How to Kickstart Your Own Wayfinding Signage Business

Comment0

The demand for signage continues to be on the rise, opening up many doors for sign fabricators as well as new manufacturers to enter the market. In fact, the global signage industry is estimated to exceed $105 billion in 2021 and is expected to continue to grow through 2025.

If you are looking to expand deeper or enter the signage industry, success is based on being thoroughly prepared and dedicated to your business plan. Many sign fabricators started as ma and pa shops with a goal, making signs in their own garage. Starting and growing your very own signage business is easy for anyone that has the right combination of dedication, industry knowledge, and the proper tools. To help you kickstart your business, we have put together the key steps to building the framework of a successful wayfinding signage business.

Plan Out Your Business

The very first step in building a successful signage business is to have a proper plan in place. Having a clear plan will allow you to map out comprehensible goals and evaluate uncertainties. It’s the vital step that provides a guide to follow when kickstarting a business so that you don’t get lost in the process. To meet your business goals, these are the essential factors to consider:

Costs and Expenses: Opening a business always requires some form of investment or capital. As such, you must plan out where and how you get your finances to start and operate your business. Ask yourself: “What are my expected costs? Do I need to take a loan?” And other such questions that would help you get an idea of the costs involved to properly plan your moves.
Target Market: Knowing your target market is essential for your business to achieve success. Your business goals must be tailored to the needs of your target market. Depending on who you are targeting, your wayfinding business needs a strategy that catches your target market’s attention.
Competitors: The signage industry is continuously growing and expanding. Knowing and understanding your potential competitors will give you the chance to stay ahead. Moreover, knowing their strengths and weaknesses will be beneficial for your business as you decide what moves to make.
Strategies: Market research is one of the best ways to formulate effective strategies for your wayfinding signage business. Think about performing market research to acquire information on potential clients, industry trends, and your competitors. This will help you create strategies in line with your business objectives.

Understand How to Make Signage

As a wayfinding signage company, it is important to understand how to properly make photopolymer signage. For your business to run smoothly, you need to know and perfect the steps of making quality signage to avoid delays and problems along the way. Check out our simple 5 step process on making high-quality ADA photopolymer signage.

Understanding photopolymer signage does not stop with knowing the process, you have to also determine the right materials that you should use. To obtain the best materials, you can partner with trusted fabricators and manufacturers and discover creative and innovative ways to fabricate your signage while adhering to the regulations within the signage industry.

Stay ADA Compliant

ADA Compliance is one of the most important things that sign manufacturers must be aware of in the signage industry. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodations must be made by enterprises and governments for those who are legally disabled. Meeting signage compliance codes for the ADA has become a big deal for both signage manufacturers and building owners because of its designated functionality.

Ensuring your signage satisfies ADA requirements is largely a matter of paying attention to details such as:

Font: Make sure that all characters are uppercase, sans serif, and measured vertically from the baseline of the character (⅝ inch minimum and 2 inches maximum)
Kerning: There should be a minimum of ⅛ inches between the two closest points of any tactile characters.
Braille: Braille assists blind individuals. For a sign to be ADA-compliant in the USA, it must use Grade II Braille.
Mounting height: Signage should be mounted 48 inches minimum above the floor and 60 inches maximum above the floor.

Make Use of the Best Equipment

Making great quality signage needs the best and updated equipment. So, as someone who’s starting your wayfinding signage business, take advantage of making use of advanced equipment to create signage that satisfies your target market. Acquiring the right equipment will allow you to have the most efficient workflow and streamline production. Top-quality equipment provides you with fast lead times while saving you time and money. Look for equipment that will enhance your production processes such as an all-in-one photopolymer processing unit, industry-standard tabletop shears, fast-speed printers, thermal film processors, and hot stamping machines.

Just like receiving the best materials, it is also a good idea to find a partner, especially one who understands your vision and business objectives. In doing so, you will be able to obtain the proper equipment to fit your workflow needs. The right partner will be able to offer on-site software and equipment installation and provide training to your entire team.

Key Takeaways

Starting your own signage business may seem overwhelming, but if you know where to begin, you will easily be able to succeed. Having the right materials, knowledge, equipment, and partnerships will contribute to your growth in the signage industry. With the provided steps, you are ready to start your wayfinding signage business journey. For more information on how to start your signage business, contact Nova Polymers. We are always here to help.