Better Sign Shop Podcast

Industry legend – Dan Antonelli of KickCharge Creative joins us to talk about his new book Branded Not Blanded and to discuss why you're playing with fire if you're not educating your sign shop's customers on the importance of design and branding. Make sure you pick up a copy of Dan's latest book – Branded Not Blanded – at https://www.kickcharge.com/books/ --- This episode sponsored by: GCI Digita...

Taylor Kraenzel of Vizion Signs (https://www.vizionsigns.com/) joins us to talk about what it's like to take over and modernize the family business while still trying to retain the craft and eye for artwork that they were known for. Taylor's grandfather started the shop way back in 1966. And they're still going strong. Just a heads up – this one runs a bit long but we had a blast. We cover a ton o...

Are you struggling with finding and keeping good employees? Learn what it really takes to onboard a new employee and how to keep valuable team members motivated and engaged. An old friend with an epic beard – Jeff Sherman – joins us for a conversation on employees and building a solid team. Jeff has 20+ years of sign industry experience and 10+ years of running operations at a fairly large shop. W...

We hate buzzwords. And “customer experience” is one that everyone one the internet seems to SHOUT about as a key driver for growth.  But once you wade through all the gimmicks and hype, it is a very important concept to apply in your shop. Tj Bedacht from grand format trade printer GCI Digital Imaging – talk about customer experience and coming through for customers day in and day out. ///////////...

How did your shop survive COVID? If you're like a lot of shop owners, the answer might be "just barely". But would your business survive yet another disaster after making it through COVID? Listen in as shop owner - Mike Davis - and ops manager - Scott Dean - from Hilltop Signs & Graphics in Maryland tell their story of business survival. This was a killer interview with lots of great takeaways...

Michael, Peter, and Bryant are back with more answers to listener questions. They cover... When should you invest in your shop?  How do I handle a client that's NOT happy with their vehicle wrap even though they approved the proof ? What should my markups on materials be? In this episode, we discuss... Mike's panic about his upcoming wedding (01:59) Diving into when to invest in your shop (06:57)...

Michael and Bryant discuss the benefits of outsourcing and the lessons they learned. The guys are joined by guest Jeremy Siegers from Sharp Mill Graphics . Jeremy recently completely transformed his entire business by ditching his shop and letting his production staff go to work 100% remotely. He's changed his business to fit his ideal lifestyle. In this episode, we discuss... Mike's nutty catalyt...

Instead of riffing on a single topic, we answer three important questions from podcast listeners. If you're a shop owner, you've got answers to these at some point – so listen in and see if you agree with our recommendations. 1. How do you address minimum orders and how to handle the walk-ins requesting $50 lettering/signs? Also how minimums might apply to large accounts that frequently request sm...

Most mistakes in a sign or print shop are made during the handoffs. When a job is handed from sales to design, from design to production, from production to install. It's important that you manage the handoff well in order to ensure things are completed on time and customers stay happy. In this episode, we discuss... Peter has a crisis over Disney's power bill (02:30) Mike's fixer upper (04:28) Mi...

Are you experiencing growing pains in your shop? Things starting to fall through the cracks? Listen in as the guys discuss the challenges of managing a growing shop.   Luc Michaud, co-owner of Signtek Industries (http://signtek.ca/) in Prince George, British Columbia – joins us to talk about some of their own experiences with 25% growth year over year since 2012. In this episode, we discuss... Tur...

Michael, Peter, and Bryant debate where to spend your time and money when working on your marketing. Learn some of their favorite ideas for marketing your sign shop.

The inaugural episode of the podcast – Peter, Michael, and Bryant discuss the biggest problem they've seen in the industry – pricing yourself too cheap. Learn how to know if you're pricing yourself short, how to respond to customers who question your pricing, and more.