How is business....

[signs2trade]

Just wandering how business is for everyone. We have seen a little slow down.

 

[Flame]

Crashed. Utterly crashed. We were flat ROLLING, getting work faster than I could crank it out... and now I am just sitting wondering why the phone never rings.

It literally stalled to nothing about 4 weeks ago. No transition... just flat stopped.

 

[J Hill Designs]

slow here, but steady (enough) for a 2 man crew

 

[Fivestar]

Sign side of the business is slow, but the garment side of my business is booming. I'm so busy I can't hardly keep up.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

After months of constantly bidding projects and only closing 15-20% we were getting worried.

However, the last 2 weeks it seems like everyone has decided to buy a sign. Most of our customers have decided that they are ready to purchase NOW and we are closing jobs that were bid 2-3 months ago. Last week alone we closed 3 sets of channel letters.

The graphics department has seen an upswing also.

90% of the jobs on our list are from repeat customers. It's still difficult to close on new customers because they are shopping prices. Seems like our competition has gotten to the point that they are paying the customer to stay busy.

 

[Steve Werner]

Busy as all get out until mid October, we hit our October numbers by second week of October then things got real slow until last week. Was almost as though someone had figured out we hit goal. Things seemed to start picking up again last Thursday and seem to be rolling along again.

 

[gnatt66]

i'm so small (and new) that i have nothing to guage it off of. i was dead from end of sept till a week ago. now i'm rolling again...and if the jobs i have out quoted come through...i'll be sitting pretty.

i'll be happier if i can get some more walk in business to add to my existing non-retail clients.

 

[Pat Whatley]

I'm with Flamey....things were BOOMING around here then just flat died. No transition at all...one week I'm can hardly get anything done because the phone rang all day, the next week I'm averaging five calls a day.

I've probably got 30 orders in the shop right now and I think the biggest one is $65.

It'll be back though....this happens every now and then.

 

[ProWraps]

steady here. we wrap something or somethings everyday. its very rare we have a day without a car. and honestly its preeeeeety nice when we do. makes for a good sleeping in day.

 

[D&Tgraphics]

DEAD! I don't get it. We have been boomin and last week everything died. Even the screen printing dept is dead, and that never happens.

 

[cleanmywound]

We been pretty busy. Best year we have had so far. At the beginning of september our garment side started getting slammed with orders for the local schools. We then got orders from parents for their businesses " seen your school form, want to keep business local". Have been hard pressed to keep up. Sign and vehicle lettering slowed at same time garment picked up. Got a call fom local fire dept last friday want to go ahead with job, we bid that job january 10th. never too late. Getting alot of confirmations for jobs that are in the works for the beginning of 2010. The outlook appears good. Part of our recent success has come from several sign shops closing, which is sad to hear because the economy is very bad locally. We are greatfull for what we have been getting. If things keep picking up probably will need to add an employee or two next summer. If we can get thru this down turn in the economy we will be better off when things turn around.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I'm on my normal roller coaster ride although I'm use to it and knew all this recession was going happen plus also knew that next year is also be worthless, I've taken steps with jumping on anything that earns a buck
since prices are dropping on some areas customers are fighting more to pay less all while I'm fighting to raise mine

 

[BadAss]

We have drop to a crawl. Was busy most of the year doing very well. Then about 2-3 weeks ago "DIED" getting a few small jobs in this week. But am concerned...

 

[klemgraphics]

Busy for now, have some big jobs in the works too, but then it's just me and a couple of part timers so I probably don't count. I usually like to see a 2 week wait and I probably have close to that so I can't complain.

 

[scarface]

Decent here, last month was my slowest of this year but this week i have a few jobs lined up. Have a stripe job a hood, pair of doors 3 color, side graphic on a mazda and rollback bed to letter, 41 8x3" cut vinyl decals and some race car decals for a engine shop to make

 

[Techman]

Never been busier. Plus, The usual dead season is right now and still getting work.
Just had to buy another scanner and ordered more supplies.
All this in a dead area with the highest of unemployment..

 

[zmatalucci]

we're dead. luckily, my monument business never dies

 

[signrios]

I've probably got 30 orders in the shop right now and I think the biggest one is $65

I'M with Pat, it was pretty slow last week only a few small jobs, but came friday and i picked up 100 yard signs order and 200 contour cut decals, so that made the week.

today i picked up a job for perf window graphics.

its a roller coaster here too!!

 

[weaselboogie]

I'm slammed and schedule wise, I don't expect to do a whole lot in dec, but itlooks like I'll be doing a many late nighters for the next 3 weeks. Time to hit the meth!

 

[TheSnowman]

I'm only a one man shop, but we've been steady most of the year till now. This is normally when I'm begging for scraps though. Nov. - March is usually pretty rough on the checkbook. Seems like the stuff I'm getting is all smaller jobs under $100, but...I have auctioneers/realtors that give me several orders a week, so VERY thankful for them.

The phone hasn't rang in at least 5 week days, at least not with anyone not asking me to sponsor something or give them money. Probably at the end of the day tomorrow I'll be getting desperate to look busy.

 

[Farmboy]

Same here. Middle of last week it's like everyone forgot we are here. We still average 3 or 4 jobs a day, but we get most of them done that day. Good time to move stuff around in the show room and get the x-mas stuff out of storage.