Engraving Business startup

[Jim Good]

Where to go from here? From reading all the responses, here is a suggestion. I agree with Mike Null 100%. Learn CorelDraw. It is your main interface to both your finished laser work as well as your dye sub final graphic. I would sign up with JDS Industries as a dealer so you have access to their CorelDraw templates for plaques and other awards. (Note: You'll need your Tax ID to sign up.) I would import them to your computer system and try laying out some designs.

I would look at sample plaques (the artwork) from JDS, Tropar, and other sites. Try to duplicate them using the CorelDraw templates. Make some designs for dye sub. Make a plaque with graphics such as a photo or some artwork. Heck, go with mytransfersource.com and have Ron make you some transfers. He is a heck of a resource. Use him. See if your "competitor" will allow you to test drive their heat press (at your place) and make some samples. Buy some blank dye sub plaque plates. Use your transfers and make some samples. (Tell Ron what you are transferring and he will make sure to reverse the image if it is needed).

This assignment will help you get good at CorelDraw and also get some transfers at a decent cost, and then make some samples. When you get good at dye sub, make a sample pack of school items. You mentioned multiple middle schools. Make some dye sub mouse pads, clipboards, award plaques, bookmarks, seat cushions, and other items using the school logo. Make some name tags with the school logo. Download the logo from the school website. It will probably be low-resolution. You can have someone here convert it to a vector format (at a small nominal charge) or get Sir William to do it - another good source to know.

Send the package to the school with a letter stating you will contact them in a few days to meet with them to discuss some possible fundraising. Instead of fundraising they may be interested in purchasing some of your sample items in large quantities. Whether you make a lot of sales or not, it gets your name to them and it helps you learn how to produce these items. It's good training!

You have to learn CorelDraw. Learn to cut-and-paste, manipulate the artwork, putting text on a curve, power clipping, etc. Lots to learn and it's amazing how many simple tasks we all do was once a complicated thing to learn!

Also, one other thing. Going LLC involves more paperwork than you probably need to deal with. I would consider going the Sole Proprietorship route. Less paperwork. Less costly, too. At least starting out this seems to be a better route.

I hope this helps. It gives you something tangible to do right now without the financial outlay. A few bucks for transfers and some bucks for dye sub blanks from JDS or other dye sub supplier. Go buy a heating press or at least see if the competitor will let you have it for a week or so to test drive. Did I mention learn CoreldRAW!?!

[Mike Null]

When wearing out your shoe leather at schools and colleges in your area be advised that one call is just about the same as no call. Why, well in most schools there are several people responsible for buying. For example, the secretary for name tags, the janitor or maintenance man for signs, each coach for awards, the principal for scholastic awards etc. etc. This is even more true at colleges. A similar thing happens at factories as many departments buy for their own needs. Sometimes, but rarely they'll go through the purchasing dept.

[Doane Buksar]

I live in Grants Pass, not far from K-Falls. If you want to see one of the large Chinese lasers in action, you're welcome to stop by.

[Ariel Echevarria]

Man I wish I would have saw this post about 3 hours ago. We were just in Medford for a Dr Appointment. Next time we are in Medford I'll give you a call or something. I'll add you to my contact/friend list on here so I have your info.

[Ariel Echevarria]

Yes this is very true even in the Air Force. Our base has MANY different shops on base, Military Police, Medical, Services, Contracting...and the list goes on. Each department if you will orders their own items from different vendors all though they have to be partnered with the illustrious GSA. I'll keep this tid bit in mind when targeting the schools and find the contact information for each department head.

[Ariel Echevarria]

I knew you could do SEO work yourself I just need to find a good tutorial online that shows you the proper way to do it. I have lots of spare time to be able to spend an hour or two a night to get this work done. Do you know of any good websites or videos that teach SEO in Laymans terms?

[Ariel Echevarria]

Wow! Jim, you sir, are AWESOME! I appreciate the assignments. This really gives me something I can start doing now to prepare for when its time to go mainstream. I really appreciate your input. I love this forum, I'm glad I found it and I know that by being a contributor it will help me even more. I'm learning years of experience, failures, do's and Dont's all in a short time.

[Ariel Echevarria]

Thanks! and thank you Mr Null. You all have saved me a lot of headache by trying to figure this all out on my own.

[Scott Challoner]

Wow! Jim, you sir, are AWESOME! I appreciate the assignments. This really gives me something I can start doing now to prepare for when its time to go mainstream. I really appreciate your input. I love this forum, I'm glad I found it and I know that by being a contributor it will help me even more. I'm learning years of experience, failures, do's and Dont's all in a short time.

Jim gave you some great advice, but I have to respectfully disagree with one statement. I would definately go with a LLC. The whole point of the LLC is that your liability is limited to your business. If someone gets hurt while conducting business on your property, they can only go after your business and not your personal assets. I don't remember it being very expensive to set up the LLC and, if I remember right, it was filed online without too much hassle. Maybe things are different in other states, but that's what I was advied to do here in WI.

[Ariel Echevarria]

In Oregon it is about $100 to file as an LLC and it is an online process. I initially was going for an LLC because it does exactly what you said. It keeps my personal assets separate from business assets.

[Ariel Echevarria]

So here is an interesting turn of events. I spoke with the woman looking to sell me her heat press over email. I asked some basic questions about the press like brand, size, condition etc. She emailed back saying to just come and take a look and proceeded to ask what equipment I was using. I didn't respond because I felt like she was trying to hold back information and at the same time try to gauge what kind of competition I would be based on my capabilities. Of course, I do not have any equipment right now and I did not want to let her know that. What do you guys think? I'm thinking she is being a little shady. Then at the end of the email she asks if I was interested in a TJet. I'm getting red flags that she is just trying to pawn off equipment that she knows would not make any money. Plus I researched the Tjet. Seemed like it is a waste of money considering it takes over 7 minutes for it to make one shirt. Doesn't sound like it moves fast as a jet. Anyone else have one of these machines?

[Mike Null]

The real question is "do I want to be in the t-shirt business?". I'm getting out of it--it is just too competitive. If I do anymore t-shirts they will be out-sourced at some decent margin or I'll walk away from the order. That is not the same as sublimation which can be done for a minimal investment. Direct to garment printers have a spotty record, some are pretty good others are not. All are expensive.

[Rodne Gold]

I've had a flatbed colour printer which did DTG..a VERY expensive unreliable mistake. I wouldn't touch the smaller non proffesional type machines in that area

[Ross Moshinsky]

I think you need to sit down and run numbers. Theory and marketing is good but you need to figure out your fixed costs. Then you need to figure out how much you want to make a month. Then you need to figure out how much you need to bring in every month to make the numbers work. If your monthly fixed costs are $3000 and you want to make $5000 a month, your sales are going to need to be at least $12,000 a month assuming a conservative 33% material cost. Do you think you stand a chance to bring in $144,000 a year?

[Ariel Echevarria]

To be honest no I do not want to be in the Tshirt business. These days you can order Tshirts for events or whatever online and at a price that would be difficult to compete with. I just wanted to know if anyone had even heard of a Tjet cause I had not until she mentioned it. I think that may be because I've been researching and pricing engravers, lasers, CNC machines, Dye Sub, CLTT, possible products, etc. So Tshirts are not really anything I'm interested in. I did find that there is a Sign shop here in town that I did not know about called Pelican Signs. I think I am going to walk in and see what their operations look like and possibly see if I can do some outsource work for them at a later date.