Need Advice & Help Please

[Kulpritt]

I am not sure where to begin but I will do my best to keep this short and to the point. I worked at a sign shop for 5 years then they closed the doors. So I now work at another sign shop. My new boss told me if I came to work with him he would buy the old shops files, email Addy and phone number so I can continue to do the work for him. So I now do his work and my old work for him. I run the entire print department alone. I deal with the customers, do the estimating, order the material, do the designing & proofing, do the printing, laminating and cutting, do the installs and do the invoicing when done. Now I do all this entirely alone. No help at all. Now he expects me to make $1000 a day or I don't get a raise and can lose my job. I find it pretty much impossible to do alone. Especially when I am out all day doing installs. Does this sound right to anyone here? I have done it but only when there are large simple jobs and not a lot of little ones. Now I am doing a full vehicle wrap while doing all the daily jobs on top of it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Pippin Decals]

Hell no.You have every right to be asking this,,,He is expecting you to do all that for him while he sits fancy free? I know he is the boss .but there are limits to everyone and what they should be asked to do for a job title..If it were me i would walk or tell him the issue,Sounds like you should be doing your own work instead of working for him or anyone...

 

[Johnny Best]

Sounds like you need to open your own shop and fire your boss.

 

[visual800]

i never understood someone wanting to make all the money without sharing it with those that made it possible. I would leave the greedy bastard and take a copy of all files with me (your old files). Someone like him doesnt appreciate help

 

[Johnny Best]

Your boss's philosophy...

 

[doublesigndude]

I think I'd have a serious come to Jesus moment with your employer. It's obviously weighing on you. You know what you're doing, take any job from cradle to grave, sounds like you could train any one person to help you. He wanted you to work for him, see if he's willing to do what it takes to retain you. Maybe it's time for a change, we're all where we are because of change.

As an employer I'd never ask my employees to do anything that I wouldn't do. If I need extra hours put in for a big project, I'm there with them, buying dinner if we run too late, bonuses for the extra effort, constantly thanking them when they leave for the day & letting them know how appreciated their role is in my business. I pay above most like businesses in the area but I expect more. I want an employee like you, runs it like they own it, take pride & ownership in their work.

 

[Kulpritt]

The kicker is he told me Kicker is he told me he would pay me $20 an hour if I started here. Now a year later I am still only making $18. He keeps telling me I won't get the $20 until I make $1000 a day every day. I even went and bought a new car to get to work because I was using the company vehicle when I started because I had no car at the time. He was charging me $2 an hour to use it. He then told me I had to get a car because I couldn't use the company can anymore so went and bought one thinking since I was going to get the $20 it would help pay for the car. You know how that went. Plus he also makes me use my new car to go to jobs.

 

[Kulpritt]

Your boss's philosophy... View attachment 126974

Funny..Lol..I actually told him to stop dangling a carrot in front of my face when he told me the shop could be mine one day. Now he tells the newer guy that.

 

[Kulpritt]

I want to thank you all for your input. The constant stressing over the treatment I receive is getting to me. I definitely have alot to think about.

 

[Signchief]

Sounds like you're working for my dad! Life is too short, if the customers followed you to this guys shop they will follow you to the next or your own. If you're working in a market where you can generate $1k a day in sales there have to be other shops around that would be happy to pay you what you're worth. It sounds like you're training the new guy to take your place but good luck with that it's not everyday you find someone that can do what you're doing including a lot of owners. Do you have a good relationship with any local sign supply reps.? You might want to talk to them and let them know your looking to move to another shop, they can be a good resource as long as they don't tell your current employer.

 

[Johnny Best]

Sounds like the owner is fing lazy, So he wants you to bring in $1,000 a day and pay you $144 for the day while you do all the work and he sits back and makes the profit. That's why I used that particular animal in the drawing with the carrot. You need to turn around and give him a good kick. "take this job and shove it".
It will never get better for you at this place. Your boss is not going to change and complaining to us is not going to help. You need to grow some gonads and stop stressing like a little kid who did not get his milk with the lunch your mom packed for you.

 

[Gino]

$1,000 a day. Is that gross or profit ?? $1,000 a day would only be $265,000 a year, unless you have other people working there. After you count up all the overhead, insurances, taxes and costs of materials, that's really not a lot to expect. I would either lay your cards out on the table, but have a backup plan figured out, in case it backfires..... or just follow your backup plan with no warning to the guy. If he is as dependent on you as you say he is, he will most likely cave, but let me tell ya, if he's anything like me...... I'd never give in to someone dictating how to run my business, no way..... no how. There's the door. so be prepared.

If your boss was on here asking the same thing, I'd be telling him to be better towards you and give you some incentives, not empty promises. Explain the rungs on his ladder. Have it in writing, so things can't be changed by mere say-so.

 

[Kulpritt]

Sounds like the owner is fing lazy, So he wants you to bring in $1,000 a day and pay you $144 for the day while you do all the work and he sits back and makes the profit. That's why I used that particular animal in the drawing with the carrot. You need to turn around and give him a good kick. "take this job and shove it".
It will never get better for you at this place. Your boss is not going to change and complaining to us is not going to help. You need to grow some gonads and stop stressing like a little kid who did not get his milk with the lunch your mom packed for you.

I just wanted some input from others in the same field before I approached him on the situation is all.

 

[Kulpritt]

$1,000 a day. Is that gross or profit ?? $1,000 a day would only be $265,000 a year, unless you have other people working there. After you count up all the overhead, insurances, taxes and costs of materials, that's really not a lot to expect. I would either lay your cards out on the table, but have a backup plan figured out, in case it backfires..... or just follow your backup plan with no warning to the guy. If he is as dependent on you as you say he is, he will most likely cave, but let me tell ya, if he's anything like me...... I'd never give in to someone dictating how to run my business, no way..... no how. There's the door. so be prepared.

If your boss was on here asking the same thing, I'd be telling him to be better towards you and give you some incentives, not empty promises. Explain the rungs on his ladder. Have it in writing, so things can't be changed by mere say-so.

There are 3 others. The boss and 2 in the back shop doing production. They all do the 'sign' work. Like CNC cut lettering and anything not digital. I handle all the digital and cut vinyl. The boss does the paper work and deals with the customers and then hands them the work order and they build it. They are a team of 3 and I do mine alone. Hope this makes sense. Cheers.

 

[mfatty500]

Sounds like you're getting bent over, my son.....

 

[S'N'S]

If you ask me, it sounds like now that he has your customer files he wants to drive you out as he got what he wanted.

 

[Signchief]

So he bought the old company you worked for and phone number and hired an additional employee to handle the additional work load. You agreed to work for $18 n hour with the possibility of a raise if you met sales quotas. If the quotas are unrealistic and you agreed to them and can't meet them then you're not gonna get the raise. The customer files artwork etc. belong to the person that purchased them. Sounds like you took a job with expectations that won't be met, that's the way it goes sometimes. It's hard when you're emotionally involved but the truth is you have no claim to the previous company, you need a job to survive so assume $18 n hour is the most you'll be getting at this job if that's not enough find a new job but let go of the past.