posted
Question:……….Please forgive my grammar………..”is”, is the third present singular of “be” where as “are” is the present second singular or present plural of “be” and therefore the correct word usage in this question would be “are” as in “How many jobs are enough”…………..what is I thinking? Sorry… was, What was I thinking?
How many jobs on average does the one man shop carry at any given time. ( just an average) I understand there are any number of variables that can affect this and of course we are all different in some respect, but I'm curious to know anyway. In my peek season I usually have any where from 12 – 20. Right now, I have a dozen or so jobs on the go………..I often find it difficult to keep up. I also find it difficult to stay motivated. Usually I have to be on the verge of staving or my ass has to be on fire………..Even though I enjoy my work I still struggle with it…………Is this part of the business, life in general…….or am I just f**ked Up……………maybe I’ m just not getting enough sun light.
This is important to me.......I need to measure my productivity against others.
would appreciate any feed back........thanks.
"life is what goes on in-between naps"......anyone care to guess who said this?
[ January 12, 2002: Message edited by: John Martin Robson ]
[ January 12, 2002: Message edited by: John Martin Robson ]
-------------------- John Martin Robson Pendragon Signs & Graphics Yellowknife,NT,Canada
if it's not one thing.....it's two things Posts: 261 | From: Yellowknife, NT, Canada | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Geeze John, 12 - 20 jobs in the works. Not bad Buddy!! (especially for a 1 man shop)! I normally (just guessing....) fumble around 6 - 10 maybe?? Out of these maybe 4 or 5 are decent paying jobs.
I also work mainly alone.
However... I thought this winter I'd really slow down, but it just wasn't ment to be (I'm not complaining). For some unknown reason, I'm actually busy for this time of the year! Cool!
-------------------- Mark Neurohr "Ernest" Paintin' Place 141 Sunnyside Road Kittanning, PA 16201
Your problem is simple. Raise your prices. Now I realize that it is easier said than done. But we are our worst enemy when it comes to raising prices.
Take this little self exam. How often are you getting price resistance from your customers?
If you seldom get people that are very reluctant due to price than by all means raise your prices tomorrow. Giving yourself a raise should take care of the blues.
However, we don't do this because we are afraid that we are going to lose all of our customers right? Well the truth is that it probably won't make that much of a difference.
The ones you do happen to lose are the ones that are strickly loyal to price anyway. And they are usually the ones that are the biggest complainers, the hardest to get payment from, and give you the most headaches.
The few extra minutes of free time will allow you to concentrate on your good customers and the work that makes you the most profit.
-------------------- Great White Signs Logan, Ohio
"All signs now come with new and improved vinyl." jimw@1067wwtl.com
posted
Well John, you sound busy. Depends on how big the jobs are I guess. I'm a two-man shop that has a mere five jobs running at the moment. Of course, one of them is an $8000 job. The others are right around $1000 each and we've got our hands plenty full keeping them all on schedule.
I wanted to ackowlege your point about staying motivated. Right now I'm plenty motivated to get these jobs out the door as quickly as possible because they're the most work we have had in several months and our cash flow is trashed. Still, I can relate to getting lazy in fatter times. Only the coolest jobs interest me then. Anything not on the edge of insanity gets boring. Might be an artist thing.
Half a dozen good jobs sounds manageable. Good to hear you’re busy
Jim
As crazy as it may sound, I think you might be right. Raising prices will help weed out the jobs that I could care less about and allow me to focus more on the creative & quality paying jobs. The other thing I’ve noticed about being to busy is that inevitably you’re going to p*ss someone off, cause you just can’t keep up…………..hey, perhaps these things just take care of themselves…………sort of like mother nature.
Joe
I like being excited about jobs………it’s nice to have a sense of confidence & clarity. Knowing how you’re going to tackle a particular project……….this motivates me.
Uncertainty, however, can be most paralyzing and perpetuate that lack of motivation (fear is it’s true identity). Overcoming this, is often the most challenging aspect of a job. I literally have to boot myself up at times to over come this paralysis. Much of this stems from the fact that many jobs are new and unfamiliar. It’s a bit of a conundrum……….I’m sure we all experience this at times.
I do take comfort in a quote that was said to me once…….it went like this……”John, don’t worry, if you land flat on your face, at least you’ll be moving forward”
[ January 13, 2002: Message edited by: John Martin Robson ]
[ January 13, 2002: Message edited by: John Martin Robson ]
-------------------- John Martin Robson Pendragon Signs & Graphics Yellowknife,NT,Canada
if it's not one thing.....it's two things Posts: 261 | From: Yellowknife, NT, Canada | Registered: Aug 2000
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If you want to get moving do the easiest job first. Once you start moving the rest comes easy. We are also faily busy.
I suck at marketing materials. I find that very difficult to finish and I balk at paying for them because they never really say what I intended. So, I guess you know how I feel. The whole process peeves me off to no end.
Right now I am supposed to be working on my website. I am talking to you instead.
-------------------- Kevin Landry KnL Signs Halifax NS
It'd be crazy to measure yourself against someone else...given dynamics, etc. Just keep watching yourself and keep striving to do better. You'll know you're doing enough when all your bills are paid, you're taking holidays, retirement plans and medical are in the works. The best part is, when you're making more money and working less to get it!
We'll know you're making enough when you show up at all the meets and find that there is not a single piece of equipment you don't own/master hahaha!
Isn't that the guy thing...he with the most toys wins?
PS - you is right on that was thang. hehehe.
[ January 13, 2002: Message edited by: Linda Silver Eagle ]
posted
John, I am in my 6th year as a solo run sign biz. I would say my workload averages in that 12 to 20 job zone. It typically includes 2 jobs subbed out to other specialists nearby, sometimes one to a mainland vendor, 2 or 3 that will be going on (or put off) for several weeks. The rest are split between jobs that will wrap up this week & ones wrapping up next week. This usually gives me the freedom to work on the ones I feel like doing the most. I always tend to work on several things at once. Sometimes this may be counter productive creating a scattered sense of focus, but more often it keeps several machines running, & pushes me to be productive keeping up with the weeding or queing up cut files.
I was told that the quote "a change is as good as a break" was said by Plato or Socrates. Weather or not that is true, I find that many nights when I put in a second 6 hour shift after dinner one task will start putting me to sleep. If I feel that the workload cannot afford to have me give in just yet, I start on something else & often blaze into high gear for 4 more hours because I found the right mental challange that interested me most in that moment.
I am very careful about time commitments. I know people who are constantly shooting themselves in the foot making unrealistic time commitments without even asking when the client wants the work. I ask when they want it, then I ask when they really, really need it. The more time I can buy, the more freedom I have to pick & choose what I feel like doing. I put in a lot of 15 hour days, but I can honestly say I am enjoying myself almost the whole time. I leave a lot of jobs until there is just enough time left to do them. (at least at night when I can work un-interrupted) I think it is my nature, and also on some jobs the work is not challenging enough to interest me, but if I wait then the deadline gives me the challange to make a game out of racing to finish it. I think I am somewhat psychotic, by the sound of my post, but it does seem to actually be working for me.
posted
I am a one man shop, working out of my home, and at busiest also probably have 6-10 jobs going. Slow period I have anywhere from 1-5, ranging from $75.00 - $500.00 or so. In my busy season, I tend to do alot of trucks which usually start around a grand each. Right now I have two or three things in the works. In winter I tend to do alot of design work, and farm alot of stuff out to printers. That is an easy way to pick up extra cash. For instance, I just had a company reorder some fliers, I call the print shop, and I just made $100 or so. I have also been doing lots of full color business cards lately, as I don't know of anyone else in the area offering them. I am happy with my workload now, because i still pay my bills and live comfortably, but I get more relaxing time than i will in a couple months, where i get 14 or more hour days..
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