What describes your situation/operation the best?  

49 members have voted

  1. 1. What describes your situation/operation the best?

    • :Legit sign shop with more than 1yr exp.
      11
    • Legit sign business, new to industry
      5
    • Experienced graphics person, doing it on the side
      8
    • Home hobbiest, looking to become sign business
      20
    • Home hobbiest, just making decals for fun
      8


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Now, before anyone gets all bent out of shape, a couple disclaimers:

* Legit sign shop = anyone whether in a stroe-front or home-based (makes no difference) that is established as a business through their state with a business license, collects sales tax, etc.

* Home hobbiest doing it for fun = just making decals for yourself, family, friends with no intent to sell or profit from the decals.

I'm really curious as to where you all fit into. I wouldve also included a timeframe experience level sub question to each poll question but no option for that.

I'll be happy to start off by saying I am currently a full blown legit sign shop (home-based) with over 2 yrs calander exp in signage - if I did it by hours exp well it would most definitely go way beyond 2 yrs based on 40 hrs a week, 52 weeks a yr as I currently put in about 16hrs a day 6days a week. Started in graphics "for profit" as a supplimental offering to my customers of my motorsports parts business. Wanting to do more than just racecar graphics, I took a day job at a local sign shop. Worked for that sign shop for 13months, going from new hire weed/apply peon to Sales & Operations Mgr in 4months and 6days, bringing in over $90,000 in invoiced sales from Jan1 07 to Mid Nov 07 - left in late Nov 07 and took my sign business which was part time in evenings during that time, to full time -  set hours. Since Dec 07 I've expanded already, with more expansion this spring and possibly into a store-front.

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Guest fivestar

I am a "legit" sign shop.  I have a computer repair business and do vinyl graphics and t-shirt out of that location.  Also my wife has a flower shop that I do work for her too (there's more to these machines then just strickly vinyl).  I've been doing it for around 15-16 months and just love it.  Computer repair is my passion, but vinyl graphics ranks right up there with it.

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fivestar - thats almost uncanny.... you sure you are not me in an alternate universe? My wife also owns her own flower shop. I dabble in computer repair as a hobby for friends and of course myself - adding systems, upgrades, etc. for the graphics biz.

We've been talking about setting up a "satallite" office within the flowershop for the sign shop, and jointly hiring in a part-timer who would do customer service taking orders for both businesses. She has alot of clients who are small business owners/mgrs - what better way to network  :)

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Doing this on the side making a little extra change on the side would like to expand a little but doing well.  Made some real estate signs and probably will be doing a fund raiser with the local little league.

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Doing this on the side making a little extra change on the side would like to expand a little but doing well.  Made some real estate signs and probably will be doing a fund raiser with the local little league.

Oh lord - word of advise, go after the realestate company as a whole, not the individual agents - work a price structure for the signs that you can give the company and if they require the individual agents to pay for their own signs, they can distribute your prices to the agents in the company, try to stay away from the agents as independant customers separate from the R.E. company, or they'll chew you up and spit you out over pricing. They want the Mona Lisa of signs for flea market pricing - they're worse than racers when it comes to wanting the world for pennies.

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As of tomrrow, I will be "legit"... I'm going over to the county clerk's office to turn in my DBA. I have only been doing this since the middle of Dec. 2007 (yes, only 3 months) but feel that I've picked up a lot of experience doing work for friends, family, and co-workers, and getting a TON of help/advice from this site. Over the last 2 months, I've turned a decent profit for just being a small part-time gig, and have decided to make it official. I work for the government/state, so the retirement is too good to leave, so this will continue to be a part-time thing for me.

I already have the business card, and website... http://www.texascustomdecals.com

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full time business two years + now,after 35 years running another business that required much more physical lifting...til my back gave out. Did computer repair for a few years in between til I got tired of having to charge people for their own mistakes.

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Im a graphic artist and work at a print shop full time. I do decals and shirts on the side for profit and fun.

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Experienced graphics person here, doing some on the side. Pondering the idea of getting the license and all.

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Experienced graphics person here, doing some on the side. Pondering the idea of getting the license and all.

Me too. Im thinking of a dba for now. I dont need an INC. @ least for the moment, but I do want to do things right.

Joe

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I'm not a graphic artist like a lot of you. I'm a sign guy. That's why I do mostly banners. 35 years in retail,20 of them in the concession business, I might not know a lot about graphics,but I know what kinds of signs SELL the product.

I'll leave the vehicle graphics and wraps to the rest of you.

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We have a legit business with a DBA and have been doing this for just over a year, but we dabble with promotional items, dye sublimation and vinyls.  It's more of a side line business for us.

Jenny

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Guest fivestar

fivestar - thats almost uncanny.... you sure you are not me in an alternate universe? My wife also owns her own flower shop. I dabble in computer repair as a hobby for friends and of course myself - adding systems, upgrades, etc. for the graphics biz.

We've been talking about setting up a "satallite" office within the flowershop for the sign shop, and jointly hiring in a part-timer who would do customer service taking orders for both businesses. She has alot of clients who are small business owners/mgrs - what better way to network  :)

That is scary.  :)  Flower business is a great business to be in though.  Wife loves it.

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I have had a business for 7 years.  My business is repairing laser printers, doing warranty work for HP and selling consumables. I am currently putting my self through college for networking as well.  I bought my cutter because I was tired of paying the local sign guy every time I wanted something done.  I am now setting up a website due to the demand of the graphics I have made and requests to do logos for various people. 

I have to say if it was not for this forum and all of you fine people, I would not have done this at all.  Everyone here is so helpful, the first forum I went to 101, people were complete idiots and very rude.

Thank you all,

Gregg

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fivestar - thats almost uncanny.... you sure you are not me in an alternate universe? My wife also owns her own flower shop. I dabble in computer repair as a hobby for friends and of course myself - adding systems, upgrades, etc. for the graphics biz.

We've been talking about setting up a "satallite" office within the flowershop for the sign shop, and jointly hiring in a part-timer who would do customer service taking orders for both businesses. She has alot of clients who are small business owners/mgrs - what better way to network  :)

That is scary.  :)  Flower business is a great business to be in though.  Wife loves it.

I agree on that...between guys screwing up with their ladies, Valentines day,and people dying all the time...how can you go wrong?

I do 20-30 signs a year for one flower shop alone..and mothers day is coming up so I expect another order any day.

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Guest fivestar

Yes John those are all good times for flower shops, my wife's store is also a craft store so Christmas time is actually the best time for us/her.  We do approx. 1/3 of our business from Thanksgiving thru Christmas as with most retailers in the country.  One word of advice to all who sends flowers via FTD, Teleflora and such.  DON'T DO IT, you will get charged twice as much as you would if you just google the florist for the town you're wanting to send the flowers to and call them directly.

Now back to topic. :)

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Hi guys. I don't post much unless I have a question.  Well I have a lot but i don't want to be a bother.  So I thought I would let you know where we stand on this subject. My husband and myself bought a cutter last summer and just got it running a couple months ago.  Took forever withe the serial/usb issue.  But reading this forum helped a bunch.  I read it every day.  I still probably have not read everything. The graphics part of it is driving be bonkers, but hopefully I will figure it out in time. My husbands family owns a sanctioned motocross track, we have a friend who owns a stock car track 1 mile away, and a drag strip about 5 miles away.  We have friends that race and thought we could do a little business on the side with them. Doing stickers and t-shirts since we also bought a heatpress and 4 color screen printer. (haven't touched that yet)  We just got our DBA 2 weeks ago. Our business name is Jade's Design's.  How funny is that.  I can't design anything yet.  LOL!!!  You guys are really helpfull to anyone and full of usefull information.  Now all I have to do is learn REALLY what a vector is. :)

Holly

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In former life, I kept the computers and printers working for some friends who ran a full time sign business out of their barn.  Off and on for years, I thought "that seems like it would be a great business to have".  Getting fed up with IT/Support, I finally took the plunge and got my cutter and am looking forward to turning this in a good supplemental, if not primary producer. 

Haven't had my Pcut for a month yet, and already have made some decals for my friends, a couple of the schools in the area, and already have a couple or Real Estate brokers as customers- and with no advertising yet.  I'm really looking forward to getting "my chops" down with the software and cutter and building my business.

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I started just doing this for work - I manage a Self storage facility- we always need signs and banners!!!

In a former life I was a Master certified automotive technician, Automatic Transmission repair instructor, Computer diagnostics and repair technician (including laser printers) and at one point I was even a jet engine repair tech (NAVY). I needed to slow down so now I manage a self storage facility - greatest job in the world.

I used my PCut to make door numbers and a few banners -- now I have discovered making decals and am even selling some. I am looking at the options of going legit and getting either a DBA or an LLC -- not sure yet.

This has been great fun and this forum is fantastic!!!! Thanks to USCutter and everyone here!

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Guest Terry

I started just doing this for work - I manage a Self storage facility- we always need signs and banners!!!

In a former life I was a Master certified automotive technician, Automatic Transmission repair instructor, Computer diagnostics and repair technician (including laser printers) and at one point I was even a jet engine repair tech (NAVY). I needed to slow down so now I manage a self storage facility - greatest job in the world.

I used my PCut to make door numbers and a few banners -- now I have discovered making decals and am even selling some. I am looking at the options of going legit and getting either a DBA or an LLC -- not sure yet.

This has been great fun and this forum is fantastic!!!! Thanks to USCutter and everyone here!

TRANNYS, I have done a few, my hat goes off to you. I bought a book... took tranny apart and lined it all out in a straight line as it was coming apart, then put all B&M parts back in, in a line LOL but I could never do it without putting it in a line as it came apart. Your good!

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Guest Terry

I don't fit in I have been blackballed recently,  :)

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LOL

You are the rebel Terry!

I can imagine you riding that bike in your avatar singing AC/DC's "Highway to hell"... haha

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Guest Terry

Well I am a rebel, but I'm a 60's music guy, Animals, doors etc... The only new stuff I like is Scorpions etc... and thats far from new. I'm twice your age whipper snapper. LOL :)

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Guest fivestar

LOL, I hate acdc.

:DTerry you had all my respect until that statement.  J/K

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