Things must be getting worse out there

[binki]

We had another competitor come in during our farmers market asking a lot of questions about the downtown area and rents. He wants to move from his current location to be down by us. We already have 7 down here, was 8 but one guy closed up. I don't mind this type of competition though. I don't think he will make it downtown but that will be his problem.

 

[Pro Image]

You worry about other people to much..............

Don't you have enough to do in your own business...........

 

[RJ California]

You worry about other people to much..............

Don't you have enough to do in your own business...........

His post just seemed like a simple observation to me.

 

[binki]

I actually welcome similar businesses to mine in the same area. We get a lot of customers from these places on things they don't do.

This guy is in an indoor flea market and they doubled his rent when his lease came up. I can't say he would do better in a setting like where we are though.

 

[john1]

I wouldn't worry about it.

I really wish business would pick up, the past 2 months has been a total loss and it seems the emails and phones have been shut off.

 

[Pro Image]

His post just seemed like a simple observation to me.

Yes it is.......But they are once a week....About this person and that......

 

[binki]

Yes it is.......But they are once a week....About this person and that......

So the almost daily posts of how some guy in his basement selling signs for a buck a foot on craigs list don't match up to my 3 posts on legitimate competition and the effects of the economy on our business?

General Chit-Chat: Discussion of anything not related to signmaking. Humor is okay but PLEASE, no profanity, items in bad taste, religious or political topics

I thought it fit, just an ongoing observation of the competition and how the larger volume shops are holding up.

 

[OldPaint]

the real question is............what is the saturation point of what this business has turned into?????
printers getting cheaper, computers getting cheaper, people without jobs, looking for a business, that dont take a lot of knowledge to get started..............and the VALUE OF TALENT & GOOD DESIGN SKILLS become worth less & less, and the only selling point from most of them is A LOWER PRICE THEN THE GUY UP THE BLOCK..........
from where i sit.............wont be long........................hehehehehehehehe

 

[artbot]

high end commercial interior signage is still booming (medical, oil, manufacturing, software) competitive upstarts and expansions, new offices. and the companies usually budget $200-$500 per square, or more. right now i'm aiming my work both commercial and fine art toward asian markets over the next ten years. india, china, tiawan, korea. this is where the new wealth will be centered. USA will be the new japan in a less than a decade.

 

[binki]

the real question is............what is the saturation point of what this business has turned into?????

It is pretty saturated. The art store prints banners and signs, the clothing store bought a screen printer and prints shirts, the 2nd hand store does banners, the t shirt place does banners, the sign place does shirts. That is within 1 block of us.

If this guy comes in there will be 8 shops doing the same thing within half a mile of each other.

 

[schramm]

A short burst of time weeds out the bad companies and they fold anyway! If you work from home you have low overhead but no exposure and if you have a shop you have walkins and exposure but not always more then a tire kicker. Just because you are doing good in an area doesnt mean someone else will.

 

[Marco]

tuffy stick ur chest out

going way back before my time... :Big Laugh Little did I know that the car co. Toyota and all those other Asian Car Cos. were going to be as big as they are today. We keep em fattt; we are always trying to get the best deal for our buck.
There is no doubt in my mind that competition will increase and the times will get harder. I recall my younger years when I saw little grocery stores pop-up in every street corner throughout my neighborhood.
Sounds like that fella is trying to stay in business; for him it may be taking drastic measures such as picking up shop and relocating.

In order to survive we must adjust.
Good chit chat - Good thread - And my 2 cents.

 

[John L]

high end commercial interior signage is still booming (medical, oil, manufacturing, software) competitive upstarts and expansions, new offices. and the companies usually budget $200-$500 per square, or more. right now i'm aiming my work both commercial and fine art toward asian markets over the next ten years. india, china, tiawan, korea. this is where the new wealth will be centered. USA will be the new japan in a less than a decade.

I'd really like to hear more about this if you are willing to discuss it. Did you find a translator? bilingual marketer? I'm really curious about this. Best of luck to you.

 

[Techman]

and the VALUE OF TALENT & GOOD DESIGN SKILLS become worth less & less, and the only selling point from most of them is A LOWER PRICE THEN THE GUY UP THE BLOCK..........
from where i sit.............wont be long.

As long as some just sit around and refuse to iimprove their business skills, and refuse to develop strong marketing skills, and refuse to ignore the guy up the street acting like a lowballer..

I have no talent, I cannot draw a straight line with a ruler, I cannot envision a really cool layout.. But my business is growing in spite of all the negative talk. If I can do it then any one could too. But only if they get the8ir butt in with e8ither a good consultant or get their nose into dan kennedy's marketing seminars.

 

[1leonchen]

its getting harder and the economy is forcing more competition in all fields. i have seen pre fab aluminum stuff which used to be sold at 18-20 dollars a square foot selling for 12.50 a square foot and the dealer is selling it for ten. and that don't include shipping and handling much less port charges. one more competition is never nice.but don't stress about it. slow and steady wins the race.

 

[artbot]

@JohnL i've got contacts right now in dubai, and singapore. i can only start studying the fabrication methods, material styles, etc and start adapting. as far as marketing, i just plan on submitting my work to architectural firms, design firms, etc in due time. and put my stuff up against anyone over there. just like we pay for fine german engineering, each country has it's strong points. the american small business/person need to be known for fine amercian design and engineering just the same.

 

[knifemaker3]

binki, it's common for people to worry about the competition. I just heard through the grapevine that one of my competitors is going to "give me a run for my money". Oh well, I ain't in business to run anyone else out. I'm just trying to make an honest living. If the competitors try and lowball me out of business they will soon have to close their doors as they won't be able to pay rent.

With that many competitors in one area...as long as you have the foot traffic and you do great work and are honest in all you do you won't have anything to worry about.

Competition is sometimes a good thing. Sure, some will leave you and you may never get them back...but most of the time you will when the new guys don't do quite as good of service as you do. Those Customers who return to you will stick with you no matter what after being less satified from their business with the competitor.

Later!

 

[Rooster]

What we tend to forget is that as prices come down, whether through competition or drops in equipment and material pricing passed down to the customer, the market opens up to a whole new segment of customers who weren't ready to pay the previous prices.

The only constant in our industry is change. Embrace it or move on to something else.