Moving to a new state. Weighing my options.

[ChicagoGraphics]

I made a major move from Chicago to Shenzhen China almost 3 years ago and thought I'd just run my business from here while using mostly the trade printers I would used back home sometimes for large orders I didn't want to do myself, as now I'm thinking many of my smaller customers know I'm not there anymore they just stopped ordering from me but I still do work for a few of my bigger customers. I'm now in the process of opening another company selling sign materials and hard to find products and promotional products.

Is It possible you can keep the customers you have now and ship their work to them, that's another option.

 

[netsol]

In my opinion, nothing's the same as it was 6 months ago and they're changing daily...... mostly for the worse. By the time you check things out, get your plans together and move, it could be altogether different in just a month or so, let alone 3 or 4 months. Just be careful. You might wanna consider making a 'B' and 'C' backup plan.

if AOC and some of the true crazies in the democrat party get their way, this resembles the lead up to the dark ages

 

[netsol]

complete with the visigoths sacking rome

i wouldn't worry, though. the dark ages only lasted 500 years (i am ever the optimist!)

 

[netsol]

you know we are being deprived of the chance to hear how much tim toad enjoyed the nominating convention. have we considered letting him back in? i, for one, miss him.

 

[visual800]

I left Charlotte, NC 3 years ago. I'm currently in Birmingham, AL. There is a big difference in the way the shops and clients respond. Charlotte was more about quality. Birmingham is more about price. Before the start of the Covid, I knew some shops in the Atlanta area that were 2-3 weeks out for new orders. That has all changed. I would do some research about the area in which you are attempting to land and follow Gino's advise.

You hit the nail on the head, down here in Montgomery same situation its all about price no one cares about good looking signage. It will certainly kill your spirit.

As far as OP I would take it slow work out of your home for awhile and get a feel of the market slowly build clientle. When it happens you will know it!

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

True, my nextdoor neighbor's daughter lives in Cumming


I agree, I'm not moving immediately. I'm still paying off some debts and saving as much as I can. I'm just getting started with researching and coming up with a plan for right now. I for sure and going to wait until this whole, ummm situation, is over. lol

I used to live in Cumming for years and it's a nice area. You can get an average size house (which would be a mansion by So Cal standards) for about $300-$400k. The area is great for families and schools, 1000 times better than So Cal. Most of my family lives there and I go back to visit several times a year. The weather there is great. Sign pricing seems to be average there, not too low and not expensive. I think once you get older the dream is to move away from busy Atlanta and out to the Carolina's or the mountains. I like Atlanta but prefer living in Dallas because of the traffic.. Atlanta feels like a giant traffic jam in the forest. (Maybe not as bad as LA) Dallas is no where near as bad.


I would suggest renting a house and not buying for a few years for several reasons. The first is I don't know how you'll get a mortgage without good income. Second is you need to be in the area to figure out where you want to buy. Buying a house is only a good idea if you stay in it for longer than 5-7 years. Rent a nice house for $2000/mo. and figure out where you want to be. I moved to the Dallas area two years ago and was advised to rent which was good advise. I did a lot of research picking Frisco but now that we are here we might want to be a little further out of the city like in Prosper or somewhere up there. Thankfully we now have the freedom to look and buy on our schedule and have a good feel for what the prices are in the market.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

you know we are being deprived of the chance to hear how much tim toad enjoyed the nominating convention. have we considered letting him back in? i, for one, miss him.

Stop it

 

[Johnny Best]

Talking about TimToad, he and his wife moved to CA and bought an established sign company. If I remember right it had a Gerber flatbed and a Roland printer and a good customer base. He always bragged about how his work was superior to its former owner and he said he was turning a profit. Also mentioned about the equipment breaking down and had to purchase new. He never mentioned if he had kids but it seemed he did not because his wife worked full time.
But I am sure he, Toad, did his homework before he moved because they were in other businesses before that.
That being said, starting out is great, just take it slow and observe things for awhile to see how you will proceed. Good luck.

 

[spectrum maine]

Hey everyone,

Well I get straight to it. I'm the manager of my family sign business (mostly traffic signs), and my wife and I just decided we want to move to Georgia. My family situation is weird, but pretty much when I tell them that I'm leaving I will likely be disowned so it's kind of an all-in decision. Making signs is all I know, I worked for my dad during high school summer breaks and once I turned 18 I immediately started full time and now I'm 33 and still here. I don't regret it, I actually like what I do but the down side is that my work experience doesn't really transfer over to anything, so getting a job that pays anywhere near what I get paid now will be pretty much impossible.

With that said, when I move I will be debt free and will have enough for a down payment on a house and some extra money to live off for a while. But I'm wondering if I should immediately start a sign business or get a normal job and do signs on the side and slowly build my customer base. I feel that if i immediately start my business I will need to go into too much debt to start up and I will burn through cash for at least the first 6 months because I am starting with zero customers.

What do you guys think is the best thing to do? Has anyone been in a similar situation before? Any help is appreciated.

I WOULD GET A SIGN JOB IN A NEIGHBORING TOWN, (NOT YOUR OWN) THEN BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SLOWLY IN YOUR TOWN. AT SOME POINT YOUR BOSS WILL THINK IT IS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE. IF YOU WORK FOR A BIG ELECTRIC SHOP, I AM SURE A FEW WINDOW JOBS OR TRUCKS ARE NOT GOING TO RAISE ANY RED FLAGS. MAYBE YOU CAN DO SMALL JOBS FOR THE SHOP ON THE SIDE. BEFORE I STARTED MY OWN SHOP I DID 20-30K ON NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS AND INVESTED IN EQUIPMENT. FIND A NICHE AND KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN. NOW I DO TONS OF WHOLESALE JOBS FOR THE BIG SHOPS.