The Framers Forum

For us the Christmas rush started in ernest this week. I make that between one to two weeks earlier that usual. I was wondering if there would be any extra Christmas business at all this year, so I take this as a very good sign.

Currently, we are getting an encouraging level of orders and lots of enquiries too. Order values are across the board, with low, medium and high value orders.

It's getting busy!

Surprisingly I have already completed some Christmas jobs and they have been collected but the last two weeks have been very quiet.

Hoping it picks up soon!

Panic over, been rushed off my feet all day!

We've been busy the last few days. Also gallery sales up, so fingers crossed....

Had a few more calls Saturday and today, I think I'm starting to feel a bit Christmasy as well .....

I'm supposed to be getting 10 2mc x1.5m family photo's to be framed and exported to Ghana for Christmas but I don't think they will be having them this side of New Year they haven't given me the artwork yet.

Inferior Designers

Started here, nearly every one in the last week has asked if it would be rerady for Christmas, plus I'm right in the middle of cutting 1300 mounts with different shaped windows ( Birds, Butterflies, Penguins and elephants to name a few) for one of my customers, she's getting in first with her Christmas order
I think it has started early this year.

Steve

What's the verdict on the Christmas rush so far? We've done O.K. for orders, but as usual customers will wait until the last few days before Christmas to collect their completed orders, which as usual is a PITA.

We could handle more Christmas business and are not yet a full stretch, so a little more would not hurt.

Our current years turnover has been very positive, but in spite of this customers who are slow to collect are not helping us, as I know that we could do even better with a little extra cashflow to speed things up a bit.

How's everyone else finding the Christmas rush?

Im not sure if it the Christmas rush or the fact that I am new and the only framer in town and am advertising. People are finding me and the order book is filling up nicely. Very satisfying for a newbie, I have just the right ammount of work to both have time to do a good job and make make some money. Gives me some dosh to invest in new toys.

That's it for me now for christmas most commercial jobs have finished just the usual olds and sods. The big export job is on hold till the new year or until the inferiior designer can get his ar*e down to london to see the client for final approval. All in all it has been a good year.

I guess Christmas is a busy time for all but if you planned to start a new business what would u consider to be the best month? My website designer says my site will be ready in Feb but Ive still to firm up on many things including machinery and premesis so I have most of next year to aim at.

Jb1 wrote:I guess Christmas is a busy time for all but if you planned to start a new business what would u consider to be the best month? My website designer says my site will be ready in Feb but Ive still to firm up on many things including machinery and premesis so I have most of next year to aim at.

October in time for the Christmas rush.

Just a few bespoke jobs in a dribs and drabs of commercial work.

I brewed 60l of lovely beer instead today no framing what so ever

I don't have the capacity for the volume of work as some of you but I am now fully booked until January! Very pleased as this is my 1st year of trading.

That is very good Gus This will help you kick start the new year when things are always tight.

The trick now is to get these customers back again with more so that you have an even better start to the year.

Hi, Its been mad here and we stopped taking work in for christmas three weeks ago, I can see light at the end of the tunnel now but have been working till 8-9pm most nights ....Id hate to let anyone down for christmas and is always difficult to judge, what with joe public and taking that on, to your regulars who walk in last minute with a load to be done. This year we seem to be doing a lot of plain timber hand finished, i guess the latest trend up here, and a hell of a lot of football shirts some with up to 15 aps to be cut out for medals etc, but its all good and all money.....The snow is falling here now and im glad to be home in front of the fire and if it gets really cold i will turn it on.