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I'm about to share some personal information - not my comfort zone to do that on something like this, but I would love to get advice from people in this industry.

 

I have a day job. A very good paying day job - That I am pretty much miserable at. I have switched companies several times (private to government and back) and I think it is just not the profession for me. While I do well at my job, I just am not enjoying it or the long hours plus the stress. 

 

In comes my vinyl hobby. I have had this hobby for a while, and I have considered starting it as a side business. Selling wall decals and such on Etsy. I am finding it hard to get time to even get that going since buying my new 24" cutter since I work such long hours. I have an opportunity to do some signs and such locally coming up, and it has gotten me thinking that I could add local signs to my business and maybe go all out and do it full time. Go big or go home right?? I had originally thought I would dip my toe in and try it out, but I just don't think I have the time to spare right now with my job to do so and really give it a fair shot.

 

I have no Graphic Design background, but I do have extensive design background in AutoCad and GIS. So I have some basic knowledge of how to technically do some things (vector design/drawing etc) but the  graphic design part of it is something I know I will need to work on. I am prepared to put time and effort into learning some basics on my own and if it becomes necessary take a class at a local college. 

 

Also I am looking for a business that might allow me to work from home. I want to start a family, but I also want to have 2 incomes without having my kids in daycare all the time. I grew up with self employed parents and I know it takes alot of work and long hours, but I also was never in daycare so I see the pros and cons. This kind of thing is a choice everyone has to make on their own, but I just can't see myself working the schedule I do now and having children. 

 

So my new found internet friends, I guess what I am trying to get around to asking is can you share your general opinions and experiences concerning this sort of thing? 

 

I realize business' take a while to get going, but if I were to commit full time to something like this and give it my all, I am wondering if this is realistically something I can make a decent income at. Also, is this type of sign business stable? Those are the sorts of things I would love for you to share with me.

 

I live in a rural area, and I think I can market to the locals (Realtors, business' and clubs and such). I can offer them a local option and save them a long drive or an internet order.

 

Thank you!

 

Marie 

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Marie - if you can tackle the ESRI GIS software and the arcmacro's you have proven your muster with me (2 years of GIS here).   one ting is realtors are notoriously cheap  hard group to work with.  many have made a living at this but most that are successful do their own designs as most that can be bought are used by the 10,000 other people with cutters that try to sell by being the lowest price out there.  if you have your own designs that are not available out there anywhere else and they are popular you can do quite well.   first step was getting the cutter and learning the software and that is where you prior vector experience will give you a leg up.  that gx-24 is a great machine.

Welcome aboard

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Marie - if you can tackle the ESRI GIS software and the arcmacro's you have proven your muster with me (2 years of GIS here).   one ting is realtors are notoriously cheap  hard group to work with.  many have made a living at this but most that are successful do their own designs as most that can be bought are used by the 10,000 other people with cutters that try to sell by being the lowest price out there.  if you have your own designs that are not available out there anywhere else and they are popular you can do quite well.   first step was getting the cutter and learning the software and that is where you prior vector experience will give you a leg up.  that gx-24 is a great machine.

Welcome aboard

 

I did just purchase Adobe CS6 (the whole suite - I didn't like this new CC cloud based thing were you pay a monthly fee) so I am learning that whenever I get a chance. I know with time I can do well with it. I am very good at self teaching. I have been a heavy AutoCAD user for the past 8 years and just added ArcGIS to the toolbox 2 years ago. 

 

I love using design programs. Most people in my position would rely heavily on a drafting department, but I prefer to do my own work.

 

I think that I can get to the point to have my own unique graphics. I always loved art as a child (at 6 my dream job was to illustrate books). Then I came to the sad realization that I have no talent for drawing... 

 

I just need to get in the creative mind set - I think it is there, I just need to bring it out more. 

 

FYI - I love the quote in your signature!

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Business seems to be booming in the Midlands this year more so than in the last 6 years so there is money to be made. There is always risk and more companies go under than ever succeed but that is a decision you will have to wrestle with. I started with less than a $1000 and expanded over time but it was a struggle to get established and make that name for myself but if you are determined and have the drive I say go for it.

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Business seems to be booming in the Midlands this year more so than in the last 6 years so there is money to be made. There is always risk and more companies go under than ever succeed but that is a decision you will have to wrestle with. I started with less than a $1000 and expanded over time but it was a struggle to get established and make that name for myself but if you are determined and have the drive I say go for it.

jaybird - You have a brick and mortar store correct? I assume your fulltime job? Did you start as a side job or go full time off the bat?

 

Thanks for your input!

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I had help running the store while I worked but I also opened in August '08, 2 weeks before the banks collapsed and the world came screeching to a halt. Last year was good but this year is averaging 20% better than last year and every where I look locally things business is finally picking up.

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I started with ACAD and GIS too, state job. Self taught on the other graphic programs, both mac and pc. It is doable to support your family in this industry. I've raised 4 children on my own (until 3 years ago) on my business. Started out home based, now retail with a chunk of space dedicated just for game/tv/computer room for the younger children- the older ones work for us. Just keep an open mind to changing trends, keep your customer service top notch, don't try and be the lowest price around and you will do great. And if an architect walks in needing signs, let him know that you are a whiz on ACAD should he/she find himself backed up on shop drawings. Another stream of income. 

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I started with ACAD and GIS too, state job. Self taught on the other graphic programs, both mac and pc. It is doable to support your family in this industry. I've raised 4 children on my own (until 3 years ago) on my business. Started out home based, now retail with a chunk of space dedicated just for game/tv/computer room for the younger children- the older ones work for us. Just keep an open mind to changing trends, keep your customer service top notch, don't try and be the lowest price around and you will do great. And if an architect walks in needing signs, let him know that you are a whiz on ACAD should he/she find himself backed up on shop drawings. Another stream of income. 

 

npace - thank you for your input - I really appreciate hearing your experience! It is very encouraging! 

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Where there's a will, there's a way...I say to get some practice under your belt first, obviously.  I am military, recently retired, and after putting in 10 to 12 hours at work, I'd come home and have 2 to 3 hours of decals to make and package.  It was tough, but I was setting myself up for self-employment once I retired.  You can do it!

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I work an involved day job and manage to squeeze in the signs, vehicles, t-Shirts etc... in the evenings and weekends for now. I am a ways out from retirement but can see looking forward that this might be something for me to retire into. I make too much money to stop my current career and have a large family to support on it so full time signs would be out of the question so I am simply working on building up my equipment and getting it all paid for at this point. If I was better about re-investing every penny it would already have a huge bankroll but life seems to get in the way and I drain off a few hundred a month here and there to subsidize my bad habits. LOL

 

Get your feet under you with enough time to have the experience you will need for full time before you jump. To get it producing an income you will not be wanting to be trying to learn CS6 or figure out apparel and heat presses etc..(In my opinion you will want to reach into as many aspects of the industry as possible, I started out just sign vinyl but now do more shirts and clothing than signs) you will need to be hitting the streets building a clientele which you can incidentally be doing now while you learn.  If you leave will there be an option to go back to what you are doing if it doesn't work out? I'm a pansy and like to have a safety net. 

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I totally understand the safety net comment. As the financial planner in my household I get it. I know where every cent is and is going. I also have been utterly miserable at my job for YEARS. I am burnt out, and after my 13ish hours at work I don't have the drive to pound out a few more hours on the computer learning and working. That's what it is coming down to for me. I want to do something now to change my life. For me this is not ALL about income, it is about a change and having some way to support myself while not putting my hypothetical children in daycare. I even have very ambitious plans of homeschooling - I am a huge planner.

 

I can't imagine having children in my current profession. I feel guilty enough about not playing with my dog enough! Again a life choice for me. 

 

I am very lucky enough that I am in a position that if I am not making income right away I am fine. Actually for the next 6-9 months I could be fine on just my husbands income after that I will need to be earning or I will have to find a job. I know I can get a job, even if it isn't as much as I make now so I am not so stressed over that. 

 

I guess I figure committing full time to this would get me where I want to be faster than a couple of hours that I can get here and there after work when I am drained.

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Sounds to me like you are about ready to go for it. If you can live with NO income (from your end) for 6-9 then you must be setting pretty good. You will have a little investment here and there but the cutter and CS6 were the worst of it to get going. 

 

My day job is construction management so I hear you on getting tired of the daily grind. Just about every phone call I get is a problem somewhere. Vinyl work is a great distraction from the stress for me. Sometimes hectic in it's own way but so much different that I love the change of pace. With your background in autocad you'll catch on to the basics of CS6 in no time. I'll help you if I can. For cut vinyl the parts of the AI program you will be using are all relatively simple once you learn a few basic functions and operational rules of thumb. Illustrator is huge but 80% of it is aimed at print or web based designs and vinyl is just simple solid colors so much of the other stuff is irrelevant and can be learned as you go along, if ever. I took a course on Illustrator and have forgotten a lot of the fancy stuff because I never do it. However after a few years of busting out vinyl I could school the teacher on this side of the coin.

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We are in a position where we have no housing payment right now, but that will change in 6-9 months. So that gives me some wiggle room. I see it as an opportunity to see what I can do with this new venture with less stress about money. 

 

I think my plan is to get through this sign job I have coming up and see how I feel about everything after that. I am pretty sure a change in careers is what I want. I stuck with my career long enough to get my License a couple years back. I have been unhappy since before that but I figured once I got it, I have it and can always fall back on it. 

 

I meet with the lady today about her signs. I had hoped to prepare more, but I do have a few ideas for designs. Really the new design is what she is looking for, not just plain jane lettering with sponsor logos pasted on in free space. So that "design" part is what worry's me. Granted she is aware I am new to this.

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I've done it and you can do it. Left a great corporate job in 1994 and never looked back. My husband had the benefits with his job so of course that made it easier. My last child left home in 2000. I work out of my home in the woods in a rural community but I'm involved with my community (Chamber of Commerce is most important (to me anyway) and my town takes care of me. I am self taught on everything I do. I started out just doing typesetting then started brokering the printing. This led to brokering signs then when I saw how easy it was to make signs I bought a Graphtec FC-7000  and started making my own signs. I outsource my full color work to a local sign shop and that's been great. I also sell promotional products. It's too easy not to now with the internet. Just this year I discovered heat transfer vinyl and started doing shirts. Wish I would have discovered it a long time ago but I didn't. I just did 40 shirts today for a bridge run tomorrow. I create all my signs and shirt designs in Adobe Illustrator. I am a one person operation and occasionally need my husband to help me with an install). Remember there is a youtube video for everything so if you need to learn a certain thing for a certain job just google it. Good luck and look forward to hearing how it's going for you. 

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Hey Marie if you have any questions regarding software I am a full time graphic designer with a side vinyl business and know most of the tricks and tools of the Adobe suites.  Although I am using the CC programs I am extremely familiar with CS6 and would be glad to offer any help you may need in getting started with those.  Also where in SC are you located? I live here in the upstate. 

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Always follow your heart and do what makes you happy. Life is too short to be in a position that makes you miserable even if the money is good. I met a couple ( I did several repairs and renovations on their home ) that moved here from Las Vegas to a small farm and old farm house that gave up a income of 6 figures to move here and make a living off the small farm and hand built furniture and they say it was the.best move they had ever made and are more satisfied then they have ever been.

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I'm burnt out from my job also. after 10 years I've learned all I can and now it's just the same crap every day. Even get tired of driving the same path to work.

 

I've been slowly learning and growing this decal stuff for 7 months while still working. I get up 40 minutes early now so I can cut a couple orders before work.

then I come home and finish that days orders up. I just started dipping into the T-Shirt thing and also gearing up to have my own website built.  I'm still a ways away from doing this full time but IMO going big all at once doesn't mean it will work. No matter how many designs you have or how much your throw at it it still seems to slowly grow at it's own pace.   With online selling you pretty much have to wait for your listings to work their way up to be seen.  Ebay likes to display listings with the most sales+watches+top rated sellers first.  Starting out your listing might be on page 38.  Esty is tougher to crack far far less traffic and mostly geared toward women. However wall decals may do good there because of that.

 

Right now my family has to much to lose if i quit and try to start a local business. So I have no choice but to build slowly online first in my spare time.

This time next year should tell me what I need to know.

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I worked full time while I was doing signs and everything else I could do in my spare time but I could never really get in to deep because of my full time job.

 

In feb. I quit my job. Freaked out for a week. Then hit the ground running. Making and doing everything I can with my cutter.

 

I love it . I love looking and getting work . Its much more satisfying .

 

I will never go back to working for someone else

 

I so go for it. Its alot of hard work but worth it

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Hey Marie if you have any questions regarding software I am a full time graphic designer with a side vinyl business and know most of the tricks and tools of the Adobe suites.  Although I am using the CC programs I am extremely familiar with CS6 and would be glad to offer any help you may need in getting started with those.  Also where in SC are you located? I live here in the upstate. 

 

I am located near Aiken and Augusta. I appreciate knowing I can send some questions your way if I get stuck. Right now I am just using youtube and google. 

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I worked full time while I was doing signs and everything else I could do in my spare time but I could never really get in to deep because of my full time job.

 

In feb. I quit my job. Freaked out for a week. Then hit the ground running. Making and doing everything I can with my cutter.

 

I love it . I love looking and getting work . Its much more satisfying .

 

I will never go back to working for someone else

 

I so go for it. Its alot of hard work but worth it

 

This is exactly what I was thinking might be the case for me. I will try to do something while working, but it just won't take off like it could if I were committed full time. I think I am going to try to hit a couple more personal financial goals in the next 2 months and if I can do that, then I might just jump in. 

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I am located near Aiken and Augusta. I appreciate knowing I can send some questions your way if I get stuck. Right now I am just using youtube and google. 

 

Very cool my wife has family in North Augusta! 

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I rented a garage/studio/retail space for a few hundred bucks a month, put up a big sign that said "SIGNS" and I was in business (using the basic MH871 cutter and SignBlazer) ----  every day people walked in and ordered signs, banners, placards, a-frames, etc etc.

 

99% of what I produced was Lettering (text) only, with a few minor graphics (mostly from the built-in SignBlazer cuttable vectors Library)

 

Although I did sell that business at the end of 2013 and agreed to non-compete for a year, I am pretty sure of going back into it, and repeating the same process  (renting a retail space, and putting up a big sign that says "SIGNS" !!!! )

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Slice...so you started a sign business and then sold it? I see alot of that on craigslist, several sign and shirt/embroidery businesses for sale..

It just seems to me like I wonder, what are u really selling? The equipment and materials? Or are u also selling all your designs and files etc.?

Cuz all those designs you could easily just make a backup copy of and then when that no-compete contract is up, you could start all over again...and then put the guy who bought your old shop out of business..

Because u can sell the store, equipment, supplies, but you cant sell him your commitment to quality work.

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