Years in the Industry

Spider-Machines · July 8th, 2011, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inkbrigade

Started working at my first shop at 17 in 1990. Printing flatstock for hallmark. What a drag.
Anyone remember Onetia Power Tees? They were awesome. Wonder what happened to them.

Started Ink Brigade with my wife by accident. We just wanted to print a few shirts in 2007. Next thing you know we have 2 autos, and employees! Yeow!

2 autos :-? What are they :-?

inkbrigade · July 8th, 2011, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spider-Machines

2 autos :-? What are they :-?

Sportsmans

Spider-Machines · July 8th, 2011, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inkbrigade

Sportsmans

what sizes :-?

screenmachines · July 8th, 2011, 11:22 AM

It's a thread about years in the industry. Please forgive him Ink, he's new to the rules game.

Big E · July 8th, 2011, 12:46 PM

Some will do anything to squeeeeeezze in a commercial

CNClark · July 8th, 2011, 02:08 PM

Worked my way through college at a print shop in 1999-2000. When I graduated, I had saved $7K and spent three of that on first and last months rent at a shop, the rest on equipment. First order was for 1K pieces.....we were off. Upgraded my manual presses a year later, now running one auto in a shop I built on my property doing contract work.

Spider-Machines · July 8th, 2011, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CNClark

Worked my way through college at a print shop in 1999-2000. When I graduated, I had saved $7K and spent three of that on first and last months rent at a shop, the rest on equipment. First order was for 1K pieces.....we were off. Upgraded my manual presses a year later, now running one auto in a shop I built on my property doing contract work.

What brand of auto are you using :-?

cnasherman · July 8th, 2011, 06:26 PM

Only 6 yrs. for us. Started in our basement in a really small house until we bought a property with a big oversized 4 car garage with a finished 2nd floor. Still never enough room, hoping to build on soon.
Taught high school art for 11 yrs. before. Man, I miss my summers off, my wife is still a teacher and I get jealous every June!
Can't beat being your own boss though. I don't have to ask off to sit in a treestand to hunt whitetails or trout fish with the fly rod....best job I've ever had! I feel truely blessed each day to make a great living, coming and going as I please.

Gilligan · July 8th, 2011, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnasherman

Only 6 yrs. for us. Started in our basement in a really small house until we bought a property with a big oversized 4 car garage with a finished 2nd floor. Still never enough room, hoping to build on soon.
Taught high school art for 11 yrs. before. Man, I miss my summers off, my wife is still a teacher and I get jealous every June!
Can't beat being your own boss though. I don't have to ask off to sit in a treestand to hunt whitetails or trout fish with the fly rod....best job I've ever had! I feel truely blessed each day to make a great living, coming and going as I please.

Exactly! It ain't always easy... but well worth it.

My wife brings our baby into our computer store everyday. People often ask if it's also a daycare when she is not there. No, just for our little one.

If she is gonna spend 8-9 hours a day there and about 4 at home (awake)... then why not have all the good toys there.

We are also getting into this business with a VERY small mindset. Glad to see that it has worked out for others.

Though we are looking for a grant writer to maybe build our own "strip mall" thing and set up the two shops in there so we don't have "rent" to pay and a place to become "legit" with the shirt business.

Madacad · July 15th, 2011, 08:11 AM

I've been at it since 1987. Started out in the art dept. of a company doing preprints. Learned to print in order to design more production friendly prints. After 6 months, the owner decided I was more valuable as a production manager. Unfortunately, I needed more time to vent my creativity. So, I started my own shop in '89.

A marital seperation cost me that shop.

I went to work managing a custom and contract shop for a year, then started another one of my own. Then second wife had a stroke while giving birth to our son. After a year of unimaginable chaos and two years of not having the space or money to start printing again, I've finally built my shop again.

I'm starting to look around for an automatic I can (not actually) afford.

So, if any of you know anyone interested in getting rid of equipment in exchange for equity in a company, shoot me an email at: [email address]