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I'm a new business and starting out of my basement. When I need to meet with customers, I always try to go to them. But what do you do when you need to bring them to your place of business? Do bring them to your house? Such as lettering a vehicle for them. If anyone could give me some advice, I'd like it. I have mixed feelings about it.
-------------------- Inga Daniels Universal Design 2867 Iris Lane Hartland, Mi. 48353 unvrsldsign@aol.com Posts: 19 | From: Hartland, Michigan | Registered: Oct 2002
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i'm right there with you, buddy. i too work out of my basement, and i don't even have a garage. so far i've managed to make all of my appointments at my customer's place of business, and i do vehicle installations at their place too. i just load the truck up with everything i need and head out. i've even done installation work at the curb in front of their business.
the positive side is that when i'm out of the basement, people SEE me working. about 50% of my work has come from people noticing me work and then the "do you have a sign shop?" question.
the customers also seem to think they're getting "extra" service, since I come to them -- and they're right.
last point, when i'm doing work at their business, its a lot easier for them to ask me, while i'm working, "so, how much extra would it be for you to do ___?".
so, it would be nicer to have space for my customers to come, but since i'm making NEW customers by being out there, i'll keep at it for a while. especially since i'm saving a pile of money by keeping my overhead low.
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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I think I know where your'e coming from. I started my original business from my home and worked out of my basement for eighteen years. At times it was awkward having to bring a client into your home and down a flight of stairs to your shop area.
I ended up having an outside set of "bilco" doors, as they are called up north, installed that allowed me to bring customers in from the outside of my home. The doors were about 4' wide and allowed me to bring in full 4' x 8' sheets inside to cut and then get my finished signs outside after they were done. After many years most of my clients new to go to the side of my house and come on downstairs to find me.
Once you entered my basement you were in another world. I had an office area that could be closed off from the dust, a separate woodshop area, and then another dedicated lettering area with a hinged 16' lettering bench. The bench was positioned so that very long signs could come in and be carried out straight thru the 4' bilco doors.
My entire basement working area was no more than a 1,000 sq.ft and I managed to crank out $100,000. plus a year and nobody in the neighborhood was the wiser. I did all this while working about 4-1/2 days a week.
So it is possible to work professionally out of a basement. In fact I miss that setup and would gladly go back to a low overhead environment.
I cant go into detail but my setup was unique and extremely profitable. So I would say go ahead and give it a try. If it doesnt work for you then you can look outside to run your business. But if possible stay where you're at and keep you overhead low while you are in the learning phase.
Good luck and its not so bad living in a cave all the time. Just don't expect to have a great tan!
-------------------- Bob Stephens Skywatch Signs Zephyrhills, FL
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Years ago, I knew a sign artist who worked out of his garage. He once created a huge, impressive carved and routed cedar sign in his shop. Once he was done and ready to deliver and install, he realized it wasn't going to fit through the doors. He ended up having to cut it in half to get it out of there.
Moral of the story...keep a tape measure handy when you work in your basement.
I Agree with Scooter's theory about being seen in and about the community. It definitely helps big time.
Working from the house is good and bad. The good being there is no extra rent to pay for and everything in your world is right there. On the other side, it is hard to escape when you need that "break" sometimes. The 7 a.m. phone call can be a drag too.
To answer your question, it all depends on the customer's needs. Most times I need to go measure or take a digital pic anyway so it works out to go see the customer. If there is a shop or garage you need to visit, it's a great time to "network" and be seen. Try to meet at time when there will be some activity in the place, generally most people love to b.s. with the "Sign Guy/Gal". By the time you leave you may have lined up a few extra jobs.
Now the bigger question. Having these people in your home. There has never been any problem sealing a deal because of being at my kitchen table. Depending how your space is laid out, I always have the customer enter my working area.
By them being able to see my shop it helps insure them that I am a professional and not a hobbiest. When they see your spread of computers and other equipment they understand why it costs so much to have this type of work done. It gives them a reality they wouldn't get by talking on the phone or being at their place. They see I am not a slob, as the house, shop and vehicles are all kept orderly and neat. This reflects towards their perception of how you will treat their job and vehicles/propery. Keep samples of past work displayed. Drawing's, carving's, paintings, whatever you got, if it's good be proud of it.
When the day comes that I can get a "real shop" haha it will be good. But until then...life goes on. If the quality of your work is good and attitude/services are good they will come...
Hope this helps you out, hasn't let me down yet.
Best of luck to ya.
-------------------- Alan Ackerson LetterWorks Design and Graphics alan@ack2.com Posts: 776 | From: Oak Ridge, NJ | Registered: Aug 2002
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i work out of our attached garage and i love it! our driveway is like 900 ft uphill so it's very private..plus we have a chain if we don't want any visitors. the convenience is awesome and the $$ that is saved is another bonus...but best of all, you have the ultimate shop and it's a write off...i feel good knowing that i pretty much get that extra 30% off any(toy) i mean tool that i buy...how cool is that?!!
-------------------- Karyn Bush Simply Not Ordinary, LLC Bartlett, NH 603-383-9955 www.snosigns.com info@snosigns.com Posts: 3516 | From: Bartlett, NH USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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We've always worked from home... and intent to keep doing so.
But we are wishing for acreage with a bigger house with a separate building for the studio/and shop under soon. And as part of that plan it means we stay put and save our money for that dream.
For now I bring my clients through the kitchen and down into the 'dungeon' as I so fondly call it. Not ideal by any means, but we are where we are. I wish for big picture windows looking out around the gorgeous scenery we are blessed with and lots more space to work in.
But with some planning and a little work you can present yourself as a professional no matter what the physical digs you may have at the moment.
-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: 8764 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I used to bring the customers through the hallway to get to the basement. Now we use what was our livingroom as a 15x20 showroom/ office. My large kitchen, is now a great room (combo kitchen/livingroom). It was no added expense, only 6 hours time, to make a more professional setting.
Cutting and Routing is in a 24x30 shop out back, Screen printing is in the 26x24 garage, vinyl work, spa and the darkroom is in the 26x50 basement.
I wouldn't have a store front. The savings on no overhead goes into the "college tuition fund for the kids"
Diane Balch
[ January 16, 2003, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: E. Balch ]
-------------------- 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 don't let customers come to my house. I always go to them and take measurements, show designs etc. Working from home is great if you have kids. It allows you to be there for your kids plus still run a biz. I miss my storefront sometimes tho. Now that my kids are late teens, I may get another shop someday.
Posts: 3729 | From: Seattle | Registered: Sep 1999
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One thing you need to do is check into is your local city codes. Some places frown on running a business out of a home. I've known more than one guy that was shut down by the city, some were heavily fined. My town says I can produce signs, as long as the process isn't visible to the neighbors, but no customers may come to the house. Therefore I do all my truck lettering at the customers place.
[ January 16, 2003, 10:16 AM: Message edited by: George Perkins ]
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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I had a young kid call about getting a decal put on his back window. I don't know whether to bring him to the house, go to his house, or meet him in a parking lot? Even though it is a kid I still want to be professional. So far I've been lucky and haven't had this problem and have always been able to go to my customers location. I think I might just take Scooters advice and do it on the curb. It's only a $50 job, but still money.
-------------------- Inga Daniels Universal Design 2867 Iris Lane Hartland, Mi. 48353 unvrsldsign@aol.com Posts: 19 | From: Hartland, Michigan | Registered: Oct 2002
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I enjoy working from my home. I started 7 or 8 years ago with restaurant menus. I had converted a bedroom into a small office. Most of my meetings took place at the customers business which was fine, but it was a little nerve racking when they needed to come to my home. With 3 teenagers running around you never know what's going to happen. When I bought sign equipment about 4 years ago, I built a very nice 15 x 20 building for a shop with a heat/ac unit and double doors. (I call it my dog house) This works great for bringing in customers, and since I built it myself it didn't cost too much. It's about 30' from the house which has a 2 car garage and that's pretty handy. I have went out on location to letter vehicles, but normally they just drop them off at the house and pick them up later.
In about another year and I'll have the building and the machines paid off, then I'm going to build a garage onto the shop to do installs, painting, storage, etc...I can't wait for that.
-------------------- Ace Graphics & Printing Camdenton, MO. USA
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Inga, I have been working out of my house for 22 yrs. It works for me because my studio is in, what was, the dinning room which has a door to a porch next to my driveway. So folks can enter the studio without going through the kitchen.
I have my woodworking machinery in the basement which keeps most of the dust and noise down there. I spend the vast majority of my time carving at a bench which faces a window overlooking the nearby mountains.
Couldn't be sweeter!
Joe, Makin Chips and Havin Fun!
-------------------- Joe Cieslowski Connecticut Woodcarvers Gallery P.O.Box 368 East Canaan CT 06024 jcieslowski@snet.net 860-824-0883 Posts: 2345 | From: East Canaan CT 06024 | Registered: Nov 2001
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My shop is behind my home and is actually a small wood house that has been converted to a shop 24x32, with two added canopy ares totalling about another 500 sq.ft. I have always liked being at home except for one thing. There are always people who want to call at all hours and on Sunday to talk about work, so you can easily get yourself in the situation where you're never away from it. So I highly recommend a separate phone line or two just for the business, along with an answering machine. I change my message everytime I leave, so people feel more like there is a real person at the other end, even when I'm gone. Also you can put a message on that your closed when you leave at night , so people can call back in the morning, which helps eliminate some of the after hours calls. I have much better peace of mind this way.
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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i also work from the house. had a storefront for 22 months@$500+utilities. total 750-800 a month just to have place i had to be everyday from 9-5. this was the 1st storefront i ever had since i went full time in 86. ive always worked from home and the back of a van(old snapper mentality). now i got the best of setup, a room in the house, just off the carport entrance, and a mobile sign shop in a 20' step van. i do most of the big stuff here at the house and on the carport(i paint so need open area)and the mobile shop i drive to client, ask if i can have an electric plug in, if available or fire up the generator, and complete the job in one trip! i also do car shows, mud bog racing and other events locally(plenty of advertizing with 2-8 ft. x 12 ft. billboards(both sides of the truck).when i need wood, alum, or anything from HOME DEPOT/LOWES, i take the step van. it will suprise you how many other "businessmen" are in there and need some sort of signage. as for advertizing....i got the std yellow page listing(for free if you have a commercial phone)and i tryed to get additional listings this year under BOAT LETTERING & TRUCK LETTERING. as usual the yellow pages screwed that up.....they put me under BOAT PAINTING(no header for boat lettering, i can live with that)TRUCK LETTERING(they put me under the TRUCK PAINT & BODY,i aint payin for that one, because there is a TRUCK LETTERING header!!!!!! iam also a late morning person, and i stay up late nite....so this affords me a 9-9:30 sleep in and sometimes i work till 2 a.m.(which is good no other distractions). i really need to build a garage/shop on the property(we have 2 acres) so space is no problem. ive been lookin at a metal buildings, 30'x 40' x 14 high would do me nicely for everthing. ive spent a couple nites with CAD programs layin it out...heheheheheh. adding the building to the property not only gives me more space but adds to property value rather then put my money in someone elses pocket.
-------------------- 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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I kinda have experienced both scenarios, I had my office/art room in the house, with my "shop" about 100 ft. away from the house. For about 2 years I had customers coming and going thru the house at all hours, and what's worse is, they had to go thru the laundry room. Needless to say the "missus" did not like having her house on display all the time. Last Feb. I moved everything that resembled my business out to my shop. I have a 14'x32' portable barn building that now houses my computers and such, as well as my screenprinting and sign equipment.I named the building "Clanton Graphics Studio Annex I" as I hope to someday build a larger shop on my property. I love the setup and My wife is much happier, and now if people still want to see my dirty underwear, I can charge 'em!
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1737 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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