Post Covid-19 Opportunities

This one is more of a current Covid opp - Went to PU some drive thru that I ordered online.

EVERY space now has a printed placard with the space number - since restaurant dining rooms are closed.

I think there is more opportunities with restaurants for temporary signage. maybe even " this sign donated by XYX..."

 

Things will definitely change; if the work from home thing goes well for companies that’ll free up a lot of money from rented floor space etc if they eventually decide that’s a full time viable option.

I can definitely see a future where all the people you’re assuming are in a call centre are actually at home talking to you naked.

best bet is to probably get heavily into construction site signage - for when they start flattening the office spaces to make houses!

 

Begin with doing something for your community.

 

Times like this should prompt us to Think Outside the Box - We’re creative people - so that’s what we do - We had Pre-Made Signs for for Restaurant Offerings and Connected up with Local Radio stations to offer Temp Signs and Banners Drive-Thru, Curbside, T-Go-Orders, We Deliver at 50-70% off -
We are creating QR Codes with Burger and Pizza Specials for Restaurants to put in Neighborhoods - There are services we can offer - NorthStarSignsandGrapjics.com

 

No post CoVid19 plan. Have enough to do right now and don't feel like making money from others misfortune. Going to make sure family and friends are okay and visit my buddy at the end of the block. Found out yesterday he had two strokes in February. Kinda wondered why I hadn't seen him. Too wrapped up in my own B.S. to check.

 

Hope your buddy/neighbor is recovering!

 

Hope your friend is okay.

I totally feel the same way about making money off other people right now, or even when this thing is over. I'm so torn between shutting the shop down for a couple of weeks and hopefully getting a second wind or trying to push to try to keep sales coming in and the lights on. Either way, the fixed expenses aren't going away but people obviously don't have money to spend right now and trying to sell just seems chitty. Doesn't help that we've never done much marketing/sales and we've been lucky enough to have a good returning customer base and referrals.

Sorry for the mini-rant.

I like where you're heading with this thread James - once I can clear my head I'll try to come back with a positive/helpful post.

Stay safe everyone.

 

RJ Hope your buddy is recovering!
I know what you mean about making money from others misfortune so we did this...
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/qc-sign-company-donating-free-banners-to-restaurants/526-435aa86a-958d-4ae0-b0dd-246ae51d6c87

 

Sales is an honest profession if done the way it should be.

• If a restaurant wants signage to help them convert customers to takeout only, who wins?
• When a factory gets signage to help keep employees safe with better procedures, who wins?
• When traffic in a parking lot is directed to avoid workers loading cars, who wins?
• When bus bench ads promote a local diner, and the waitress gets another $6 tip, who wins?

Good salespeople solve problems, and keep others employed. You're not forging checks, or jacking up prices on electricity because there's no one to stop you. Solve a problem for a business, and they will be happy to pay you for it. Don't solve a problem, and there will likely be another signguy, or online retailer that will...

Firesprint.com is a trade only supplier of screen and digitally printed yard signs, banners, foamcore, aluminum, ACM, Styrene and more. We sell exclusively through our nationwide network of sign, print and promo professionals.

 

If you're not selling anything now for internal or external reasons, here are a few ideas on what you can be working on:

• Marketing content to release throughout the year. Images of your work, mockups, etc.
• Write articles or how to guides for customers to post to your blog, linkedin, etc.
• Document your internal Standard Operating Procedures to make it easier to grow and train
• Learn something new, take an online class. I like LinkedIn Learning (Formerly Lynda)
• Learn how Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop actions can help you automate some of your workflow
• Learn how data merge in Indesign works
• Open a panel on something and clean inside it.
• Throw away or donate the scrap bin of vinyl. Not just the scraps, but the whole bin.
• Start building a list of customers you plan on contacting when things calm down
• Learn about a sister industry, commercial printing, promotional products, apparel decoration, marketing/advertising, web design.
• Learn how to use Filemaker, Wordpress or Python.
• Read a book on public speaking.
• Clean and organize your shop

The stuff you should be working on right now is the same stuff you should have been working on since you started your business. Just hard work. Continuous Improvement!

FireSprint is looking to expand its network of sign resellers across the us. Join us here.

 

Hi guys,
You're doing a great thing with providing a needed service for free. I'll do the same if I get an order. If we can all do something even a little tiny bit, it will help get us through.

Thanks for asking about my buddy. He's at home driving his wife nuts. Was always going 100% everyday. Now he works a day here or there and has to rest a day or so. And since his wife got sent home last Wednesday. Well you can guess the rest. Doc said full recovery in about six months.

 

Were getting covid-19 overload from our vendors and people we have never even heard of. Everyday its some stupid email from them about it and I find it a bit distasteful. Its disguised as being helpful but in reality its a cheap sales pitch like every other exploited issue that comes along.
I was going to make some things for it to sell but quickly realized that I dont want to be that guy.

 

This is exactly what I'm worried about. But if I don't try to be proactive now the company might not be around to open up again when this is all over.

Definitely not a position I want to be in, but then again none of us want to be dealing with this nightmare.

 

This. +1

 

We are focusing on serving our clients who are part of the essential services who are still working. They need things right away to respond to the daily changes and we do what we can to accommodate them and not take advantage of the panic with extra or over charges. I admire the people who are working the grocery stores, they are incredibly exposed to infection and they aren't that well paid to begin with.

 

Looking forward. Post Covid.... I am SERIOUSLY considering getting into the Automatic Door installation business...

Think Stanley, Nabco, Falcon...