Are you currently working at a sign shop, convinced you could run your own shop better? Maybe you’re exploring a second career and considering a sign franchise. Or perhaps you simply love all things signage and want to dive into the industry.
Whatever brought you here, welcome! The sign industry is an incredible field full of opportunities—design, sales, project management, and a range of technical trades like fabrication and installation. Yet, so many people have no idea how rewarding this career path can be or how to get started.
I’ve had the privilege of building two sign shops from scratch and helping others start and organize their own businesses. It’s a career I stumbled into but grew to love. In fact, when people ask how I got into the sign industry, I joke, “I asked God for a sign about what to do with my life, and well…here I am!”
After leaving the Marine Corps and earning a liberal arts degree, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. During college, I started a janitorial business that grew to several dozen employees, where I discovered a love for selling and organizing jobs. But the part that really hooked me was marketing. So, when I moved to Texas, I took a community college class in marketing and advertising. Armed with just enough branding jargon to sound like I knew what I was talking about, I started interviewing for advertising jobs. Unfortunately, with no formal education or experience in the field, I struck out.
Then, in 1995, I saw a newspaper ad (yes, pre-Indeed and LinkedIn days) that read: Media Sales – $60–90K per year. Alright—sounded good! I scheduled an interview. The address led me to an old metal building in the industrial part of town with a small sign reading “Sign Builders of America” hung over the door. I had no clue what to expect, but I had a wife in grad school and three kids to feed. I was ready for anything.
When I walked in, the front room was dark and lined with old wood paneling. An empty desk greeted me—or didn’t. I nervously called out, “Hello?” but got no response. Wandering further down the hall, I found a door at the end, opened it and stepped into a busy workshop. Workers were making letter shapes and assembling big boxy looking things with light bulbs, signs I assumed. It looked pretty cool.
Someone noticed me and asked, “Looking for something?”
“Yes,” I replied. I’m here for the sales job interview.”
He nodded and said, “Yeah, we need a sales guy pretty bad.”
He led me up a creaky wooden staircase to another door. Knocking briefly, he opened it and announced, “The new sales guy is here!”
New sales guy? I wasn’t officially hired yet—but, hey, why not roll with it? And just like that, my journey in the sign industry began.
Whether you’re diving into this industry out of passion or necessity, the journey is full of challenges and incredible opportunities. My hope is to help you navigate the path more smoothly, so you can turn your vision into a thriving business. Let’s get started!
Identifying Your “Why”
This might sound a little cliché, but it’s important: why do you want to start a sign business? Is it to be your own boss? To do things your way? Whatever your reason, remember that entrepreneurship isn’t easy—especially in the sign industry. Margins can be tight, staffing can be tough and competition is fierce. But if you truly believe this is what you’re meant to do, nothing will stop you from succeeding. I decided to jump out on my own because I was frustrated with the lack of organization at the shop, had some experience running a small business and had a strong sense I could do this a little better.
I also started to understand that if I focused on organizing people by putting systems in place for them to succeed, and encouraged them to do their best to ensure customers are happy, then we would do ok. Also, a few business books helped me to understand what I needed to work on, which never ends in case you are wondering.
A Must-Read for Sign Shop Owners
I highly recommend reading The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. The book explains why many businesses fail: owners focus too much on doing the technical work (like making signs) and not enough on implementing systems and managing the business. Gerber outlines three essential roles in any business:
- The Entrepreneur – The visionary who plans for the future.
- The Manager – The organizer who keeps everything running smoothly.
- The Technician – The hands-on worker who gets the job done.
To start a successful business, you need to balance all three roles. Most importantly, you need to work on your business (implementing systems and processes), not just in it (doing all the work yourself).
Applying the E-Myth to the Sign Industry
In my experience, the sign shops that struggle the most are the ones where the owner tries to do everything—making signs, handling installations, pricing all the jobs in their head and struggling to manage every little detail. This usually leads to overwhelm and early burnout, often resulting in costly mistakes.
Your Role as a Leader
To grow your business, focus on building a strong team and implementing the right systems that support them in their work.
Letting go and trusting others can be tough, but it’s necessary. As you train your staff and step back from doing everything yourself, your business will start to thrive. Over time, you’ll have a team that can design, manage, fabricate, and install projects even better than you could on your own. It really works!
You don’t need to master every task. Your job is to hire skilled people, provide systems, and ensure your business consistently makes customers happy. This is what it means to “work on your business, not just in it.” Focus on the big picture, and your business will grow.
Picking Your Niche (Spoiler: You Can’t Do Everything)
When starting out, don’t try to sell every type of sign, promotional item, printed material or garment all at once. Instead, ask yourself: what kind of jobs do you really want to work on? Do you want to handle large development projects? Create online T-shirt shops for schools? Design and sell banners?
Start small. Focus on one or two products and the type of clients you want to serve in your community. Use these early opportunities to practice taking orders and delivering results.
When I started my first sign shop, it was out of a small study in my house. Our first project was a channel letter job that could lead to a national account. We nailed that job, landed the account, and focused exclusively on that client for the first few months. This gave us a chance to develop systems and processes that allowed us to grow. My business partner and I managed everything ourselves in the beginning, learning as we went and figuring out what the business needed.
Your first few sales will be your best teachers. Focus on delivering excellent results, and let those experiences guide the direction of your growth.
Starting Small and Smart
You don’t need to break the bank to get started—your niche will guide what resources you need.
If you want to start a wholesale installation company, focus on helping other sign shops with permits and installs. Your main expense might be your first truck—a small bucket truck or crane truck is a good starting point. Before you dive in, talk to 5-10 local sign shops and ask if they’d sub-contract work to you. This will give you a better idea of your startup costs, including essentials like licenses and insurance.
Thinking about starting a small T-shirt or print shop? Begin with a heat press and outsource DTF prints, or invest in a small printer and partner with a wholesaler for larger banner jobs. You don’t need everything upfront—just start selling and delivering a small selection of products.
As your business grows, take it step by step. Master one product or service, then expand. Gradually hire team members—a designer, salesperson, fabricator, or admin assistant—to take on tasks as you scale.
With patience, persistence, and a focus on improving one job at a time, you’ll build a business you’re proud of. When I sold my first set of channel letters from my house, I never imagined it would grow into a $10 million company. But by learning, persevering, and hiring people with the skills I didn’t have, it happened.
If I can do it, so can you. Believe in yourself! You’ve got this!
Joe Arenella: Founder of Sign Tech International, a sign shop with 60 employees that made signs for national chains, local developers, and big projects like the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. He turned from sign shop owner to software founder! With SignTracker (an Inktavo company), he makes job tracking and sign quoting easy for sign shop owners.
You can also find him on the Behind the Signs Facebook Community for industry tips and free resources, and on the Behind the Signs Podcast which he co-hosts with his daughter Liz Arenella Toynes.
