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This is aimed at any small shops with 2-3 (or More) months of snow and cold. What kind of strategies and products do you use to keep busy in the winter. We live 4 miles from a ski resort so we do more show cards and banners during ski season. We also have 6 or so golf courses within 10 miles so we visit them regularly so we're not crushed in the spring. It's a perfect time because the pro shops are still open and generally, the owners or superintendants are close by to make a decision.
-------------------- Terry Baird Baird Signs 3484 West Lake Rd. Canandaigua, NY 14424 Posts: 790 | From: Canandaigua, New York | Registered: Dec 2002
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Sailboats are great in the winter. That's when they are being refurbished and are indoors at the marina.
Trucks are year round because the owners all have facilities for service year round.
Any types of MDO 4x8's for contractors since they are done in the shop and the contractors do the installs themselves.
{edited to say...Like Stephen says below...We also take our vacation in January, typically the slowest time of the year.}
[ December 30, 2003, 10:56 AM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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We don't get snow, but rain is a close 2nd to being a bad weather factor, and we're known for our rain of course.
Truck lettering and firetrucks is year round for me no matter what the weather is outdoors. Like Dave said, everyone has their own facility pretty much. For certain customers that don't that don't fit in my own facility, we wait for a no rain/no wind day. Hit and miss here!
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if i ever get to slow down...hopefully end of january and february i will take the opportunity to start on a project for spring that will take awhile(3x5-2 sided routed sign)i already know that i will get slammed in early spring because of a large client changing their logo...i would also like to take the time to finally get to do a glue chipping glass panel with gold leaf....i don't think i could ever be bored between all my directions of art that i'd like to explore...now $$ coming in steadily maybe a different story..lol! funny how we all seem to keep plugging away.
-------------------- Karyn Bush Simply Not Ordinary, LLC Bartlett, NH 603-383-9955 www.snosigns.com info@snosigns.com Posts: 3516 | From: Bartlett, NH USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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I am with you Karyn, we have gone many directions to keep the winter blah's at beigh. We are into business cards and brochures now, and are a full service design studio. This has helped us so far to be more consistent in our flow of work.
While the snow and cold have always been my demise each year, slow work load always seemed to make it worse. I can't change the weather, so I had to change my work and attitude.
[ December 30, 2003, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: Rick Beisiegel ]
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3485 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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Back when I had the fleet business (trucks only no sign work) I would seek out those who had a down time and budgeted for refurbish and new purchases... talk to the mechanics, management never knows what's really going on. So it went basicaliy like this:
Frozen months... Cement and quarry trucks, excavators buy new trucks.
Early spring.... (mud season the big trucks are not allowed on the roads) well drillers, logging trucks, heavy construction equipment, also beverage co.'s
Late spring/summer.... Heating oil/propane, more beverage and most new purchases finally come in.
August is dead (most managers are on vacation and no one can make a decision without them) I took 2 weeks off also!
Fall/early winter... Winter service vehicles, tow trucks, and I had a major food store chain that bought 60 to 70 trucks and trailers about this time of year. Also another 2 weeks off this time of year.
I've said it before and here goes again... Never a yellow page ad, always hands on with the customer. Part of the job is to make sure the customer knows what he needs. In 3 years I went from $60,000 to $350,000. It ain't rocket science but does require some planning and gathering information about the markets you want.
-------------------- "No excuses!.... No regrets!..."
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We usually use this time to try making new products. Last year I bought a lg format printer-so I played with that. The year before I started carving HDU. At the Iowa meet this year, I saw glass chipping for the first time and have gotten everything that I need to do it but haven't had the time yet. I may not have the time this winter as I am finishing up a 5x8' DS HDU, then have a deposit on 6 lg park signs and a new 28' bus coming in.
We are doing more and more sandblasted HDU's but we have a problem blasting in the winter. I can't blast at the shop as I am right in the city and my parking lot backs right up to the Taco Bell parking. We are afraid people would complain of the noise and sand floating around destroying car finishes. So I am finishing up building a wooden sandblast booth for under $250. I may write an article about it.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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i go collect welfare for dec and jan........only way to get any health care...hehehehehhee
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Terry, you might try snagging a couple snowboarders at the ski resort and see if they're up for custom paint. Could be something you could knock out real quick and keep cash flow coming in.
I'm in the desert but I've been doing a lot of graphic kits for snowmobiles lately, orders coming from everywhere there's snow - Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska, etc - and I dont even promote snowmobile graphics.
My regular jetski and automotive graphics business has tapered off some but it's still steady.
No matter where people are located, they are finding the time to customize their cars, trucks, boats, jetskis and other toys because once the spring hits they're going to be too busy out having fun to worry about it.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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