Ultimately, I'd love to own my own business. If things go the way they CAN, I may be starting to do that in the coming months, but it's through a restructuring and path to ownership. It's really the only way I can do it. Since I blew it in my 20s, I'll spend at least the next 7 years paying for it, getting my credit score up, etc.
The reason I ask is because I've spent over a decade in the industry. I've worked for 8 sign shops, and I've been laid off from 3 of them, and the others paid me, on average, $11.50/hour. That's hard when you're in your late 20s with two kids. I've looked for some place where I could just be plugged in and run, and that brought me from Colorado to Alaska, where it's beautiful, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. But, once again, I've hit the point where unless things go the way I hope, I'm stuck at the top of the food chain in another small shop, where I'm making less than $40k/year, have another kid on the way, and there is absolutely no chance of advancement in the immediate future. I'm finding that I'm becoming really good at management/organization. I've streamlined things in this shop so much in the past three years, it's absurd.
I don't think it's unrealistic to want to make a decent salary, but I don't want to fall into the trap of the sign shop owner who is only in it because they have heard somewhere it's a good way to make money. It is, but at the same time, you have designers and production artists and installers who are all making slightly better than Walmart wages with no benefits because no sign shop is a big sign shop.
Sawatzky, I've seen your work, and it's amazing. I love that you're creating a fun environment for yourself and your staff. Keep up the good work, and try to inspire other business owners to do the same. This industry needs more people like you.
