Am I trying to take on too much?

Well, it looks like you're already in the neighborhood of what I'm suggesting. I've watched eBayers sell lots of decoy security signs. I did some research on wholesale prices for similar items and the math worked out. Can't you adapt your business to meet the demand? I don't know.

You don't need to have this on a webpage. They sell like crazy on eBay.

I only offered the idea because if fits with what you're going. Call it a sideline. BUT, based on what I've seen some sellers on eBay doing, this could easily bring in $1000 or more a month and it's relatively easy.

Your original question was, are you doing too much? Only you can answer that. I like to work smart. Adding a product that already fits with what you're doing is smart. You might spend a day or so designing authentic looking decoy warning templates. They'd have logos and a business name. Once you're happy with that stuff you could do a small print run based on what's selling on eBay.

And since you're already connected to suppliers you're likely to be paying less for materials and printing than someone like me would pay. I'd have to enter the market with no advantages like having access to wholesale materials, printing, etc. That means you could afford to undercut many of the eBay sellers and grab a nice share of the market.

Once you've designed the new logos and printed up a short batch the rest is just filling orders. In other words, once it's all set up your work is minimal. You run a small batch at first to test the waters. You make adjustments to the product according to how it's received. That's it.

IMO, yes, you are trying to do too many things all at once. The result is a little bit of profit here and there, but no real full time income.

I always suggest to newbies that they just focus on one business at a time. Do that one thing - without distraction - until it grows to the point that you can get a nice consistent income from it every month.

Once you get to that point, figure out how to spend less time on that business but still keep the income up.

When you've done that, then you'll have more time to start another income stream.

Profitable online business absolutely requires concerted focused effort. Put the blinders on and give that one thing all you've got.

Trying to balance a lot of income streams all at once usually means a very small return from them, never even close to what you can generate from one smart business.

Steve

bsurb,

If they are not directly related businesses, I would have two separate business web sites...

Why?

To many potential clients, it looks like you are someone who makes decals and "dabbles" in Web Design..... You get "lumped into" the plethora of people who spent a few hours "learning" and hung out their shingle... It destroys your credibility.

Plus, it makes it hard to target your marketing message....

It is fine to mention both business web sites on your personal web site or blog.

All the Best,

Rich Beck BCIP, MCSD, MCIS

Hi Brandon,

No disrespect but - I really think that this has already been answered by a number of people... you just aren't ready to accept the answer.


I looked at every photo on your FB page, and I think that range of products qualifies for the name "Surber Signs". You seem to have it in your head that people are going to come to your web site expecting to find something that you don't offer, simply because of the name.

People don't first visit a web site because of the domain name. They visit because they were sent there from a referral link, or they found the page via search (think about the keyword phrases that describe the fact that you create custom decals for store fronts and/or promotional giveaways, magnetic signs for cars, etc.). A "searcher" finds your web site (regardless of the domain name) based on the keyword phrases that the site ranks for, and then selects that search listing based on the page title and description.

In a word... NO.


SurberSigns.com tells me a lot more about what I can find there (assuming I was looking for "signs"), than does BrandonSurber.com. You're asking if you should create a site (under your name) that is a mish-mash of anything/everything you do. It's not at all focused, and immediately raises the question of your dedication to any one service you offer - not to mention your proficiency at providing those services.

"Jack of all Trades - Master of None" comes to mind.


...then just start advertising your web design services on that site. There is NO good reason to combine those services onto the same site. It's more focused to have one site for physical products, and another for design services.

Then why do it at all.

Time not spent blogging about sports can translate into more time spent attending games or...
working on the sites that can/do make money.

If not done already, it might be helpful to build a current mind-map or list of existing projects (including time requirements, ops costs, current performance/metrics, business obligations, etc.) against what you really want to do and make. If you are planning to start any new projects, there should be perhaps some counter-balance where you could or should "simulate" dropping or concluding current or existing projects, based on a 24-hour day, 7 days/week, etc. limits rule.

Perhaps taking-on-too-much theme could use a quick timeout and clearer picture of what is happening and what it takes. There are some spreadsheet tools that can help in this regard. Here you can enter your projects, how much time they require, outgoing/cost, revenue, etc., numbers.

Some of them are simple to set up and use. Some might require a little more effort. But, all you would need is a snapshot in time to catch status. The KISS (keep it simple s....) method best applies here.

Bsurb,

let me begin with laying out the aspects of my personal business I have 3 Vinyl cutters, I have 3 large format printers. I sell web design. I am an affiliate marketer. I sell and install Satellite internet. I have a wholesale paper business. I sell b2b printing. all of this.. I have 1 site, that has all of these services. Not counting my affiliate sites Satellite Internet is the only venture that has its own dedicated site(s).

Reading this thread in particular.. its is very clear you are looking for a specific answer. I am going to guess it is regards to school. STAY IN SCHOOL. Even when you graduate you don't follow that path... the education will be beneficial in many other aspects of what you do.

You need to start looking at the advice from Travel Guy. I personally pull a solid 6 digits from e-bay doing Vinyl. You may not have the equipment to do the big jobs now... but you start pushing any amount of volume you could. Looking at this business from a local aspect, I do cars and trucks, I do shop windows, I do 1 and 2 color banners, I do short run stickers, I do yard signs, I do security signs.

You know as well as I do. 2 sided 1 color yard signs delivered tomorrow at $18 a crack and you are making a killing. I bet I average across the year 20 signs a day.

Another thing I do is make 5x5 round window stickers for all of the local school sports booster programs. I give them 100 or free and then the next 100 I charge $250 so they can use them as fund raisers. They sell them on average for $7.50 each. Across 16 local high schools and 21 local Junior High schools, I do this for 131 separate booster programs. ALL of them at the very least order 300 (100 free 200 paid for ) through each year.

With those 2 examples alone I am right in the 6 figure Gross range. and then add the e-bay revenue to this.

Now think for a moment.. that is just ONE aspect of my business.. what do you think I do with the rest of them? Vinyl is actually my weakest producer to give you an idea.

Right now you are flopping around here and there and back and forth. You need to sit down, focus and make any ONE of your ideas WORK. As in create SUCCESS in your life. once you have done that once.. you just replicate the concepts with the next and the next and the next.

Success breeds success, and flopping leads to short and long term failure.

I don't know anything about woocommerce or having any sort of order form directly attached to your site, so I'll leave that up to other people who've worked with that before.

That said, I think you could have a workable design similar to the one you linked to.

In fact, based on looking at the sales page for the theme you already own, they say they have page builder plugin bundled, so you can literally make this look just about any way you want it to...

In fact, if you are on the themeforest demo page for it, they list a portfolio page that looks very nice and professional. So it has the capabilities to do just about anything you want it to.

Personally, I think the theme is slower than hell and that "loading" box annoys the crap out of me, but it's workable without you having to buy anything else.

The demo even has a "shop" page that looks pretty decent. Not sure if that's done with woocommerce or some other thing that they did -- but if you have a real license for this, I'd ask the developer or see if they have a good support section for people who have bought this theme and are doing the same sort of thing.

So let's look at what they did and what do you like about it?

From my standpoint, I'm not a fan of the clip-art style stuff, but lets move past that assuming you can find some images or icons that will work for you.

Top header: That looks almost exactly like yours...logo on the left, menu on the right. The only thing they have different is links to cart and accounts. Looking at the WooCommerce plugin page, it creates those pages for you, you just might have to add them to your menu. Easy Peasy.

Then a centered block with page builder that has some background images on some sort of loop. Either an animated image or some sort of jquery slider type process. Chances are your theme has a slider, if not - find one of the many free ones that should work.

I had to find one that would use featured images and titles from recent posts...but your slider (if you need it) can just be 3-5 static images created for the slider to rotate through with some bullet text about what you do.

then a 3-5 box row, one for each category of stickers you produce. Maybe 1 is business lettering, maybe another one is the 5x5 sticker another poster mentioned. I dont know enough about the sticker biz, but 1 maybe 2 rows of boxes should cover 90% of your available options. Put the most purchased (and then most profitable) there right in the front for everyone to see.

Do they link to a specific product page? You could create a full page for each of the service types and link every box to the individual page.

Or you link to the product pricing page, where you have a pricing table. The theme demo seems to support that, probably with a page builder widget of some sort. Or any table plugin will work.

Or most likely, you link to your wooCommerce section for that particular type of item.

Then maybe a wide row or two of some text or whatever.

Then footer. Does your theme have the standard 3-4 widget footer like the site you linked to? If so, build it up a little. The page you linked to had more than I would put in there...but do something other than the copyright and a link to the theme developer. Get professional. Look like a REAL company because you are real.


The portfolio page should be easily able to be copied from the demo to use your images. Get more of them. 3 isn't a portfolio. Find a friend who does good quality photography and get a couple of your designs photographed the right way. If you have to build it out, the page builder plugin should let you create some nice even rows that look just like the theme demo.

Realistically - you should be able to have this site completely rearranged and without the opt in box as your main page component in a few hours and looking snazzy as hell if you already have the graphics done.

And screw it - I'm giving you homework.

By Monday - redesign the homepage without that stupid opt-in box. Don't worry about the pages it links to right away (though have a feel of the flow you want).

Maybe it's Homepage >> Product Info (vinyl lettering, funny "family" stickers, whatever the guy above said, etc, etc) >> WooCommerce Store Category >> Cart >> Checkout.


Maybe you just plan to send them right to the woocommerce category right from home. Think about it, but dont' worry about it TODAY.

Right now, design a front page that tells a visitor:

Who you are. (Name of company)
What business you are in. (Custom Vinyl Sticker Printing)
Why your customers should buy from you
What product categories you have available

Once that's done, work on your supporting pages.

Get an about page that WORKS. None of this crap where half the letters are covered by the header bar. Figure it out if you want to look like a professional. Spruce them up. Put a picture of yourself up there. Put some pictures of you cutting up some decals. Anything that puts out a quality VIBE that says you're human, you're a real business, and you are a professional.

Work up the portfolio to look professional. The sample in the demo has a basic look that will work fine for you. This isn't overly artsy stuff, just a few pictures of your stuff. If you can't get it to work right away, take it down until it DOES. Nothing will kill business faster than a portfolio that looks like crap.

Then figure out the woocommerce thing. It looks fairly robust. If you have to, get some freelancer to help configure and set up your shop. It may be worth a few bucks to make it good.

If it's going to take a while to get it done, then keep a pricing page up and use something like Contact Form 7 (I think that's the one...look it up) to get people able to send you details of their design ideas and work the order/billing process offline until you're ready to get it going.

The form on the site you linked to looks pretty standard like that - you give project details over email with a basic price quote, then they look at the image and make sure it's all good and send proofs before buying.

WooCommerce might not be your thing if you need that sort of process.

You're getting anywhere between $40-100 based on what you said earlier, right? That's not bad for part time daily income while going to school. Why would you NOT want to grow that into $500/day but instead try to start a new site in a market you're unsure of when you have something that is making money and just needs to be scaled?

If your passion is sports - why not work on sports decal stuff? Figure out what you need to use licensed logos, or keep working with small local sports teams like another poster mentioned. You're still "in sports" while doing something that makes money.

Turn all your other ideas off for 6 months and focus on school and decals.