Is is worth getting a shop??

[Ericortiz27 0]

I've been doing decals for about a year now at home but ive been thinking of getting a shop for like $600 a month. I just want to know if I could really make a living on doing decals?

[wasatchcars 0]

There are a lot of shops that have a store front.

but first you need to ask your self $600 for the store & about $200 utilities plus insurance so figure $1000 added expense

Now you will need to be there from 9am to 8 or 9 pm to man the shop for walk in customers.

If you don't you will get a bad reputation for never being open.

Hire a guy to man the shop while your out doing jobs about $2000 a month

So now you are at about $3000 give or take in expenses.

If you feel getting a store front will net you more than $6000 go for it it not well pass

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

I make a living doing just decals/ fullside vehicle graphics, only from my home. Mail order only.  The key is to have unique items.  Great quality, prices and service.  I have a fulltime job, with part time hours.    and am not tied down  to shop hours. You can make a great living working from home, and not pay $600 rent.  It all depends on what you have to offer. As you are already working at home now..  Step up your game before taking that leap. Get some great designs out there. And definately no copyright stuff. You don't need it.  There is Ebay and other Free classifieds, Facebook. and other venues, that don't  cost a thing to sell at.  

[Ericortiz27 0]

Yea but no one complains about you not having a license or anything? and some people might not want to drop their van off etc because its at someones house?

[bayotle 26]

I've run a business from my home (not vinyl) for about 6 years, made a killing in my bvd's 

Now that I have the shop I'm seriously reconsidering moving back to the house so i can get a paycheck again...

I would consider the economy before investing in a shop right now unless you're getting a great deal or if you have the cash to keep you going over the lean times... If you do have the cash, with the economy as it is, you can pick up great deals on shop space (at least in this area). I've seen a year free for a 5 year lease w/reduced rent over the first couple of years...

As far as being in on time, my customers are trained!

No one ever expects me in before the crack of noon even though it's posted 10am!

[jeremySI 18]

i wouldnt open a shop just to make regular ol' decals. can you offer other services? wide format printing so you can do full color stuff/ do you do banners, signs, full vehicle graphics. do you think you are good enough at say photoshop that you can make outstanding looking logos that people will actually pay for. so yeah i think it wouldnt be worth it until you can get a little more under your belt to help bring in as much as possible.

[Sue2 920]

Getting a shop is a big investment in both time and money. 

As mentioned above, you have to make $X,000 per week

just to open the door each day. 

The exact amount will depend on your location, etc.

Along with water, electric, phone, rent, insurance you will

need someone to actually be there 40 hours per week to

answer the phone and take care of walk-in customers.

Will that mean an additional employee and all the attending

headaches that invovles???

Believe me, if you can make a nice comfortable living from

your home without employees....stay there!!!

Sue2

[NukleoN 34]

Agreed. I think you should only open a shop if you need to hire someone, or if you find yourself turning away lots of business for lack of a shop and in-store help, space, etc.

Otherwise, the at-home option is the cheapest and offers the most flexibility. For jobs which involve a customer's vehicle, just go to them, or have them come to you and do the work in your garage. You might have to adjust your prices to fit a home-business, but you'll save a lot in overhead.

[bbreault 0]

See. Im in this same exact situation RIGHT NOW. A friend offered me a single bay in his shop for $250 a month plus utilities because Id be splitting his rent. I need to get insurance anyway just because Im doing storefronts and stuff so I want to be covered and shop liability was only like $30 more/month. The main deciding factor for me was that I HATE doing decals outside, especially in the wind in an uncontrolled environment and I dont have the luxury of a garage at home since Im renting. I do also have a fulltime job so being there myself all the time is going to be hard. BUT I think that a garage could be VERY beneficial to someone given certain circumstances, like myself for example. Ive been able to do things outside or in a driveway but it would be SOOOO much easier in your own shop, somewhere that people can know where youre at, etc. My advise. Make a list of Pro's and Con's and be completely honest with yourself about them and try to include everything.

[NukleoN 34]

For you, I think you don't have much to lose being in a shop for only $250, and you have a lot to gain! Doing decals outside is horrific, I fully agree and man that's gotta be annoying. For only $250 a month, I would totally do the shop thing. You can always stop doing that if it doesn't work out, right? $250 is really a pittance for having a shop....in your case I'd say go for it. You can make that back in no time...perhaps from one or two jobs.

See. Im in this same exact situation RIGHT NOW. A friend offered me a single bay in his shop for $250 a month plus utilities because Id be splitting his rent. I need to get insurance anyway just because Im doing storefronts and stuff so I want to be covered and shop liability was only like $30 more/month. The main deciding factor for me was that I HATE doing decals outside, especially in the wind in an uncontrolled environment and I dont have the luxury of a garage at home since Im renting. I do also have a fulltime job so being there myself all the time is going to be hard. BUT I think that a garage could be VERY beneficial to someone given certain circumstances, like myself for example. Ive been able to do things outside or in a driveway but it would be SOOOO much easier in your own shop, somewhere that people can know where youre at, etc. My advise. Make a list of Pro's and Con's and be completely honest with yourself about them and try to include everything.

[Ericortiz27 0]

Yea but right now I only make about $300-$700 a month. I want to be able to earn a living

[Heavy D 1]

Yea but right now I only make about $300-$700 a month. I want to be able to earn a living

Opening a storefront does not guarantee you're going to "earn a living".  It only guarantees you're going to have A LOT more bills.  I have a store above another store my wife and I own, we own the building so my monthly bills are the electric bill and that's it, everything else our other store pays, so I make a "good living" out of my store but I'd hate to think of surviving on mine alone and paying all the other bills that our other store pays.  Not trying to "talk you out of it" but just giving you some things to consider before committing to something.

[bayotle 26]

Ericortiz... If your not making money now with no overhead, I would seriously reconsider opening a shop.

When I opened my shop I was in financial shape to do it (almost 6 figures), if you only make 300-700 a month, I'd keep it in my pocket and work out another plan. By word of mouth I have customers coming from 60 miles away, I should by now be pulling in over 250k, as it is right now, I'm just keeping the doors open.

One thing to note, tomorrow you'll most likely have the same options, take your time, sit down and work out the numbers, don't expect to make any more money than your already taking with you, just because you open your doors, it doesn't mean people will start flocking to you, I've been in the same location for years, in a busy strip mall and almost everyone walks in asks how long I've been here. They say it takes about 5 years to get a business to the point it starts to make money. Is this something you can financially handle?

Everyone here's making good points, you just need to weed through all of them and find what's applicable to your situation.. No matter which way you go, I wish you tons of luck!

[Ericortiz27 0]

thanks.. but how do you get so much business? The only reason I want to get a shop is so I get more business what tips can you give me about getting new customers?

[bayotle 26]

thanks.. but how do you get so much business? The only reason I want to get a shop is so I get more business what tips can you give me about getting new customers?

I don't think there is any real secret to running a successful business, other than time.

People don

[Ericortiz27 0]

ok..thanks.. what name do you like better vicious vinyls or vicious decals?

[bayotle 26]

ok..thanks.. what name do you like better vicious vinyls or vicious decals?

Think I'd find something that promoted me in a positive way!

Not sure I'd want something saying i was  corrupt, faulty, depraved or imoral!

http://mw4.m-w.com/dictionary/vicious

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

that and if you look up vicious vinyls you will probably find something quite different than signs

[Ericortiz27 0]

thanks alot ill stay at home..but one last thing how can I tell a legit business to come to my house? and how about if they want a receipt?

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

You write them a receipt like you would anyone.  If I was coming to your house to purchase say, a vinyl cutter, I sure would want the receipt. Why not write them a receipt?  You can write a receipt for anything sold.

 Your question.....how can I tell a legit business to come to my house?  (What does that mean? )

Do you have an Ebay store?     My whole business is on Ebay and  totally supports me very well...  I don't advertise or sell anything local. where customers come to my house. My own personal choice.  Everything is shipped. .   I live in a very small town.  Pop 5000

[Ericortiz27 0]

I mean if a legit business say a cable company wants to get their van done most of the time they wont want to go to someones house.. How hard is it to have a store on ebay?

[bayotle 26]

When i worked from the house it sucked because I had to keep the dayum place clean!

Along the lines of what's already been said, being at the house is lower expense, no contracts to bury you if you go belly up and the best option if you dont have financial backing. You may not get some of the business you'd hope for working out of the house but if your reputation is good, no one will care where you work. The shop here works out great for me but I work really weird hours, the next place (if i'm lucky) will be store front with a house attached.

[MZ SKEETER 4,708]

I mean if a legit business say a cable company wants to get their van done most of the time they wont want to go to someones house.. How hard is it to have a store on ebay?

So apply them on site, at their convienience... their place.  Alot of appliers travel to the job site.  That's no big deal.

Opening an EBAY store is VERY ez,  but working at it and making it sucessful is the harder part. Practically anyone can open a store,  But in order to sell and compete, you need items that others don't have, You need unique with great prices,  I didn't say cheap either,  but reasonable, with great qualilty and service.  Your competeing with millions, So your stuff has to stand out. Has to be something that people REALLY want. Keep changing it up until you find your niche'.  It won't be overnight... And will  tell their friends and keep coming back,  I have a lot of repeat buyers, and friends of buyers,  

[bayotle 26]

Just an FYI, before you sign up to sell on eBay, create a new email account unless you want it sold to spammers.

I create an account for everyone i give my email address to, within about 3-4 months I started getting spammed on that account.

Only ones that had it was ebay, all i did was create a new account, never sold anything on the account or gave it to anyone else..

As far as my buyers account, i haven't see that much spam mail, but since the sellers end up with it, there really wouldn't be anyway to know who would have sold it.