Making the Move

[Croft]

oh yea different / more insurance

[tonypep]

Once you have figured out the move cost all you need to do is double it! Trust me.

Yes exactly, so far costs I have started to tally up.

-Machinery mover for auto/dryer/manual/ exposure unit $2000
-hydro New account $500 security deposit
-alarm system $800 plus monitoring (no contract)
-internet $80
-phone not sure I think I may go with voip  $40 month
-electrical  ? Guessing $2000,  shop i think I'm going with has lost of hydro  3phase 600V 200amp , luckily it had a couple of CNC machines in and they left all the electrical intact
-Heating not sure ? current shop propane and smaller so maybe only $700 a season , new shop bigger, gas , electric office
-signage can do myself have sign stuff
-has been painted but will probably seal floor so maybe another $400
-Can't more than a week in setup because once march comes well be busy

Any other surprises you had?

Yes. Hate to be Debbie Downer but double the time. Or at least plan that way.

[Sbrem]

I'm with Tony; figure that you're way low, and act accordingly. I helped move the company I started with from 1500 to 10,000, then to 18,000. There are a million things that just happen. Also, fear is healthy and makes you do your homework, which apparently you've been working on, but don't let it hold you back. Just remember that you'll need more sales, and more people to make production and the office work. It's completely doable, even I can do it...

Steve

[Socalfmf]

I would ask how much are you losing by NOT moving.  we recently moved and we are now able to do more production faster thus making more money in a shorter period of time and being able to take on more work! 

so please add that into the equation of moving.

sam

[Screened Gear]

I would ask how much are you losing by NOT moving.  we recently moved and we are now able to do more production faster thus making more money in a shorter period of time and being able to take on more work! 

so please add that into the equation of moving.

sam

Losses come before gains. You need to make sure you can get all the losses paid for before you can get to the gains from a move. The things your talking about are the reasons for the move. They don't immediately start making you money. Those numbers that are based off your hopes and dreams are unreliable and can't be put into any real world profit and loss sheet.

A move is not going to make you money right away. It may even cost you clients. Like Tony said double or even triple your on hand cash. (credit cards are not on hand cash)

[Socalfmf]

Jon

I disagree.  can he handle a job of 10k shirts?  will he have to move stuff around?  we had to expand in order to get more machinery and thus making us more money.  yes it does cost money, but is he losing money by not moving.  that is the question.  Maybe he is happy staying where he is at.  maybe not! 

[Screened Gear]

Jon

I disagree.  can he handle a job of 10k shirts?  will he have to move stuff around?  we had to expand in order to get more machinery and thus making us more money.  yes it does cost money, but is he losing money by not moving.  that is the question.  Maybe he is happy staying where he is at.  maybe not!

Sam I am not disagreeing with you. I am only disagreeing with the "so please add that into the equation of moving." part.

Just moving into a larger space does not get you 10,000 shirt orders or the ability of doing them. Did he say anything about adding an auto? I am sure with time that will come and the move will make that possible but that does not have an immediate effect on his bottom line.

Is he losing money by not moving? That is something to consider.  Can he handle all his work in his current situation? Is he ready to buy more equipment to up his production? If he can handle the work that he is getting and is not going to buy an auto then why would anyone move.? All your doing is increasing overhead. Yes you will have more room to move shirts around. Maybe you can use that time to get more sales. I know I wold not of moved just for more space. I only moved to add an auto and a larger dryer that would not of fit.

[alan802]

Ah, the chicken or the egg...always a good one.

[Screened Gear]

Alan your right. I always lean on the side of what you know verses what could happen.

[gtmfg]

Man, some days I wish I could take a step backward. Before I moved I had a 10c sportsman, 4 color manual, and 11 ft. dryer stuffed in a 25x25 garage in my backyard. Just did b2b almost all out of state or big clients nobody noticed except my neighbors when the big rigs rolled down my street.

[Croft]

Man, some days I wish I could take a step backward. Before I moved I had a 10c sportsman, 4 color manual, and 11 ft. dryer stuffed in a 25x25 garage in my backyard. Just did b2b almost all out of state or big clients nobody noticed except my neighbors when the big rigs rolled down my street.

You sound like my twin with your original shop, Same B2B customers as well , Ive had them all for 10+ years in most cases , there aware of my situation and have no problem with it. But saying that I have lost the say 20k+ orders to other shops not to price or quality because tell me flat out they like my work , but to sheer logistics and time.
  In my thinking I see my self basically having a $20k overhead in the building and feel that really I can overcome that with a few new marketing company type clients.  This is embarrasing to admit but I literally did one day of sales 9+ years ago and it has been word of mouth or new customers from splits within companies. I have no interest in off the street small orders and have only ever done the ones that have found me or know one of my customers. I also have not looked for buildings with street exposure.

I do have some experience moving a shop, I did it 3 times with my first employer but I never truly saw the costs, but have never taken more than a week to get the presses up and running, I'm pretty hands on.

[Inkworks]

I did a ton of shop moves as an employee too, moving and setting a big shop of my own was an eye opener, months of hemorrhaging $500 - $2000 every time I turned around, mind you it was pretty major equipment expansion at the same time. I was lucky enough to have a good electrician buddy who let me do most of the work there or it would have been many more thousands.

.... Still I'm glad I did it, I'd do it all over again and we've never looked back. Our slow months are now busier than our busy months used to be.

[Socalfmf]

we just moved in Sept to 7k sq ft from 3k production sqft.  it costs about 10k to do the move.  that is moving the presses, dryer, 4 emb machines dts having a tech here, getting electric and gas done. plumbing the washout booth ect.  hell you guys know what it you have to do to move. 

so for us we were moving stuff to get to stuff to complete it then move it again due to space.  now we are just getting it done and out the door.  so we know we made the right decision and now we have gotten that money back just in production output.

sam

[whitewater]

We are in the process of setting up a move in june, where we are now is hurting us production wise. Just the time to move crap around to get to other crap, we are losing money doing that. If we were more efficient we would be making more money.

We are prob going to move 12 miles away from or current location. We have taken in account of some really local business loss. But i see the potential over at the new location as greater! Yes it is potential, but i know its there! LOL

We will be about 1 mile if that from where we live at the new place. So we figured in the gas savings of my vehicle and my wifes (together $340 per month). Also 40 minutes in our car each day for each of us. We are not making money driving our car. We did just do a 10,000 shirt order. Fornt/back..we could do 8 cases at a time then had to box up and move out of shop and move 8 cases in..Then when fronts were done, we had to do same thing for backs. The press was stopped for 20-25 minutes fiddling around with shirts..everytime we did that we lost money because the press was not moving.

I started the business in the basement of my rented apartment. When it was time to move out i considered it a big risk. All of a sudden i had rent. But i found a small space with low rent. Now for the new place i found a larger shop and the rent is a good deal.

I do have a family that i have to think about. SO i can not take a risk and fail..LOL...but sometimes i think well i can do this for one more year...then i may say it again...sometimes its hard to leave the comfort zone.. and it may never happen. You have no idea what will happen when you move..but if youve made it far enough to think about moving you are going in the right direction...

Just do it.

[Homer]

we moved from 2k to 8k sq almost two years ago. I just got heat in my building last week. had to upgrade the lighting, cost me 12k... heat cost me 4k... 2k for the techs and that's not even moving anything yet..., all the small stuff adds up faster than you can imagine. one trip to home depot and bang, 500.00 gone....make two or three trips a week and that adds up fast....

TP is right, whatever you think it's going to be- DOUBLE it.....

I'm still cleaning the spot on the carpet where I pissed myself from getting my electric bill...