# New show in garage marketing from home?



## mike123456 (Oct 2, 2012)

*New shop in garage marketing from home?*

Hello, I just wanted to say i love this Forum, so much great info here.

Ive been screen printing on this side for about 5 years, just a few jobs for friends and work of mouth stuff. My press was garbage but got info work to get a work horse 8/6. So im really excited to expand to some newer work with this press.

My question to all, im doing this service out of my shop at my house, i have a website i built Front Row Creative |* Screen Printing Solutions i live on a island and there is only like two screen printers so the business is there. Ive done alot of emails to local business and vendors. Im seeing alot of people are visiting my website and inquiring about getting a "shop tour" i really don't want joe shmo checking out my shop setup, but i think sometimes people get the impression from my website that i'm a bigger shop. How do you guys handle that situation. Should i make note on my website that i run my business from home to keep my cost down which in return keeps cost lower for customers? or something of that nature, i don't want to miss lead customers into thinking i'm big time, but also don't want to steer them away thinking i'm to small. However i know what i can produce and body line is if there happy with the service it really shouldn't matter if its in a garage or in a big ware house.

Any comments or help would be great.

Thanks
Mike


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I would do neither...I would tell all who ask about a shop tour that the site is a production site, not open to the public as your liability insurance does not cover such issues...or something like that.I would not address this issue on your website...just with those who call or email regarding such


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## mike123456 (Oct 2, 2012)

charles95405 said:


> I would do neither...I would tell all who ask about a shop tour that the site is a production site, not open to the public as your liability insurance does not cover such issues...or something like that.I would not address this issue on your website...just with those who call or email regarding such



Thanks for the info


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

when people come into my store, i have absolutely not issue with showing them the set up as long as they're game to traverse the steps into the dungeon area.  indeed, i *want* them to know why i'm charging for a set-up fee and what goes into screenprinting. a lot of people already have an idea what it entails from doing some form of it in a high school 'shop' class. 

if i operated out of my garage, no, i wouldn't go around advertising that. the notion is that if you're a professional that's serious, and good, then you would have a store front operation as would a real business owner. and i don't care how good anyone is that operates from they're garage, the simple truth is that the majority of stuff i've seen made from home is sub-par. (we do screenprinting and sell trophies/plaques, another business that can be run from home, and we've seen our share of crap.) not only does it convey a sense of non-business ownership in that you may or may not have the proper licenses/permissions ('do they even pay their sales taxes?'), these guys are here today, gone tomorrow, particularly in this age where so many people rent their homes.

there are simply a lot of red flags involved with home 'businesses,' most of which are just hobbyists doing side work... and quality is secondary to cost. all things being the same, cost is the only reason to even try a garage shop. really, your prices are likely to indicate your position to the experienced shirt shopper. those are some of the issues of perception you have to deal with. some people only care about price, others want to know that you're going to be there next year and have the legitimacy of a store for their own piece of mind. and there's a perception of experience and quality associated with those that can sustain a business.

sooooo... no, i wouldn't advertise the fact you're operating out of home. i wouldn't lie if asked, but i would *not* offer that information to a customer. as far as a tour, in your case, no, i wouldn't offer that, either. i would simply say it's a safety thing and it's a production area with ink and tools all around. 

should it matter if you're in a garage or have a store front? go get a store front then see what your opinion is of garage operations once you've seen the messes people bring you. have a legitimate business and lose a couple of customers for a year (they come back) to some schmuck that talks better than he performs. be a professional and try to compete with some snot that does it on the side and can't be bothered with the hassle of business ownership or changing out of his pajamas to go to work. anyone can have a website ~ not everyone can run a business. simply put, you take your chances with an established business as it is, and that's compounded with garage shops. i don't care to hear about the exceptions, i've seen enough of these jokers to have an opinion.


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## mkeMike (Aug 15, 2011)

We run our business from our home as well. Right now we're building out our basement and setting it up for our business. I understand your concern, years ago we had a storefront for interior decorating. The costs associated with rent, utilities, advertising and operating costs meant we worked for everyone else - didn't collect any pay ourselves.

If your goal is to supplement your income, or to be a modest business but not out to compete with the established storefronts, working out of your garage is great. Would I advertise that fact, not really. I wouldn't hide from it either though. 

We do the same thing. Our focus is to do smaller jobs and maybe upwards of a hundred heat pressed shirts. Our embroidery orders have been in the under 20 item range as well. 

Showing the work you do is really what should be important to customers, not really your surroundings.

By the way, I checked out your site - don't know if you're aware of this but if you're a Sanmar customer you can setup your own branded site with whatever clothes you want to feature, for free. It's updated automatically by Sanmar and they send you an email with what's been added. Might be worthwhile for your link on your site.


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## GordonM (May 21, 2012)

As Ryan says, it's not a good idea to advertise you work out of your home, nor is it wise to allow them to visit. If they inquire, you can tell them tours are not possible because of liability reasons. Which is actually true. Your homeowners insurance is almost guaranteed not to cover you in the case of business-related liability.

Instead of calling it a shop, call it your studio. Customers may be more understanding that you work from your studio, and that it's not open to the public. If you decide to run with this, there's nothing wrong with showing artsyfartsy pictures of said studio. Nothing in your description has to indicate the studio is in your home, though it's more accepted that it can be.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

i think calling it a studio is a great idea. 

mike is right, of course there are a lot of associated costs with having a storefront business. that, in part, is what is impressive to people. if you're thinking that it's a perception thing, it is that... but, also it's also showing a seriousness and ostensibly professionalism that warrants being in business. that is to say, by virtue of being in business and able to absorb the cost, you must be doing something right, lol. (this isn't to impugn you, mike. tons of factors go into why a business closes, and i by no means am trying to imply you did something wrong. ) as an aside, we spent the weekend painting the store, putting up shelving, and just threw a new rug down. right now i'm over $300 into this and have quite a bit to go as we re-arrange, do a little remodelling, etc.. oh, the joy of owning a business, lol. 

if you run out of your home, be sure you're in compliance with your city ordinances, which will vary wildly from place to place so be sure not to assume someone's business in place A will apply to place B. *you* need to inquire about that, it's probably nothing that i could look up even if i knew exactly where you was located. i wish i kept the page with some of the crazier examples ~ it would blow your mind! while you don't see the issue with running a business out of your own home, and i'd generally agree that it's not on average, you can probably also understand the need for the city to at least question it. as i recall, a lot of issues involve traffic disturbing the neighbours, from customers to UPS trucks (i'd seen where some places have a frequency of delivery/shipping ordinance).


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## ltwapparel (Feb 8, 2013)

ryan barker said:


> when people come into my store, i have absolutely not issue with showing them the set up as long as they're game to traverse the steps into the dungeon area.  indeed, i *want* them to know why i'm charging for a set-up fee and what goes into screenprinting. a lot of people already have an idea what it entails from doing some form of it in a high school 'shop' class.
> 
> if i operated out of my garage, no, i wouldn't go around advertising that. the notion is that if you're a professional that's serious, and good, then you would have a store front operation as would a real business owner. and i don't care how good anyone is that operates from they're garage, the simple truth is that the majority of stuff i've seen made from home is sub-par. (we do screenprinting and sell trophies/plaques, another business that can be run from home, and we've seen our share of crap.) not only does it convey a sense of non-business ownership in that you may or may not have the proper licenses/permissions ('do they even pay their sales taxes?'), these guys are here today, gone tomorrow, particularly in this age where so many people rent their homes.
> 
> ...


You would rather pay someone else your hard earned money for rent then help improve your own net worth? Most print shop have no idea what they are doing not just garage shops. Theart sucks the prices are crazy and the turn around is worse yet. My shop is in my 4 car garage and I have better customer service then most main street shops in the world. I also have equipment that they will new own because the pay 12k plus a year in rent, all of this to make there print better. I have attached my Facebook page for thread viewers to verify my print quality. Any questions feel free to ask, as I work 8am to 9pm 7 days a week because the drive is short 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loud...-Screen-Printing-Vinyl/173165999424402?ref=hl


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

would i pay rent? i own my own store outright, rent isn't a consideration for me personally. but, were things different, i'd look into actually buying the property before renting. call me crazy on that.

it's also a perception thing. those guys on mainstreet are getting jobs apparently, as you would say, not so much b/c of their quality or pricing, but *because* they're on mainstreet. not that it's any kind of guarantee, but the perception is that if they have an actual shop and are in business then they must be doing something right. and anyone who deals with schools will tell you it's not always about the best price and quality (not saying that's right, just the way it is). 

i think you're undervalueing the savviness of the typical shop owner. the biggest threat to us are the garage shops and only because of prices. ppl get what they pay for more often than not.

the argument that skipping out on rent somehow improves your own business is fallacious, imo. saving $12k a year is great... as long as it's not costing you $35K in business as a result of not having a storefront, not to mention one that you own. having a store for ten years is more important in terms of perception than having a garage shop for the same amount of time. i don't know anyone that would disagree... other than garage shops, lol. i mean, most garage shops start out as an ambitious hobbyist or failed business, yeah? some do it as a side business from the start. none of that bespeaks of the kind of legitimate business that's got a real storefront, maintains a clientele, and all the rest that that entails, eh? 

don't get me wrong, for some folk a garage shop is the way to do as long as they do it right. the vast majority of them, though, whole-heartedly deserve their bad reputation.


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