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I’m competing with the local school :(
I took my son to enroll in high school for next year last night.
We met the very nice year 8 (year 1 of high school here) co ordinator, and they went thru all the options available to my son if he goes to that school next year.
Photography class, Film Making Classes, Drama Classes, Show Jumping (yes, with real horses) Animal Husbandry, Sign making….. WHAT!
I said to the guy, whoa… whats this about sign making…..
He says to me that a local developer has donated a brand new wide format printer to the school, with all the material they need, no questions asked, but in return they must do all his development signs on corflute, Banners, and posters free of charge.
But, they can source work in the local community as a paying concern, and keep the money for the school. They have, he said, signed up most of the real estate offices in the local area.
I explained that I was a sign maker with the same machine, and until this year got a lot of my income from real estate work. He was a bit embarrassed, and changed the subject.
I’m cheesed off on one hand that I’m competing with a facility that has, basically, no real overheads, although he tells me they run it as a real business to teach the kids all aspects of running a shop.
But I suppose I’m impressed that they have taken the initiative to show up and coming sign guys that its more than just designing, printing and banking a cheque.
I was laying in bed last night and came to the realization tho, that in a few short years, the local school 5 minutes down the road will be pumping out kids with sign making experience, which will give me much more competition. I have enough now! 😕
I’ve suggested my son take up photography though. At 12, he already carrys on like he knows everything, I don’t want him working in their sign shop and getting any more ideas that his dad knows nothing 😉
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17 Replies
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Tell you what Shane – set fire to the school one weekend – the kids’ll think you’re a hero – and you’ll get rid of the competition.
Everyone wins 😀
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quote Phill:Tell you what Shane – set fire to the school one weekend – the kids’ll think you’re a hero – and you’ll get rid of the competition.Everyone wins 😀
sounds like a plan!! :lol1: Keep it to yourself tho mate, keep this just between you and me 😛
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Hmmm,
They have machine.
They have consumables.
You have son.
You have clients.
Son can use machine.Think outside of the box my good friend, you can reduce your overheads with some lateral thinking 😀
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quote Andrew Bennett:Hmmm,
They have machine.
They have consumables.
You have son.
You have clients.
Son can use machine.Think outside of the box my good friend, you can reduce your overheads with some lateral thinking 😀
son will blab about dads clients
son’s mates will canvas those clients
Clients will like their cheaper prices
Clients will dump sons dad
Dad will look for something high to jump off…Thanks Andrew… another sleepless night :lol1: :lol1:
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Did the benefactor promise to pay for all the repairs as well?
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quote James Martin:Did the benefactor promise to pay for all the repairs as well?
everything James. If they want to try something new, it will be paid for, as long as they honour the original agreement 🙁
I’ve told a few local sign shops today, got a general revolt happening now…. I didn’t expect some of the guys to be so passionate in truth.
Started something I may not be able to keep under control 😳
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I cant see them being allowed to continue to do any commercial work.
What next: farm animals, or a laundrette perhaps.
How about some getting some looms in.
What about just getting them down the mines again and be done with it.
Kids don’t need an education, what they need is to generate wealth as early as possible.
Got to compete with the Chinese labour market after all.
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Technically, I found out today that they can only do ‘not for profit’ work, which is NOT what they are doing. Also, the developer may be breaking some laws here too, but I have to tread carefully at the moment. I don’t want my son to ‘pay the price’ for his dad standing on the high moral ground, but I also don’t think it right that I should have to compete with child/free labour.
I need to prove they are doing work in a competitive sense and then all I do is pass the complaint to the education department here, and they’ll investigate it.
If all is as I’ve been told, the department will shut them down instantly. You have workplace health and safety issues, public liability insurance, workers comp… all that stuff that I bet is not being addressed in the schools sign shop.
I’ll try and sus it out without causing too many waves.
Cheers
Shane -
Thought about becoming a teacher!!!! :lol1:
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when i took my son to look at his next school the teacher was highly impressed with his latest acquisition….a vinyl plotter, on hearing how i was a sign maker he gleefully asked if i wouldn’t mind donating some materials to them so they could teach the children how to use the machine…..
not bloody likely…..kill my own future business by flooding the market with competition and using the stuff that i had paid for?
i respectfully declined the offer
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quote Graeme Harrold:Thought about becoming a teacher!!!! :lol1:my thoughts exactly…
why not cash in on the opportunity now..sell off the business and then teach…think of the holidays you’ll get!!!! 😉
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quote Shane Drew:Technically, I found out today that they can only do ‘not for profit’ work, which is NOT what they are doing. Also, the developer may be breaking some laws here too, but I have to tread carefully at the moment. I don’t want my son to ‘pay the price’ for his dad standing on the high moral ground, but I also don’t think it right that I should have to compete with child/free labour.I need to prove they are doing work in a competitive sense and then all I do is pass the complaint to the education department here, and they’ll investigate it.
If all is as I’ve been told, the department will shut them down instantly. You have workplace health and safety issues, public liability insurance, workers comp… all that stuff that I bet is not being addressed in the schools sign shop.
I’ll try and sus it out without causing too many waves.
Cheers
ShaneShane, would have thought just passing on the complaint was enough to get an investigation going, it should not be up to you to provide any evidence, that would be for the school to provide evidence to the contrary
I have nothing about kids learning, but not as a competing business, or supplying goods in return for a donation…
Peter
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It’s all fine and dandy of an idea, but the reality of the situation would probably sink in after a while. The person that "donated" the machine will probably want to more than ring enough production out of the school. He’ll be wanting something produced every week, and costing the school more than if the school had just outright bought the plotter in the first place. Also there might be a few kids that have natural talent obviously, but in reality how good of a product are they going to make being young students?
Also I agree with the safety issues. At least you have your son on the inside to make it easier to find out if they are doing commercial work. The situation sounds a little sketchy to me anyway. Usually people donate to schools for the tax right off without other strings attach, or for true altruism.
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I hate grammatical errors. That would be "tax write off" not "tax right off". Which is a totally different situation all together. 😳
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quote Simon Strom:The person that “donated” the machine will probably want to more than ring enough production out of the school
And "Ring" should be "Wring" 😉
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I’m blaming it on the cold medicine I’m on today…. 😮 Thanks! 😀
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😮 I didn’t pick up either of those errors…. perhaps I better try teaching 😳 😉
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