-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
I need help!
- Thread starter Newatthis123
- Start date
Newatthis123
New Member
Before you even entertain a plotter, do you have a good computer and software to run it?
Software..No but I have a idea of want I want/need.
Computer..Yes
Do you know how to use either the plotter and/or software to make a sellable product?
Nope, I think I'm going to go through a lot of trail and error, my plan is to buy a couple roll's of cheap vinyl or more
Do you have the space and the additional tools needed to make signs and heat transfers?
Yes, I have a whole basement, but I will only be using one of the spare rooms
Do you have enough capital to invest into inventory so you can make some products to show and sell?
Yes, not as much as I would like though, that's why I was going to cheap out on a machine that I found but luckily I decided not to go down that route
How do you plan to market this stuff?
Website, business card's, kijiji, craft show's, word of mouth and I even have a plan (thanks to a suggestion of someone on here) to arrange a fundraiser at hockey, although I wouldn't make much profit, my name and hopefully new customer's would be worth it. Heck if I have to I will pimp out my husband, put a sign on him (made from my new cutter, of course) and make him walk the street's.
Who are you going to market this stuff to?
Woman, home decorater's are going to be my main focus but I have ton's of other idea's.
Do you know what you're going to charge?
I have looked at what a lot of other company's are charging and I'm hoping to be on the lower side but that being said I want to ensure a great product and use a high quality vinyl, so ask me in a month,
Do you know what you need to charge to make money, or more importantly, profit?
I feel like I am in a High school exam and the clock is ticking and I can't even come up with a suitable smiley face, dammit! So instead of skipping of fibbing through this question, I'm going to just say no, I still need to research this very important question and really my main reason for doing this.
Do you know what your competition is charging for similar products and services? Yeah only 2 questions left and I can get back to my life! Yes I do! This is how I got my very unsure husband on board, that and his father was in the sign business and he used to do it with him when he was a teenager, his father did most of the signs for the 1988 Olympics, cool hey
Do you have vendors that will sell you materials at the wholeale level? I have some guy who will sell it to me cheap, wholesale no. but I would like too
I guess my conclusion is that your probably right when you say "I have no idea what I'm getting myself into",I don't but I'm buying a plotter anyway lol but I'm willing to learn and if I fail, lose 3,000, then hopefully life will go on, but for now I'm going to throw myself into 100 % I have lot's of great idea's and don't want to waste them.
Goodnight guys and gals with signs:Sleeping:
Software..No but I have a idea of want I want/need.
Computer..Yes
Do you know how to use either the plotter and/or software to make a sellable product?
Nope, I think I'm going to go through a lot of trail and error, my plan is to buy a couple roll's of cheap vinyl or more
Do you have the space and the additional tools needed to make signs and heat transfers?
Yes, I have a whole basement, but I will only be using one of the spare rooms
Do you have enough capital to invest into inventory so you can make some products to show and sell?
Yes, not as much as I would like though, that's why I was going to cheap out on a machine that I found but luckily I decided not to go down that route
How do you plan to market this stuff?
Website, business card's, kijiji, craft show's, word of mouth and I even have a plan (thanks to a suggestion of someone on here) to arrange a fundraiser at hockey, although I wouldn't make much profit, my name and hopefully new customer's would be worth it. Heck if I have to I will pimp out my husband, put a sign on him (made from my new cutter, of course) and make him walk the street's.
Who are you going to market this stuff to?
Woman, home decorater's are going to be my main focus but I have ton's of other idea's.
Do you know what you're going to charge?
I have looked at what a lot of other company's are charging and I'm hoping to be on the lower side but that being said I want to ensure a great product and use a high quality vinyl, so ask me in a month,
Do you know what you need to charge to make money, or more importantly, profit?
I feel like I am in a High school exam and the clock is ticking and I can't even come up with a suitable smiley face, dammit! So instead of skipping of fibbing through this question, I'm going to just say no, I still need to research this very important question and really my main reason for doing this.
Do you know what your competition is charging for similar products and services? Yeah only 2 questions left and I can get back to my life! Yes I do! This is how I got my very unsure husband on board, that and his father was in the sign business and he used to do it with him when he was a teenager, his father did most of the signs for the 1988 Olympics, cool hey
Do you have vendors that will sell you materials at the wholeale level? I have some guy who will sell it to me cheap, wholesale no. but I would like too
I guess my conclusion is that your probably right when you say "I have no idea what I'm getting myself into",I don't but I'm buying a plotter anyway lol but I'm willing to learn and if I fail, lose 3,000, then hopefully life will go on, but for now I'm going to throw myself into 100 % I have lot's of great idea's and don't want to waste them.
Goodnight guys and gals with signs:Sleeping:
Jillbeans
New Member
OK, looks like you're serious....to a point.
Buy this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Layout-Art-Eye-Appeal/dp/091138068X
There is more to making signs than just learning to cut "deckles" (Canadian pronounciation haha)
Also, if you are going to be selling wall words to happy homemakers, please lose the unneccesary apostrophes or your wall words will look weird.
I started out in 1985 with a two-year old at my side, in 1987 I had another child and painted as many signs as I could until I was about to die. No, I have never had twins but I do have three children I have raised as a divorced mom. I managed to get a $10K loan in 1998 and get a plotter/sign softwear which I am still using. I also still paint signs, and prefer it. Remember that the kids are what really come first. They grow up fast. My eldest is 25 today.
Love....Jill
Lose this mindset.
Never give your work away just to get your name out, you will become the town cheapie and only get bottom-feeder jobs.
Buy this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Layout-Art-Eye-Appeal/dp/091138068X
There is more to making signs than just learning to cut "deckles" (Canadian pronounciation haha)
Also, if you are going to be selling wall words to happy homemakers, please lose the unneccesary apostrophes or your wall words will look weird.
I started out in 1985 with a two-year old at my side, in 1987 I had another child and painted as many signs as I could until I was about to die. No, I have never had twins but I do have three children I have raised as a divorced mom. I managed to get a $10K loan in 1998 and get a plotter/sign softwear which I am still using. I also still paint signs, and prefer it. Remember that the kids are what really come first. They grow up fast. My eldest is 25 today.
Love....Jill
Marlene
New Member
still sounds like you'd be better off finding a hobby website and asking others who do hobby stuff what they use for plotters instead of asking sign professionals for the info. It sounds like you've been checking out prices from sign shops and have plans to under cut the prices of shops in your area.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to make extra money at home but you may not find people here willing to help much as they may have been the sign company that you called to ask prices from so that you could charge less. sorry to come across as mean and nasty but I'd really hate to have some one like you in my neighborhood as it is near impossible for sign companies to compete with the hobby people pounding out vinyl for next to nothing.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to make extra money at home but you may not find people here willing to help much as they may have been the sign company that you called to ask prices from so that you could charge less. sorry to come across as mean and nasty but I'd really hate to have some one like you in my neighborhood as it is near impossible for sign companies to compete with the hobby people pounding out vinyl for next to nothing.
Newatthis123
New Member
I give up, I tried my best to answer these question's, I realize I still have a lot to do but really do you need to pick it apart? I'm not going to undercut any sign shop, of course people want there prices to be on the lower, doesn't it mean it will be, I doubt it.
Newatthis123
New Member
"Never give your work away just to get your name out, you will become the town cheapie and only get bottom-feeder jobs"
I understand your point but hockey teams are alway's fundraising, If I get to spend my time getting to know my cutter rather then selling chocolate bars, I'll chose my cutter.
I understand your point but hockey teams are alway's fundraising, If I get to spend my time getting to know my cutter rather then selling chocolate bars, I'll chose my cutter.
Newatthis123
New Member
Marlene I'm not some creepy person, who travel's around and check's out other prices. I really could go on forever, I'm really to hard headed for you people, so before I spend all day on here defending myself, I'm leaving with the great advice I got. I'm a winner out of this, most of you guy's are just bitter, and it's a little sad. Thanks to the guys that pm me and gave me great advice on here, I outta here, movin on.
seeya
seeya
Jillbeans
New Member
We're not bitter, we're just sick of mom's with plotter's thinking it is as easy to make sign's as it is to bake cookie's.
Or of anyone who thinks you can just buy a sign career for $1000.
I hope you are not teaching your son's to pick up their puck's and move on if they don't like what the coach says.
Or of anyone who thinks you can just buy a sign career for $1000.
I hope you are not teaching your son's to pick up their puck's and move on if they don't like what the coach says.
MariaMartini
New Member
They have some viable points but don't take it so harshly.
http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33474
They tore me apart when I first came here...
http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33474
They tore me apart when I first came here...
Checkers
New Member
Well, I gotta give her some credit. She answered all my questions - although they were rhetorical
Anyway New, it still sounds like you need to do a little more homework and come up with a good plan to establish and grow the business. In the mean time, save as much money as you can and continue reading the archives here. You'll find many recommendations on a good new plotter, software, heat press & materials for under $5k, in addition to a wealth of related information.
I would also suggest that you entertain taking on a part time job working for a local sign shop. Although the economy is not doing very well right now, perhaps you can find a place that needs a weeder/receptionist - even if its just for a few hours a day. While you're there, try to learn as much as possible.
If you were local to me and I needed the help, I wouldn't hesitate to hire you because you seem intelligent and you appear to be eager to learn and work. As for you going out on your own, I wouldn't have a problem with that either. Your intentions and goals would not be a threat to the work I do and I would be more than happy to work with you on larger projects that may be more than you can handle. Be forewarned though, as you can tell from the replies here, others probably will have a problem with you "competing" with them.
Checkers
Anyway New, it still sounds like you need to do a little more homework and come up with a good plan to establish and grow the business. In the mean time, save as much money as you can and continue reading the archives here. You'll find many recommendations on a good new plotter, software, heat press & materials for under $5k, in addition to a wealth of related information.
I would also suggest that you entertain taking on a part time job working for a local sign shop. Although the economy is not doing very well right now, perhaps you can find a place that needs a weeder/receptionist - even if its just for a few hours a day. While you're there, try to learn as much as possible.
If you were local to me and I needed the help, I wouldn't hesitate to hire you because you seem intelligent and you appear to be eager to learn and work. As for you going out on your own, I wouldn't have a problem with that either. Your intentions and goals would not be a threat to the work I do and I would be more than happy to work with you on larger projects that may be more than you can handle. Be forewarned though, as you can tell from the replies here, others probably will have a problem with you "competing" with them.
Checkers
Marlene
New Member
if i went to a website for dentist and asked what was the best drill to buy as I wanted to do dental work in my basement so I could earn some extra money for cat toys, I would expect about the same warm welcome. It may sound like some of us are just plain mean but I really don't think it is being mean. there are sites for hobby people and they would suit some better for info than going to sign professionals which is what this site is about.
VinylCraft
New Member
Welcome Newatthis123. Good luck in your indevor.
GoodPeopleFlags
New Member
Did I miss the part where newatthis talked about any type of design experience? Without basic design skills, the products you make will look like crap and that's not very good for business.
RebeckaR
New Member
She's just gonna do hockey stuff and lower priced wall words. All you do is type it in and print it out... right? Why would design even be an issue? (sarcasm, in case you can't tell)
Grrrrr...... there must be at least 50 homebased businesses like this right here in my dinky little neck of the woods. It's the new entrepreneurial creed... "A Plotter For Every Diningroom Table". Makes me tired.
I like my roasted noob with a nice spicy bbq sauce and a little slaw on the side.