How is business so far this year?

[Texas_Signmaker]

Just wanted to see if and how much your business is growing this year. Are you seeing an abnormal uptick?

I've talked to other sign companies in my area and the growth this year has been great. I've seen about 25% increase.

 

[fresh]

we're busy, and most of it is truck lettering. We picked up a few accounts in the past 2 years who are getting multiple new trucks every few months, so that is good money coming in. Right at the beginning of the year my client called me to say he was about to make it rain... He had 9 trucks to be wrapped, which we LOVE to do and have a good profit margin on and every month we seem to get more big accounts. Its nice.

 

[Johnny Best]

I am trying to not work at signs anymore but I keep on getting more work. Seems I can't ride off in the sunset like I would like to do.

 

[equippaint]

We are very busy this year but are having a real hard time finding employees to expand at all with the added workload. With the market so tight, companies down here are poaching from each other. With that, our labor costs have increased quite a bit since we are forced into this game of musical chairs. Material costs for us are also steadily going up as well so I feel like we are peddling harder and faster but going the same speed.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

We are at 50% of what we did last year, already have the other 50% pending in the books through July 1. Its a good year thus far, our 3 largest clients have all increased workload 20+% each which is contributing to our growth.

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

I am busier now than I was last year at this time. I've got people that are actually getting upset that I tell them I am so wrapped up, and it will be several weeks before I can even consider looking at their project... Which I absolutely hate... I have always prided myself that I can get to new customers pretty quick, and now that I have a backlog of currently 3 weeks is a little scary..that they will find someone else to give their money to...

What's worse, I have a check hanging on my cork board that I am waiting to deposit until I can start their project. It is a nice one, Routed with smalts background, 23.5 K gilded bevel HDU letters, for a local pub.... What I really want to be doing. I decided to give him a "sample" showing the end result, and it will be made to where he can hang it in the bar. I figure that he will like it, also get to see what the finished product will look like, and also, when hung, will show to all the customers that see it (with my contact number in view)...

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

I been super busy since I moved out of the country, luckly for wholesalers I'm able to stay in business. Gives me my travel money.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Ive been raising prices because of the increase in business, been decllining jobs too big and too small and focusing on what I can do easily for the most $$. I had an employee that I had to let go in January and couldnt find a replacement, very tight labor market. Had two other local sign companies offer to hire me (no thanks!) Seems the economy is in full swing!

 

[vincesigns]

So far this year we are up 62.4%. That is on top of a 37% increase in 2017. We budgeted for a 20% increase this year and are very pleasantly surprised with the amount coming in. All of our customers are Sign Companies and we are hearing from most that they are quite busy this year.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

So far this year we are up 62.4%. That is on top of a 37% increase in 2017. We budgeted for a 20% increase this year and are very pleasantly surprised with the amount coming in. All of our customers are Sign Companies and we are hearing from most that they are quite busy this year.

Hey I may have a job for you! I will PM you

 

[JR's]

Kottwitz, photo pleas. sounds cool.

 

[TimToad]

We're cruising along very nicely. We've grown about 10% every year since purchasing the business in 2014.

1st Qtr 2018 was above average for the time of year, and we are about to wrap up the best month in the 11 year history of the company. We're in a really nice groove and the effort we put in to provide above average service, quality and responsivity is really paying off. The number of really creative, fun, engaging projects is starting to make it easy to not grumble about the little crappy PITAs that we all must do in order to stay in good graces with our community.

 

[ams]

Business is amazing, we are far behind in our jobs.

 

[visual800]

this is the busiest since 09. Im only taking large jobs, small ones will be sent away. We have stopped all contactor bid jobs, federal bids, waste of time and if you do get them they are stressful.

I landed 2 nice jobs about 2 months ago and it took them a long time to proceed with doing these jobs. Once they did I told them there would be no rushing and no constant pressure to get them done. I stopped doing rush jobs a couple years back and I still stand by that.

Its going to be a new me tnis time around

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

Our normal day to day signs and banners is down from last year, but we have had a couple of big jobs come through this year that has us up substantially from the past few years.
We are a small shop and seem to be turning away more and more of the "i need it now" people.

 

[rjssigns]

Lettering boat transoms and installing boot stripes is crazy this year on top of the other work that comes in. We did three transoms and a boot stripe then nothing for a few weeks. Now I have seven transoms and a boot stripe pending approval. Then there's trucks, banners, printing for another shop etc...

Not complaining a bit. Just can't believe how nuts it gotten.

 

[jfiscus]

Business is up around 150% from this time last year, which was up 100% from the year before that.... I know we're sending out more jobs than ever, but also costs are rising all over and mistakes are up 500% from a couple years ago. Hard to find good help that wants to show up to work. Installers are also very hard to find, even through we now have 6 professional full-time in-house guys we're always booked weeks out. Customers still giving us the same junk (and not enough info) as always really hurts with the increased workload. Hope the raises are good this year!

 

[equippaint]

It seems like everyone is up this year, we are as well. It also looks like everyone has a backlog that is more than what they are content with and many are turning down jobs that they would normally take in regular times.
I suppose I am a bit pessimistic but this doesn't seem 100% positive. To me these backlogs and narrowing your customer base seems somewhat risky since you are growing your business larger with a smaller group of customers. We have one that is now 25% of our revenue and that worries me more than anything. Does anyone have a plan to deal with their backlogs? Is anyone trying to capture all that they can to grow their customer base and grow revenue? I'm frustrated not being able to do this due to lack of qualified help and the cost of the unqualified help. We have been drilling down productivity big time, raising prices, being selective in jobs & customers like everyone else but I feel like I've danced to this song before and it's ugly.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Drawback of economy doing so well is the dang housing prices have gone nuts around here!!

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

I am actually down about 20% YTD versus last year but that is primarily due to my client base which are home builders slowing down at the tail end of last year on through the first quarter. I have a TON of pokers in the fire right now and it looks like it might explode from here on out through at least the end of the 3rd quarter. I have one builder that has (3) huge apartment complexes he is about to break ground on, another that has purchased several large tracts of land, and another from whom I am seeing a major up tick from already. Plus, I just landed a new builder in the area that has (2) monster projects in the works