Big Jobs or Little Jobs... or a mix

[Bigdawg]

Haven't been on much at all... miss you guys

Just curious...
If you are busy - and even if you are not - what types of jobs are you doing? We are really slow as far as qty of jobs in the shop... but the ones we have are monument signs, channel letters and things like polished brass. High dollar items.

We aren't seeing much of the "little" stuff like coro signs or banners (which is great - not our focus). Had to quibble with some guy over a $350 lobby sign, but the next customer didn't blink at the $18 grand monument sign. Our financials are way up for the month, but the actual number of jobs is surprisingly small. I've gone to part time because of hubby's health so it works for us... rather do 1 monument sign than 100 banners... but wondering how things are going w/others and if this is a shift others are seeing.

 

[Gino]

For us as a whole, we seem to be getting far bigger jobs than anything else. Like you, the $20,000 to $50,000 range is coming in like crazy. Our wholesaling is where the smaller jobs are taking place. We're booked out into November, with 2012 jobs starting to develop now.

We love the small ones, cause it gives us a chance to wrap our heads around the easier things in life..... and catch our breath.

The big jobs seem to also be huge profit makers for us.

Other than wholesale work... our smallest job right now are the vehicle lettering coming in around $450 to $800 for the vans and on up with the bigger trucks.

We just landed a customer for15 trucks, 5 pick-ups and a few salesman cars.

Glad it's working out part-time for you with 'THE' Bigdawg...... he deserves your care.... and you deserve a break.

 

[wildside]

we are similar i suppose

we are pushing higher dollar amounts over number of invoices, a "competitor" we do some printing for was braggin the other day that he had like 45 work orders going, so i asked what the average dollar amount was and he responded with a couple hundred a piece

i would rather have 10 jobs averaging $1000 each than 100 jobs averaging $100

coro signs and banners i think are going the way of online el cheapo buy em by the pound places, but quality stuff can't be bought online in my opinion

 

[petepaz]

we are extremely busy. big and small jobs. our silk screen dept and label dept have 6-8 weeks of work. the digital printing is busy taking up some of the over flow from the other dept.s and truck lettering/signage. my boss is quoting about 10 jobs a day(knock on wood i hope it stays like this)
last week i ended up staying at the office two nights working late.
it seems like on a whole peo;ple are busier but even with as busy as people are it seems they are trying to make do with the people they have. don't hear of too many job openings or people hiring hoepfully that starts picking up

 

[jc1cell]

i would rather have 10 jobs averaging $1000 each than 100 jobs averaging $100

coro signs and banners i think are going the way of online el cheapo buy em by the pound places, but quality stuff can't be bought online in my opinion

Agreed on both accounts.

 

[HulkSmash]

too much work, not enough time / employees. time to hire moooooooooooooooore

 

[Jillbeans]

I have been pleasantly busy.
Since I babysit 4 days a week now I am becoming more efficient and working in 3 hour (if Liam sleeps that long) spurts.
I put in 12 hours of just plain cutting weeding and taping on Friday.

I am working on two logos at the moment, but I also have a bit of vynull graphix and even a paint job. No big signs but a few big banners. One of my competitors who did vynull on the side had a machine go belly-up, and they have been sending me a bit of work. I have always referred people to them because they do stuff I don't.
Have had a lot of vehicle lettering and boats just lately too.
All in all, though, I think this spring started out slower than usual.
Love....Jill

 

[SignManiac]

Knocking out a freebie for a friend today, and printing a couple of small posters for a client worth $200. And last week sold three separate projects for $120k. So I guess a little bit of everything. This will be my best summer every. Sucks that I will be working my ass off. Not volume, but high end work.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Typically I have been getting the clients that want to do a few items to test the waters and see what I can do. After that the flood gates open with the person, it ends up they are wanting this that and the other embroidered and/or sublimated.

We have had a couple of embroidery franchises go belly up the last year and from what my clients were telling me, those places didn't digitize correctly. Knowing the artwork that has been submitted to me from time to time from clients, I would say that there is a little bit of 50/50 guilt there, but the embroidery places just didn't know how to correct it.

All in all, we seem to be doing really well so far this year.

 

[Pat Whatley]

15-20 orders on the books ranging $30 - $200.

5 orders on the books ranging $1100 - $2200.

NOTHING in the middle. It's been like that most of the year.

 

[Marlene]

we normally do a lot of big jobs and things are pretty much the same as usual. I did do a puny little job this morning, just 3 little vinyl letters but that was for a large soft drink company that we do work for.

 

[Billct2]

A general mix here, but not a lot of the interesting dimensional work we like. We have a few steady accounts that order small stuff on a regular basis. Not a lot of vehicles either. That was a big part of our billing, but not many companys buying new trucks these days.

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

I've working on a couple of routed logos to install for a local manufacturer, due in a week and a half, but I'm going on vacation that week...So it's going to be installed next Friday, along with (2) gemini sets of letters and a vinyl wall saying for the local Y.

Then I've got a dozen tee shirts, (40) tags for the local fire company, a set of magnetics for a customers antique tractor collection...

I'd say I'm pretty busy.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

This last month fell flat for me nothing, what jobs I've bid on I'm to high even when I lowered the price was still high, some others not been paid on.

So I've been scraping metals collected, helped remodeling a house, roof repairs on another, plus putting the engine back together on my truck.

Also been practicing pinstriping, have a few panel ideas to do, been working a bit on my website, work really never ends when ya do everything by yourself.

 

[petesign]

We are getting everything from 3x5 banners to lit channel letters, it's like someone flipped a switch 3 months ago - went from watching paint dry to hiring more people. Hardest part is not letting the small stuff slip through the cracks as the big ones keep you busy.

We outgrew out capacity about a month ago, and it's been stressful. It does seem like the printer is running less lately though, as the outsourced stuff like gemini letters and cabinets grow.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

been doing larger and larger. still small signs (mostly vehicle graphics) ... but I am doing more banners and plexi signs in the past 4 months that I did the year prior. Really the only ones that quibble about price are the cheapies anyways. Been pushing the shops focus though from the $20-100 customers to the $75-500 customers.

 

[signswi]

Last month slow, this month really busy with an annual event client and their event keeps getting bigger. Add in a lot of smaller jobs that came out of the woodwork. One or two normal big jobs mixed in.

Last summer start out better, got a lot of downflow from the stimulus money but June is looking good.

 

[signswi]

Another cluster bomb of small and medium runs today, people are starting to realize that this is all the summer we're going to get I think!

 

[Wes Phifer]

I have been getting bigger jobs as well. I am a one man shop that just had to hire a part timer. The big stuff is to heavy for me. LOL.

 

[Mosh]

Gone Fishing.....

 

[Baz]

Lots of big MDO signs, lots of trucks and vans, trailers it's been really busy these last few months. Stressfull part is managing cash flow since most of my big regular customers is always 30 days + before i get paid. I have broken/smashed my record for amount of receivables at this point and time ... Plus our postal service is on strike ... I need that like i need a kick in the ____ <--insert favorite word here .......