Hello.....ive just joined.

[Borderframer]

Hello all,
Ive just found the forum and it looks good!

Im 28 and have been doing some casual work for the framer in the small border town where i live,the business is again up for sale by the owner as he's not getting hardly any work in,which is hardly surprising considering he has only advertised the place once in nearly 2 years.
He's already had 1 buyer pullout of the sale so he's really fed up now,but its a really nice place that he's done up and it really frustrates me that he's won't advertise to bring business in the door but moans because its so quiet.
I cant afford to buy the business but im going to make him a proposal for me to run the place if he'll let me advertise it.

Im wondering what people think of that idea really? (i know its difficult without knowing the place).

I meant to say,i have 7-8 years of good framing experience after running a very busy framers in my native london (as the boss liked playing glof more than working!) i have'nt been able to do GCF yet,due to either lack of time or money.

If you're all still awake after that any views would be most welcome.

[sarah]

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear the predicament you find yourself in, but going on personal experience I don't think that advertising alone will really help.

As I said this just my experience of advertising others may have had great success.

We have tried all sorts in the past, papers, trade journals, flyers, radio ads, open days, and more but none of them have brought the return that we had hoped for. To be honest our best advertising is word of mouth.

We have been on the go for 20 years and have been blessed with a group of loyal and regular customers who have subsequently told friends who have told friends. We are also lucky to frame for some local artists.

So in my opinion I don't think advertising on it's own is going to help build things up for you.

Maybe diversifying into giftware would help draw people into the shop and subsequently get you known as also doing framing, or maybe getting known among the local art classes/galleries.

You're in the right place for advice. I'm sure it won't be long before a few others will give you their opinion.

[mathematician]

I agree with Sarah - advertising will not give you the results you need.

Still, it may be possible to turn the business around by other means but you have to be clear why the business isn't doing well before you decide on the recovery strategy otherwise you may be wasting both time and money.

Just a couple of questions about your plan.
You say you are presently doing casual work. In your proposal to "run the place" I assume you are planning to work fulltime. Are you going to work free of charge or do you expect the owner of a failing business to pay you?
Who is to pay for the advertising - you or the owner?
If you are successful in improving the business, how do you benefit? Because of your efforts the business would be worth more and you would be even less able to buy it.

I don't mean to be negative. I just get the feeling you maybe haven't thought too deeply about the plan.

[norymags]

Hello Borderframer, and welcome to the forum.

You are suggesting something a large volume of framers would love to be involved in, especially in the lovely town of Innerleithen, but would also question whether or not it would work.

I have been framing in Annan for around 11 years and the variety of work really keeps me going as a one person framing business, but if you have to divide an already small cake into two then I can almost assure you there wont be much to share.

The best way I found was to keep a job full time and build up the equipment as you gather in the customers, and then expand to better machinery and then start to take a bit of money you invested back.

I never wanted to pay for premises as they eat into the small profit you make and have been very happy to work from a bespoke studio at the side of the house where I live


If you want to come down to see my setup you are very welcome and you can hopefully work out the pitfalls before you start, its not as grand a business as some would have you believe...let me know what you think...Norrie

[markw]

The best time to advertise is when your busy - somewhat useless advice in your case but its important to realise that a couple of ads in the local paper wont lead to a que of customers at your door.


In personal terms you also have to think about the fixed costs that you will be taking on if you run the business - many employees fail to grasp the cost of just being there - its impossible to pay those bills with sweat capital and the tough reality of life is that you will need some cash in hand just to survive for a while.

Many people start off in this business undercapitalised and find it tough to get to a point where they can invest in the business - maybe thats the problem your boss has and unless you have the dosh to invest you will end up in the same position.

Remember there are lots of things you should be doing that cost little -
Good window display - change it frequently.
Business cards for browsers to take away with them
get out and leaflet the area - shout loud that your offering a professional service from an experienced framer
Try and get in the local papers for free - take your GCF - make sure that you get it publicised - it will be cheaper than a few ads and far more effective.

Good luck

[osgood]

Borderframer,
I have found that in my situation, advertising is a total waste of money and I would be better off donating that money to a charity. It would then actually be a benefit to someone.

I have found that "promotion" is a much more beneficial alternative to advertising.

There are many ways to promote a business and one that I have found that works really well is to send out a flyer to at least 500 people from my customer database that includes a voucher for $20.
The voucher can be used on any full custom framing job (no partial jobs), no matter what the value is. I always place a time limit on it's use - orders need to be placed by a certain date and completion by a different date, usually a couple of months later. 50% deposit is mandatory. The voucher can be passed on to someone else.
I always get a good response and many customers thank me for sending them $20!
Perhaps something like this might work for you too!