If you’re seriously thinking about starting your own signmaking business in Australia, there are several things that you should consider first. One is if you have the right equipment for the different projects that typical signmakers handle. Second is the focus of your business because signmaking is a broad field. You have to decide whether to want to offer reliable wide-format printing services or you would stick with making small signage for businesses.
There’s also the question of budget, whether or not you have the financial capability to take care of operating expenses for at least an entire year. To make your life easier, here are four tips that you should follow:
Get the right training and experience
It would serve you well to enroll in a formal graphic arts course or take online courses, read books, watch online tutorials, and other materials relevant to the trade. If you can, you should also consider working in a signmaking company for a few months just to get a taste of what it’s like and to get acquainted with the paper works needed to operate legally.
By having enough training and experience in the signmaking industry, you can be sure that you would have an easy time starting your own business.
Advertise via social media
Social media is a wide-reaching and very powerful means of promoting a business, particularly if it’s a startup. You should set up your own Facebook and Instagram accounts, as these are perfect platforms for signmaking ventures to showcase their works.
You can easily upload photos of your signs, run promotional campaigns, and discuss what makes your signmaking business different from the competitors. Keep in mind that your initial success is largely dependent on how well you could market your business.
Invest in signmaking equipment and materials
Having the right equipment and materials is a key aspect of kickstarting any signmaking venture. That said, be sure to invest in the following essentials:
- Software. CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and many others are design software programs that you may choose from. For a start, you may invest in one or two software depending on your budget and your design needs. Just be sure to secure only authentic programs as there are crack versions being sold on the market.
- Computer. Signmaking entails some graphics-intensive projects with large file sizes, so it pays to have a computer that can handle the job. Buy a computer with a powerful processor, high memory capacity, and a modern graphics card. You should also invest in portable hard drives of at least 1 or 2 terabytes, so you can have ample storage space for your files. Consider investing in paid cloud storage,as it is safer and more convenient in the long run.
- Wide-format printer. This will probably be among your most expensive purchases, especially if you would gun for signs for billboards and similar projects.
- Supplies. You should also invest in supplies such as tarpaulins, inks, media, and the like, depending on the focus of your signmaking business.
When you start a signmaking business, remember that clients demand high-quality work no matter how small or large the project may be. With this, make sure you would always provide high-quality output. This way, you can retain clients and establish a good reputation, something that could help you succeed in this highly-competitive niche.
