Northside Sign and Print Shop

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Northside Sign and Print Shop is a sign and print company in Indiana. We design, print and install signs, banners, vehicle wraps, window graphics and printed materials for local businesses, contractors, schools and events. Customers get a design proof they approve, a firm quote and installation by our own crew.

Local businesses need signs and graphics that look professional, fit city rules and go up on time. Online printers are cheap and cannot measure a storefront, design for a vehicle or install. Big-box shops and franchises can be slow and pricey. A local shop with a designer, a wide-format printer and an installer fills the gap, and many of its jobs repeat.

Here is what our numbers show. We expect about 520 sign and banner jobs, 40 vehicle wraps, 900 print orders and 160 installation jobs in Year 1, which brings in sales of $338,100, growing to $1,084,419 by Year 5. We expect a loss of about $16,100 in Year 1 and a profit from Year 2 ($57,200), growing to about $181,700 by Year 5. A sign shop needs equipment and skilled people before it has many customers, so we plan carefully for cash.

We need $195,000 in total. Of that, $146,500 is startup costs (the large-format printer and cutter, finishing equipment, an installation van, the shop build-out and opening supplies) and the rest is cash to cover the first months. I am putting in $45,000 of my own money, and I am asking for a $150,000 SBA loan.

I am Kevin Brandt, the owner, a graphic designer and sign shop production manager with 10 years of experience. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Northside Sign and Print Shop is a small, independently owned sign and print business in Indiana, planned as a limited liability company (LLC). We will lease about 2,500 square feet of shop and showroom space with a loading door.

Our mission. To help local businesses look professional with signs and graphics that are well designed, well made and installed on time.

What we believe. A sign is a business's first impression. We measure carefully, show a proof before we print and tell customers what the city allows. We stand behind our installation and fix mistakes quickly.

What we offer:
- Signs and banners. Outdoor and indoor signs, banners, yard signs, window graphics and magnetic signs.
- Vehicle wraps and graphics. Partial and full wraps, lettering and fleet graphics.
- Printing. Posters, stickers, labels, flyers, menus and business cards.
- Design. Logos, layouts and proofs.
- Installation. Installation of signs, wraps and graphics by our trained crew, and coordination with licensed electricians for lit signs.

Who we serve. Local small businesses, contractors, restaurants, schools, churches and event organizers.

What we do not do. We do not build large illuminated pylon signs or do electrical work, which we hire licensed contractors for. We do not guarantee that a city will approve a sign.

How we are run. I am the owner and lead designer. A production and installation technician joins from the start. A sales and customer service representative joins in Year 2 and a production manager in Year 4. A small advisory group of a contractor, an accountant and a chamber of commerce member tells us what is working.

Where things stand today. We have quotes for equipment, a lease option and letters of interest from five businesses, a school and a contractor. Before we begin, our attorney will review the lease and customer terms, and we will confirm any sign contractor registration.

Problem & Opportunity

Small businesses need signs and graphics, and the options are not great. Online printers are cheap and cannot measure, install or help with city rules. Big-box and chain stores are limited and slow. Many local shops are one or two people and booked for weeks. A sign that is wrong, delayed or rejected by the city costs a business money.

Vehicle wraps and fleet graphics are another gap. A contractor's truck is a rolling advertisement, and a good wrap needs design, careful printing and skilled installation. Poor installs bubble, peel and fade.

For a new shop, the investment in equipment is the first barrier. A large-format printer, cutter and finishing equipment, plus design software and a van, cost well over $100,000. Skilled designers and installers are hard to find.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Local businesses are a steady source of sign and print work, and repeat customers are common. We will use the most recent numbers for our area in our final plan and will not overstate them. We do not know how fast jobs will build, so our plan assumes a modest first year.

Products & Services

Northside will design, print and install signs and graphics with a proof, a firm quote and our own installation crew.

How it works, step by step:
1. Request and visit. The customer sends a request or visits. For signs and wraps, we visit or review photos and measure.
2. Design and proof. We prepare a design and a proof showing size, colors and placement. The customer approves it in writing.
3. Quote. We give a firm quote that includes design, materials and installation, and ask for a deposit on larger jobs.
4. Production. We print and finish in house with outdoor-rated materials, and check every job against the proof.
5. Permits. We tell customers what the city or landlord may require and help with the application, and the customer is responsible for approval.
6. Installation. Our technician installs the sign, wrap or graphic, cleans up and photographs the work. Lit signs are wired by a licensed electrician.
7. Follow-up. We check back after two weeks, fix any problem under our warranty and invite the customer to reorder.
8. Quality. We track on-time delivery, reprints and customer satisfaction.

Why this approach is strong. Local businesses value a person who can measure, design and install, and the same customers come back for new signs and refreshes.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: local businesses, contractors, schools, churches and organizations within about 30 miles.

Our primary group is small businesses with a storefront or vehicles. Our secondary group is event organizers and organizations that need banners and printed materials. We will use the most recent numbers for our area in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan 520 sign and banner jobs, 40 vehicle wraps, 900 print orders and 160 installations in Year 1, growing to 1,300, 145, 2,450 and 450 by Year 5. Our Year 1 prices are about $245 per sign or banner job, $1,850 per wrap, $95 per print order and $320 per installation, rising about 3% a year.

Demand data. Letters of interest from five businesses, a school and a contractor cover about 10% of Year 1 jobs. We do not count on any one customer.

We do not take every job. We refer large illuminated signs and structural work to specialty contractors.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for businesses, and what makes us different.

- Online printers. They are inexpensive and cannot design for a storefront or install. We offer measurement, design and installation.
- Big-box and franchise print shops. They are convenient for small prints. We handle large format and installation.
- Other local sign shops. Some are excellent and booked. We compete on turnaround, communication and proofs.
- Vehicle wrap specialists. We compete on price and local service.
- Freelance designers. They design and often do not print or install. We offer all three.

What makes us different.
- Design, printing and installation under one roof.
- A proof and firm quote before we print.
- Help with city rules.
- A warranty on our installation.

What we do not claim. We are new. Established shops have long customer lists. We plan to earn trust one job at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach customers.

Businesses. We will visit nearby shops and contractors, offer a free site measurement and a sample proof and join the chamber of commerce and business groups.

Contractors and fleets. We will offer fleet graphics at set prices and ask contractors to refer customers.

Online. A website with a quote request form, a gallery of finished work and a Google business listing with photos and reviews.

Referrals and repeat work. Every installed job is a billboard. We ask for a review and offer a discount on the next order.

Pricing. About $245 for a typical sign or banner job, $1,850 for a vehicle wrap, $95 for a print order and $320 for installation in Year 1, quoted in writing.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Setup (the 2 to 3 months before opening). We will form the LLC, sign the lease, install the equipment, set up ventilation and electrical, buy insurance, register as a sign contractor if our state requires it and stock materials.

The shop. About 2,500 square feet with a design desk, a production area for printing, cutting and finishing, a materials rack and a showroom. Rent is $2,500 a month in the plan.

Equipment. A large-format printer and cutter, a laminator and heat press, design workstations and software and an installation van. Equipment cost is counted in the startup costs. We keep service contracts on the printer and cutter.

Staffing. In Year 1: I serve as owner and lead designer. A production and installation technician joins at the start. A sales and customer service representative joins in Year 2, a second technician in Year 3 and a production manager in Year 4.

Materials and costs. Materials, inks, laminates and substrates are about 40% of sales (about $98 per sign job, $780 per wrap, $38 per print order and $140 per install in Year 1). We order materials weekly and track waste.

Safety. We follow safe ladder and lift practices, wear protective equipment and keep ventilation in the print area. We never install in unsafe conditions.

Payments. We ask for a 50% deposit on jobs over $500, and about 18 days of sales are owed to us at any time in the plan.

Insurance. We carry general liability, commercial auto, installation and completed operations, property and workers' compensation insurance. Insurance is about $6,000 a year in Year 1.

Management & Organization

The people who will run Northside.

Kevin Brandt, owner and lead designer. A graphic designer and sign shop production manager with 10 years of experience in signs, wraps and print. He leads design, sales, production and finance. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Production and installation technician. Prints, finishes and installs.

Sales and customer service representative (from Year 2). Handles quotes, orders and customer questions.

Production manager (from Year 4). Runs the shop floor and schedules jobs.

Outside advisors. An attorney, an accountant, an insurance broker and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner and lead designer $52,000, production and installation technician $40,000, sales and customer service representative $38,000 and production manager $48,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before opening (2 to 3 months ahead): get at least 5 letters of interest from businesses or contractors, get equipment and lender quotes, confirm any sign contractor registration, form the LLC, get an EIN and open a business bank account. Order equipment only after the lender's commitment is in hand.
- Year 1: about 520 sign jobs, 40 wraps and 900 print orders; $338,100 in sales and a loss of about $16,100.
- Year 2: about 780 sign jobs and a sales representative; $562,689 in sales and a profit of about $57,200.
- Year 3: about 980 sign jobs and a second technician; $757,915 in sales and a profit of about $110,900.
- Year 4: about 1,150 sign jobs and a production manager; $928,821 in sales and a profit of about $146,300.
- Year 5: about 1,300 sign jobs and 145 wraps; $1,084,419 in sales and a profit of about $181,700.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: quotes sent and won, jobs on time, reprints, material cost as a share of sales, repeat customers and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $195,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $146,500, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $42,000 for large-format printer and cutter; $13,000 for laminator, heat press and finishing tools; $14,000 for design workstations, software licenses and a small-format printer; $24,000 for installation van, used, with ladders and a lift gate; $18,000 for shop build-out: ventilation, electrical and a work table area; $6,500 for lease security deposit and first month of rent; $12,000 for opening vinyl, substrates, inks and supplies; $1,500 for business license and sign contractor registration; $3,500 for attorney and accountant: lease review and setup; $6,500 for showroom sign, samples and a website with online ordering; $5,500 for training and the first insurance payments.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $1,499: because equipment is paid for before the first sale and some customers pay after installation.
- A cash cushion of about $41,750: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together that comes to about $189,749, rounded up to the nearest $500: $190,000.
We are raising $5,000 more than that, $195,000 in all, to cover the loan payments and the extra cash the early years take. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $26,400, at the end of Year 1.

Where the money comes from:
- My own money: $45,000.
- SBA 7(a) loan for equipment and working capital: $150,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An SBA 7(a) loan through a bank or community lender, plus our own equity. Lenders look at the owner's experience, the equipment quotes and the lease.

How we will pay it back. We expect a loss of about $16,100 in Year 1 and a profit of about $57,200 in Year 2, then a profit of about $110,900 in Year 3, a profit of about $146,300 in Year 4 and a profit of about $181,700 by Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. The loan is planned at sba 7(a) loan for equipment and working capital at 12.75% over 10 years, about $2,218 a month. That is about $2,218 a month in all, and it is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: a personal guarantee, a lien on the equipment and the van and the signed lease.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: start with a smaller printer, outsource large-format printing and focus on design and installation.
- Phase 2: once you have steady customers, buy a large-format printer and cutter and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume and a portfolio of signs and wraps you have done.
- A personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- The lease or lease option and a floor plan.
- Equipment and van quotes.
- Insurance quotes or proof of insurance.
- Letters of interest from businesses and contractors.
- Your quote and proof forms and warranty terms.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Signs and Banners (per job): about $245 in Year 1, rising to $276; about $98.00 in direct costs, rising to $112.46; about 520 in Year 1, growing to 1,300.
- Vehicle Wraps and Graphics (per job): about $1,850 in Year 1, rising to $2,082; about $780.00 in direct costs, rising to $895.07; about 40 in Year 1, growing to 145.
- Digital Print Orders (per order): about $95.00 in Year 1, rising to $107; about $38.00 in direct costs, rising to $43.61; about 900 in Year 1, growing to 2,450.
- Installation Services (per job): about $320 in Year 1, rising to $360; about $140.00 in direct costs, rising to $160.65; about 160 in Year 1, growing to 450.
- Sign and banner jobs about $245 each in Year 1 with about $98 in materials; wraps about $1,850 with about $780; print orders about $95 with about $38; installations about $320 with about $140 in labor and travel, rising about 3% to 3.5% a year.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner and lead designer $52,000; production and installation technician $40,000; sales and customer service representative $38,000; production manager $48,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: shop lease $30,000, utilities $6,000, insurance $6,000, software and equipment service contracts $6,000, marketing and showroom $6,000, vehicle operations $5,400, accounting and legal $4,200, phones and supplies $2,400, payroll taxes and benefits (staff) $9,000. These grow between 3% and 14% a year.
- Startup costs and equipment ($146,500 in Year 1, then $4,000, $4,000, $4,000, $4,000) are spread evenly over five years in the plan's books.
- Customers and payers pay about 29 days after service. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs