dan posesses something not too many of us here have in his ALWAYS positive attitude. I have no earthly idea how he does it. I try , but don't get anywhere near his level of perfection. Just like I have tried for thirty years to pull a decent straight line, I just can't do it. I wish some of you folks would back off a little bit. Saying some need to have a more positive attitude might sound easy but it's just not. To put it another way, some of us can take a sword striper and some paint and make a perfectly symetrical design on a panel. Should those of us that CAN berate those that can't???
We all walk in different shoes and live in different areas. If Joe tells me things are $hitty for him I believe it.
Doug talks about his house increasing in value $250K in two years............mine has increased maybe $5K in that time.........how do I relate to that?
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
posted
ron being a republican IS LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET....and there in lies the problem....if you tolerate the way the govt is going and think its all POSITIVE....boy have you got a rude awakening. also i used to live in pa...i understand why you think like you do....hehehehehehehe. as for me i really dont give a **** what you think of my attitude cause most of you cant seem to understand what iam saying....but want to tell me how to change and be totally oblivious to what is actually happing in this business and country. since i have such a depressed attitude, i think ill just go out in the yard and eat worms.......and let you all read you dale carnegie, millionaire mind, iam ok your ok, e.s.t. and any others that ive read and see them as only the writers and publishers making profits from simple things that any fool can write. again...ill say it one more time...i am one of the most pleasant and happy people i know, but i do see the way things are going....and s h i t..... 50 years from now it wont matter how i feel.....hehehehehehehehe
[ July 28, 2005, 12:11 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Well, you do create your own reality from how you perceive the world. Keep hanging with the bottom feeders and that's all you can see.
That's not to say that what Joe and Jill see isn't correct but it is not the only way to make a living in signs. It is a hell of a lot tougher in respect to all the plotter people out there. Later I will post an ad in the new yellow pages for an example here of the same thing.
George, I don't buy into any of the extreme ends as far as positive and negative. Surely the business world isn't as bad as it seems when we run into the aforementioned crap, nor is it all rosey that can be fixed by pretending that all you need is a phony positive attitude and follow your dreams.
-------------------- Wright Signs Wyandotte, Michigan Posts: 2785 | From: Wyandotte, MI USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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posted
I certainly don't ALWAYS have a positive attitude as those who know me well can attest. I'm no where near perfection. I have bad days like most humans. Not everything I do goes according to plan either and I have made mistakes in the past that have cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars (in real cash). But I don't dwell on those mistakes or the money lost... its behind me.
In most cases I can instantly shake off things that happen through each day and get on with life in a hurry where some folks tend to carry things a bit longer (or a lot longer in some cases).
Janis & I have a deal where only ONE of us is allowed to have a bad day at any given time... unfortunately on the days I want to have one its NOT MY TURN.
I don't believe my life is really that different than most of the folks who are on this board.
I do however take enormous joy in many little things through each day which are fun. I celebrate the small accomplishments we achieve. These things take up more of my thought life than the negative things which happen throughout each day. Truth is I can't do much about bad things which happen anyway, and I certainly try not to worry for it doesn't do much good.
I try and take small steps towards my long and short term goals each day. This is how progress is achieved. Its a rare day when I am able to make large progress towards these same goals. Life isn't like that at least not at my house.
When the phone rings I believe it will be my next big break and I'm excited where some folks might worry it would be bad news... If its some dude soliciting for money or a wrong number I then quickly shift gears and wait for the NEXT call which WILL be the one... I quickly separate the genuine customers from the tire kickers and those who come to SAVE money. With a smile I tell them I want to spend as much as their money as I possibley can, giving them GOOD VALUE instead of a CHEAP PRICE. I send away 95% of the folks who come to me, keeping ONLY the ones that will allow me to do the job right.
Its my experience that if I am cheerful and expect the best of my hired help I will get the same back from them. It works for me!
Each day I am excited about coming out to the shop and creating something new and exciting... about going where we've never gone before. There's always risk in that approach, but its always challenging and fun.
I surround myself with folks who are more talented than I who have this same positive outlook on life, for in their company I have the most to learn.
I've seen folks who merely pretend to be happy... and they can be the most unhappy of all.
And ask just about anyone who was at the Mazeppa meet... I CAN NOT pull a remotely straight line. But instead of driving myself nuts trying I incorprated the wiggly style into my work to make it fresh and innovative.
As David says above I DO BELIEVE you create your own reality from how you percieve the world.
It IS about the small stuff. Adding up many small positive things will change the big picture in a hurry.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Grampa dan, you said that it IS about the small stuff. Those small things are actually very big, aren't they?
I would rather be rich in spirit & poor materialistically than poor in spirit....
I am driving a van that we bought last year for $100, & my junkyard friend whom I have blessed, gave me a free engine for it!!! Yee-ha! It still has a big dent to be popped out, & it needs a paint job, but by golly, it is an ASTRO VAN!!! I have wanted one for years, & now I finally got one, & I don't owe anything on it! You may say, but wouldn't you rather have a new one? Sure, who wouldn't? But if it is meant to be, it will come. I appreciate what I do have right now. I have seen my life in the last 13 years get nothing BUT better & better.
I guess I can honestly say I am not where I would like to be yet, but thank God I am not where I was!!! Things come, in time.
I try not to focus on the things in the world that are temporary, but the things that are forever.
And while I am here, I am gonna keep on learning what I can, & I am going to get better & better at painting signs.
-------------------- The Word in Signs Bobbie Rochow Jamestown, PA 16134
724-927-6471
thewordinsigns@alltel.net Posts: 3485 | From: Jamestown, PA 16134 | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by David Wright: Well, you do create your own reality from how you perceive the world. Keep hanging with the bottom feeders and that's all you can see.
Ding ding! we have a winner!
[QUOTE] George Perkins said: Saying some need to have a more positive attitude might sound easy but it's just not.
Ding ding another winner!
The reason it's hard to break out of a "funk" is because all emotions are linked to chemical reactions in your brain. Emotions release peptides (endorphins) which stimulate certain receptors in the brain that are designated to handle those emotions. When a certain emotion is ever-present it keeps feeding those receptors, receptors for other emotions DIE because they are not used, and over time your brain physically adapts and re-wires itself to suit its environment.
ie: a crappy attitude starts as just a thought, but if you don't let it go your brain will alter itself so that crappy attitude becomes who you are, physically, and it will be even harder to change it.
The power of thought is amazing. People have the ability to make themselves happy, make themselves physically sick, perpetually angry or depressed, and can even will themselves to death.. just by thinking about it.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I dont blame anything or anyone for my situation in life. It (is) a result of the decisions I have made.
2001 was the hardest year for me in over 30 years. I saw the problem and took drastic measures to turn things around. These past few years have consisted of great personal sacrifice but my future has never ever looked so bright. If we think that doing the same thing over and over again will make the problems go away then we are deluding ourselves.
Sometimes drastic change is necessary even if it scares the shyte out of you.
-------------------- Bob Stephens Skywatch Signs Zephyrhills, FL
posted
I'm with Bob on his comments. Life is all about choices and we make them every day whether we realise it or not.
When we resolve to make drastic changes we must also realise that it involves some risk. And most often we need to give things a realistic timeframe.
Write down some goals... and write down what you think needs doing to achieve these same goals. Then do it.
Build it and they will come!
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Life is what you make it. Bad things are always going to happen. Its how you deal with them that makes a difference.
The World is constantly changing. It seems to me that the people who are the least happy and have the most difficulties are those who are unable or are unwilling to adapt.
My happiness and success in this business or any other is up to no one but me, not some politician, bureacrat or competitor.
posted
Hey Glenn...Nice to see a couple of posts by you again!
Since I have been around here long enough to remember what you and your family and your business have endured in the past, I totally agree with what you are saying.
quote:Life is what you make it. Bad things are always going to happen. Its how you deal with them that makes a difference.
You have handled your setbacks admirably in the past and I know that your success is based on that ability.
We all have "good fortune" tossed our way some times and we all have "bad luck" happen. We just have to let the bad luck roll off our back and embrace the good fortune.
I don't include natural disasters like folks such as you and others have experienced, but a lot of the time both the good and the bad luck are received as a result of our own actions.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
quote:If you work for small business owners who are also struggling to get by you won't be able to get much for your work.
On the other hand, if you sell to large corporations money is not a problem. You can charge them a fair amount for your work.
Think about the most successful signmakers you know, do any of them serve the low end customers? I bet their customers have plenty of money.
You are RIGHT ON Ernie!!!
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
I honestly think this area may be worse than the others discussed in this thread. But cool things are happening. I'm wrapping up a window job that I got from a phone number on another window job. You know, name and number in the lower corner.
********
These are times that require A LOT of attention to detail, and that's how to rise above this mess. Specifically: coming up with designs that catch people's eye, but aren't much more time consuming, and getting paid what your rate is, not the going rate. DESIGN IS THE KEY.Being able to click my mind into that 'wild design mode', without adding a lot of extra stuff to the job. Just question all the norms.I had three calls within the last three weeks based on design of other jobs I did. Just unheard of for me.
********
What was that line from the Alman Brothers? "One way out babe..." Design. They can't want it 'till they see it (on someone's window).
********
Where would this BB be without Dan?? There would be the proverbial black hole.
********
N.S.F.O. Not setling for ordinary.
********
There is a way out, stop playing on the same field.
********
Window painting is my favorite medium. To have this come alive is really cool.
********
This isn't turning out quite right, I can't with words on a screen convey the details and the emotion.
********
I do have something different to sell, and I'm going to try selling it.
********
I'm going to set aside a little money here and there to buy supplies to build some cool sculpture. Put it right out front. The word will get around.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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I stayed out of this for a while, Frankly I find the topic somewhat distressing.I totally disagree with it.
There is an enormous amount of money to be made in the sign industry, look at the number of 'HUGE', not large, sign companies that are serving national companies like Walmart, McDonald's, Xerox and other corporations too numerous to mention. Medium sized business also thrive, look at the majority of franchise shops that have survived 5 years or more, these are successful businesses that are are not just surviving, but thriving.
The small independent sign shops that are suffering in this economy aren't suffering from lack of talent, they are however suffering from a lack of business skills. There is money out there to be made, but it takes real business skills to organize a shop to produce efficiently and effectively, to manage changes in market and consumer demand, to stay abreast of technological demand.
I see a lot of talented people on this board who spend half their time weeding vinyl, when a kid at $7.00 per hour could do that. Artists digging post holes for next to nothing. The trick is to recognise what your specific talent is and to create a support group of people around you who can keep you in your niche. Think of a Dentist who never leave his dental chair where he generates 300-800 $/hour. He lets his receptionist deal with scheduling, his bookkeeper deal with billing, he stays in the 'slot', the earning slot, his support people take care of the mundane.
Just a thunk...
-------------------- Mike O'Neill
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. - Arthur C. Clarke
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Like Mike, I too have been holding back on this thread. And I couldn't agree with Mike more.
It really isn't about one thing. Being a good to great designer/artist is a plus ... not an answer. Being efficient and productive ... likewise. A positive attitude ... ditto. Developing sound business practices ... yup. Putting together enough elements of success, both financial and self-gratifying ones, is more likely the key.
And for each of us, that combination is unique.
One thing I've found helpful over the years is to realize when I'm being emotional in business. Not to be confused with having a passion for what you do (essential for success). Emotional in positive and negative ways is what I'm trying to describe.
For example, the franchise shop up the street is doing $500,000 gross a year and you're doing $75,000. You can analyze the shop and very easily see lots of things that are being done differently. Some things may not be something you'd want to do and others you could easily do. So you pick and choose what suits you and business improves. That's a good thing.
Or you look at the same situation and conclude that the franchise shop is ruining the craft, vinyl is a villain, magnetic signs are beneath you, etc. etc. etc. That's emotional. Go back and read Ricky Jackson's post about becoming a franchise shop.
And I'm not saying you have to do vinyl or make mags to be successful ... just trying to illustrate my point. You have to be good at what you do and do it efficiently and have a passion for it and tailor what you do to your market and you have to have good ways to reach the market and you have to provide products and services that your market wants. What suits you and the combination of pluses at your disposal will be unique. And looking at it unemotionally is central to make good choices and improving your business.
Doug Allen and I talked recently on the phone for a pretty long while. He mentioned interest in comments I had made regarding some specifics in my business. This was in the vein of adding and eliminating various products and services. This in an overall effort to achieve the highest return on my time with my given set of capabilities.
The answer for me, and not put forth as an answer for anyone else was to change the things that were providing a below average return and to focus on those that were providing an above average return. The second part of the change was to do something to improve marketing.
The conclusion, for me, was to move the business into a good location for bringing in a steady flow of new business. We swallowed hard and leased a location in a plaza anchored by an Office Depot. At the time that amounted to about 20% of gross sales but by doing this we had no further need for any advertising budget or to pay any sort of commissions to sales personnel. We also focused on an efficient floor plan combined with equipment which would enhance our productivity so that we did not have any need to employ others. The final choices had to do with limiting what we do. After a fair amount of analysis, we eliminated those things which would require being away from our store. We make the best return on our time when we're in the store selling or producing work. So we don't do installs, deliveries, or onsite sales calls or go out and take measurements etc.
The result was that by our third month we hit volume of five figures (our in the black sales point) and never looked back. We didn't compromise our prices or our quality ... we just limited what we do to what we do well.
That was five years ago and the Mrs. and I still have no employees. We reinvest in the business here and there and have been able to enjoy an average to above average income from our efforts for all but three months of that five years. We're friends with many of the shops around us as well. And we receive more than our share of creative satisfaction from our efforts.
That worked for us. What works for you?
-------------------- Fred Weiss Allied Computer Graphics, Inc. 4620 Lake Worth Road Lake Worth, FL 33463 561 649-6300 allcompu@allcompu.com Posts: 427 | From: Lake Worth, Florida | Registered: Feb 2003
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"I don't buy into any of the extreme ends as far as positive and negative. Surely the business world isn't as bad as it seems when we run into the aforementioned crap, nor is it all rosey that can be fixed by pretending that all you need is a phony positive attitude and follow your dreams" THANK YOU DAVID.....that sums it up really well and like i said i do have the greatest attitude in the world....... but it doesnt block out the FACTS of what is going on around you. and ive said iam doing AS WELL AS I WANT TO BE(business end)....thats what most need to understand....
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Hey GEET I saw "The Junkyard" on PHX news a day or two ago and it made me think of you.. I was lookin for you in the background then realized I don't know what you look like... I forget what the story was, maybe giant scorpions running off with the Mayor's dog to feed their young or massive dust devils tearing through and leaving a path of cleanliness.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Hello Mark, I'm a new member, so sorry for the late response. Just a little positive prospective... To "take home" $100,000 per year you would have to clear $357.00 per day @ a 5 day per week, 280 day year. If you are VERY motivated & have a good client following, this is possible. Obviously ownership/lease/garage come into play.
I have 3 employees & myself, an 8000 sq.ft. shop & have 65'crane & 50' bucket, gross in the $400,000 range & work 4 days a week. The equity in the building is a source for income also... but... I sit behind a desk, bid, babysit & put out fires all day & yearn for the days when I worked alone & actually hand lettered! In conclusion... I don't think $100,000 take home is an unreasonable goal. Although you MUST put out a great product & put in FULL days. And yes... a few weekends. (I'm making an "x" with my fingers at the thought of that). Good Luck & enjoy.
-------------------- Michael R. Bendel Bendel Sign Co,. Inc. Sauk Rapids, MN Posts: 913 | From: Sauk Rapids, MN | Registered: Jul 2005
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We analyzed the profits for the last few years and found some things that should have been obvious (but we just didn't see them before).
1)We only make money on big orders, (duh) small orders are killing us. 2)Carved signs - our favorite, are the least profitable, (material costs and labor). 3)Screen printed shirts - are the most profitable (I hate screen printing so we only do big jobs). 4)80% of our profits come from only 2 customers that place big orders year after year. We do almost all of our profitable work during May and August. We might as well take the rest of the year off, cause all we do is break even.
We should avoid the small one time customers and concentrate on government and corporations that have ongoing needs.
ernie
-------------------- Ernie Balch Balch Signs 1045 Raymond Rd Malta, NY 518-885-9899 Posts: 405 | From: Malta, NY | Registered: Jan 2003
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