[Warren Beard]

quote KARL WILLIAMS:

Ive got every faith in you young man!

😀 Thanks mate, I know I am really going to enjoy this trade as I love artistic stuff and working with my hands, so it has both. I just hope I can balance work satisfaction with good income.

[Warren Beard]

quote KARL WILLIAMS:

Warren,
Are you trying to get your young one to follow in his dads footsteps. At 6 months old it may be a bit young to get him operating a sign system! :baby: :baby: :baby:

:lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

Nice one Karl, as long as I can make my footsteps "BIG" footsteps then yes, otherwise he will have to find a job to help support me. :lol1:

[Warren Beard]

I also got a pic on my fridge, had to be a neutral pic as the wife did not want anything provocative 🙁

It’s a good talking point when mates come over.

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[Warren Beard]

Hi guys

I’m new to this and have already applied for leave to be there, I am really looking forward to it and meeting up with all you fine people.

I am amazed sometimes how friendly and close some of you seem to be from the posts I read, seems like you have been friends for many many years.

Where are the best places to stay in Birmingham? My wife and son might want to come too for a get away.

Warren

[Warren Beard]

Hi Guys

Thanks, that’s what I thought but thought I would ask the question anyway as I knew I would get some good responses.

I calculate the cost price per meter per roll of vinyl and app tape and get an overall cost price of both inclusive. I then add on my mark-up. I made up 2 XL formulas to work out quick prices, 1 works per running meter and the other works on square centimeter area. All I have to do is enter in the length or size and it gives me my sell price. ( I then add travel and labour )

Still yet to see if my prices are accurate and hopefully my first few quotes will tell.

Thanks guys

Warren

[Warren Beard]

quote Lynn:

Warren you can’t realistically apply with out app tape so it should be in your initial pricing.

Lynn

Hi Lynn

I agree, when people ask how much you charge for vinyl and you says for arguments sake, £10 / linear meter, have you worked out that price including app tape or is it just part of your mark-up? I only ask because through all the other posts people people quote a price for vinyl, labour, travel etc, but don’t mention app tape, so I wanted to know if it is factored in when pricing or is considered a consumable and is basically part of the profit?

I know this all sound a bit anal and make no big difference either way but was curious.

cheers

[Warren Beard]

A few font options, thought I would at least try!

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[Warren Beard]

I do downhill Mountain Biking (not ski jump Mountain Biking) here are 2 pics of myself, one eating a dirt sandwich and the other just showing off. (that’s why I end up eating dirt)

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[Warren Beard]

Thanks for all the tips guys, it is def not the cutting depth as it cuts perfectly and is also a brand new blade, the question was basically about large areas and the tips about cut boxes or slits to make the large weeding areas smaller are great, this will resolve the issue. I do weed at 180 degree but pull upwards for areas that turn back on themselves as David mentioned.

Nobody know anything about the ball tip weeding tool ??????

[Warren Beard]

Thanks for all the responses, I think I will need to try find a good accountant and take it from there, I think starting as a sole trader now for a while and if, sorry "when" I am doing this full time and successfully I might open a LTD company.

Does that sound right? or should I stay with self employed or sole trader if I start out that way?

and can I change from a sole trader to a LTD company?

Thanks

[Warren Beard]

Thanks for the reply guys, there are a lot of points here that will help me.

I think the first thing might be to find a good accountant and then decide which route to take. I will still be working full time at my current job and making signs part time but hope to go full time during this year some time.

I can’t register myself as self employed if still working full time as well, how can I be a sole trader if I don’t register as self employed? Will this mean I will have to create a LTD company? am I totally mad?

Any more advice would be greatly appreciated.

cheers

[Warren Beard]

quote Lynn:

Hi Warren, if as you say it is all going to be different sizes how will that out line work at say 10mm it’s going to be very fine 🙄 just a thought.

Lynn

Good point Lynn, I suppose it is going to be very difficult to weed inside and outside if the line is too thin.

What would be the minimum line weight you would go to?

Cheers

[Warren Beard]

quote David Rogers:

All the best with the new machine.

Shouldn’t have too many problems as Summa’s a good one!

What software have you got?

Dave

Thanks David

I will be using the software that comes with it and more than likely Corel Draw, I am a pro using Macromedia Freehand and know a bit about Coral so will work my way through those and hope it works out well.

[Warren Beard]

quote martin:

If you are doing this to cover up scratches in the bonnet then you may be a bit disappointed as depending on the depth of the scratches you will probably still be able to see them after you have covered the bonnet.

Hi Martin

Thanks for that, I want to do this on my own vehicle as a design element, the car is only a few months old and has no scratches so it’s for no other reason than because I want to.

Thanks

[Warren Beard]

A few more good ones

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[Warren Beard]

and you can invite all your mates around for a pint!

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[Warren Beard]

quote Lynn:

Hello Warren and baby warren / warreness welcome

Lynn

Thanks Lynn

My son’s name is Broden (no not a South African name, heard it on Super Nanny 😮 )

[Warren Beard]

quote Andy Gorman:

Anyway, Surrey eh? Bit posh round there isn’t it?

don’t know? have not seen much of the UK yet to see what is posh and what’s not, maybe that’s why I’m living on soup? lol :lol1:

[Warren Beard]

here a few more to chuckle over, 2 of them are from my SA.

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[Warren Beard]

quote Dave Rowland:

hidden dip… i think that road is like 6 miles away from me, its amazing for speeding down then straight up the other side, you do get a g-force pull there.

Hey Dave, hope you joking? you can see the "hidden dip" can’t you ?

[Warren Beard]

quote Andy Gorman:

Welcome to the site Warren. Full membership is worth every single penny. The tutorials alone are brilliant.

Whereabouts are you?

Andy

Thanks Andy

I’m in Epsom, Surrey

Epsom made the news tonight, some plank fell asleep on the railway line in Epsom, silly boy! was about an inch from frying his *ss

[Warren Beard]

quote Robert Lambie:

my view is it has to be easier for placements in garages, joiner firms, electricians and office work than it is for sign makers. reason is… we are taught with those type of career in mind at school… god knows many mates i had would say I’m gonna be a doctor, a joiner, a lawyer, a painter and decorator, an electrician… never did i hear… oh i long to be a sign maker :lol1: maybe just one of the reasons it is so difficult for us to get staff? 😕

Funny you say that, when I was in school I was always in to art and actually wanted to be a sign writer at one point, there was a sign shop down the road from where I lived and always used to look at all the advertising on the window front and think how cool it looked and would like to do something like that myself.

It turns out though that towards the end of school I forgot about this and thought DTP (desk top publishing) was the way to go, could not afford to go on any courses so somebody suggested working in a printing company to get colour experience and maybe with luck move into their in-house dtp department but that never did happen.

13 years later I have been working in the printing trade (Lithographic and Flexographic) since, mainly in sales but also account management and production. I self taught myself macromedia Freehand, coreldraw, illustrator and photoshop.

Back to the point, over the past few years I have been thinking about the sign industry but knew a career change now is a big step backwards (I will just add quickly that I am from South Africa and have been in the UK for 18 months and that alone was a big step backwards from where I was)

So, I am tired of the print industry and want to get in to signage, what do I have to do…………..bite the bullet. I don’t think I will find it easy finding a good job in the sign industry due to no experience (except sales I suppose) so am starting my own business, part time at first and then hopefully during 2007 I will do it 100% (got new baby to support so need to keep the £££££ coming in)

Well that is my past and career path, I know it’s going to be tough in the sign industry but hard work doesn’t scare me.

This is my first post, I read this topic and had to respond, sorry it’s so long.

My next post will be in the "Hello" section.