How many employees do you have / How long have you been in the business?

[Stormyj]

Hi all,
So I was reading random threads and read one about starting pay for new employees. Most ppl averaged around $11 to $13 an hour. I wondered, "I wonder how many employees the average sign company has?" So chime off.

As for me, Well, two if you count the wife. And I get paid less than her. Hmm

Oh, and have been doing the sign biz for about 5 years, cept if you count when I was a kid. Worked for a sign company for probably 2 years in the 80s.

jim

 

[OldPaint]

ZERO EMPLOYEES ......just a 1 man operation. i have another sign painter friend that we work together on painted signs. as for time in this...
been making signs since i was 12-13, (1957-58) 56 years, been full time at it since 1986, 28 years............computer, roland and corel since 1992.....and i build my computers.....

 

[chafro]

We are 13 full time. Right now we got another 12 extra people but it's only temporary for a big job with a short deadline.

 

[Zx360]

Where I work, we have 3 full time including the owner and 1 kid who works a few times a week... We need more people and I work a ton of OT. My boss has owned the business for 15+ years

 

[Stormyj]

Hmm, as much as most ppl that comment on this forum have their 2 cents not very many replys. Do we have couch sign businesses.

 

[bob]

0. Never more than that and I wouldn't have it any other way. Been at it somewhere around 60 years. in 1965 I once briefly worked in an in-house sign shop with two other people. No one of use three was in charge, we were equals.

While enroute from way back when to the present day I often encountered the saying "Inside every one man sign shop there is a starving sign writer." True indeed. That being the case I've manage to handsomely supplement my income by plying a couple of other trades along the way. But signs have always been a major and consistent presence in what passes for my life.

 

[visual800]

0 employees, only help when needed, been at my own for 25 years and worked for others 4 years before that

 

[Billct2]

3 employees plus me & part time office manager.
I've been in the business since 1974, this shop is 24 years old, I became full owner 14 years ago.

 

[Auburnpeanut]

3-5 employees depending on time of the year. College town so we get guys wanting to work over the summer. Shop has been open for almost 10 years.

 

[fresh]

8 years, its my husband, myself, and one almost-full time employee.

If it gets really crazy, I call in our (retired) parents. Ha.

 

[J Hill Designs]

owner, me (foreman), worker, part time bookkeeper

edit: oh, and the company has been around for 40+ years (me for 12)

 

[Mosh]

Zero, I had 11 at one time. I went from Sign Guy to Boss, life is much better now!

 

[TheSnowman]

ZERO, and wouldn't ever want more. Every single "self employed" person that walks in my shop tells me how good I have it not having employees and they wish they could have those days back. I've owned my shop 9 years, and my grandparents started it 25 years before that. It was just them, and now it's just me. Might have my wife help me on the bigger stuff from time to time, but she's rarely here.

 

[TammieH]

For those of you who struck out on your own...

How rough going was it when you first started?

Did you have some customers that followed you to your new shop?

I have been toying with the idea of going on my own after going on 40 years in the sign biz...I have always been the way to cautious type

 

[SignManiac]

My shop fluctuates as my partners and I have several companies under one roof all working together. Depending on which company is the busiest at any given time, we have anywhere from five up to twelve employees at certain times of the year here in the factory. Corporate has twelve more full time. Payroll is the biggest nightmare financially. At one point is was $100k a month. I often fantasize about the old days when it was only me working from my basement. As the saying goes, Be careful what you wish for!

 

[Gino]

Four full, with one out on medical leave or something like that and 2 part-timers when needed. We also have some subs for certain installation work when needed.

With all the printers, flatbeds and automated equipment, a shop doesn't need near [personnel-wise] what we used to house. At one time, we had seven sign/card writers alone. I liked it back then. We were always super busy, so much fun in the shop and a backlog like you wouldn't believe.

​

Believe it or not, when I made my move to go solo, I still today have some of my original customers from as much as 33 years ago. We're all a lot older, but we still play the 'remember when' game. They'll say, remember when you got $75 a door to letter my truck and I answer back, remember when 20oz draft beers cost 10¢ at the bar ?? It's all relative. Those beers now cost about $1.50 and the doors only went up to about $175.00 a door. Course, it only takes 75¢ in media and ink and 10 minutes of time for two doors vs. an hour a door. Yep, some things just get better.

 

[StarSign]

15 full plus P/T when needed 15yrs and going strong

 

[neil_se]

12 full-time and 3 part-time, been at it for 7 years.

 

[VTSigns]

I'm the owner of my shop and both of the in-laws work for me full time (3 counting myself). They were in the business on their own (different state/different shop) for about 15 years before helping me start my shop. Tomorrow will be our 11th year in business.

 

[Centro Graphics]

Been at it 15 years, still have a hand full of customers since day one. There are two of us now, plus we have subbie fitters. Used to have 4 inc myself, plus a pt bookkeeper. Life is so much easier now, always seem to have more money in the bank, plus our rent is low, we're on a farm in the country, I can even take time off and not worry.

All well flying at X big turnover, but that X big turnover has X big overheads and more stress, i have done all that and had the huge orders and money to boot. Quality of life is where its at nowadays for me.

A friend of mine hasn't worked for over 10 years (he's in his early 50's), has house in France he lets out for holiday rentals. He earns a good living from it and is always doing something we wish we could be doing. Skiing, cycling, walking, or whatever. He is not rich just has life sorted and looks at things differently.

Happy days.