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I have only been in town a short time but have enjoyed my time. I just need to vent! so freinds in Letterville please allow me. I have only been the sign business for a short time and work in a small shop. I am now production manager and I am ready to kill! Where do you find quality people who any lick of common sense. Since I have been production manager I have fired two people already. I have also hired two. I can't find people who could pour **** out of a boot if the direction were on the sole. We do an average of $30,000 to 35,000 a month and in the winter are slow enough to get by with one other person, for a total of 3 in the shop. As summer gets here we will need at least one or tow more people. I can't find any people with any common sense. How many times do you have to show someone how to mask a sign for blasting. Crap I give them a job sheet with all the measurments and the layout.
Ok I feel better now. Thanks my friends for allowing me to vent. I now understand why most of you are one person operations. If you want it done right DO IT YOURSELF! Tommorow is another day and I'm sure will be better.
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Steve, If you need some help getting caught up I could use some work willing to travel to wy. Could use the experience in blasting signs. Just would need a cheap place to stay. I'll bring my fly rod too. Just throwing the idea at ya. Roger
-------------------- Roger DiNofa Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 147 | From: Hattiesburg, MS | Registered: Feb 2002
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Everyday I feel as if I am in a giant quagmeyer with persons who lack simple courtesy. Sometimes its hard to just get out of my driveway, the way some drive. 35mph speed limit on a country road and they are doing 70. Appointments are essential as it says on my business card and persons ask what essential means. When I mask out a vehicle at a dealership and start to stripe, the door on the other side opens and the mask get pulled apart as some dufus states he didn't know why the mask was there, even thought he sees me working with a brush on the other side. Simple common sense is simply outdated by stupidity as its easier to do nothing then to learn something.
HAVE A NICE DAY
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
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What is the payscale? Do you think modifying this might bring a differaent selection from the community? Often hiring seniors that have already had a carrier provides folks that know how to read and follow directions.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6806 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Yeah. Hire old guys. Rick, Si and me................"Have brushes.......Will travel."
We do require a penthouse with a LARGE spa, a wine cellar and comely young handmaidens to carry our..................brushes. Pay is negotiable.
-------------------- Pierre St.Marie Stmariegraphics Kalispell,Mt www.stmariegraphics.com ------------------ Plan on knowing everything before I die and time's running out! Posts: 4223 | From: Kalispell,Mt 59903 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
geeze steve now you're between a rock and a hard spot...either use people that are young and have no common sense...or...hire the old people that have now forgotten what ever common sense they once had.
We found the better thing to do here was to hire office help and do all the work ouyrselves (a lot esier to find good clerical help).
So when it gets real busy thats what we do. Also I think you would find that there are a lot of women that want to be home for the kids but would work if they could find a job that startes around 9 and ends around 3 (I'm a firm believer in the fact that women are far more meticulous than men)Thats why they are better at barrel racing too I suspect.
just a couple of ideas ...good luck!
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
At one time, I became convinced that I was just expecting way too much from people. After all, I had a lot more experience than they did.
Then I thought that maybe I wasn't paying them enough and that they would care more about their jobs if I paid them more.
Then I thought that maybe I'm not making enough effort to train them.
Then I thought that maybe I wasn't giving them enough incentive, so I offered bonus pay based on production.
None of it mattered.
IMHO, it comes down to one thing - DESIRE.
Some have it and some don't. Unfortunately, there are more that don't than those that do. In either case, we can't give it to them. Its something they have to do for themselves. Once they have it, it is up to us to make sure we don't chase it away.
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Thanks you guys! Great ideas all of them. Glenn you are rigth on the money! That is exactly where I'm at. I'm afraid that I am about to do some culling again soon. Monte I agree about women but one of the ones I let go was a woman. It's not a m/f thing I suspect but as Joey put it, "Simple common sense is simply outdated by stupidity as its easier to do nothing then to learn something." Thanks for listening to me and allowing me to get it off my chest. Pierre, I can supply the penthouse and the spa with the wine cellar. It's the comely young maidens I am having a problem finding. You know what they say about Wyoming. It's were men are men, women are scarce and the sheep run nervious! Thanks for the offer though.
posted
Steve, it works both ways...I'd have given anything to work for someone who knew what in the heck they were doing (as in even knew what a sign was)and appreciated someone who knew also. Good shops to work for are just as scarse as good employees. Now if only you were located just a tad farther south
Karen
-------------------- Karen Sartain,'Pisel' on chat 11699 E Hwy 181 Willcox, Arizona 85643
We are not human beings on a spiritual journey.We are spiritual beings on a human journey."-Stephen Covey Posts: 336 | From: Chiricahua National Monument, Az | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I work alone for exactly that reason... I dont wanna be the richest man in the graveyard... God bless the business enthusiast... Im a sign painter.. and.. Im happy So's my customers.. besides..I couldnt work for me....if I was someone else... So why would I spect anyone else to ?
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I gotta agree with Monte. Steve if you want someone interested in learning this, this may also be the way. The clerk may just get interested in what going on outback and want to tray that to. I looks like you can find people interested in learning now.
posted
Just one more closing thought. I only problem I've found with clerks and people to work out front is that when a customer comes in they can't really "sell" a sign. I think you have to understand the whole process from design to consturction to really be able to sell. If we were doing non custom signs it might work but I don't think any two of our signs are the same. We have a bookkeeper who is great and Misty's (owner) daughter does a lot of the filing. For an eleven year old she does better than most adults. Thanks again and we'll keep plugging along.
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