I seem to be the exact type of guy you hate then, because I don't appear to meet any of your criteria for getting into the business.
- I work out of my basement. Why wouldn't I? It's over 1000 sqft of space that wasn't being used, and instead of paying off someone else's Mortgage on a commercial property, I invest in myself and my family.
- I got into the game with no prior training. I had owned a sign company previously in the 90's, however, that was before the advent of Digital Printing. The business is nothing close to what it was 15 years ago. So, I'm a newbie.
- I am just one of those "schmo's" that walked into a sign supply company and bought a printer/cutter and all the other necessary equipment. In fact, I worked a number of suppliers to get the best deal. I also bought everything long before I had the business set up (Incorporation, Taxes, Licensing, etc). The equipment actually sat in the basement for 6 months before getting used because I had other things on the go.
- I decided to get into the business on a whim. I thought about it for all of 5 minutes maybe before deciding to make the plunge. I didn't bother with market research and interviews and such. Nothing. I decided, and after a few weeks of negotiating pricing with vendors, I had everything I needed to open shop. That was 2.5 years ago, and I am still here.
- I don't invest a dollar into advertising, nor worry about the walk-in customer. I work solely via my network of business associates and their referrals. Most of the world wouldn't know I even existed.
- Much of the work I do is for my related businesses. Yes, once again, I am taking money out of the mouths of people like you, binki. I do it not so that i can offer lower prices to my clients in those other businesses, but so that I can take more money home, to my family.
- And worst of all - I don't do this as a main source of revenue, but more of a hobby. That's right, I compete with guys like you for work with no regard for the fact that you do this full time, and I choose to do it as a hobby. Why, because I can afford to. Not because I operate out of my home (because that does have a cost), but because I am diversified. I follow the money, and I don't do anything cheap.
That said, I figure I have $60 -70,000 invested in equipment, and carry no debt on that equipment. Sure, I used my Visa card to buy all the gear, but only because it gave me LOTS of rewards points. The Visa was paid off before there was a lick of interest paid. I outsource nothing. If I can't do it myself, I'm probably not interested in the job unless I can justify buying the required equipment to do it. I would like to see this grow into a business that got my full attention, but currently I have other thing going that are far more lucrative than a sign shop will ever be. However, there are very few businesses that are as interesting and allow you to be as creative as the sign business, and that is what draws me to it.
One last thing, I just can't believe that you would lose 2 years doing research before deciding to get into a business. That is a lot of lost time that you will never profit from, and never get back. What that says to me is that you were not confident in your capability, and instead, over time, talked yourself into it. I don't care where your are, it doesn't matter how much competition there is or isn't. If you have confidence in your ability to perform and in the product and service you are going to provide, competition doesn't matter. As business owners, our job is to create something out of nothing.