Looking for Start Up Advice

[stump]

Hey Everyone,

Puzzle sales are slow and I have a PRT Alpha 4x4 collecting dust, and not sawdust...

My question is, if you needed to make $800-$1,000 per month, what would you do? There is so much information on the forum I get overloaded just trying to sort it all out. Would you approach local sign shops, start making signs, contact cabinet shops, or ? We are in rural Minnesota and I am looking for something to replace my wife's part-time job. She is a customer service rep. along with cold calling business to business sales. The work environment is less than ideal, and I can't see her working for someone else while the Shopbot sits.

Thoughts or ideas?

[steve_g]

Miles

You've got a lot of lakes close by... are there many cabins on the lakes that need signs? perhaps some local merchants will let you show samples in their windows?

The Craft shows have been a total bust for me... good luck!

Steve

[bruce_taylor]

I would take a look at my ability and then market it. If you now how to make signs great, cabinets, etc. Then let people know your services are available. Lots of different ways, advertise, cold call, website, etc. Get the proper documentation in line for what you want to do, insurance, licenses etc. So when the customer comes knocking your ready to go. everything you listed is a possible stream of cash. But I have learned you can't be everything to everybody. GOOD LUCK !!!

[Brady Watson]

You can't come from a place of "That'll make me money"...you have to focus on what you enjoy doing first, then the money will follow. Find something new that you enjoy, make it and take it around an show it off. Listen to what people are looking for in the areas of hobbies and recreation...as that seems to be where the disposable cash is. If your only focus is making money, then this will catch up to you and your days will be sour...like going to a 9-5 that you hate every day. You'll spend most of your time working...pick something fun.

-B

[stump]

Good advice guys, and here are some thoughts...

Brady,

I know what you mean about following the money, I've done that in the past. I have a degree in Automation and have moved the family several times chasing the almighty dollar. Someday I plan on working from home with the 'bot, but not yet. Need to start small, so that's why my wife will be running the 'bot. She likes running the bot, and actually will run anything in the shop except the table saw. That one scares her. Even though I work with machines, robots, and CNC's, I still love playing with the 'bot best. Seeing an object emerge from a piece of wood is just great fun for me.

Bruce,

One of the nice things for us is that because of the puzzle line we have the business, license, insurance, etc. all in place. There is a possibility of cold calling and selling the puzzles wholesale again, but we have avoided that since loosing our last catalog account. The reason is that I can make as much on 20 retail puzzle sales as I did on a 100 piece wholesale order, and the wholesalers were looking for additional discounts. The puzzles are very time consuming, so wholesale is a lot of time for very little profit.

Steve,

I know what you mean about the cabin signs. I see what Eric does and it has crossed my mind. I did make a sign last Christmas for my Mom and it turned out pretty good. I do have a question about copying others work though, and I think I will address that in a separate post.

Thanks for the suggestions, looking forward to hearing thoughts from others.

[steve_g]

Miles

Other thoughts I had last night...

If you have a RV service center or a way to advertise to RV owners, they like to have signs that they post at their camp sites... My experience is that after spending a few hundred grand on a home on wheels they don't balk at $50.00 or more for a cutesy sign to hang out front.

Possibly you could make a deal with the local real estate people to make signs for new cabin sales... a feel good add on

Steve

[chiloquinruss]

If you have been running your bot for any period of time you have a portfolio of 'samples'. Gather them up and cruise around and show some of them to potential customers and see what sparks some interest. As far as cabin signs are concerned I do quite a few nowadays and haven't needed to copy anyones work. Most of the time they are simply the name of the owner or they will tell you make Casa Something or whatever. I don't do good enough work to do someones kitchen or den but I have done a ton of garage cabinets! :) Russ

[gene]

I had a guy tell me that if you find a problem that others have and solve it you can make money with that.

[stump]

Good advice about the RV signs Steve, I remember thinking the same thing last time I was camping, but since I was on vacation the idea left as quick as it arrived. In addition to the dealers we could hit the local campgrounds as well. Most of them have people who rent the site for the entire season. If a guy did it right he could go camping, sell a few signs and write the whole thing off as a business expense. ;) In addition, there are 10,000 lakes in the state. That means we only have to sell to one person on each lake and we will be busy for a long time. :D

You're right about solving problems Gene. I have also heard that "You don't need a new idea, just take an existing product and make it 10% better". That's true. Apple didn't invent the MP3 player, they just made it better. People loved the idea of an MP3 player, they were just not user friendly. Apple solved the interface problem, called it an IPOD, and the rest is history. AND they got to charge a premium price to boot!

[myxpykalix]

You need to check to see if you have any local "home shows" in your area. This is the time of year they usually have them. What I have done is gotten together a "portfolio" of pictures in a binder along with some business cards and i went to the home shows and talked to the exhibitors about what i could do for them, giving them the idea that they could offer say "custom cabinet doors" or other things that they normally couldn't do, or sign company's that were there you could do their carving for them.

I do the carving for our local Hightech Signs Co and another smaller one, and do custom carving for a local builder. I went to one show and walked out with 3 contacts and jobs.
I don't do a ton of work, but i don't want to do a ton of work either.

Another idea is to contact these builders who advertise in Craigslist and Handymen and offer your services. If they can offer your products to their customers and all you have to do is carve the stock they bring you, it's easy work.

[bruce_taylor]

I do mainly retail work, some contractors and designers use my services as well, I have developed long term relationships based on service, quality and mutual respect for one another. I have looked at wholesale but the market isn't appealing to me because of the specialty nature of what we do, A website is the first thing and really figure out what services you feel comfortable enough with to offer professionally and push that people will look for what they want done more than what you hope to do. If you show waht you can do then they will make the connection and ask if you can do what they want. I like the interesting things I am asked to do and many times it is a bit challenging, if it wasn't anybody could do it and it would be at minimum wage not a professional one. Find a niche for your market and sell, sell, and sell some more the work is in the world they just don't know you exist or that you can do what it is they want.

[EddieM]

Wow $800-$1,000 per month i wish that was all i needed to make anything less then $4400 a month i have to give something up like a car, food or my house.

I am new to all this and i am looking at a Buddy 48 but it will need to pay for itself with in two to three months. I think i can make that happen.

I have found i need to run 3 businesses to make everything work out right money wise. I have one for sale and will replace that with wood products i make with a CNC.

Seem like a never ending amount of things you can make not just with wood but other things as well that you can sell even on ebay or in your home town.

Many business owners need signs for everything all year long and custom product holders or shelves you can make for them in Plexiglass.

Any old style store will like wood signs, Think of what you can make that a local sign shop would sell and go sell it to each business on your own doing in person calls to businesses why let a sign store make all the money off your work making more then you - be your own sign shop you can do it with a website in a day.

I looked at your website as i make websites to and your site is very outdated looking most people will leave your site before they look at anything to even know what you offer.
I do think you need to update your site to a new look. And no i am not selling website services i have no time for that.

Sell and offer services and stuff on Craigs list in your area.

Back to your website if you learn how to work with your site better people will find you before they fine other business offering things you make in your area very easy and you will sell more.

Marketing is as crucial or even more crucial as making a good product with out marketing you have a room full of equipment doing nothing making you no money.
You could make the best product in the world but if no one knows about it you make nothing..

Just my 2 cents

[ShopKat]

If I had a nice lake cabin or plenty of time to spend in my RV I'd really love to have a custom made puzzle that perhaps has a picture of the lake but also includes my name/cabin/RV in the puzzle. :D I don't have the slightest idea what this entails to make but presumably you do. You have to get out there and show it off but that could be done by throwing yourself a bbq in a VERY public place, i.e. by the lake and invite people over for a beer, oh, and by the way...
That means you can collect a better price too.

[rcnewcomb]

At a Camp a few years ago Bill Palumbo recommended visiting cabinet shops and asking, "what problem are you trying to solve now"? The first place we asked that question the guy was making rosettes by hand for a house undergoing a historical restoration. We made a sample for him and we got an order to make 175 more. It also built a great relationship with this cabinet maker for future business.