New Business

jeyelle

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Oct 1, 2004
Posts
7
Loc
UK
Hi Everyone

Always enjoy hearing peoples replies, and appreciate the advice the more experienced give so willingly........

Anyway to try and cut a long story short, just wondered peoples opinions.
I am a Graphic Designer by trade, which now bores me to tears, and having done picture framing (which is my passion), for well over 11 years, was wondering about a career change.
Most of my work comes from family and friends and realise there is probably no formula, but has anyone any ideas/tips of taking this to the next stage regards setting up in the business, and getting business from the general public/photographers/artists etc.

Hope you can help, and give me some inspiration.........

Jeremy
 
Take your courage in both your hands, work the numbers, and take the plunge! If you have the entrepeneurial spirit You will always want to work for yourself some way or the other. It is very satisfying, but some days are pretty scary!
 
Tell your family and friends to tell their friends, and their friends, etc. Word of mouth was my biggest launcher, until I could no longer do it at home, and by myself. Get your resale license so you can start to buy materials wholesale. Look for a smallish place to rent/lease to start with. Most moulding vendors will require you to have a store front to buy framing materials. Some exceptions.

Ellen's right about the Courage thing. If framing is your passion, and most of us here understand that, then follow your dream until it's no longer a dream, but a reality. "It's never too late to be what you might have been".

Stick around The Grumble, ask questions, questions, questions. You will always get answers here. Many of us started the same way you are. Who said recently...Git 'er done!
 
Welcome to the G.

It is a big step and there will be times you will wonder why you did it but overall it can be a good place to be.

Think 3 steps ahead. The actual framing is the easy part, you have to be a business person, then framer.

Posting here is a great start. Never stop learning your trade or your business.

Best of luck and hold on!
 
Once you get set up at a location, whether in your home or in a building, somewhere were people can come in and lay there work down, and you can help them design their framing..
Introduce yourself to local photographers, artists, retail shops in the area..
I just started up last October with my own business, and had been doing framing for 7 years prior. The first thing I did was printed business cards(on my printer) and walked around the local shops saying hello, and telling them who I was and what I was doing.. I now have the 2 local photographers bringing all of their work and thier customers work to me... as well as the local coffee house having items framed to fill the walls of their shop!
It does get scary some days, if you have noone walking through the door... but you can do it if you have the love of what you do helping you along the way!!

Good Luck on your new venture!!
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Jeyelle, Welcome to the Grumble!
You might want to talk to THIS guy. He has some brilliant ideas and can give you business advice that applies to the UK that most us Westerners don't know about.
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Originally posted by EllenAtHowards:
It is very satisfying, but some days are pretty scary!
What Ellen means is that its only scary 5 out of 7 days a week!

Welcome and best of luck to you. There is a plethera of valueable information and talented business people here.

Now I'm off to meditate over my courage mantra
 
Kelli's right about the business cards. I handed them out wherever I went...to the clerks at the grocery, to my Dr.'s office crew, the car repair place, a stack on the engraving shop counter that does our brass plaques, other frame shops, even a stack at the Michael's store here! We're pretty supportive of each other, referring customers to a shop that does something that one can't...it works!

I even took a stack with me to the hospital when I had my hip surgery. Since then several of the people that took care of me have been in with orders, even my surgeon and my family doctor! And I'll do it again next week when I go back in for hip #2.

I often give a person several and ask them to tell their friends. I went through half a box of business cards the first month! (Baer will tell you I should've gone through an entire box by then, or more!) Sometimes I'll randomly write "20% off your first framing order". Several have come back with orders, and many without the 20% thing.

A business card is stapled to a complimentary picture hanger and attached to the hanging wire on every completed frame order.

I keep several in my back pocket, and in my purse, always, just in case.
 
First congratulations on the decision to "go for it." It's always scary to take the plunge of change, but many have - and you can be successful too.

One of the things on the top of your list, is setup a business plan. It will force you to ask good questions about what you need to think about to set up your business and will assist you in measuring where your priorities are at in terms of your $$$$. Get a good business advisors at the start so when questions do arise, you can quickly get an answer - or you can just ask your peers in this great forum!). Also, know WHY your doing this, and WHAT your vision of your business is (mission). Those quidelines will help shape and grow your business.

Remind yourself, the path isn't always smooth on the journey of personal and professional rewards.

But it is always interesting!

Good Luck!
 
Cor,

Clicked on the link in Davids's (Rogatory) post and saw my mugshot! Thanks for the kind words.

Welcome to The Grumble Jeremy, it's a great place; very addictive too. I see you have also made the same post on the UK forum, I'll put a few words there over the weekend.

Spend some time using the search facility here too.

Here is some good reading to start you off.

Why are you a framer?

[ 05-06-2006, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: RoboFramer ]
 
Hi Everyone
Many thanks to everyone for their kind words of encouragement. Much appreciated. Forgot to add a link to my website, so you can see what sort of thing I frame.

All the Best To Everyone

PS Look forward to John's comments on the UK forum

www.memoriesonthewall.co.uk
 
I can tell you that it's a big step, I did it last August, after working for someone else for 22 years, to be at the helm was frightening.
I handed out so many cards in the first few months, and I had some very good people that were well in with the local art crowd.
I now have customers travel 30 – 50 miles to have things framed.
And this week it’s gonna be some very long days because of Dorset Art Week.
I’m still learning so much about the business side, that one day I might make some money hahaha.

Good luck and keep every up to date on how you get on.
 
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