• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Are we really in a recession???

SignManiac

SignManiac

New Member
If so I'd hate to see what good times are like. Yesterday we received a genuine call asking us to bid on a $50,000.000 dollar project. I can't go into any details but we are frantically looking at the logistics. I love a challenge, especially when you can throw money at problems. Just a half hour ago another call came in looking for a quote worth $100,000. I know better than to get my hopes up but it sure does make things exciting around here.

On top of that, I am slammed with more work than I have ever had going on at one time. I know some others here are feeling growing pains too. So it could be a stellar year for some of us here.

Hoping it picks up for everyone else too. What a strange economy!
 
WildWestDesigns

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
A lot of it just has to do with the area that you are in. Ironically, I'm in a well to do area, but the mentality around here is just cheap. It's frustrating really, but then I get orders from other parts of the country and it's like all they care about is it looking good and cost takes second seat (it's still a concern, but it's not the motivating concern).

I do have one shirt that I'm working on that I think will be cool for a local person. Pricey for a shirt, but it's going to have a design on the shoulder blades, go over the right shoulder and go straight down the right side of the shirt. All embroidery. I don't get many orders for that. Working on digitizing pattern for high end shirts with the music theme for another embroidery shop in town. So I have a couple of decent gigs that let me flex my "muscles", but not many in my local area.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Not 50 mil good, but certainly can't complain.

Something I've noticed in the last few weeks is the return of many smaller size bids/quotes. In the last two or three weeks, we've been bidding on $300 to $2,000 jobs and getting most of them. While I'm typing here, two guys just came in and picked up about 7 signs that came to a total of about $650. Print on the pre-cut substrate and done. Job took about $45 of material, an hour to print and we're onto the next job.

The largest job I ever bid on was for 3/4 million... about 4 years ago. We didn't get it...... however we're still doing it. Seems the company didn't want to part with all that money at one time, so they're actually paying us at a much higher rate to do the exact same job. The job will end up being close to 2,850,000 when completed in about two more years. Then according to their plans, we will then go into another package deal on another project, but very similar.

Recession, yeah, it might be here, but then ya have to learn to roll with the punches............... :clapping:​
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
glowing hot, all my emails start out ..."i know you are slammed over there, but here's another PO". we now finally have the cash flow to design and build all the inventions and stuff that's been in my head for the last two years. then finally present these products to the broader market. one million dollar years look doable if the web can keep up. the demand and cash is waiting on the table.
 
David Wright

David Wright

New Member
Sounds some what like the old addage: A recession when your neighbor is out of work and a depression is when you are.

If you are going to judge the economy on your well being that will always change. Plenty of statistics (not the government's) that say yes. More so, our economy has shrunk, many unemployed are off official lists now so we need not count them anymore.
 
CS-SignSupply-TT

CS-SignSupply-TT

New Member
"need not count them anymore..."

David Wright said:
Sounds some what like the old addage: A recession when your neighbor is out of work and a depression is when you are.

If you are going to judge the economy on your well being that will always change. Plenty of statistics (not the government's) that say yes. More so, our economy has shrunk, many unemployed are off official lists now so we need not count them anymore.
Click to expand...

THEY may not be part of the statistics, but THEY certainly need to be considered. The statistics say CLAIMS have gone down to the lowest in four years; but, have the jobs come back yet? I daresay NO! Therefore, folks have stopped looking
 
TheSnowman

TheSnowman

New Member
We seem to be busier for this time of year, it's normally dead till the first warm day, but it hasn't hardly gotten cold this winter. All my realtors and auction company's went strong through the winter, and that's a good chunk of my work. Still not what it was 6 years ago when I first bought my business, but seems to be better than last year at this time.

In other news...seems like the lowballer up the street may possibly be in financial trouble as a couple employees have been laid off, and the designer stopped in yesterday to put in his resume. If I can outlast him, life will become better again other than everyone having the "I want it for free" mentality.
 
SignManiac

SignManiac

New Member
No Schit Pat!! That kind of coin can buy a nice toy. No more swimming to the Bahamas :) But seriously, I have had my eye on a 50k s.f. building... Will be closing on a 28k s.f. building in March and would need the other one too for a project of this size.
 
C

cajun312

New Member
Things pretty much suck around here. Our local college has projects but no money to fund them. The school board for public schools has projects but no money to fund them.
My biggest offshore customer was Exxon/Mobil I was doing stencils for the helipads on the offshore platforms, when the drilling moratorium was imposed they sold 90% of their platforms in the gulf.

Mardi Gras usually gives our local economy a boosts with the tourists but it looks like rain from now till Tuesday.

Glad they still sell beer:beer
 
signage

signage

New Member
SignManiac said:
If so I'd hate to see what good times are like. Yesterday we received a genuine call asking us to bid on a $50,000.000 dollar project. I can't go into any details but we are frantically looking at the logistics. I love a challenge, especially when you can throw money at problems. Just a half hour ago another call came in looking for a quote worth $100,000. I know better than to get my hopes up but it sure does make things exciting around here.

On top of that, I am slammed with more work than I have ever had going on at one time. I know some others here are feeling growing pains too. So it could be a stellar year for some of us here.

Hoping it picks up for everyone else too. What a strange economy!
Click to expand...


I think Bob has been going too fast on his bike and priced the $50,000.00 like they chrge for gas $3.459:omg: or it is a really big job and he is going to need all of us to help him get it done:Big Laugh:rolleyes:
 
jfiscus

jfiscus

Rap Master
Not getting any jobs of that caliber around this shop, but business has been better than ever before, too much to keep up with!

On the other side of the coin, I cannot find anyone who wants to "work" here. I've been through about a person a month in the past 6 months... The new girl is smart enough, but has missed a day a week now for 4 straight weeks!!!
 
S

signswi

New Member
We haven't been a recession for almost three years statistically, just a slow recovery that's starting to snowball finally as businesses and consumers are losing fear. We've seen year over year improvement since '09, '10 and '11 were both record breakers.
 
2B

2B

Active Member
SignManiac said:
If so I'd hate to see what good times are like. Yesterday we received a genuine call asking us to bid on a $50,000.000 dollar project. I can't go into any details but we are frantically looking at the logistics. I love a challenge, especially when you can throw money at problems. Just a half hour ago another call came in looking for a quote worth $100,000. I know better than to get my hopes up but it sure does make things exciting around here.

On top of that, I am slammed with more work than I have ever had going on at one time. I know some others here are feeling growing pains too. So it could be a stellar year for some of us here.

Hoping it picks up for everyone else too. What a strange economy!
Click to expand...

What sort of signs cost 50 Million?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top