- How did you get your start in the sign industry?
I worked for a friend’s dad that was the president of a lighted sign company. When I moved to Tallahassee, Florida to attend FSU I worked part time for Signs Now and the rest is history.
2. How did you build your Signs Now store into the biggest sign business in Tallahassee?
I’ve always returned every phone call and I’ve always provided a very reasonable price for quality signage.
3. Florida State University is your largest account to date….how did you get that account? How have you been able to succeed in getting all your big accounts?
Several years ago we got a phone call at 6pm from the marketing dept at Florida State. They had some emergency signs they needed for a basketball game and the sign company that had their business laughed at them because they needed signs at closing time on a Friday Afternoon—we stayed until 7pm, completed the signs and began doing all of their work the following year.
4. What have been your biggest challenges in owning your own business?
Employees and most recently cash flow due to high receivables and a decrease in overall revenue.
5. What are your biggest challenges in terms of dealing with employees?
Keeping them over a long period of time. You invest so much time in training and about the time they are self sufficient—which is about a year and a half in the sign business—they quit. It doesn’t seem to be a career choice for most people.
6. Do you have any regrets with your business? Is there anything you would differently?
I would have remained relatively small because profit margins typically remain the same when you’re a small sized company. It is hard to be successful as a medium size company—you are small and profitable or big and profitable but medium size just doesn’t make sense on a P & L statement….there is no consistency.
7. What’s your favorite success story?
It’s definitely acquiring the Florida State University account.
8. Where do you see your Signs Now store in 10 years?
Sold
9. What’s the best advice you would give a budding entrepreneur?
Stay small, do it without partners, maybe one employee or two at most, pay taxes on time and don’t hire relatives or friends.
