New Guy How to effectively run business which I've taken charge..

[Gino]

I agree with the poster who said, you don't seem to have it in you.

Sweaty palms ?? Are you sure, you're just not scared ?? Wear gloves or put some cream on your hands.

Your whole story makes no sense. You have about the best and cheapest teacher at your fingertips, but all ya say about him is..... he doesn't wanna be around. Sounds like more to the story then you're telling.

The best advice for anyone is to get hands-on experience by working in a shop before you jump into your own business. Not you. You will really never learn from utube and/or on-line training. 90% of those things are from beginners who just learned a new trick. How will a total novice know real from fake ?? You won't, so you're bound to pick some losers.

My advice, talk your dad into coming back and teaching you the ropes for at least one, if not two years. Then, maybe you'll be ready.

 

[Razz888]

Honestly, if you don't love it This type of work, then you will probably hate it. Learning can get stressful, and expensive. When you mess something up, and have to redo it. Really cuts into the profit margin. In this industry, you really need to know every aspect of the business. You may have orders on the table, and your one employee just quit on you. Now what... It's all on you.

That's true, like I said, I am starting to / do like this work now, so I'll just go with the flow

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[Razz888]

Yeah, we do have a website but it's a bit outdated. Need to get a new one developed which we are working on at the moment. thank you for the advice!

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[signheremd]

Spend time cutting, weeding, and masking vinyl and get a tactile feel for the material. At the same time, spend some time learning more about the books - be sure you know how to bill clients and post payments, learn estimating (there are several estimating software options available), do a study to see what your most profitable segments are (and pay attention to the ones you have already said you really enjoy). Tailor your marketing efforts to those segments - you can advertise, put a sign our front (depending on local ordinances), letter your own vehicle(s) with the current promotion (have a section on the vehicle you change monthly). Make sure your shop is presentable to a customer walking in - you only get one chance to make a first impression - an orderly shop and bay speaks volumes to customers about the way you do business. Make a point of scheduling time collecting on accounts due once per week - never strong arm them, just say something like "just touching base to make sure you are happy with the job and to see if we can get the account settled" if they can pay for what ever reason, just counter with "I understand, but I have to feed my family too, how much can you pay on it now" - always stay pleasant and positive. Never be late on payroll. Never be late on payroll - your greatest assets are the people that work for you... They Make You Money! Robert may try to push the technique of taking your profit out first - that is a sure way to go bankrupt. You have to pay your rent or you don't have a location; you have to pay your employees or you lack skilled labor; you have to pay for your materials or you don't have supplies to do the work; you have to pay the light bill or you don't have the power to run the equipment; if anything is left after that, it is your profit. I would suggest putting a small portion of your operating funds back to build a nest egg to cover times when business is slow - your study of the business will reveal when that is if you don't know. As far as material, cheapest material is the right material for the job because it takes less time to apply, lasts longer, and reduces redoing a job. Over time, using the right material builds reputation through quality. Lastly, set aside a half hour a day to growing your own skills in anything you know you are weak in - that half hour is used everyday until you master that skill. This is a habit that you can continue for the rest of your life. You can do this, but you must be willing to make changes that lead to your goals.

 

[Billct2]

No reason you shouldn't give it a try, you have sales, equipment and a presence in your market. The big issue is getting a reliable assistant who knows the business. Nowadays most people who have any experience decide they can do it themselves and start their own shop, like your cousin.You may want to offer some kind of profit sharing to the employee,to both motivate and retain them. It's worth a shot, so go for it.

 

[Jeremiah]

Wow

 

[Razz888]

I agree with the poster who said, you don't seem to have it in you.

Sweaty palms ?? Are you sure, you're just not scared ?? Wear gloves or put some cream on your hands.

Your whole story makes no sense. You have about the best and cheapest teacher at your fingertips, but all ya say about him is..... he doesn't wanna be around. Sounds like more to the story then you're telling.

The best advice for anyone is to get hands-on experience by working in a shop before you jump into your own business. Not you. You will really never learn from utube and/or on-line training. 90% of those things are from beginners who just learned a new trick. How will a total novice know real from fake ?? You won't, so you're bound to pick some losers.

My advice, talk your dad into coming back and teaching you the ropes for at least one, if not two years. Then, maybe you'll be ready.

Sorry if I made you confused, he does wanna be around but he wants to do something which does not take too much management and time, which he's doing now and will be around to teach me or any other staff as needed but I don't want that too much I want to set him up in his other career and make him comfortable. That's it, no arguments, nothing, so everything is black and white.

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[Stacey K]

So the shop is being run by one employee. That means it's a one person shop, because you really aren't doing anything. We all started with our first sign. Do you want to learn how to apply vinyl to a sign? Google, "How to apply vinyl to a sign" and do it. Do you want to learn to apply vinyl to a vehicle? Google, "How to apply vinyl to a vehicle". There's 50 videos on each subject, watch 10 of them and you see the common theme. Then you do it. If you get stuck, you come on here and you ask a question and Gino, Texas, Uncle Bun...the list goes, you will get an answer within a couple minutes.

What is your strong point? Sounds like computers?

1. Update your website
2. Get on social media
3. Possibly start selling banners, coro signs, small stuff on your website, allow for delivery or pick-up.
4. Get the shop cleaned up and organized, get rid of any crap. Clutter in your workspace clutters your mind. Paint the office, make it YOURS, not your Dad's.
5. Letter your vehicle. Letter your friends vehicle - you need practice! Take it off if you want, you need to learn that too!
6. Purchase some design books, read them on the weekend. Mastering Layout, The Element of Design, etc.
7. Learn design well, anyone can put vinyl on a sign but not everyone can design
8. You have to make sure if your employee quits, you can at least farm everything out which means you have to know how to set files up and send them out for printing.
9. IDK...you just have to jump in, there's no right or wrong way to do it, you just have to do it.
10. Make a list and start at the top. Small steps, like Robert says are important.

 

[Stacey K]

Honestly, Val is right. You should contact Robert. He offers just the services you are looking for. Perhaps it's worth hiring him for a short period of time so you have someone to talk to who is willing to listen and help you organize all your goals. He is a very patient man and often gets picked on in this forum but I believe he has the skills to help you stay focused and he can offer a much needed boost in confidence.

 

[Gino]

Well, your father would be the best thing all around, regardless of what you want for him. Have him stay on and teach you all of it. If it was flourishing 4 or 5 years ago, it could withstand him staying on a bit longer, better than you learning from utubes and a buncha idiots.

I would suggest taking a long hard look at your/his business and evaluating your strong suits and what you'll never be capable of doing and go from there. If you were the receptionist, you should have some sorta grasp on business. You don't need math to run a business. That's what programs are for. Learn to delegate, once you find what you can and cannot do presently. Expand a little at a time. Most of all, take advantage of your dad's knowhow and ability. Just don't lean on him to show you, but learn from him. There is a difference.

 

[Pauly]

Honestly, Val is right. You should contact Robert. He offers just the services you are looking for. Perhaps it's worth hiring him for a short period of time so you have someone to talk to who is willing to listen and help you organize all your goals. He is a very patient man and often gets picked on in this forum but I believe he has the skills to help you stay focused and he can offer a much needed boost in confidence.

I agree, i think Robert would be able to help him out. Also being 21, a young age to take over a business would be hard as you're still new to the outside world. I started printing about 22, 29 now and it took a bit to realise how some things worked.

Having a website doesn't mean 100 clients a day.
Best thing i learnt is having a nice website. it allows new clients to gain confidence in you. Keep it up to date. make it interactive. keep people on there.

I dont like installing. i like playing with my machines, so we found a medium printing only. and that's all we do.
one thing is, people need to realise printing, signs etc isn't just about car wraps/branding and shop front signs. We did a run of 1500 A1 posters today. We also did a run of corrugated plastic signs. Straight off a printer, cut and sent.

 

[Razz888]

Honestly, Val is right. You should contact Robert. He offers just the services you are looking for. Perhaps it's worth hiring him for a short period of time so you have someone to talk to who is willing to listen and help you organize all your goals. He is a very patient man and often gets picked on in this forum but I believe he has the skills to help you stay focused and he can offer a much needed boost in confidence.

Hi Stacey, yes you are right. You are right about everything. My strong point is computers, I can sell products to customers, but when it comes to doing the work, I can't do it because I don't think I'm capable, I'm really theory based rather on practical, that's why I believe outsourcing is the way to go until one day, when it was my father's dream to have some flatbeds lying about.

Our shop is cleaned and organized, we have a lot of samples such as rigids, banner samples and small format to show our customers. I can practically sell our products, but like I said, I struggle to do the work because I don't think I'm capable. That's the main key thing here...

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[Stacey K]

Hi Stacey, yes you are right. You are right about everything. My strong point is computers, I can sell products to customers, but when it comes to doing the work, I can't do it because I don't think I'm capable, I'm really theory based rather on practical, that's why I believe outsourcing is the way to go until one day, when it was my father's dream to have some flatbeds lying about.

Our shop is cleaned and organized, we have a lot of samples such as rigids, banner samples and small format to show our customers. I can practically sell our products, but like I said, I struggle to do the work because I don't think I'm capable. That's the main key thing here...

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You CAN do it! You need to understand that, you can do anything you put your mind to. What I would like to see you do is really thrive in the sales, the book work, anything related to computers. But, you need to know the basics of the hands on stuff. If it your intention to always have a hired hand then you don't necessarily need to be a real professional but you do need to know the basics. It will make the front end work easier for you and you will appear even more knowledgeable to your customers. I feel better about you now, I hope this works out for you!

 

[Razz888]

Spend time cutting, weeding, and masking vinyl and get a tactile feel for the material. At the same time, spend some time learning more about the books - be sure you know how to bill clients and post payments, learn estimating (there are several estimating software options available), do a study to see what your most profitable segments are (and pay attention to the ones you have already said you really enjoy). Tailor your marketing efforts to those segments - you can advertise, put a sign our front (depending on local ordinances), letter your own vehicle(s) with the current promotion (have a section on the vehicle you change monthly). Make sure your shop is presentable to a customer walking in - you only get one chance to make a first impression - an orderly shop and bay speaks volumes to customers about the way you do business. Make a point of scheduling time collecting on accounts due once per week - never strong arm them, just say something like "just touching base to make sure you are happy with the job and to see if we can get the account settled" if they can pay for what ever reason, just counter with "I understand, but I have to feed my family too, how much can you pay on it now" - always stay pleasant and positive. Never be late on payroll. Never be late on payroll - your greatest assets are the people that work for you... They Make You Money! Robert may try to push the technique of taking your profit out first - that is a sure way to go bankrupt. You have to pay your rent or you don't have a location; you have to pay your employees or you lack skilled labor; you have to pay for your materials or you don't have supplies to do the work; you have to pay the light bill or you don't have the power to run the equipment; if anything is left after that, it is your profit. I would suggest putting a small portion of your operating funds back to build a nest egg to cover times when business is slow - your study of the business will reveal when that is if you don't know. As far as material, cheapest material is the right material for the job because it takes less time to apply, lasts longer, and reduces redoing a job. Over time, using the right material builds reputation through quality. Lastly, set aside a half hour a day to growing your own skills in anything you know you are weak in - that half hour is used everyday until you master that skill. This is a habit that you can continue for the rest of your life. You can do this, but you must be willing to make changes that lead to your goals.

Yes, I will be spending feeling and having a go at the material, even in the likely sense that I won't be doing it myself in the long term, at least I can have a feel for the products. and with regards to the billing, we generally take payment upfront. If it's a large order, for example, more than £500, then depending on the risk, we do 50% and then 50% upon order completion. And yes, we need to keep everyone happy & even the business happy. Just so you know, I'm not one of them people who just go on a spending spree, I am quite disciplined like that, I grew up with the value of a £1. So I will be fully focused on where the money goes (i.e: majority will be invested back into the business) and only a minority will be to support my lifestyle.

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[Razz888]

You CAN do it! You need to understand that, you can do anything you put your mind to. What I would like to see you do is really thrive in the sales, the book work, anything related to computers. But, you need to know the basics of the hands on stuff. If it your intention to always have a hired hand then you don't necessarily need to be a real professional but you do need to know the basics. It will make the front end work easier for you and you will appear even more knowledgeable to your customers. I feel better about you now, I hope this works out for you!

Thanks dear, at least I could make one person believe in me in this forum. I really do appreciate it and what you are saying does make sense, if I at least know the basics, then it's going to make it a lot easy. That is exactly what my Dad taught me as well. Everything is falling into place. I am going to work with the trade suppliers, work with the samples, go through them, order small rigid materials & sample vinyl, apply them, read websites and watch reputable YouTube videos to increase my knowledge. Thanks Stacey, I hope nothing but goodness comes to you.

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[brdesign]

I think it's important to learn as much as you can about the materials and processes as a owner. Hands on experience is a great way to learn, a shop owner doesn't need to be as proficient as their expert sign maker but should still know enough to make a sign on their own, even if it takes longer. I know some shops where their graphic designers have to spend their first week or two working in production to learn a better understanding of how their design choices can affect production. For vehicle wrap experience without the vehicle, go to a junkyard and buy and old car hood (bonnet) or fender, wrap it, peel it off wrap it again.

I've worked for a couple of the national sign franchises in the US, many of the franchise owners start with no knowledge of the sign business they just hire knowledgeable people to do the work for them. Some are content just focusing on the business / marketing side of things and never learn the hands on work, but the ones who make the effort to learn usually have an easier time of running things.

Having a computer IT background would be very helpful in networking and setting up printing equipment. When you run into computer, networking issues, the local computer guy usually has no idea how to work on the equipment we use in the sign industry.

 

[Razz888]

I think it's important to learn as much as you can about the materials and processes as a owner. Hands on experience is a great way to learn, a shop owner doesn't need to be as proficient as their expert sign maker but should still know enough to make a sign on their own, even if it takes longer. I know some shops where their graphic designers have to spend their first week or two working in production to learn a better understanding of how their design choices can affect production. For vehicle wrap experience without the vehicle, go to a junkyard and buy and old car hood (bonnet) or fender, wrap it, peel it off wrap it again.

I've worked for a couple of the national sign franchises in the US, many of the franchise owners start with no knowledge of the sign business they just hire knowledgeable people to do the work for them. Some are content just focusing on the business / marketing side of things and never learn the hands on work, but the ones who make the effort to learn usually have an easier time of running things.

Having a computer IT background would be very helpful in networking and setting up printing equipment. When you run into computer, networking issues, the local computer guy usually has no idea how to work on the equipment we use in the sign industry.

Absolutely valuable and helpful advice there! Will see if some scrap yards around my area have some exterior parts which I can use to do some vinyl lettering / application of graphics. I have a good amount of network knowledge and have setup / disconnected the printer & Roland Versaworks software we use, and generally some other minor issues we've encountered, so that's something I already know there.

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[Notarealsignguy]

No offense but just being real here. Don't quit your day job. You're 21, an adult now, not a kid and you are asking how to learn? Think of it as if you were just interviewing for this role and how ridiculous what you are saying and asking sounds. It's like a kid applying to be a plumbers apprentice and he says well I can't get my hands dirty and screwdrivers are out because my mind isnt really setup to know left from right but I guess I can learn some work because I do know how to turn on a hose.

 

[Johnny Best]

You either have to marry somebody rich or sell everything and go on government assistance or get a job as a mattress tester.

 

[Ray Miller]

I haven't been a member all that long on this site so I don't have any authority, but I do think you need to take a long hard look at yourself and address all of your issues. No matter what business you'd be trying out it's not going to be easy. At least not at first. Why is your dad leaving if he knows all about the business? What is he seeing that you're not seeing?