What are your sign goals for 2004?

[John Singh]

Hi Jill

The technique I want to become proficient in is: How to make some money!
Think I should get down to some serious business goals now since I can feel myself getting into a cosy plod along mode. Basically this means I’m getting lazy.

My financial year starts in February so I will preparing my thoughts for then. 😮

I might attend the Sign show if they can tempt me. Where will the letterhead meet be this year in the UK?

John 😀

[Nigel Fraser]

…mmm, lets see Jill, I can think of a few –
1) Stop feeling guilty for trying to say NO to customers with last minute jobs.
2) Start actually saying NO to those customers.
3) Try and understand how to manage my time better so I can get some free time at weekends and in the evening.
4) Learn how to apply large areas of vinyl dry 😛
5) Finish construction of my web site.
6) Try and improve my spelling.
7) Install broadband in my office.
8) Always remember to tie the ladders on the van roof BEFORE driving off !
9) And last but not least try and find my ideal woman 😉 if she exists !

Blimey, I could go on and on. I think a year ain’t going to be long enough yet again !

Nigel

[Bill Dewison]

I’ll be happy if I can get my shop running reasonably smoothly, get some more customers, learn some new design skills, become experienced at making/fitting signs and maybe earn a little money in the process. 😀

A personal goal is to find something useful to do with those shiny blue balls I got for Christmas 😉

Cheers, Dewi

[Kevin.Beck]

I think Nigels first couple of points are spot on.

I plan to get rid of so called “TRADE” customers.
Finish my web design course, and start managing my own.
Do more research on a retail workware outlet.
Move house.
marriage.

[Phill Fenton]

I’m hoping to develop the digital printing side of my business. At the moment I use a colorcamm which has high running costs but is a perfectly capable machine (though underused at present). I have decided to push the abilities of digital printing on all my customers mainly because it reduces the labour content of what I do. Once I have built up a reasonable customer base for digital printing I hope to replace the colorcamm with a more cost effective printer such as a versacamm.

[Andrew Ward]

Pay the Taxman!

[Dave Bruce]

Becky, any chance of the details of the web course, any good, not too expensive, thats something I would like to learn, the few books I’ve read don’t have much up-to-date detail and real basic site construction.

Cheers

Dave

[Nigel Fraser]

aaagh don’t mention that 👿 👿

I thought I was hard done by till today when I spoke to a friend who runs a small printing company, he has got to find £26k by the end of Jan !! He spent out on loads of work for the house and will have to get a loan to pay it now. Now that makes me feel much better about my contribution to the government.

Nigel

[Dave Bruce]

I was on a business course today ( had to to get my grant) and Mr taxman was there with advice. We got a table that shows you how much to put aside each month (based on your turnover that month) to enable you to pay the tax and NIC at the end of the year. Advice was put it in a savings account each month then you will make some interest on it as well. That’s OK if you don’t have an overdraft, then you maybe better off reducing that in the short term.

This is far too heavy for this time of night

Dave

[John Childs]

1. Reduce the percentage of my turnover that my biggest client is responsible for. Too many eggs etc.
2. Investigate ways of reducing tax!
3. Keep an eye on business opportunities outside of signs.
4. See if I can find anyone who want to buy a good sign business.

[Kevin.Beck]

Dave

I started with a basic course last year on HTML (web code) That was approx £60.

This year we have go for the next level. (web design) things like, forms, tables, css. It`ll cover Jarva as well. This course was £220ish.

Availably at a collage near you. 3 hrs a week.

Having only been on the internet the last 3 years, i knew nothing at all about web design or the code/programs used to create it. I doing these courses so I can be more inderpendant, plus it`ll save me £25 per hour the web bloke charges.

[Dave Bruce]

Becky

Thanks for that Ill check locally.

I am having a web site designed at the moment but very good rate (under £200) but I like to understand how all things associated with my business work like the accounts, tax etc so I try to learn it all even if it is just an overview of it.

cheers

Dave

[evox]

For Web Design courses, try the LEARN DIRECT website. They have online courses which are really good with easy to follow screenshots and reasonably priced too. The go up in levels of competency so you could start wherever you feel confident at. The good thing is that you would even have to leave the office/shop, just log on when you got a spare hour – morning, noon or night!

[signworks.se]

As with Phil, I am jumping into the Digital Print Market! 😮 😮 .
Have just received delivery of our Cadet and am eager to get going.

I think i would also like to take some of the “TRADE” work of Beckys hands if he dosent want it any longer 😛 .

Most of all to have a healthy PROSPEROUS year.

Cheers
Danny

[Kevin.Beck]

Danny.
you can have a couple with pleasure. You`d soon send them back.

[Catalin Dretcanu]

In 2004 I want to learn how to use brushes and ink for signs. Maybe I will go to USA at Dixie Meet in March for an aproach to this thing. I want to start to make painted signs here in Romania.

[Jill Marie Welsh]

😮
*Put up a new photo without pink hair
*Stop letting customers try to run my business
*Not to work from “Nephew Art” (a client brought me a CRAYON sketch last week)
*Attend more live meets
*Learn CorelDraw if it kills me
*Stick to the price I’ve quoted and MEAN IT…grrrr
*Do my paperwork on a monthy basis instead of doing in in January
Love- JILL

[image]

Jill
very artistic photo! 😮 (Not pink, really?)

…I hope I can buy a new vinyl-cutter or maybe a printer-cutter in this year, and I would like develop our sign-business (more services, e.g. wide format printing, foam cutting).

And certainly: more free time!