Hello, from Texas! Need Help Please!

[SignTech]

Well I can see I am getting spanked for not helping out the original thread poster DnDSigns ........ so I will help.

First get yourself LXI or FLEXI ........ you can get knew copies or cracked, wouldn't buy cracked if I were you ........... you can CLIP ART anywhere on the internet .... you can have LOGOS, GRAPHICS and anything else design for you if you wish from merchant members right here on signs101 ........ you will not need software at all.

If you use your own software, you can get sign helper software where you just plug in words .......... and cut or print ......... sign wharehouse has tons ....... you can get all your supplies from Fellers ........... you can have all your digital prints subbed out to many members on signs 101 who do great work ........ you can have all your wood routed from members on here etc ............. basically you don't need to do anything but broker ........... really. But of you want to learn it will take about 1-2 years to really be functional in CS3 ILLY or even cutter software but today there are plug ins that will do it all for you. Just have a little capital behind you during your learning curve ....... at least I can say I have been from moderate success to failure and back to moderate success you learn more from failure then success .............

 

[quicksigns]

Hey, welcome. I'm not too far from you. Give us a call if you need help. We'll let you know what works for us.

 

[jscarl]

I remember when i started, Years ago, Boy i had to be the biggest pain on the block. It was hard, no Forums like this to stick it out and ask questions, no matter how dumb they sounded. They started at the bottom too , don't let them kid you. And don't for get this is SIGNS 101. Wher we help each other.
Welcome from mid Michigan.

 

[chopper]

Hi, and welcome to the board, your best bet would be to start with flexi them selves they have a web site www.saintl.biz
did you get a operators manual with the software? that would be a great place to start also kind slow reading but it will get you going
I didn't check out the web site to much I use sign lab and they have tutorials that you can down load and walk you through each process I would think that flexi would have something similar for their customers (look under training) looks like they charge for it but it might be the best way to go
//chopper

 

[luggnut]

get some design books (mike stevens mastering layout, dan antonelli logo design) with whatever software you chose you will need to learn the concepts of good design. if you already have flexi, you can do most everything in that. people will say you need adobe or corel and you just might, but you can get started with flexi. unless you are totally computer illiterate the software won't be the issue, its the skill to layout and design in the software.
you could also sub out most design work. a merchant member on this site named Neato does very good work for very reasonable prices.

 

[one65chevy]

I do think its funny that of all the years I have spent designing people always thing its the last thing they need to learn. It should be the first thing. The technical aspect is the easy part, designing right and quick is going to be the hardest part for you Ive been designing magazines and ads for large companies for over 12 years with an art degree and I picked up all the other stuff the first year I owned a business. Sorry but there is no short cuts to "good" design

 

[The Big Squeegee]

Welcome from OK

VinylMaster pro worked pretty good for me. Easy to learn too.

 

[grafixemporium]

Hey Everyone!! My husband and I decided to open our own sign company. He got tired of being in the sign business for over 17 years and working for other people. We are very excited, but nervous too! He knows everything about installing the signs, but we know nothing about actually making the signs. What is the best software? How does it work? Etc. If anyone would be willing to help to help us out, it would be MUCH appreciated!!!! We have a Graphtec CE 5000- 120 cutter and a Roland ESX-52.

Thank you to all that reply for assistance!

Sincerely,
Dixie and Daniel Harris

Well, apparently you are right down the road from me. We do it all and we have over 15 years experience in graphic design and over 10 years experience installing vehicle graphics and wraps. I will tell you first hand that it is often a struggle in this flooded market. There are over a dozen "sign shops" within a 5 mile radius of my shop. I have met at least 2 of those "sign shop" owners who don't have the first clue about graphic design nor do they have anyone on staff who can design. We differentiate ourself with unmatched quality and we are able to do that because we have a great deal of hands on experience within our field. We are more than just your average sign shop.

We do a little bit of wholesale for a few small resellers in the area who don't have our capabilities. If you need anything, give me a shout.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

Hire A Designer

The way I see it you have three options.

Opt 1. Hire an experienced graphic designer.

Opt 2. Hire a recent grad of graphic design. That way you'll have someone who has at least been educated in industry standard software. Maybe by the time they're ready to move on and start their own business, you'll have learned enough from them to know whether you can manage on your own or if you need a designer on staff.

Opt 3. Dive in alone, hope for the best and risk ruining the reputation you've spent 17 years building as an installer by installing poorly designed signs.

 

[Fred Weiss]

DnDSigns ... click this link to visit the official Flexi site resource dedicated to training. They offer online training starting at $20 a month. It won't make a designer out of you but it will help you reach proficiency with the software.

GypsyGraphics spelled it out for you very well as to dealing with the design side of your business.

To the numerous members who took over this thread with ridicule, profanity and flaming of each other, I have just deleted 29 posts from this member's thread that had little or nothing to do with the thread. That is the same amount that remained after the deletion.

Our apologies for the rudeness you experienced. Good luck with your new venture.

 

[Rick]

To add to Gypsys comments...

Option 4: Hire a freelance designer/consultant. In the case where you are doing signs I suggest only using a sign design freelancer, especially when dealing with permits and code work. There are a few here and other places where experience ranges from logos, wraps and general sign design... all the way to Disney type of work

Option 5: After choosing any of the options, start posting samples of your work for critique... granting you just stuck your neck out and had it mangled off to a gristly nub, there are some here who do like to help (or at least be critical in a constructive way)

Oh and Welcome to Signs 101

 

[iSign]

To the numerous members who took over this thread with ridicule, profanity and flaming of each other, I have just deleted 29 posts from this member's thread that had little or nothing to do with the thread. That is the same amount that remained after the deletion.

Our apologies for the rudeness you experienced. Good luck with your new venture.

wow... no wonder this thread seemed relatively calm... I just saw it for the first time & missed the other half...

D and D, at least at this point, this thread does have some great advice, & if you can brave the storm, I think you can expect there to always be helpful advice coming along eventually. There does seem to be a need for a thick skin at times, however, & most of us have been on both sides of that equation after years on this board.

We hope you settle in to enjoy the ride & we become better acquainted & see you benefit from the experience. No doubt 17 years of installing has resulted in a vast store of valuable knowledge that many here would benefit from your advice on.

My only advice at this point would be that hiring someone with experience in the area you are currently lacking in would seem to me to be 100 times more logical than trying to start learning everything "on the job"

If you were learning at night, after drawing a paycheck all day... then it would make sense, but the stuff you need to know tomorrow will be whatever tomorrows customers need... and the next days lessons will be decided by those clients, and so on & so on... Those jobs will need to be priced at a level that is profitable if someone knows whet they are doing right off the bat & immediately starts doing it... correctly... if you are there learning each time that happens, but paying someone for that lesson... your labor costs might cut into the profitability you realize for your own contributions of time... but you will be learning while also getting jobs out correctly, & building a good reputation for fairly priced signs, done well, & in a reasonable amount of time. An education you couldn't get any other way, if you find the right individual & pay them well... you will learn 10 times faster then stumbling through books, DVD's, forums & the school of hard knocks & jobs gone south.

good Luck!

 

[Checkers]

Aw man, I missed all the good comments

DND, you need to keep the horse in front of the cart.

The "best" software is what will make you the most money with the least amount of effort.

As others pointed out, you can pick up Corel for under $500 or you can spend thousands of dollars on "sign specific" software. like Flexi, Omega, or many other programs. They all basically do the same thing, but your investment depends on the types of signs you plan to produce.

So, do you have a business plan?

If so, what type of signs do you plan to manufacture? What software is needed to manufacture these types of signs? And, how much did you budget or can you afford to spend on the software to help you achieve this?

But, without a business plan and cash in the bank, that may be the least of your worries.

A business plan is a road map for your business' success. It:

1) Outlines where you're at now
2) Directs you to where you want to go
3) Allows you to reach your goal with minimum detours along the way

If money isn't a problem, you can hire professionals to help organize and run your business.

If money is tight, as is the situation with many attempting to go out on their own, you're sure to face a lot of headaches down the road without a plan.

Anyway, I would suggest you start by reading the E Myth series of books by Michael Gerber. IMHO, the best is "The E Myth Revisited".

If cash flow is lacking, you may be able to generate immediate income working as a subcontractor, installing signs and graphics for other sign shops.

The most important thing to remember is your business, and I think it was Fred that said "your business is just a means to an end". So, it's up to you to make your business into what you want it to be and be sure that it provides for your wants and needs.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. After about 15 years for working for others, I started my business a few years ago. While the trip hasn't been easy, it is very rewarding and you may be able to learn from my experiences.

Checkers

 

[grafixemporium]

Well, apparently you are right down the road from me. We do it all and we have over 15 years experience in graphic design and over 10 years experience installing vehicle graphics and wraps. I will tell you first hand that it is often a struggle in this flooded market. There are over a dozen "sign shops" within a 5 mile radius of my shop. I have met at least 2 of those "sign shop" owners who don't have the first clue about graphic design nor do they have anyone on staff who can design. We differentiate ourself with unmatched quality and we are able to do that because we have a great deal of hands on experience within our field. We are more than just your average sign shop.

We do a little bit of wholesale for a few small resellers in the area who don't have our capabilities. If you need anything, give me a shout.

Well, it seems I have to correct myself. I passed by one of my "competitors" down the road yesterday evening... one of the guys I mentioned before who had zero design experience and no hired design help. Seems you can't really run a successful shop without a designer. They have gone out of business less than 6 months into their venture.

 

[Katmaryland]

Just a thought - but have you considered concentrating on your husbands strengths. Why not start a sign install business and contact the other sign companies in the area. We have several in our area and they do very well. It's a matter of building a reputation and gaining their trust.

 

[Dave Drane]

Just a thought - but have you considered concentrating on your husbands strengths. Why not start a sign install business and contact the other sign companies in the area. We have several in our area and they do very well. It's a matter of building a reputation and gaining their trust.

That is a very constructive reply.. here in Australia Workplace Health & Safety make it very difficult for us guys to do our own construction and erection. There is one guy in the area who has all the proper qualifications and he contracts from most businesses here and does very well. I love it because i can produce the work, make on phone call and the next day it is picked up and put up.. Maybe it would be worth a try to do that and build your own software skills up at the same time.

 

[astro8]

Software won't make you a sign designer.

I suggest you get a designer in once or a twice a week to get you through until you can learn basic layout.

You already have flexi...you will probably need coreldraw or illustrator as well...if they can't or won't use either of those along with flexi, don't hire them.

You will need a good designer to fall back on ...like a kind of safety net.

A good sign designer can get through a ton of stuff in a day, if that's all they're doing is designing, they can pump it out...that then let's you concentrate on running the show, chasing work, learning software to do basic layouts and your husband doing the maufacture and installs without the pressure of designing.

You will never become as proficient as someone who designs day in, day out, all day but that's just the way it is.

A lot of sign shops work that way, they have someone who does the everyday sign design stuff and then someone comes in once or twice a week to do the stuff they can't do...(I know....a few years back I was working for 4 shops at once)

Good luck.

 

[RJ California]

Just a thought - but have you considered concentrating on your husbands strengths. Why not start a sign install business and contact the other sign companies in the area. We have several in our area and they do very well. It's a matter of building a reputation and gaining their trust.

I would agree that sign installing for other shops could be your bread and butter for a while. It takes a long time to build up a retail client base but if you have a good relationship with other local shops you could pay a lot of bills (and keep busy) working with them on installs, etc while you are building the retail side. Sign installation is something that most sign shops (mine included) would just as soon sub out when possible.

I started a sign shop 20 years ago with zero experience so you have a big jump on where I was.

Flexi is a great program. Also-- make sure you get a good bookkeeper/accountant and keep your overhead low -- you'll sleep better.

 

[Cadmn]

Thank you for your help! We have Flexi 8.5 and the cutting software that came with our graphtec 5000-120. I will study these. One more question, maybe someone could answer me please. If I have a logo that the customer wants, how do I convert it into a file that the flexi software will recognize and pull up??? Thanks!!

Eric VECTOR DOCTOR gonna take lots of learnin & program will depend on your preference people are actually being really nice, just to the point it's gonna be tough.