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First Let me ask you Bruce, have you ever thought about going into business from your home? If you have time to work for someone else 10 - 15 hours a week, you could use this time to find your own, more profitabe work.
A box of business cards and the drive to knock on doors until you sell a job is all it would take to find out if it would work for you.
I had partners (2) for 3 months when I pulled the plug (caught them cooking the books).
For the last 13 years, I have operated form my home. I got married 3 years ago. My wife has a business and marketing degree, and wanted nothing to do with signs.....until we had our first baby 16 months ago.
Instead of going back to work part time after her maternity leave was over, she said she could do something to earn enough income to stay home. My wife had a high paying job that made her income more than mine, so it was going to be a challenge. But if it did'nt work out, the pant suit would go back on for the 9-5.
I cut dodge rams heads and jeep decals and sent her to all of the local dealerships here. She returned later that day with $600 dollars worth of decal work.
I trained her on the basics of Omega each day, taught her to weed, tape and apply, and bought Estimating software so her pricing would be both profitable and consistant, not to mention professional looking (people and thier BS/mktg degrees - cheesh).
She spends 2 afternoons a week marketing, and 3 afternoons in production. She is the new (and pretty) face of my company. Our goals are the same so motivation is not a problem.
She researched and purchased our new outdoor printer this month, and is already producing outstanding graphics (my designs of course) on it.
My (ahem, I mean our) Business will do well over six figures for the first time, all thanks to her willingness to learn.
Bruce, give it a try. You never know, But I do.
-------------------- Mike Duncan Lettercraft Signs Posts: 1328 | From: Centreville, VA | Registered: Oct 2000
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Thanks Bruces! Bruce R. and I have been emailing each other about him coming down to either work for me, become a managing partner or whatever. He does do very nice work and from the letter he wrote describing himself, we will get along very well.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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That is some excellent news! *sniff* *sniff* All because of Letterville... Bahhhwwwwlllllll!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Partners and employees are two VERY different things.
Janis is my partner in life and business and has been for over 31 years. You have to work hard at it to keep it working. We have two very different approaches to just about everything. What works in most cases is a combination of both our ideas after much discussion. We never argue... only discuss with passion. The management with the two of us is much more balanced than it would be with only one of us at the wheel. It works and works well!
We also have multiple employees and have had for many years. I certainly value their input on a daily basis and they continually contribute ideas and ways of doing things which make us more efficient. They are like family to us.
But at the end of the day Janis & I make the decisions and live with the consequences. It can't be any other way in my view.
Good partners who work well together are a very rare and valuable find from what I've seen.
-grampa dan
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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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