Happy Mid-Year!

[Mike Jackson]

Hi Folks,
Just a quick note to wish everyone well at about the mid-point of the year. I think we all had a gloomy end to 2008 and beginning of 2009. Hopefully, things are picking up for everyone as the economic free fall seems to be checked (mostly) and things are leveling out. The town of Jackson was very busy for the 4th of July, and more so since it hit on a Saturday. The local merchants seem to be doing better now with a little cash flow. Even though gas has gone up some in the past month or two, people are still traveling. Last year at this time, gas was very high and all we heard about was the fact it was going to go much higher.

So, on balance, things feel better for us now than at the beginning of the year.

How are you doing?

MJackson

[erik winkler]

Hello Mike,

May I reply by reflecting on our European (Dutch) Mid-Year thoughts?

I remember that you posted on the end of 2008 telling that the hard times were in America.
At that point we in Nederland anxiously followed the news, but somehow it did not hit us untill our banks and insurance companies admitted that they had invested in badly secured American morgiages.
Somewhere around januari our economy fell. But Dekoratie Studio Ferry Winkler was still doing great, tons of work, no time to experiment on glass or 3d wooden signs.
Around March and April we noticed that people became hesitant in giving the final ok for a job. And since then we are working twice as hard to get to contracts.

Working twice as hard for the first hello.
Working twice as hard for the reasoning why our work will benefit their bussines.
Working twice as hard for design approval.
Working twice as hard for their signature on the contract.
Ofcourse in these times (as in all the times) we do not want to give in our quality standard, just because we allreade spended the extra time in the client before we went into production.

All in all hard work and dealing with reality that will surely stay here for at least one other year.
A bit of a bummer, since I wanted to invest in a router to do 3d work...
On the one hand I think: invest while the times are hard (like you wrote in your article in signcraft magazine).
But on the other hand it is lot of money to invest for something I still have to create work for.
So my nightly hours are being spend in making samples, samples and more samples.
In other words trying to progress and not sit back and hope for better times.

How are the other posters doing?

[Raymond Chapman]

Well, I've tried always to be the eternal optimist - seeing the glass as half full. After 50 years in this business the good and bad times have come and gone in regular cycles. We've always weathered the bad times and enjoyed the plentiful ones.

At the end of '08 the outlook was bleak here in our part of Texas and continued that way until about the middle of January, when the phone began to ring and we became busier than expected. Several large project turned our way and it looked like we might just be able to catch up on some of the bills that had built up over the past slow six months.

The slow down began a few months ago as the jobs from early Spring began to be completed. It seemed that the national slow down was trickling our way, although not nearly as severe as in some other others. Construction in our area has slowed but is still under way. This area of Texas still has low unemployment and continues to rank high in growth when compared to the rest of the nation.

The beginning of July finds us without any major projects on the board and just a few small ones that will take us to the end of this week. For the next few days I will be putting together bids on several projects that could be helpful in keeping the wolf from the door.

Just about the time I think that it's time to turn off the lights and lock the door permanently, the phone rings and we have enough jobs to make it a few more days. It's not the best way to live, but it has been my way of life for a long time.

I've long admired Mike and Darla Jackson (and others) who have a good business sense and the discipline to follow it. There are few that combine artistic ability with business savvy.

[joe cieslowski]

I have a niche market and things are moving along at a normal pace. I was a bit worried how things would go this season and planned some additional exposure which has just firmed my work base.

I just spoke with the "real" sign shop in town and they were a little slow over the winter (ie no overtime) but for several months they have be very busy with higher end signs and vehicle work. (cabinets and carved signs are on a big uptick)

Joe,

[Larry White]

Hi Mike-
Business for me has been unusual for the last 5 months or so. I'll go a week with absolutely nothing, then I'll get 2 weeks worth of work the next week, then back to nothing. After working hard for a week, I don't mind the week off. I'm on about the same income pace as last year. Course I have to be here, but I can successfully keep myself amuzed. I've done some fairly nice quotes over the last 6 months, but it's slow to hear back on them. Can't seem to bring myself to call about 'em...that'd interupt my play time. Also, putting in a call typically doesn't produce a job. This business is interesting in that a glass truck can pull up and dump a thousand dollar job on me without any warning. It's just the way it is. Had a call last week about doing a job I quoted 18 months ago, which tells me a lot of these projects are still viable. Oh, did I mention, I don't really feel like working anyway...kinda like Dickinson. I faithfully play my Lotto ticket, in hopes to come to Machine and roll the gate shut behind me everyday. Well, this week is dead...so to speak...back to a little gilding project I got going.

This week it's, Bill Blake's Gild & Build!

-Aho

[Danny Baronian]

Like Larry, slow then something from sources I haven't dealt with for a while. Working for a job for some guy in Wyoming right now, nice work. Putting out bids without hearing back for longer than usual. Just when you think they've gone somewhere else, the call comes in to proceed. One thing for sure, most clients are taking a lot longer to part with their money at this time.

Haven't been overly concerned as a large job was in the works that would last a month or more, then delayed. Delayed or canceled? Received the final plans today so it's back on, which is always welcome.

Enjoy playing here too, but not 'contributing' to the Lotto, still have to work to pay to play.

Danny

[Tony Segale]

I'm just keepin an eye on things.

[Doug Bernhardt]

Round here the season has been fine. I had a few slow weeks(nothing to do) earlier in the season but all seems stable now. Just this morning was wondering what would keep me busy at the end of next week but the phone rang for projects discussed earlier in the year so there ya go. So in short not as busy as other years and have no back-log but as someone wise once said.....the phone will always ring again no matter how worried you get.