6 rules to make sure you pay yourself enough
By Brad Getter
Posted on Sunday, May 29th, 2022
Shop labor is often a wildcard variable for a lot of sign shops—and often the area where they take the biggest loss on those underpriced jobs. Some sign business owners essentially give up a part of their personal hourly wage to give the customer the price the customer wants.
But how can a signmaker decide what he/she should be paid? First, consider what you would have to pay if you were hiring yourself. Being able to pay market labor rates means being able to hire help and lighten your workload.
Yes, making signs may come easy to you, and you may be tempted to charge less because of that. But wiring is easy for an electrician, and fixing your toilet is easy for a plumber. To get relative labor rates, compare yourself to what electricians and plumbers charge! There’s no reason a sign professional should make less than them or charge less per hour for shop time than those tradespeople charge.
Yes, making signs may come easy to you, and you may be tempted to charge less because of that. But wiring is easy for an electrician, and fixing your toilet is easy for a plumber. To get relative labor rates, compare yourself to what electricians and plumbers charge! There’s no reason a sign professional should make less than them or charge less per hour for shop time than those tradespeople charge.
