SS&G_Seattle
New Member
Go on, delete it. This community is something else.
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- Thread starter SS&G_Seattle
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The Big Squeegee
Long Time Member
2 
from OK
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Hello there and welcome...................................
Something else to think about. What kind of home life do you have ?? Married, kids, mortgage, debt ?? These are all things to also consider besides doing it and failing on your own. If you have at least 6 months of savings saved up, I'd go for it.
Something else to think about. What kind of home life do you have ?? Married, kids, mortgage, debt ?? These are all things to also consider besides doing it and failing on your own. If you have at least 6 months of savings saved up, I'd go for it.
SS&G_Seattle
New Member
reeeee
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SS&G_Seattle
New Member
How is it going over there? I have talked to wife about relocating over there several times, but she doesn't like the idea of getting snow every yearWelcome to the community! ...from the East side of Washington
But after the last couple years of having 10" of snow, maybe she's changed her mind... ha.SS&G_Seattle
New Member
I love Eastern WA!
I'll take a few weeks of snow over living in Seattle any day. Outside of the weather... this region is growing too fast, and the real estate market is INSANE - but it only takes me 15-20 min to get to work
Yeah, wow! Should have known Spokane would catch up with Seattle sooner or later, too bad Covid was what drove prices up universally. My brother moved to Spokane in 2006 and never came back. He absolutely loves it. Actually, most of my family & friends have relocated from Seattle to other areas for various reasons. But here I am, chugging along. We don't really have a lot of starter homes, so I'm guessing that's going to drive me away sooner or later. Oh, and going INTO Seattle is something I never do unless it's on the clock, lol.
Jester1167
Premium Subscriber
Do you have any contract installers in your area? When you are small it is good to build relationships with local installers and other sign companies. These relationships can help by pooling resources on bigger jobs until you are large enough to handle them yourself. Approach others with honesty about where your headed and don't poach their jobs or art. If you can create these types of relationships you both will gain from it. When your laminator breaks in the middle of a job it's nice to have someone to turn to. When they are 6 ft short of medial in the middle of a job and you have some on hand you can return the favor. If you can't handle a job or it's not in your scope, give them a referral. Chances are they will refer jobs to you as well, hopefully, a few of them you actually want.
I am an installation-only company and I get a lot of work from local companies and see how many of us benefit from working together, to referrals and force multipliers.
Another force multiplier can be found here in this community. The profits from thousands of small decals may get you excited in the beginning, but they are a huge investment in time and will take time away from any potential new business so learn to outsource when it makes sense.
Price your work competitively, you don't want to start out as the cheapest. Cheap customers only care about the price and they will drop you in a heartbeat. Would you rather tie up all your time with 3 cheap jobs and barely get by? Or, one reasonably priced job that you have time to do really well, be proud of, and make a decent profit with enough time left over to make a few sales calls?
Always have your customer's best interests at heart. The good ones will appreciate it and become loyal customers. Honesty is always the best policy.
Learn to read customers quickly and accurately. I have had small jobs turn into big ones as well as small ones become nightmares. There are signs, if you learn to read them more than 50% of the time you're doing good. No pun intended.
Clear proofs with pricing and approvals in emails will protect you. "Looks good" is not enough for approval unless you have a history with them and even then it's not wise. That phrase means they quickly scanned the email and proofs.
Never say the art they brought in looks bad. Chances are if they didn't create it a family member did. You may offer to improve it but, if they don't bite, just smile and make the sign and collect the check.
Deposits for custom work ensure they will come back to pick up their product. Every company I worked for always had a few rush jobs that never got picked up. Once you have a relationship and history of payment, you may choose to extend terms.
If a customer gets a quote and says "I have 10 vehicles, can you give me a better price?" There are 2 correct answers, " are you ordering 10 now?" or "The tenth one is free" These people are BS'ing you. If they had 10 they would have brought it up in the beginning.
Just a few quick thoughts...
I am an installation-only company and I get a lot of work from local companies and see how many of us benefit from working together, to referrals and force multipliers.
Another force multiplier can be found here in this community. The profits from thousands of small decals may get you excited in the beginning, but they are a huge investment in time and will take time away from any potential new business so learn to outsource when it makes sense.
Price your work competitively, you don't want to start out as the cheapest. Cheap customers only care about the price and they will drop you in a heartbeat. Would you rather tie up all your time with 3 cheap jobs and barely get by? Or, one reasonably priced job that you have time to do really well, be proud of, and make a decent profit with enough time left over to make a few sales calls?
Always have your customer's best interests at heart. The good ones will appreciate it and become loyal customers. Honesty is always the best policy.
Learn to read customers quickly and accurately. I have had small jobs turn into big ones as well as small ones become nightmares. There are signs, if you learn to read them more than 50% of the time you're doing good. No pun intended.
Clear proofs with pricing and approvals in emails will protect you. "Looks good" is not enough for approval unless you have a history with them and even then it's not wise. That phrase means they quickly scanned the email and proofs.
Never say the art they brought in looks bad. Chances are if they didn't create it a family member did. You may offer to improve it but, if they don't bite, just smile and make the sign and collect the check.
Deposits for custom work ensure they will come back to pick up their product. Every company I worked for always had a few rush jobs that never got picked up. Once you have a relationship and history of payment, you may choose to extend terms.
If a customer gets a quote and says "I have 10 vehicles, can you give me a better price?" There are 2 correct answers, " are you ordering 10 now?" or "The tenth one is free" These people are BS'ing you. If they had 10 they would have brought it up in the beginning.
Just a few quick thoughts...
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Johnny Best
Active Member
I think you have been around and know the business well and are willing to work hard at it.
The only thing I have observed is you get sidetracked easily when talking about a certain subject then jump to another subject in the same breath.
Maybe talking to Robert on business matters might help you tremendously.
The only thing I have observed is you get sidetracked easily when talking about a certain subject then jump to another subject in the same breath.
Maybe talking to Robert on business matters might help you tremendously.
Jester1167
Premium Subscriber
That I do. Thinking faster than I type doesn't help.
Maybe I should talk to Robert...
Maybe I should talk to Robert...
SS&G_Seattle
New Member
I genuinely appreciate your input, and all of it meshes with my understanding of the industry. I don't think any of us can complain for *FREE* advice and input
SignosaurusRex
Active Member
SS&G, I don't want to discourage you in any way, however... you are in a tough market area. Cost of living, insane tax increases, small-biz unfriendly area (city and county) etc...etc...etc. You see it every day as you live here.
With that said... you will need to work harder and smarter than you ever have before in order to succeed.
Get to know your area, the competition you will face, the market, potential client base etc. Do lots of research and establish a plan.
I've been in the industry in the greater Seattle and surrounding areas since 1972. If you don't have a long standing reputation, a large bank-roll or a "niche" market it will be rough. If you have a dream and a plan with a goal and plenty of drive along with it... get after it! Make sure your spouse (and family) is with you 100% and supportive...you will need it.
If you have all of that, and only "if" ... feel free to reach out to me. Maybe I can or can't be of some small assistance here and there. Everyone has a dream and the right to go for it. You cannot catch that dream if you don't try.
With that said... you will need to work harder and smarter than you ever have before in order to succeed.
Get to know your area, the competition you will face, the market, potential client base etc. Do lots of research and establish a plan.
I've been in the industry in the greater Seattle and surrounding areas since 1972. If you don't have a long standing reputation, a large bank-roll or a "niche" market it will be rough. If you have a dream and a plan with a goal and plenty of drive along with it... get after it! Make sure your spouse (and family) is with you 100% and supportive...you will need it.
If you have all of that, and only "if" ... feel free to reach out to me. Maybe I can or can't be of some small assistance here and there. Everyone has a dream and the right to go for it. You cannot catch that dream if you don't try.
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
I think the right market can make all the difference. I do business with sign companies in markets all over the country, and some locations are very underserved and are ripe for competition. They tend to be small to mid-sized cities that are not close to large cities. You could really clean up in an underserved market.
SS&G_Seattle
New Member
Understood. Valid points, there is plenty of competition. There's also a lot of business to feed that competition. Some of the guys I've subbed stuff out to here and there really made me scratch my head as to how they're in biz. I'm after a few types of accounts specifically, so niche is exactly where I'm trying to break in. You never know about timing, may get a lucky break somewhere. Thanks for the reality check & well wishes. I don't expect it to be easy, or even gainful at first. But I'm going to regret it if I don't.
SS&G_Seattle
New Member
They've got some calculations to see how saturated the market is... I haven't run one on any city local to me, just hoping that persistence will strike some luck. And aim for a few key accounts. I do have account types and work type in mind. anyway was hoping for stories from you guys on how you got going. I'm ready to make some signs.
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
My story...
Worked at a sign shop for a few years. After that I went back into the computer field and started my own sign company on the side. Bought a $300 plotter and made signs out of a second floor one bedroom apartment. At first I was knocking doors but then I focused on SEO and my website, and making sure every customer I had was 100% satisfied and I put my all into every order. Worked nights and weekends building the sign business up, improving my process and acquiring tools, saving any extra $$ I made and putting it away. Took about 4-5 years until I was able to quit the computer job and work full-time for myself.
I see your excitement and that is great and all, but be realistic in what you can expect to achieve. I knew it was going be a long-term play so I went into the business not expecting much and whatever came in was a blessing.
It took a lot of hard work... 40 hours a week at my day job, plus another 20-30 hours a week on my business... all while having a newborn and about 2-3 years of a challenging time health wise... I have no idea how I pulled that off back then to be honest. I was going from 5am to midnight every day of the week... come to think of it...kind of sounds like my schedule now.
The sign company I worked for was small and the computer shop I worked for was a small business. One owner was aggressive about acquiring new business, making decisions and over investing back in the company...the other owner was super frugal and not very time-wise. I learned traits from each of them and that gave me a good guide on how I wanted to run my business.
Lots of praying and being smart about things. You need a level head and a good sense of business. You also need to be financially responsible and wise. If you are bad at money and scattered brained then this might not be the right move for you. If you are mature, experienced in the trade and a good leader then I say go for it and don't wait.
Worked at a sign shop for a few years. After that I went back into the computer field and started my own sign company on the side. Bought a $300 plotter and made signs out of a second floor one bedroom apartment. At first I was knocking doors but then I focused on SEO and my website, and making sure every customer I had was 100% satisfied and I put my all into every order. Worked nights and weekends building the sign business up, improving my process and acquiring tools, saving any extra $$ I made and putting it away. Took about 4-5 years until I was able to quit the computer job and work full-time for myself.
I see your excitement and that is great and all, but be realistic in what you can expect to achieve. I knew it was going be a long-term play so I went into the business not expecting much and whatever came in was a blessing.
It took a lot of hard work... 40 hours a week at my day job, plus another 20-30 hours a week on my business... all while having a newborn and about 2-3 years of a challenging time health wise... I have no idea how I pulled that off back then to be honest. I was going from 5am to midnight every day of the week... come to think of it...kind of sounds like my schedule now.
The sign company I worked for was small and the computer shop I worked for was a small business. One owner was aggressive about acquiring new business, making decisions and over investing back in the company...the other owner was super frugal and not very time-wise. I learned traits from each of them and that gave me a good guide on how I wanted to run my business.
Lots of praying and being smart about things. You need a level head and a good sense of business. You also need to be financially responsible and wise. If you are bad at money and scattered brained then this might not be the right move for you. If you are mature, experienced in the trade and a good leader then I say go for it and don't wait.
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SS&G_Seattle
New Member
Right on - appreciate the story! Yeah, this is my third go at this... I have my systems in place in their simplest forms - licensing, payment acceptance, invoicing, forms & proofs, etc - the fun part. I'm cautiously optimistic, but I do not expect it to be quick and I certainly don't aim to devalue my local market. Going boots to the street next week and start knocking on doors. Now I realize you guys probably seen a million of these posts, so sorry to throw another out there. Yeah, signs have allowed me the best living I've had yet, so definitely sticking in the industry in one form or another whether or not this works out.
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
You have to learn to grind. Most of us have been there, like tex said. I don't see that here, sorry just being honest. I see someone that works for someone else and thinks the boss is getting rich and feels they can do the same. It's an old story.
SS&G_Seattle
New Member
Yeah, I'm going to disagree with you. That kind of attitude would definitely set you up for failure. It's about the work, the opportunity, the grind. Anyway, I get these forums a little more now. I was just here to introduce myself and see if anyone else wanted to share their beginnings. I read all the stories I could find on Google already.