New start-up.

[ndemond]

I smell a rat?

 

[high impact]

Is this a joke?

 

[Fred Weiss]

I smell a rat?

I'm close to agreeing with you.

 

[wildside]

equipment providers say those things for one reason, to get your money, they could care less the quality you produce or if you ever make it one month, they just want your 30 grand and your on your own.....

this business looks easy to make money in, because you have seen seasoned professionals doing it, years and years of practice and sacrifice

you can read all you want about different things on how to do this and that, but honestly, the only way to learn is trial and error, i would suggest working for a professional sign company and get your feet wet before jumping into the deep end with equipment and money tied up that may not work out

i spent ten years working for shops before i felt comfortable enough to go at it on my own, and it is still a learning process

 

[Flavius]

New start up

I smell a rat?

I'm sorry, what do you mean, I smell a rat?

 

[wildhock]

I'm close to agreeing with you.

Hey Fred, keep this one and re-post it on April Fools day.

 

[Flame]

Is it really that hard? The people I spoke with so far said that 90% of the time you do not even need to design, customers will provide their own art work, signs, etc...And for the other 10% of the time you can either use clip art or customize designs using user friendly software like FlexiDesigner.

Thanks Tony.

Flavius.

BS.

This is still a business for designers. If you cannot make a quality design, you will not make good money. Your vendors are simply trying to sell you equipment, I had almost 3 years into vinyl cutting and making signs, and when I bought my first printer it was a month before I made my first real print that came out right.

If you have no background or design skills, you are going to struggle... this isn't an easy business, ESPECIALLY if you're looking to do printing. I'd suggest practicing becomming a designer first, for a year or two, OR, simply do your homework, buy the equipment, and hire a professional to design and run them.

You need experience and skill to run this kind of business, a LOT more than being a realtor (no offense please, but they're 2 totally different worlds).

So I'd suggest NOT just jumping right in, as it could be a very costly mistake, and at the best you would just start cranking out cheap, horrid looking signs that will hurt the sign economy.

 

[TonyHoles]

I was really trying to help out but if you think that this profession is as easy as you discribed then I am sorry to say you will be in for a surprise. You future post might just be in the Equipment Classifieds.

Now you are sounding like a member here who has been snowed in like me... and just made a new forum id for some fun. Fess up??

Is this Shovel??? Or Flame?? lol

 

[Flavius]

New start up

equipment providers say those things for one reason, to get your money, they could care less the quality you produce or if you ever make it one month, they just want your 30 grand and your on your own.....

this business looks easy to make money in, because you have seen seasoned professionals doing it, years and years of practice and sacrifice

you can read all you want about different things on how to do this and that, but honestly, the only way to learn is trial and error, i would suggest working for a professional sign company and get your feet wet before jumping into the deep end with equipment and money tied up that may not work out

i spent ten years working for shops before i felt comfortable enough to go at it on my own, and it is still a learning process

Thanks Mark. I am aware of all these sales tricks, I know their job is to sell their equipment and I don't have a problem with that, exactly the reason I was trying to find out from users their experiences with the equipment I mentioned.

Thanks,
Flavius.

 

[Signsforwhile]

Is it really that hard? The people I spoke with so far said that 90% of the time you do not even need to design, customers will provide their own art work, signs, etc...And for the other 10% of the time you can either use clip art or customize designs using user friendly software like FlexiDesigner.

Thanks Tony.

Flavius.

OH boy.....

First of all are 90% of the people you speaking to printer salesmen?

2nd of all this is a serious business and it would be so difficult to get into if it were as easy as throwing some clipart together?

 

[jiarby]

I'm totally green, no idea what I'm doing

Write a business plan! Seriously!

How are you going to make money?
Who are your customers?
How will you sell to them?
Why should they buy from you instead of wherever they buy now?
What will my products be?
How will I make them?
What equipment is required?
What does my product cost to make?
What can I sell it for?
How much is my overhead?
-insurance
-equipment
-software
-consumables
-utilities
-rent
-vehicles/gas/insurance
How much do I have to sell to meet my monthly "nut"
How much will I pay myself?
What capital reserves are available?
How will you finance the business?
Who are your suppliers?
What terms can you get with them?
How long does delivery take?
How much is shipping/delivery?
How much inventory do I need to carry to be able to operate?
What are my sales projections for 1-5 years?
Sole Prop, LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp?
How will I handle accounting & taxes.
Will I have employees?


This is the tip of the iceberg!

The trouble here on this forum is that people think that buying a plotter puts them in the sign business. It doesnt any more than buying a skillet and a spoon makes you a caterer.

Don't focus all you attention on the skillet & the spoon.... Focus on THE BUSINESS. The skillet & spoon are just the tools that the business uses. It doesn't matter if you have a Mutoh or a Roland if you have no plan on how you will use then in yoru business. You can go broke equally fast with either one, or be equally successful.

A restaurant is not successful because the have the right brand of skillet & stove. They are successful because they make a quality product, focus on creating a good customer experience, have a decent location near a viable customer base, and they know how to sell. The type of skillet they use is overall immaterial to their success.


Dang! Did I fall for a Troll??

Fred.. who's IP is that?

 

[TonyHoles]

Even if you did get a customer that had the layout 100% print ready (which very very rarely happens) you need to know what to put it on or even how to apply it. It could be quit costly learning as you go.

 

[jiarby]

I like this...
His company is called "Best Signs" in his profile. But here he says he doesn't know anything. I guess "idontknowcrapaboutsigns.com" was already taken.

 

[Flavius]

Very, very good points. My plan was a little too simplistic maybe, I was thinking of going to get trained by Fellers on doing wraps, wrap my cars, build a web site, network a little in my neighbourhood and live the good life. Maybe a little to naive??

 

[Fred Weiss]

Look at all the posts flowing through here Flavius. Many of them are regarding the many, many details of the many, many processes and procedures involved in creating commercial quality designs and finished products. And most of them are being asked by individuals who have a fair amount of time in learning the craft.

Here's a suggestion ... before buying anything other than software, outsource the production and focus on sales and design. You need nothing more than a licensed copy of Corel Suite or Adobe Creative Suite and a computer. There are lots of folks here who will be happy to work with you on the production side.

 

[high impact]

Very, very good points. My plan was a little too simplistic maybe, I was thinking of going to get trained by Fellers on doing wraps, wrap my cars, build a web site, network a little in my neighbourhood and live the good life. Maybe a little to naive??

hahahahahahahahaha!

I think "Flavius" means "blonde" ;-)


All right....which one of you guys is slow today or ripping a HUGE file right now?

 

[Fred Weiss]

Very, very good points. My plan was a little too simplistic maybe, I was thinking of going to get trained by Fellers on doing wraps, wrap my cars, build a web site, network a little in my neighbourhood and live the good life. Maybe a little to naive??

I've been applying vinyl since 1983 and I consider applying wraps to be so high a skill level that it was decided not to even go down that road. Fellers or someone is doing you a great disservice to let you think you can just start at that level of skill.

 

[Flavius]

Thanks Fred, when I posted here today I was hoping to get advise, and thanks to you and a few others, I'm getting it. Really appreciate it man.
Flavius.

 

[TonyHoles]

Very, very good points. My plan was a little too simplistic maybe, I was thinking of going to get trained by Fellers on doing wraps, wrap my cars, build a web site, network a little in my neighbourhood and live the good life. Maybe a little to naive??

This is definately someone messing with us. I still think it's shovel or Flame. Probably Shovel.

If I am right I win something. right?

 

[Fred Weiss]

This is definately someone messing with us. I still think it's shovel or Flame. Probably Shovel.

If I am right I win something. right?

If it's Shovel you win one year of free designs. If Flame, you win one year of free printing. :Big Laugh

It isn't either though because the IP address agrees with the location given.