- Original Poster
- #1
Hello - I am nearly 74 and customers won’t leave me alone. I earned my living, self employed, for 30 years and retired (or tried to) several years ago, but since then I am constantly asked to do jobs. I am telephoned, can you just do this or can you quote me for that, although giving up 90% of my past work.
What did (or do) you do? I hear you ask, well I worked from my garage with a computer that is twenty years old, a DOS 3.1 operating system running Windows v3 (The very first Windows edition) and a program called Signscipt that I purchased in 1991 with a dongle.
All this adds up to making vinyl signs. I still do the occasional vans for the local Council, various shop signs for friends and small signs for local fundraising.
A vinyl cutter can be a very cheap machine (there are many from China) and vinyl on rolls readily available. I started with a local flyer printed on my printer at home and posted them down the local High Street, when I got home I had three messages on my answering machine to call potential customers regarding signs and never looked back. In 30 years I never advertised and hardly moved beyond a twenty five mile radius of my home and always had work.
Consider these as some of the signs you could make.
Shop Signs, all sorts of signage, usually mounted on Hording Board, this is a cheap (approximately £45 per 8 feet by 4 feet sheet) of aluminium 3mm sandwich white on one side and easily cut to size.
A Boards, advertising boards, easily made wooden frame faced with Hoarding Board with vinyl lettering, logos etc.
Window Graphics, a very lucrative line as you are only using vinyl. For instance, a SALE NOW ON sign for the inside of a shop window in reverse cut vinyl, in any colour, from £20 to £50 depending on size.
Vehicles, again only using vinyl. The average cost of signage on a small van with customers name, what they do and phone numbers would be in the region of £150 and the cost of the vinyl perhaps £10 max. Logos extra. A window cleaners van I did a few months ago (Ford Transit) had their name, window cleaning, contact numbers and logos (outline if a window cleaner stretching up on a small ladder off the web) £250 substantially below what he had been quoted elsewhere!
Other areas are car or motorbike graphics, all available off the web.
What I am saying is this is a great opportunity to start a small venture perhaps alongside other employment for little outlay and a vast market of potential custom. I am making, at the moment, small signs on Foamex (another very cheap plastic sheet available in 3 or 6mm) cut to 300mm x 80mm with thing like Ho Ho Ho on and a small spring of holly or Merry Christmas, for local fundraising @£3 each (cost price around 20p plus time, a few minutes each).
I have treated this lifelong earner as a hobby as it is so enjoyable, clean environment, great customers (who pay at the end of the job or invoiced like the Council) the means of production take up little space (can be in a garage or spare room) and easy to do, with a little practice.
Look up, vinyl cutters, vinyl suppliers you will need a computer or laptop and simple software to run a vinyl cutter is available free on the net so here is an idea that you can peruse.
Do a little research and start small, good Luck, Peter
What did (or do) you do? I hear you ask, well I worked from my garage with a computer that is twenty years old, a DOS 3.1 operating system running Windows v3 (The very first Windows edition) and a program called Signscipt that I purchased in 1991 with a dongle.
All this adds up to making vinyl signs. I still do the occasional vans for the local Council, various shop signs for friends and small signs for local fundraising.
A vinyl cutter can be a very cheap machine (there are many from China) and vinyl on rolls readily available. I started with a local flyer printed on my printer at home and posted them down the local High Street, when I got home I had three messages on my answering machine to call potential customers regarding signs and never looked back. In 30 years I never advertised and hardly moved beyond a twenty five mile radius of my home and always had work.
Consider these as some of the signs you could make.
Shop Signs, all sorts of signage, usually mounted on Hording Board, this is a cheap (approximately £45 per 8 feet by 4 feet sheet) of aluminium 3mm sandwich white on one side and easily cut to size.
A Boards, advertising boards, easily made wooden frame faced with Hoarding Board with vinyl lettering, logos etc.
Window Graphics, a very lucrative line as you are only using vinyl. For instance, a SALE NOW ON sign for the inside of a shop window in reverse cut vinyl, in any colour, from £20 to £50 depending on size.
Vehicles, again only using vinyl. The average cost of signage on a small van with customers name, what they do and phone numbers would be in the region of £150 and the cost of the vinyl perhaps £10 max. Logos extra. A window cleaners van I did a few months ago (Ford Transit) had their name, window cleaning, contact numbers and logos (outline if a window cleaner stretching up on a small ladder off the web) £250 substantially below what he had been quoted elsewhere!
Other areas are car or motorbike graphics, all available off the web.
What I am saying is this is a great opportunity to start a small venture perhaps alongside other employment for little outlay and a vast market of potential custom. I am making, at the moment, small signs on Foamex (another very cheap plastic sheet available in 3 or 6mm) cut to 300mm x 80mm with thing like Ho Ho Ho on and a small spring of holly or Merry Christmas, for local fundraising @£3 each (cost price around 20p plus time, a few minutes each).
I have treated this lifelong earner as a hobby as it is so enjoyable, clean environment, great customers (who pay at the end of the job or invoiced like the Council) the means of production take up little space (can be in a garage or spare room) and easy to do, with a little practice.
Look up, vinyl cutters, vinyl suppliers you will need a computer or laptop and simple software to run a vinyl cutter is available free on the net so here is an idea that you can peruse.
Do a little research and start small, good Luck, Peter
