The Letterville BullBoard: What does it REALLY cost to make a sign?

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Steve & Barb Shortreed
144 Hill St., E.
Fergus, ON, Canada
N1M 1G9

Phone: 519-787-2892
Fax: 519-787-2673
Email: barb@letterville.com

»	The Letterville BullBoard » Letterhead/Pinstriper Talk » What does it REALLY cost to make a sign?

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Topic: What does it REALLY cost to make a sign?

Nevman
Resident

Member # 332

posted

Occupying and paying rent (mortgage), insurance (liability, workers comp, unemployment, health, life, retirement), utilities (electric, internet, trash, water, sewer, phone, plus others...(go to estimate.com or signsraft.com to figure overhead.)

Then we have...

phone call with inital reason for customer's inquiry

time spent with customer on phone

survey of site (twice more than likely)

time you spend deciding on price

speaking with customer about approval/changes

time spent setting up & sending price to customer

phone call or email from client accepting quote

design time

speaking with customer about approval/changes

Time re-designing

emailing new design to customer

speaking with customer about approval/changes

Time re-designing

emailing new design to customer

engineering & permitting (if necessary) - there can be a good deal of time spent on this -

writing up work order

conferring with my staff regarding the order

ordering materials from supplier

paying supplier for materials

entering payment into accounting software

rectifying payment to supplier

filing receipt from supplier

rectifying payment to supplier in our checkbook

receiving supplies from supplier's shipper

logistics for job

loading for job

equipment & tools required

procurment of required tools/fasteners

site preparation

pre-production

on-site prodution

time spent with client on-site

cleanup

unloading once back at shop

invoicing

statement sending

receiving payment

depositing payment

entering payment into checking account

rectifying acounts receivable and ...

rectifying the bank account

and finally...following up with client with email, phone call or thank you letter.

Please add anything that I missed.

--------------------
Pat Neve, Jr.
Sign Man, Inc.
4580 N. US 1
Melbourne, FL 32935
321-537-8675
Capt. Sign

http://www.twitter.com/Pat_Signman

http://www.facebook.com/PatNeve

Posts: 2279 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999 | IP: Logged |

Nevman
Resident

Member # 332

posted

I know I missed a few - just hope that I openned a few eyes.

--------------------
Pat Neve, Jr.
Sign Man, Inc.
4580 N. US 1
Melbourne, FL 32935
321-537-8675
Capt. Sign

http://www.twitter.com/Pat_Signman

http://www.facebook.com/PatNeve

Posts: 2279 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999 | IP: Logged |

Dave Grundy
Resident

Member # 103

posted

LMAO Pat..... [Big Grin]

I can remember relating to all those things...

BUT... you forgot the pricing part....

AND..you forgot another thing..."deposit 10-20% of profits into some sort of retirement fund!!!"

I know that some folks think I say it too often...but it is amazing how a few little bux a week add up over the years!!

--------------------
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

dave.grundy@hotmail.com

Posts: 8875 | From: Chelem, Yucatan, Mexico/Hensall, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 1998 | IP: Logged |

Nevman
Resident

Member # 332

posted

Thanks Dave...Good words and worth repeating...

However...

I think I have those 2 in there...

quote:
BUT... you forgot the pricing part....

quote:
time you spend deciding on price

quote:
..."deposit 10-20% of profits into some sort of retirement fund!!!"

quote:
insurance (liability, workers comp, unemployment, health, life, retirement),

and I know that there are still things missing...

Anyone?

--------------------
Pat Neve, Jr.
Sign Man, Inc.
4580 N. US 1
Melbourne, FL 32935
321-537-8675
Capt. Sign

http://www.twitter.com/Pat_Signman

http://www.facebook.com/PatNeve

Posts: 2279 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999 | IP: Logged |

Mike Pipes
Visitor
Member # 1573

posted

quote:
Originally posted by Nevman:

and I know that there are still things missing...

Anyone?

taxes.

--------------------
"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 | IP: Logged |

Ian Stewart-Koster
Resident

Member # 3500

posted

Your forgot "Time Spent on Letterville" as 'self education' !

--------------------
"Stewey" on chat

"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged |

Carl Wood
Visitor
Member # 1223

posted

Yada yada yada.....I believe the expression for it is called "Having a job".........it's all part of it.....

--------------------
Carl Wood
Olive Branch, Ms

Posts: 1392 | From: Olive Branch,MS USA | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged |

Blake Koehn
Visitor
Member # 5984

posted

More then you can sell it for these days...

--------------------
Art that sells.

There is joy in the journey.

Blake Koehn
www.prodigitalsupply.com
Macon, MS 39341
662.788.1741
admin@prodigitalsupply.com

Posts: 493 | From: Macon, Ms | Registered: Sep 2005 | IP: Logged |

bruce ward
Visitor
Member # 1289

posted

ahhh now you cant look at all that junk you gotta just charge how you feel at the moment

--------------------
You ever notice how easily accessible people are when they are requiring your services but once they get invoice you can't reach them anymore

http://www.visual-images-signs.com/#!

VISUAL IMAGES
MONTGOMERY, AL

Posts: 2033 | From: Montgomery, AL, usa | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged |

Checkers
Resident

Member # 63

posted

Hiya Pat,
The one thing I noticed missing is the cost of software and the time spent maintaining/updating it.

In addition, you forgot the additional trip(s) on-site because the client "forgot" about the meeting, the run-around because the client's spouse has to give their approval and the stop work call and total redesign once it's entered into production because the client found a niece, nephew, neighbor, etc who is a graphic designer [Smile]

Havin' fun,

Checkers

--------------------
a.k.a. Brian Born
www.CheckersCustom.com
Harrisburg, Pa
Work Smart, Play Hard

Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998 | IP: Logged |

Nevman
Resident

Member # 332

posted

Thanks Mike & Brian - I did miss those.

I also didn't put in all of the overhead that it akes to keep a shop open.

--------------------
Pat Neve, Jr.
Sign Man, Inc.
4580 N. US 1
Melbourne, FL 32935
321-537-8675
Capt. Sign

http://www.twitter.com/Pat_Signman

http://www.facebook.com/PatNeve

Posts: 2279 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999 | IP: Logged |

Wayne Webb
Resident

Member # 1124

posted

Did you mention equipment purchase, maintenance and repair?

I just had to buy a new belt sander for the shop, new network cards for the computers, replace the power supply for the computer which runs the router, and the A/C condensing unit just went out in the office. Will have to sell at least $3000 worth of signs to pay for all that.

[ September 01, 2010, 11:15 AM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]

--------------------
Wayne Webb
Webb Signworks
Chipley, FL
850.638.9329
wayne@webbsignworks.com

Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999 | IP: Logged |

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