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How is everyone doing this year? Better? Worse? Has the "economic slump" SLUMPED right on top of you>?
the reason I ask is that Master's Touch Sign & Screenprint Co., our biz, is on track here at the end of the 1st quarter to do better than 30% above last year....our best year ever!
We have expanded our services to include textile printing--and let me tell you, that has REALLY turned into a goldmine....and we have barely started with it!!!
So whassup? How is ev'rybody doin'?
Barry
------------------ Master's Touch Signs & Screenprinting Clinton AR 5017456246 ICQ 17430008 "Imagine the Possibilities..."
Posts: 2500 | From: Clinton, AR USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Barry- We just started this gig full time back in Feb. I'm finding out in a hurry that I need to get off my ass and go find work. There has'nt been a sign guy in this town for a long time, so its a never ending quest to educate people. I joined the Chamber, the Sturgis Area Business Alliance, gave away banners to orginizations, got my mug in the paper a few times, and alot of creative thinking on how to stay active, and in the front of peoples minds.
In 2 weeks I'm the featured artist at a popular coffee shop downtown. This is mainly done for fun, but "Sturgis Signworks" will be advertised as well.(probally shamelessly). I'm also doin the web page thing, for my collector panels that I hustle.
I've been in business less than 2 months, and I've already been out-flanked and underbidded(?), by a couple of other shops for a few jobs,(low money), but, I feel that I'm building a good clientell here.
I'm still new to the full time thing, and its a bitch to get my ass motivated everyday, since I don't have a "real" job, but I feel that I'll get there soon enough. If not, I've already scoped out the local McDonalds for the burger flippin job.
I also just bought,(can I really afford this?), the new ZZ Top-XXX. This CD will awake the DEAD! Gets my blood pumpin in the AM. Gotta go-
"WAGING WAR ON UGLY SIGNAGE"!
------------------ Steve Barba is the proud owner, president, & sole employee of Sturgis Sign Works. "B0LT" on the chat room thing. 209 Oak Drive Sturgis SD 57785 sbarba2616@dtgnet.com 605-720-7667
Posts: 768 | From: Sturgis South Dakota | Registered: Nov 1998
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Barry...So far this year is shaping up to be one of the best. No sign of any "slump" around my area.
------------------ Dave Grundy AKA "applicator" on mIRC "stickin' sticky stuff to valuable vessels and vehicles!" in Granton, Ontario, Canada 1-519-225-2634 dave.grundy@quadro.net www.quadro.net/~shirley
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All the talk a couple months ago about recesion, is why we apear to be somewhat in one !! A recesion is "fear", seems the people who are most afraid at this time are big investers(they have sold off short on the markets)everytime my money goes up 1%, the market "sell offs" take it back down 4%. Rapid Tac is having a usual first 1/4, mild increase for this month, the usual slow down for Jan., Feb.. We are expecting a 23%growth rate 2nd 1/4, hope this is the end of negative media about the "recision"
Roger
------------------ Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated Waikoloa, Hawaii
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when did the recession stop? didn't it start in the 80's and never leave?
i'm doing well, it hasn't been recession, but, gowing pains of a new business that kept me broke.
i've been doing really well now since last summer.
although one of my big clients just went bankrupt and dinged me for $600. that'll hurt, but, i think they went bankrupt cuz they're stupid, not, cuz of recessions.
posted
I too think recessions can be a self fulfilling prophecy. No sign of it in my business though, I am as busy as ever. If they keep saying the R word people will respond.
------------------ Artworks Olympia WA
Posts: 797 | From: Olympia, WA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Things have been real slow for the past couple of months up until last week. I got an order to do an entire fleet of trucks (25 in all), 5 sandblasted signs, design a few new logos, and a bunch of "in memory of" Dale Earnhart stuff from local racers. This morning I got two calls....One from my right-hand employee - she quit. And right after that, I got a call from a company that has 10 cement trucks to letter and put stipes on the barrels.
Sigh....I enjoy roller coasters, but this is get'n silly.
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Business is just fine, but it is slowing down somewhere. Last year this time we could not find any kind of help, this year the labor situation is back to more or less normal. We still have more business than we can keep up with. Vic G
------------------ Victor Georgiou Bob Loves Signs Inc Danville, CA email blssign@pacbell.net
Posts: 1746 | From: Danville, CA , USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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I'm on the roller coaster with Glenn. I've been super busy in the boom town frenzy of Atlanta for almost 20 years with NEVER a slow time. Then, suddenly, around December the phone just quit ringing. We're picking back up to normal chaos now, but it was getting scary there for a couple of months.
------------------ Sonny Franks Atlanta
"Well done beats well said every time"
Posts: 4115 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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iam down here in L.A.(lower alabama) as they call pensacola...and this past yr has been the worst of my business life(since 1986 full time)it started to go south here back in feb/march of 2000. it was really bad may june july, closed my shop june 30 and tucked into the house. it was tight the rest of the yr being new in this town(moved here in july98)and not having any real diehard customers. i bought the step van in sept/oct and have been workin on it to get it on the road and i have been out in it pretty steedy latly, but iam getting a lot of 4x8's and big banners..so gat do this outa the truck..have to stay at the house and produce....but the truck is a rollin billboard...when iam in it i get calls on my cell phone from people in their cars...so iam seeing a upturn in business...and iam likin it..espesially when i get to do window lettering outa the back of my van...just like the "good old snappin days", but i got my computer, cutter & vinyl in the truck also.....heck i did a window last week for food(a mexican rest. that i eat at all the time gota $50 food credit there)
------------------ joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-944-5060 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND
Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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hey mark....at lest this mexican restaurant is owned and run by spanish people.....not like the mexican restaurant in commerace ga. that was all chinese....hahahahahahaha
------------------ joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-944-5060 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND
Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Ya know things came to a screaching halt the day Florida forgot how to count and I thought we were in a slump ever since til I realized we have taken a trip to Las Vegas...two trips to Denver...gone to a letterheads in Georgia...went back to Denver for Christmas...then to a meet in Monroe Louisiana we've been hit with some really fowl and wet weather but I think the final straw came when we went to another meet here lasr week at Fred's signs in OKC.
hehe... the slump turned out to be me!Well we have dipped into the savings a little but now we can get back to work...hey aleast I got in 3 meets in the last 6 months ...that should be worth the "slump".
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
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Biz is pretty good in Southwest Florida, considering I canceled my ads in the yellow pages. Put that $320. a month I was wasting on the ads towards a 21' Center Console Boat-motor-trailer! The kingfish and cobia should be hittin' soon if the wind would die down. I did a faux finish job in Feb. that brought in $10,000 for three weeks of work, and another potential $25,000 exterior finish job on a new home on the beach.
I just pray that economy is just coming in for a soft landing and it doesn't turn into a ressesion. I wonder what would have happened if the Dems had won instead of Bush? Cheers
------------------ Robert Thomas Creative Signs In Beautiful Naples, Fl.
Posts: 965 | From: Bonita Springs, Florida USA | Registered: Feb 2000
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Business is definitely kinda squirrely in Kansas City. My 150 car stores I usually design advertising and window campaigns are beginning to sag all over in Kansas and Missouri. Stores here and there are losing some monster money right now (100k per month and up!) Chrysler stores are the worst off, here. GM stores next. Some guys are complaining, but few heads are rolling yet. Inventories are swollen. Lots are full. Owners are desparate. Used car prices are down at the sales and salesmen are asking me for leads on who is doing what and hiring the best ones for the most money. I can tell things are tuff. Heads will roll at the top levels of management and when that happens it usually always means more work for me, however until then, I will have to suffer thru the belt tightening routine some more.
My fastfood chain work has been off, too. One big group of KFCs punted a campaign and a big group of grocery stores are on hold til things pick up. I can definitely tell something is afoot. Everyone is price conscious and less schedule conscious. Until things break loose, I am typically doing my regulars with greater service and more care, proving once again that nothing takes the place of good service. I think this is going to be a challenging year and one I will work harder while charging more per customer and have simply less customers. It is a year where the economy could really take a major burp. This stock market has everyone freaking out about spending money. The tap is off. I would hold off major purchases and would be lean and mean. No major computer expenditures and no new tools until summer. I will try to convert all sub work to my own labor. Time to get tight with profits. Carry the phone and not just leave it in the truck for the message machine to pick it up. Send out more direct mail. Make call-backs and follow ups. Time to just do it right...all of it.
I am the eternal optimist, generally, but I do not see 2001 as being the banner year. No baloney, the economy is in serious shrink mode until someone tells us otherwise. We lost in the tech markets so bad in the last year (my stocks are down 58%!) and sales everywhere are slowing a bit. I will mention it first: we are in a RECESSION and will be in one for three to six months! Heck, just look at the Dow. Focus on net profits and not gross sales to get it thru. Focus the customer on "when" and not "How much" in order to get it moving again. I would hate to be looking for a job right now or be needing to make a major move. King George II has his work cut out!
------------------ Preston McCall 2516 W 63rd St. Mission Hills, Kansas 66208 913-262-3443 office 816-289-7112 cell
Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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See Preston, thats what I'm talkin bout. Some major networks started this by yellin "recision" now even we are talkin about ways to save and tighten the belt !!
Oh well, Too late now ! Roger
------------------ Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated Waikoloa, Hawaii
posted
Well roger is right...i dont think most people have a clue as to what a recession is other than some crap they here on the news and preston says it..the recession is on until someone tells us otherwise...oh please...cmon...i know..look at the Dow...well the dow is down only 9% off its high...9%....not 70,not 50...and that amounts to a loss if it was put in number of less than less than 2% of the overall wealth of the market...hardly enuff to to cause every economic difficulty we want to blame on it....also consider the pace at which the economy and the mkt grew over the last 10 or so yrs...anything less than that WILL seem like everything is going in the tank...and having a bunch of brainless putzez on TV and network news as well as the conspiracy theory advocates all screaming RECESSION RECESSION when they hardly have a clue what it means doesn't help...funny how little probable impact this "recession and economic downturn" would have if more people got off their asses and hustled instead of sitting around wondering how its gonna effect em
------------------ Gavin Chachere aka Zeeman Miller Supply Co./Ozone Signs & Grafix New Orleans La. www.millersupply.net www.ozonegrafix.com
Posts: 1223 | From: new orleans.la. | Registered: Mar 2000
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I do think we are in a depressed economy, after thinking about it for the last 24 hours. I think what is the worst part of it is that we are all talking about how much of a slow down we feel and that is causing us to think twice about buying that $200 load of useless stuff at wherever and instead thinking about how we can get by with lower debt and more in our pocket.
The best news is that historically, being in the sign business as an individual has always been about the best place to be. People ALWAYS need signs to advertise their GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sales. It is just a time where there is alot of turmoil and therefore more sign work. It is not a time where the giant budget jobs are stacked ten deep, though. We just have to get smart and weather it out.
The equity market is way off. Look at your capital gains on your mutual funds last year compared to the net losses. It is amazing how you have to pay taxes on money you lost!
I suspect Greenspan will cut rates .075 and will stimulate it back together. Bush will work on the oil producers to pump more and alot of the other government dragdown deals will vanish. We will get out of the caution flag zone in six months and the gogo times will return fast, however I do see people getting sacked and moved along who are dead weight. It is just a time to get smart! Give great service and call those customers back one more time! No more of those "that is not in my job description' comments will be heard from disgruntled employees. mention how cut backs are inevitable and do not go buy that new Lexus convertible.
------------------ Preston McCall 2516 W 63rd St. Mission Hills, Kansas 66208 913-262-3443 office 816-289-7112 cell
Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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I came back to work December, fulltime. (I had been off for nearly 2 years). December was ok, but January stunned me. It was DEAD. I called my ex employee up wondering if it was me or the time of the year. She laughed and reminded me that last january was when she worked on alot of Graphic Impact stuff.
Whew! These days I'm booked solid. (probably because I'm due to move!) I can't even seem to schedule a day in to pack my stuff!
There seem to be 3 types of people in the world 1-those that MAKE sh%& happen 2-those that LET sh%& happen 3-those that SIT AROUND WONDERIN what happened
Roger
------------------ Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated Waikoloa, Hawaii
Preston has any ever told you that the actual health of the economy has very little to do with the stock market?
And don't count on Greenspan or any politician to build a economy. That old fart (they should retire him) spent last year saying the US economy was overheating and it had to be slowed down by raising interest rates.
I'm still busy, and making money!
------------------ Dennis Veenema The Sign Shop Dresden, Ont. & GigaBytes Plus "Where the plus is the service!"
posted
There is no recession. Technology stocks are the ones hit the hardest and mean nothing to the average Joe Blow. Just think the computer is broken and I can't network anymore. Oh My God get me a pen, a paper and a phone. Replace our computer geek with a mail room guy and we are back in business.
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