Carving a Niche // Jim Dawson of Synergy Sign & Graphics

Better Sign Shop Podcast

Jim Dawson owns Synergy Sign & Graphics in Strasburg, OH. From humble beginnings in his basement 20 years ago, he has built a business that thrives on challenges and innovation. In this podcast, he shares his experiences with creative architectural signage.

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This episode is sponsored by:

GCI Digital Imaging
Your partner for large/grand format trade printing. Known for exceptional customer service, GCI Digital Imaging is the go-to for banners, coroplast signs, vehicle wraps, and other digitally printed graphics.
Discover more in Episode #9 or visit https://gci-digital.com.

Jaco Wholesale Sign Products
Looking to enhance your clients' impact and boost your profits with flat-cut acrylic letters and logos? Jaco Wholesale Sign Products delivers laser-cut acrylic letters and signage with quick turnaround times and excellent communication. They offer a wide range of mounting options, Pantone matching, several acrylic thicknesses, and nationwide shipping.
Visit https://sign.supply/bss/ for a quote and $50 off your first order.

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Links:
Dan Sawatzky Episode: https://youtu.be/QHOBWzf-5QY

Synergy Signs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergy_signs/

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Key Points Discussed:

- Business and Personal life: Jim shares his business and personal life and how he and his wife manage it all together.

- Jim's Journey: Jim shares his journey and how he ended up with signage from an animator and cabinet shop.

-Architecture Projects: Jim shares with us his amazing architecture Projects and shows us the workflow of working with architecture Projects.

-Client Expectation: We dive deep into this conversation, discussing the importance of knowing and fulfilling clients' expectations and how to let clients know what we expect from them.

- Pricing Methods: Jim discusses his pricing method and how he decides or adjusts his pricing and profit margins.

- Changes in the industry: We discuss the positive and negative aspects of the industry's changes and how they will affect the market and the future of signage.
-Jim's Workshop: Jim talks about his workshop, which they conduct a few times per year. Y http://www.synergysign.com/sign-alchemy-workshops/

-Sign Shop School: Jim and Peter discuss their future plan to open a sign shop school and give back to the industry.

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In this episode...

00:00 Intro

00:38 Sponsor

01:27 Catching Up

04:40 Winning a Lottery

09:12 About Jim

10:25 Working with Wife

13:55 From Animator to cabinet shop to signage

19:12 The Progression.

22:12 Storefront walk-in traffic

28:07 Inflection Point

31:12 Jim’s architecture projects

33:12 Fulfilling Client Expectations

36:25 90-day Terms

38:18 Equipments

43:20 Fire Prevention

46:02 Workflow with architecture Projects.

52:30 Pricing Method

57:05 Changes in the Industry

01:02:42 Jim’s Workshop

01:12:12 Sign Shop School

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Interested in being a guest on the show or have questions for our team? Reach out to us at [e-mail].