contract printing...

[whitewater]

I had this offer yesterday for printing contract work. 5-10 jobs per day and average 30-50 shirts per job.

I decided to turn it down because I think the stress of it would have been more than the compensation would be worth...

I feel like I made a bad decision now..

Has anyone else turned down OR took on contract work that they regret now?

[mk162]

It's not a bad thing if it's dependable, you can bring in help to cover it if needed.  As long as you get your price, it's fine.

[Frog]

Like Brad said, you need to get your price for your business model.
I just turned down a potentially steady flow of work for a sports middleman, because of the required low margin.
If, however, you can handle and even need the extra work, it can be a Godsend.

[whitewater]

thats the thing...I feel like the price was to low...it would be consistent..they have a good track record..

I just felt like I wouldn't be making enough to bust my ass or the stress it would create...

the stress of burning 10-whatever screens everyday and getting screens reclaimed..maybe if I was a larger shop i could handle it..but to throw it together would have been stressful

As of right now its me, me, and me, and a screen reclaimer. I let my employee go so I can save for an automatic...

I've never turned down a job....just a little uneasy that I did.

[whitewater]

yeah Frog...the margin was low...

[blue moon]

contract printer  here . . .
ppl like that are either your best or worst customers. It will depend on the person you are dealing with. If they are willing to pay the right amount (smaller quantities can be a bitch) and are interested in having a working relationship with you (as opposed to, here are the shirts why aren't they done yet?), it can be pretty good.

5-10 orders a day can be a big customer, make sure he does not wag the dog!

[whitewater]

I googled him...he's legit...

he said the avg. order was 30 shirts..

maybe I should have done it.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

I took some contract jobs last year but no more. Some printers can make it work but I got out of it because it doesn't fit my business.
Don't be afraid to turn down work. It it works, great. If it won't work, then C'est la vie.
It seems like they never drop their margin, only yours. They'll relentlessly keep shopping for a printer until they find one that meets their price.
Even when they do give you the jobs, they still continue to shop the jobs for somebody even cheaper.

[mk162]

Whitewater, this could go around all day, but what it boils down to is would it have worked for you?  I turned down Coca-Cola.  Why? Because they sent me the most ridiculous bid sheet i have ever seen.  They wanted price quotes for so many different options and turn times it would have taken a week to fill it out, but they wanted the same price for 1 week turnaround as they did for same day, and then the same price for 1 color or up to 6 colors in a certain quantity.  There is no way I can give the same pricing for a 1 color print that I can for a 6 color print.  Oh, and I googled Coca-Cola...and they are legit too.

What was the payment like?  Did he want 30 day terms?  So he names his price, probably names the production time and then it's all on his payment schedule?  I'm sorry, but are you running the business, or is he?  Some people think their sh!t don't stink.  I had a friend who sold his business and one of their contract customers was PISSED that he didn't tell them since he felt like they betrayed him.  Crap, what business was it of his, and crap, they were 65 and wanted to get out.

Why is he looking for a new printer? 

[Dottonedan]

Can I get your Coca Cola contact? 

LOL.

[mk162]

Ha, when we told them we weren't interested, they were taken back by it.  They said "but we're Coca-Cola, a very prestigious client!"  To which I replied they weren't a client and I had no intention of jumping through hoops to get their business.  Especially since it would have been less profitable then what we were running at the time.

[Clark]

Alot of folks forget about how much time and effort it takes to handle retail clients.  I am just getting back into retail, and I have one customer that does a considerable amount of business...but I have to answer a hundred emails and do 20 quotes before he places an order.  While the profits are great on the retail side, I think there it's a heck of alot easier to just receive a PO, sep the print-ready art, print and ship a contract order.  No fuss, no nuthin, just the machine doing circles and making money, and noone bothering you all day long or needing hand holding.  There are annoying contract customers as well, and I tell them from the start not to bother me with 10 requests for tracking numbers or multiple phone calls a day...if they want there stuff on time just leave me alone.  And for the most part they do..if they don't, they are gone....

[Homer]

dude.  I think you did the right thing -for now anyway- you have to look at the flip side.  what happens when you take on this guy and get 25 orders in one day. . for 30+ shirts. . all 2 color. . . with his turn time, what was it 4 days? -at the prices he wanted. . now what? how fast can your arms move? . . 50 films, 50 screens. 750 shirts, counted in and out, printed, and boxed, shipping labels. . .by yourself. . .you would be buried alive in boxes.

I just turned down a huge deal too so don't feel bad. Sometimes, the stress isn't worth the reward. The way I came to my conclusion was, something is going to suffer. It might be the product, the employees, our customer service or my sanity. I am not set up with enough equipment and enough room to take this on and be productive. I don't want to take work just because it's there. In this case, it would have severally hurt us, the numbers didn't make cents  -ha!- I think you said yourself about the numbers being way low, go with your gut. I know you want to grow and be in the game but take it slow and you will not want to bite the head off a fking kitten like I do everyday. . .

now, IF you had the auto and IF you had some help, you could jump all over this. . .honestly, I think you would burn out taking this on along with your daily work. If this was all you did, then maybe. but to tack it on, for a small shop I think is setting yourself up for failure. . .

OR - If you're feeling a little nuts like me - go buy the next auto you see for sale, call up the employee you just let go and get the fking lead out.

[jsheridan]

It's contract work, with an automatic, a pre-reg or DTS system and two people this kind of work is cake when done right.

I'd have taken the job and modified my production process to make it fit. 

It's all in how you look at the job I guess.

[tonypep]

As we can see there are a surprising amount of different business models out there; some of which could profitably produce that business and some that cannot. This is one of the aspects of our industry that make it so unique. As to the Coca Colas, Nikes, Disneys, etc while I'm sure some people are making it work I've long since passed on them. Between the compliance audits, free samples with 24 hour turn, endless revisions, and offshore pricing for domestic production, etc there is very little money left on the table at the end of the day. No more blood from this turnip!
tp