E: exhibitions@visualconnections.org.au
W: www.visualconnections.org.au
P: 02 9868 1577

Online Webinars

Building Value.

If that’s not what its all about – lock me out of the room! One of my favourites! I’m putting forward the simple concept your business is in the top 3 financial assets you own. Consider… the signmaker or printer who works diligently for decades. Then decides time has come to move on, typically tries to sell their potentially largest asset and life’s work and not a single taker? Here is a little secret – typically the vendor doesn’t know the game. Only around 25% of businesses listed are sold!

Why? Many reasons, however they have confused money, turnover and their ego with the reality of how buyers and their accountant rate the business. In the words of Warren Buffet – price is what you pay, value is what you get. The business must be prepared for sale.

A strange but comparable phenomena is “signmakers” fill Facebook criticising all and sundry about inexperience punters having a go and making a sign! Yet, when they sell their business they chose the self-selling option without enlisting an expert! Strange ay!

People – First, Foremost and Always John Hadfield Webinar

It’s one on the real stumbling blocks for creative professional – employing creative professionals. As an industry, most of us join the sign making business because we love to make ‘stuff” clearly a right-hand brain activity rarely does the left-hand brain strengths kick in as to ‘managing stuff’ Therefore the natural skills sign makers display tends to grow their business. Therein lie the issue – only a handful of sign makers – 3- 5% naturally have those people skills to build a fun creative team to fulfil everyone’s needs to enjoy the work we do!

Many sign makers struggle with simple to learn basics of ” working with creatives” John has employed literally hundreds of creative people over 45 years in the Australian Sign Game as a life member of the Australian Sign and Graphic Association he is always happy to share with his Anzac mates! Well Known in NZ for his willingness and proven track record of lending a hand – he will share skills of working with your people, ways to reward and recognise. At the end of the session he will offer a free KPI to assist you in enjoying employing people and keeping YOU and your own mental health in check – bring a smile to work and keep it all day!

Embracing the process – technology and opportunities

In a world that flies past us are we really slowing to understand and embrace technology and opportunities? Maybe even stopping to smell the roses or at least the solvents you are using.

The timeline in our industry is accelerating at a breath-taking rate. Looking at signwriting versus digital only. In around 4 decades a typical 3 square metres of sign output (2440×1220) has changed from:

Mid 1980’s around 5 – 10 hours to create a hand-rendered high-quality sign including some form of pictorial
1990s conveyed outputs to less than one hour based on average machine outputs of only 6 square metres per hour
Early 2000’s, output was averaging 35 square metres per hour
By 2010 outputs again accelerated and depending on investments, 60–120 square metres per hour
2020: outputs are anywhere approaching 300 square metres per hour and beyond

What’s next Sherlock? Let’s chat about – have you adjust or tweak the other areas of your business to match? Like – Business systems, software, process flow, marketing, social media and a million areas YOU need to embrace – It’s NOT just making stuff it is also about managing stuff!