I've been out of the business for almost 9 years and the global economy has been a rollercoaster ride since then.
I was just wondering how folks are doing these days.
I know that different countries and different areas of countries will have experienced differing economies.
It might be interesting to hear how folks from different areas are currently doing?
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
We're doing extremely well for the moment. Since buying the company nearly 2 years ago, we've seen better than a 35% growth. There's a long story behind it all. A lot of changes made.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
i am retired but still manage to pull off a good paying job 1 or 2 a month......nor looking for work but still get people calling me. i will be 71 in 15 days......so i dont care if i work or not.... sure like selling banners nowadays.....i get a request for one, i build it, get the buyer to approve it.......jump on line to SIGNS 365, send them the file, in 2 days its sitting on the porch))))
Posted by Kevin Gaffney (Member # 4240) on :
Flat out here. Were about 90% digital now so dont log in here as much as I used to.Dont think many find digital printing too exciting. Taking delivery delivery of a lamidesk flatbed applicator next month which will enable us to more than double our output to cater for some new long term contracts weve secured
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Well you know how they say if it's slow just plan a vacation and you'll get swamped with work? I guess that works for retirement as well. I guess the snowball effect is finally happening with my 3D signs. Getting more requests than ever, 19 signs in the line up, 3 of them 3D.
Posted by Rusty Bradley (Member # 6938) on :
Way to go Dave.
Posted by DianeBalch (Member # 1301) on :
Ernie retired 4 years ago from his long time job, and has been keeping busy doing CNC cutting and Laser engraving/cutting signs. We both are semi-retired from signs, but the work keeps coming in. We have been quoting $$ higher than we used to. If the customer wants to pay it, good for us, if they think it is too high, still good for us. We are imposing a minimum $ amount for turning on the laser or the CNC.
Dave Sherby you are right about the work coming in when you plan a vacation. I used to warn some of my best/frequent customers, this next time, I will let them know the evening before and change my message on my answering machin.
Diane Diane
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Things sound great so far!!!
I am happy to hear that folks are doing well these days. I remember times when it seemed everyone was hurting to some extent.
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
Work has been very steady this year and really picking up a lot . . .
2010 - worst year ever. Trickle down results of 2008 economic crash. Went 6 months with virtually nothing - took took up parking lot (small ones) striping to survive.
By 2011 things started gradually picking up but slowed down again in 2014. Waitressed to get thru winter.
Also, had some financial crisis due to missing work & other expenses of wayward teen 2011-2013 Thankfully, she is clean,and hard-working for last three years!
Last year was a little slow - now I'm getting slammed with work, and several jobs backed-up due to almost non-stop rain December thru April.
Question: is it just me, or do you notice a pattern between business and politics?
Once a president is anchored in office, business'steadies'. If that president starts screwing up, or is unpopular, business is awful. Every 3 years, during presidential campaigns, people seem to spend more money...
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
Well, I'm semi-retired; doing work that I want or like to do, for a few good, long-time customers. Fortunately, they know our situation, and are willing to wait, to get a good job done.
I've always loved the sign business, and guess I'll be doing "something" related to it, for as long as I can stand up.
It's time to rearrange priorities now, though. The wife and I have some trips, that've been put off numerous times, due to various reasons. We are going to take them, this year. Some old friends, Yellowstone, the Badlands, the Smokies, are all going to get a visit from us, this summer.
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
Business is better these days. Getting calls from people who have been putting off work due to the poor economy and/or opening new businesses. During the downturn we worked on creating systems to improve efficiency. These things are starting to pay off now. We just hired someone.
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Not much has happened the last month, but that didn't bother me too much as I tried to chase down a computer problem, which I finally attributed to a disturbance in the Force and blamed it all on Darth Vader.
I am planning a vacation followed by disc replacement surgery in my neck next month so I'm sure I'll get buried the week before!
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Since exiting the sign business two years ago and moving to Santa Fe, NM to have an art gallery, I am pleased to report April was a record month. The economy seems to be loosening up a bit with real art purchases. I have sold some 48 of my paintings since the first of the year. www.McCallFineArt.com Come see us! I work almost every day here in my studio and am keeping up with the inventory, I think. Lots of new work and the best part is that what I am painting now seems to actually be selling. Amazing. ...and yes, I did just paint a small sign in 3/4" helvetica for the front window, reminding me once again how much I loved painting letters.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
We are now into our third record year with large theme park projects under way in Trinidad, Dubai and Ontario, Canada. The future is looking bright!
We are working with a very small but talented full time crew of three plus Peter and I. We also have two part time helpers.
-grampa dan
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Dan, Where is the project in Ontario?
Posted by Jackson Smart (Member # 187) on :
Plenty busy here on the Olympic Peninsula.
Of course, I too am semi-retired. We pick and choose the projects we like and charge plenty to do them. Don't need to work that hard anymore. We can enjoy being outdoors in our motorhome. Some beautiful places to go camping here. I never tire of living here.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
This year, I have really stopped working so much. I want to play more. Just yesterday someone called about doing a mural on his motorcycle and I sent him elsewhere. After the death of FranCisco, it really made me want to pull away from work and get closer to God and Family.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
So far it seems most folks who have been around for a while are doing well, but are happily "cutting back" and "picking and choosing" the projects they are interested in doing.
Personally, I think that is the perfect way to enjoy getting a wee bit older.
Alicia, I know that you and Cisco were close friends and his sudden passing affected your life.
It was, when friends of mine started passing away in their early 60's, that I made the decision to quit working for a living and start living life.
Posted by stein Saether (Member # 430) on :
Although the crises may have reduced the overall demand for signs I think a crises is just what is needed to make buyers look for new companys to buy from. Doing good and not overpriced work will pay off in the long run.
Posted by Rusty Bradley (Member # 6938) on :
Well...pretty good seeing that I'm retired...an old customer called wanting me to make a couple of apartment signs...these guys had kept the lights on at my house for years...they have over 100 apartments in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi...and I have been their sign guy for years...well I enjoy being retired so I thought I would price the signs so high that I could stay retired...after all it is warming up in Tennessee and the river is calling...well it didn't work...though I added $1000 to each sign they were still happy to pull me out of retirement...I had given them such good deals over the years that the added $1000 probably just got me closer to the going rate...anyway it's good to be spending my time doing something worth while...and I'm not just speaking monetarily.
Posted by Michael Clanton (Member # 2419) on :
didn't close my studio completely, but became art director at fairly large design company- major player in the collegiate screenprinting world- still doing the same thing I have been doing for the past 25 years, only now at a bigger level and with 4 other artists under my loving guidance... 3 of the 4 are under 25. I get to be creative, illustrate,work in digital printing, photography, a little web stuff. The pay is not breathtaking, but it was a welcome transition from trying to do everything in my own business. everything is growing and looks like a strong future.
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Last year actually scared me. I wasn't prepared for the sudden high taxes, (that means I made decent coin), so it looks as if it's time to move to a Ltd company.
Lookit me... I'm all grown up now!
Dave, I've taken a slightly different turn. I'm doing what I'd do in retirement but getting paid for it... don't even ask how this all happened... I don't wanna unintentionally undo it! Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
I too am semi retired, that sounds so much better than "work is slow". The business has been in a slow steady decline for what seems like forever. Race cars dried up in the nineties, switched to 18 wheeler pinstriping, that dried up in the nineties. Car dealership pinstriping, that dried up in the 2000's, body shop repair pinstriping has pretty much dried up now too. One thing I have gotten really good at is picking a niche market that will soon dry up. I do about 15 motorcycle events a year and they are pretty much crap shoots, feast of famine things and I sell some distressed signs online. There is enough going on to keep me from going crazy without driving me crazy so I guess it's all good.
![[Applause]](graemlins/applause.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)