chipperi

How is a small business supposed to start.....

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I have some on E-Bay, and Etsy. I've been handing out Business cards, and pounding the pavement. I wanted to set up at a local Boat show next weekend and they want $400 to set up in the lobby! That's probably more than I would make. Running out of ideas. Any suggestions.

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Look into your local craft shows that only charge 20-100 dollars to set up at. Create a facebook business page also.. Do not give up keep at it and it will start to come. I am trying to get going as well. I am getting myself ready for some local craft shows in the area

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Open a store.

 

sign-shop.jpg

 

on my 'To-Do List'...

 

No its not easy to get started, specially if you live in an area where there's numerous businesses doing the same thing.

There must be at least 6 vinyl businesses within 20 miles of me....which means there is a demand, right??

 

Word of mouth, make flyers and hang up on public bulletin boards, hand out cards, do stuff for friends and family, have them help spread the word, and try the craft shows. Boat shows and motorcycle shows and even car shows are good too...but yeah $400 is a lot to have a booth at a show. My bike chapter's big annual bike show, we have booths for $75..and we get about 3000 people walking thru...

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How do you guys do booths? Do you take a bunch of premade items? Or you show samples and make them? Also if they want custom orders do you worry you want be able to make it good and quick enough?

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It depends on the crowd...are they a "i want to buy here and now" crowd or a "i will give u a call later" crowd.

For my bike show i brought a few samples with...had my laptop and cutter set up and could show them stuff and make it right there for them. This was before i got my shirt and hat presses tho.

But this year im going to do a few shirts and hats to show off and some glass etched items...

I will have my cutter there...but not my heat presses. Being a one man show and dragging all that stuff around is too much.

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Going to go to the boat show as general public...and take some cards and flyers with me, and hope no one says anything.

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At the boat show, be sly and be careful, those venues usually prohibit solicitation or promoting in the aisles. They are used to people doing exactly what you want to do, and the event staff will notice pretty quickly.

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Order you some 18x24 coro yard signs with stakes and ask permission from business to stick them up near the highway especially near stop signs or stoplights where people will have some time to read them. Word of mouth is the best advertisement there is. Quality work and/or product and some what competive pricing but dont price more than 10-15 % below others if you dont make a profit it is just a hobby. If you have a local sales paper put an ad in it ( paid business ad ) listing your product. The main thing is get your name and product in front of people and you should do fine. Remember customer service and satisfaction are key in any type of business.

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at my work, i have a 3 drawer cabinet. Black. I cut 1 decal for it one day. and slapped it on. people i work with walk through every day and seen it and asked where i got it. ( it was a custom one i made ) I told them, a couple people wanted something made, so i said hell, to get more attention, i made about 20 more of whatever, and slapped em all over the thing, different colors, then it really started to draw attention, then they tell there friends, and so on, but ive been doing it cheap for them and i let them know its a "friendly" discount.  I live in a small town, and word traveled fast. I got a call from florida one day saying a friend of a friend told me about you. lol

 

Im not really busy, but enough to help things out for now, but thats just vinyl decals, and lettering.. been getting asked alot about if i do t shirts, so thats why i JUST bought a new printer. and bought a heat press. Start small,

 

get the word of mouth around, show them what ya can do...use your car! thats a great free way to advertize what you can do.

 

its hard to compete with "PROSIGNS" who have a shop right in your town, but remember they have ALOT more overhead than you probably do so they charge more.

 

you can also try cold calling business etc, but i never did like doing that, I always hated calls like that. 

 

If u see a place that needs vinyl on there front business door. just let them know too.. or a blank enclosed trailer! 

snomobile trailers are great!! they love customizing theres. 

 

Good Luck!!

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Axel the last time I came close to cold calls was calling all of the clients I hadn't heard from in a while trying to drum up some business. After calling and finding that at least 1 had went bankrupt I felt like I was rubbing it in when I asked if they needed anything done before he told me so I no longer do that. Really didn't get much out of it anyways and true cold calls are something I could never do since it reminds me of all the telemarketers I despise so much. 

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Axel the last time I came close to cold calls was calling all of the clients I hadn't heard from in a while trying to drum up some business. After calling and finding that at least 1 had went bankrupt I felt like I was rubbing it in when I asked if they needed anything done before he told me so I no longer do that. Really didn't get much out of it anyways and true cold calls are something I could never do since it reminds me of all the telemarketers I despise so much. 

I wont do that either if someone says so and so needs something done at their home or business or someone needs signage I just give them my card and tell them to pass it on to the other person and if they want an estimate they can call me.

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I go to local gas stations and party stores with popular samples and tell them, I will supply everything and set up the display, sell them for X amount, keep X amount for yourself and I get the rest and I'll keep them stocked.  Most places are receptive, because it's nothing out of their pocket and all they have to do is collect the cash and pocket their part. 

 

Oh!  The most important part, is to make sticker labels that I affix to the backing that has installation instructions and my contact info to order custom stuff, as well as other services that I offer.

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Here in West Virginia everyone has a four wheel drive, at least one gun most several guns, almost everyone deer hunts and a lot of livelyhoods are related to coal mining. If you would have any decals with the above themes they would sell big tine.

So find a niech in your area with decals of local interest, ocupations etc.

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on my 'To-Do List'...

 

No its not easy to get started, specially if you live in an area where there's numerous businesses doing the same thing.

There must be at least 6 vinyl businesses within 20 miles of me....which means there is a demand, right??

 

Word of mouth, make flyers and hang up on public bulletin boards, hand out cards, do stuff for friends and family, have them help spread the word, and try the craft shows. Boat shows and motorcycle shows and even car shows are good too...but yeah $400 is a lot to have a booth at a show. My bike chapter's big annual bike show, we have booths for $75..and we get about 3000 people walking thru...

Hahaha, wow, what are the odds!? Your based out of villard or something arn't you? This is weird, I thought the name looked familiar nd your website, I work for a vinyl business in Alexandria. I ended up seeing your name, checking you out, out of curiosity and you end up being from Alex too 

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Yep i live in Villard. I eventually want to open a shop up in Alex or Glenwood or Sauk Centre. And yeah theres many places that vinyl stuff in Alex..but not many do shirts and hats.

If u live in the area you have probably seen my truck around town. Its a big jacked up red ford ranger with big tires and decals all over lol.

What place do u work for judovskyy??

Is it Winning Edge? Or Overnight Wraps, or that new Sign place outside town on hwy 29?

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Yep i live in Villard. I eventually want to open a shop up in Alex or Glenwood or Sauk Centre. And yeah theres many places that vinyl stuff in Alex..but not many do shirts and hats.

If u live in the area you have probably seen my truck around town. Its a big jacked up red ford ranger with big tires and decals all over lol.

What place do u work for judovskyy??

Is it Winning Edge? Or Overnight Wraps, or that new Sign place outside town on hwy 29?

Forsure man, Iv seen it around, parked out side of raapers actuallly, my roommate works there, you've probably seen my car ha, Silver Nissan 350z with lime green vinyl stripes on the fenders, as well as Lime green nissan on the windshield, and its Affordable Signs, good friends with Alex Exhaust so we rent out the shop behind them

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I was at a restaurant today and saw their crappy signage on the front. I thought about making a sign (white cling) with their logo and maybe their hours. Give it to them as a "gift". I'm in their enough that they know I'm a customer but maybe I can drum up some business.

 

I just started in Jan 14 and I'm also thinking of ways to drum up some business.

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That may work..but u can only give away so much free stuff...

Also i was downtown at the strip mall..one shop had nice vinyl signage on there windows and door..then this one place had construction paper with hand written sharpie signs taped all over their windows and doors. I went in and mentioned it and tried handing them my card...only to be asked to leave very rudely..

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That may work..but u can only give away so much free stuff...

Also i was downtown at the strip mall..one shop had nice vinyl signage on there windows and door..then this one place had construction paper with hand written sharpie signs taped all over their windows and doors. I went in and mentioned it and tried handing them my card...only to be asked to leave very rudely..

You can't fix cheap. Come back in a few months and talk to the shop that replaces them when they go under.

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Hmm. May have to rethink that strategy. I don't want it to be awkward if I come back and they didn't even bother to put it on. Or worse.. I offer to put it on and they say no.

 

:wacko:

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I was out looking at cargo trailers, and went to this big big trailer shop in Avon, MN, and as i walked up to their entry door, the first thing i did was stop and stare at the vinyl on their doors...their "Business Hours" and times were all peeling and curled up along the edges....looked really really crappy.

Was tempted to take a photo of it, and when i came back home, redo it and then mail it to them for free, just so i could save other people the horrid fate of looking at that disaster!

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I did something cool   

I needed to get some exhaust work done on the new car.   I made up a quick 6"x6" mechanic decal and stapled my card to it.   

 

I figured, Hey I'm already going there to give him my business, maybe I could get some myself.   

Turns out he orders 5 decals from me and I'm going to pocket $30 and get all my exhaust work done for FREE!!!!!!!!

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