How to Make a Career Change With a Signage Franchise

If you’re looking to make a career change that will allow you to combine profit and creativity, why not consider starting a signage franchise? The signage industry is growing in 2021, and franchising is a great way to own your own business at a lower level of risk. Here’s everything you need to know about making a career change with a signage franchise.

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When you open a printing franchise, you’ll join an evolving, dynamic and profitable sector of industry. Though changing your career and pursuing a new professional adventure might seem overwhelming and daunting, franchising will make it simpler than you think. You’ll be fully trained prior to franchise launch, and fully supported on an ongoing basis.

What start a sign making franchise?

So, why become a sign maker? There are currently around 4,000 signage businesses, with the figure rising to around 13,000 if you include print companies that also offer signage options [David Catanach, British Sign and Graphics Association]. There’s clear demand for signage in the UK, both for individuals on special occasions and on a more ongoing, B2B basis. People turn to signs because they can:

• Grab attention
• Help people identify locations
• Help businesses to stand out from their competitors
• Be used for branding, marketing and advertising
• Increase business
• Provide a strong return on investment

The size of the signage industry is substantial, and demand for sign making services is high. As a franchisee in a signage company’s network, you’ll be able to capitalise on this demand and build a lucrative business.

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>> Read more:

• Ready for a Career Change? Check Out These Five Top Franchise Opportunities in the UK
• Career Change: Start a Fresh Career with a Franchise
• Fed Up With the 9-to-5 Perhaps Starting a Franchise Business Is Your Best Next Career Move

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Making a career change with a signage franchise

If you’d like to make this career change, and you’d like to make it a truly successful one that will be viable in the long term, you’ll need to follow these four important steps, from doing your research to fully investing in your new role...

1. Assess your skills

One of the biggest advantages of the franchise business model is the fact that franchisees are provided with extensive training and ongoing support from their franchisors. Though specific provisions will vary from franchise to franchise, generally speaking, you won’t need sector-specific experience, and your franchisor will be just as invested in your success as you are. Still, there are certain transferable soft skills that will put you in a better position to succeed in the signage industry. Ask yourself whether you’re:

• Innovative
• Analytical
• Detail oriented
• Persistent
• Determined
• Proficient with technology
• Ambitious
• Passionate
• Creative

If you tick these boxes, you’d likely be a great addition to the industry. If your skills aren't quite right for the signage industry, it might be the right moment to reconsider your career change. Even if franchising seems like the right path, you might be better placed in a different sector. You can browse a huge range of opportunities across many different industries on the Point Franchise UK franchise directory.

2. Find the right franchise fit

Having determined that you’re right for the industry, you’ll then need to do your research and narrow it down to the right kind of franchise for you, among a wealth of options. The signage sector is broad, and signs can be used anywhere from exhibitions to retail stores to construction sites. Here are a few examples of franchises with different specialisms:

• Agency Express is the UK’s largest provider of professional estate agency board services. You can become a franchisee for a minimum initial investment of £12,500, with a total investment cost of £24,500.
• FASTSIGNS is a global franchise and a visual communications expert, providing signs, graphics, banners, vehicle wraps and much, much more to its large customer base. You can become a franchisee for a minimum initial investment of £36,000, with franchise fees of £21,000 and a total investment cost of £120,000.
• Recognition Express is a leading UK supplier of corporate branded merchandise (including signage), and has been in business for over 40 years. You can become a franchisee for a minimum initial investment of £9,000, with franchise fees of £8,000 and a total investment cost of £25,000.

Don’t forget to consider the important factors like cost and location as you narrow it down. If a franchise opportunity is perfect in every way other than the fact that, say, a territory isn’t available anywhere that you’d like to work, then it isn’t perfect. Be sure you’ve found a true fit, rather than a near fit, before you make a legally binding commitment.

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>> Read more:

• A Sign of Success: Start a Sign Making Franchise
• How to become a sign maker
• Get Creative With These Graphic Design Franchise Opportunities
• Drive Foot Traffic With a Sign Making Franchise
• Start a Sign Company with a Franchise
• How big is the signage industry?

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3. Do your due diligence

Speaking of legally binding commitments, we come to the third step. Doing your due diligence. Franchising is an exciting prospect, and it’s easy to get swept up, but it’s also a huge commitment. Your franchise agreement will tie you in for a set period of time, and before you sign it, you need to be sure of exactly what you’re getting into. Have a legal professional look over your agreement, and ask your franchisor plenty of questions to ensure that you know everything you need to.

Potential franchisees need to know what they are committing to before they decide to buy a franchise. This homework is known as due diligence. It is the process of ensuring that investors get what they think they are buying - and that what they buy is actually worth what they pay. – Lorelle Frazer and Jenny Buchan, The Conversation

4. Fully invest in your role

Once you’ve signed that contract and begun your journey as a franchisee, the best way to make your career change a successful one is to put in the hard work. Be prepared to go the extra mile, whether you’re creating a franchise business plan, or seizing all the chances you get to enjoy ongoing support and training.

An invested and diligent franchisee is far more likely to succeed than a franchisee who puts in minimal effort. Even if you’d like your franchise to provide you with a better work/life balance down the line, you need to understand that the first few years in business, establishing your franchise and building up customers, are the most important of all.

Running a franchise in the sign making industry could bring career satisfaction and financial reward

At this point, you should know exactly what you’ll need to do in order to make a career change with a signage franchise successfully. Find the right sign franchise for you on Point Franchise, or prepare yourself more generally for the adventure of franchising by discovering the four most common habits of successful business owners.