posted
Stephen, A couple of comments just for you.
First, do you know what the word MOST means? It does not mean the same as the word all. It means the majority (NOTE, I DID NOT SAY ALLLLLLL) of franchise sign shops are looking for a get rich quick plan. There are franchise owners who actually wanted to get into the sign business and decided the best way for them to do it was to buy a franchise. They care about their work, not just about filling their bank accounts and screwing the other shops. I certainly hope you're in this group. I know there are a few of these people who come here and unfortunately, they are the exception to the rule. Then there are franchise owners who looked into buying a franchise, any franchise, because they didn't want to actually work but wanted money and figured if they had their own business they would suddenly be important and could live high on the hog, only showing up to collect the day's receipts and pay the grunts that work for them as little as possible. Unfortunately, this is the category the majority of franchise owners fall into. I'm not just talking about sign franchises either. These people could just as easily own MailBoxes, Etc or your local Grease Monkey. You get the idea. Next time you want to accuse us of bashing franchise owners, how about reading first. MOST does not mean the same as ALL.
Secondly, about the bitch comment. The reason I for one did not jump on that is that I agree with him. Some woman tries telling me everything I did was wrong because she was in desktop publishing is a bitch in every sense of the word.
Sometimes when we get into these discussions here, people commenting take for granted emphasing MOST, thinking we know not ALL franchises are the same. Then others read and think we're talking about ALL. There are exceptions to any rule and I just hope you're one of them. You come here instead of just checking your bank balance, so I'd say you probably are one of the exceptions.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Funny,but....I have heard ANYTHING about "self promotion" Is your shop vechicle a (show piece?) or raggy clunker? Does your shop have a display area of your BEST work? Is it always clean?Business cards within reach? FREE pens with your name on them? FREE candy for the sweet tooth? Look effective? Uniforms(with logos?)you wear? Ever been to a francise shop & seen HOW they do it Certain types of materals,certain letter stlyes, Certain colors to choose from?
ALL on display,wher the customer can say....... THIS material THESE letters THAT color
Then the BIG QUESTION...."How much?"
From there you can talk face to face to them AND offer even MORE!!!!!!
Either THEY are doing something RIGHT......or you ARE NOT
-------------------- PKing is Pat King The Professor of SIGNOLOGY Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
A good number of us (one man shops, mostly) have all we csan do to scrounge up workspace.....never mind fancy displays, etc. We're just trying to stay on top of our game in what little space we have. MORE ROOM means MORE OUTLAY, and many of us just can't afford it, or choose not to get overcome with overhead. In any case, we are as viable a "business" as anyone else.
quote: VIABLE: Capable of success or continuing effectiveness; practicable: a viable plan; a viable national economy. Synonym: possible.
My point Bob, is that viable doesn't mean the same thing as successful. If one doesn't have the means to invest in including some display of information in their shop, maybe this could be an area that living beyond one's means would pay off in the end.
I think any of us would be impressed by the "lived in" look of the deep paint-covered recesses of each others most remote production areas, but I think most customers prefer the cleaner "corporate" look of a showroom/studio.
This is the approach I have taken & I don't really waste production or storage space, I just spent a little more time & money making the front of my shop more presentable.
Behind closed doors I have my screen-printing & my MDO prep areas complete with the random collage of paint & ink stains amid misc tool clutter & various projects pending or in progress.
I agree that the sterile look of some franchises probably does give some security to the client. Match that with the more personable image that a small business might portray & I think this allows a little of "the best of both worlds" to keep us viable in this wally-world we live in.
posted
success=happiness. I'm very happy with my situation, so I guess Im a success. I got no overhead....I dont display squat.....I dont advertise. I been making good money for a very long time.....MY WAY, and it works for me..........! Everyone's situation is different....life puts lots of variables in our face....there's no right way or wrong way, providing you've got some sense and some talent.
posted
I just Laugh at all the wasted time and energy that people use up on this topic, I was franchise owner once... well a junior partner, but I believe I was a major influence on that business's success when I was there.. I know I was. But I was at this racket about 15yrs before that, long before FastSigns was even a thought on Gary Solomons mind, Oh Gary is the one who started that franchise, in Dallas, and it's grown into a multi multi million dollar a year business, with many many sucessful operations.
So instead of "Bitching" about them why not try to maybe give them a taste of their own medicine, open a store front like I did.. If it don't work you can aleays go Home based again. Having a true "Sign Painters" back ground with an Eye for art and design will give you one up on a lot of the franchises.
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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