Slow Period of the year?

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Sloooooow as MOooolassas in the winter. But it's a nice respite. We were too busy much of last year. Not too profitable, mind you. More work isn't always more money, but more work is ALWAYS more work.

Wife and I have never ridden a train, so we might hop an Amtrak at Newton KS, an ride out to Glenwood Springs, CO. Just for the heck of it. Weird how you've gotta go East almost to Chicago, before you can go West to Colorado.

We'll be slow from now 'til mid February. Always are....

[brandon]

I guess we are the weird print shop where Nov and Dec is the second busiest time after July and August. And this Jan/Feb is almost booked. Last Jan/Feb we were crazy busy and broke records. Then again 2011 was a record breaker and 2012 was a 12% increase over that. Nothing huge there but it is our second year where we broke that magic number!

[tonypep]

Stupid busy over the Holidays. Plus Inventory which takes a few days. Next year I'll be more careful about dolling out Vacation time.

[mooseman]

we are a one man shop with sp & emb. This is nose dive time of year, we pass on ALL the christmas stuff that could go across the embroidery machine, it is just not worth it. We should be pretty slow for next two months....NICE we are tired.
mooseman

[GraphicDisorder]

Embroidery fills gaps for us in winter.  For example we have only 1 print job scheduled next week, the rest of the week is 100% embroidery for the production side, and its a ton of it.

[mk162]

I am working on redoing the reception area.  Kinda seems like a waste with less foot traffic because more people are doing things online, but there is no reason it shouldn't look great.  The feature wall has been done for a while and it gets tons of compliments(I think I posted a pic of it a while ago, it's the old pallet wood wall).  Now I am reworking the desk and trying to figure out how to do a logo wall...vinyl seems like the easy way out.  I might build a wood "background" and use mask off areas and use different shades of stain to make the logo.

I don't know, I'm lost on that one.  But, this time of year I get to make lists of what I want to accomplish for the year.  It's going to be a long list.  I figure I spend more time here awake than at home, so I might as well make it nice.

[bimmridder]

Just added temp workers and have gone to OT.

[inkman996]

Embroidery is always slammed this time of the year, have a three person crew running 500 Carhart jackets two locations. Big stitch counts to boot. Printing is slow as is typical.

[Ripcord]

Thanksgiving through New Years Day is absolutely my slowest time of year. Schools are on vacation, it's too cold for outdoor activities, people are into the holidays and it feels like the whole country sort of slacks off for a few weeks.
 
But there is always plenty to do. I have about five small jobs in house plus ongoing orders for parachute equipment, and it's already picking up. My phone started ringing again yesterday.
 
I know from experience that around May I'm going to be wishing for a little free time, so I'm enjoying myself...and as Itsa said above, more work does not always mean more money. If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's to pass on the "high-maintenance low-profit" stuff.

[tonypep]

Girls up front are redoing the reception area and conference rooms as they do each Jan. I shld snap off a pic or two they do great work. Tech coming in to connect and vent a dryer, fix an exhuast motor, and overhaul one of the fourteens. Need to be running on all cylinders by Feb !

[Doug B]

  I was looking forward to the usually slow Jan.-Feb. but just got slammed
with non-apparel printing. OT for sure.