Closing down or starting up

[Nigel Nobody]

I find it rather interesting that in the current economic climate where many established framing businesses are closing down in many countries, due to insufficient business, there seems to be quite a number of people busting a boiler to get into the industry.

Many of those buying hobby type equipment, few paying for professional training and obviously even fewer doing any market research. If they did some market research, I wonder whether they would be so anxious?

[prospero]

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[Graysalchemy]

I think that peole see our industry as a lifestyle one. One which traditionally people have set up in after taking retirement in another industry. It is seen as something of a cottage indistry which can be done from home with minimal outlay, which is true. This together with the fact there is a lot of cheap machinery from businesses giving up makes it quite attractive..

It is not disimilar to people wanting to own a pub or set up a micro brewery, however our industry is more attainable.

Many people want to be their own boss, it was always my ambition. So really in times of unemplopyment it's not hard to understand someone wanting to invest their redundancy in a small framing business. What they fail to understand is why there is a lot of machinery for sale. The reality is as we all know very diferent.

I have been in this industry a long time and my advice to anyone thinkong about taking up framing is do you research and see if it will give you the return you need. In most cases it won't.

[Nigel Nobody]

I have been in this industry a long time and my advice to anyone thinkong about taking up framing is do you research and see if it will give you the return you need. In most cases it won't.

My thoughts exactly, but people will not do any research. They get it in their heads that everyone in this profession is making uncountabajillions of money and they do almost nothing to make it.

The "four sticks of wood and a piece of glass" view of our industry is alive and well.

[Nigel Nobody]

It is seen as something of a cottage indistry which can be done from home with minimal outlay, which is true. This together with the fact there is a lot of cheap machinery from businesses giving up makes it quite attractive..

This perpetuates the low perception of our industry by people outside it!

[prospero]

I can do it. I've got a mitre box.



I've heard 'em.

[Gesso&Bole]

Interesting topic Ormond.

It is a feature of economic recessions that there are always a lot of small start up businesses. Many are due to necessity - companies close down, jobs are lost, and those folk left high and dry think they have nothing much to lose by setting up in business. Well it can't be hard can it, because my brother-in-law runs his own business?

That bit is quite easy to understand. But, as Ormond says why would people risk their life savings on a business without getting properly trained? Not just training to learn how to put 'the four bits of wood together', but also on understanding what is involved in running a business.

Having said that, when I started my first business (30 years ago) I didn't have a clue about anything, but as I was just 18 years old, I had one HUGE advantage in that I genuinely believed that I knew everything!

[Graysalchemy]

I remember a guy who had just spent thousands of pounds on a a new gallery, saying to me

"Gallery owners easily make £100,000 a year don't they"

He is still going , but I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. It's this cavalier attitude that people have thinking that this industry is 'easy ' and 'nice' oh and 'friendly'. But its not it's like every other business its hard long hours (when its good), cut throat and at times technically very difficult. Four sticks of wood and a piece of glass it is not.

When anyone comes to me asking advise about giving up there 9 - 5 and setting up as a framer, my advice is always think again. Not that I don't want any more competition, but because it is hard to get established and make a profit. I am sure there will be plenty of newcomers and part time framers on this site who will not support me on this but trust me when you have had the number of years in this as I have, the sleepless nights wondering if that account will pay you, or have you got enough moulding for that painting which is being collected tomorrow at 10.30 am or will that delivery from arqadia/lion/simons arrive in one piece? Some of those sound trivial but when you business demands attention to detail these things are not trivial and keep you awake. How many times have we framed that awkward piece in our sleep I do it all the time, even worse when its a commercial job of 150 hotels bedroom prints .

Someone commented the other week on a thread and made the comment that he had taken up the best part of our eight hour day with the advise myself and another member had given. 8 hr day!!!minimum of 10.

So if you are thinking of becoming a framer and think you can swap your 9-5 for an easy life as a picture framer then take a good long hard look at what you are proposing to do, make sure the figures add up, do you research, then...












Go to Specsavers get a non rose tinted pair of glasses, take another good look and see if you are really making the right move.

Here endeth today's lesson.

[prospero]

I think anyone contemplating starting a framing biz needs a second string to their bow. Even if you have regular work coming in, this can disappear overnight. I originally got my gear to frame my own paintings. Painting sales were good, but the nature of the business made cash flow very erratic. So having got all this equipment, I started taking on framing for others. Mainly other artists I knew at the time and later retail stuff when I got a workshop to rent. When I got a shop window I started stocking prints, although this side of the trade has changed over the years and I stopped doing that years ago. Early 90's was very good for print sales.

Making a living purely from framing is hard. You need something to fill the dead spots. Nice if it's something that dovetails nicely with the framing. This could be photography, printing, art supplies, gifts, restoration...... Some things need extensive training though and this is where people come unstuck. If you go for something like stocking prints, gifts, etc, you really only have to take peoples money and order some more. No 'skill' involved as such. The drawback is, you can very soon end up with a huge amount of cash tied up in stock. This applies particually with art supplies.

Some people will find themselves with a bit of spare cash and leap it with both feet without doing their research and without actually knowing anything about framing. Others might have the knowledge and aptitude, but try and do it on the cheap and just don't put the hard work in.
I think the secret of success is to ease into the business gradually and be prepared to work all hours.

It's surprising how many people I've known who have left the forces and started up a framing business. Including a few on this Forum.

[Not your average framer]

When I started, I would gladly have accepted a normal 9 - 5 job with someone else to pay me my wages, but at the time I was out of work and needed a new start. My wife and I had already said that we would never do the self employed thing ever again, but we had no choice.

If you are genuinely desperate, then you will try anything. A lot of very kind people went out of their way to show me the ropes including others in my part of the country and later on this forum. I think it takes a particular type of person to want to stick with it, but once you've caught the bug, you are hooked. It's not the easiest way of earning a living, but a lot of us would not want to do anything else and that includes me.

I'm told that in the UK about 70% of all new start ups in this business will not last the first two years. I don't know how true this is, but no matter how good your business plan may be or how good your training is, there's always the unexpected.

I just impressed by how many people are still willing to risk all and start up in these very difficult trading conditions. Sometimes it takes guts!

There's a lot of members on this forum who I can remember as newbies and some not that long ago, many are now excellent contributors and giving first class advice to todays newbies. Where else can you find a body of people or an industry which works like this?