Lessons After One Year in the Sign Business

Matthew and I made it through our first year of business as sign makers. We opened Collaborative Sign & Design in January 2025, our website went live in May and had our first real sale in late April. This is success. AND! Those that know, know: being an entrepreneur is no joke! It has been a year of growth, discovery and revelations.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

People Pleasing is Bad For Business (i.e., Avoiding Friction Only Prolongs Pain)

I’m a people pleaser. This impulse to please changes depending on the scenario. At times, I want to be liked, or to feel like I belong….but I think the real culprit is that I want to avoid friction or conflict. For many of us, friction comes with an emotional sense of unease. Why? Because if there is friction, this usually means that someone is unhappy. (Or, there is a perception of unhappiness.) I don’t like that feeling I get when someone is unhappy — especially if I believe they’re unhappy with me. My stomach flips. Panic courses through me. It’s uncomfortable. Therefore, I will do what’s necessary to keep the peace. To ease any friction. In our sign business, that might look like saying yes to a job before I know the margins and the effort to do the job — simply because I really like the client and want them to be happy. This doesn’t work in business, nor in life, quite frankly. So, what can we do? If you’re like me, I think we can try this instead: Either get comfortable with being uncomfortable or get better at communicating. Use your words. Ask questions. Make declarative statements. Take time to understand a situation, gather facts (not feelings) and state your position in advance so that you’re not reacting to something that may not even exist. Communication is everything.
Here are some resources: “Are You Mad at Me” by Meg Josephson, or The Drama of The Gifted Child (recommended by my acting coach years ago!)

Know Your No

I’ve been leaning into this for awhile. Some of you know I’ve been working on a book by this title for several years! In 2024, I attempted to honor “100 Days of No” by posting on TikTok. I learned a lot about myself. Most importantly, I started to recognize those trigger moments when I want to say NO, but do not for whatever reason (see: People Pleasing above). This year, as a small business owner, it has been solidified that you’ve gotta know your NO. Here are a few to that we all can try:
NO, I am not answering non-emergency client texts on the weekend.
NO, we can’t ‘do better’ and go lower on the cost.
NO, I can’t make that incredibly tight deadline.

More and more of us are becoming entrepreneurs either out of desire or force. Whether mid-career or early, the job market is just not what it was before! There are no promises, no guarantees of rising the ladder to the corner office. If you’re out there on your own, you’ve got to find your no as quickly and efficiently as you can. It’s imperative.

The bright side? What I have really loved in knowing my no is that I get to find the ‘yes’ in the ‘no’! The pathway becomes clear for me and Matt to provide the concierge service we aim to deliver!

Being a Sales Person Ain’t So Bad!

Rather than werking the dance floor, I now werk the room. Networking (net-twerking??) is a super power and I’m learning to channel that super power into actions that result in not just sales but in building meaningful relationships. I genuinely love connecting with people. My curiosity, my love of others and my aim to create a sense of belonging creates a comfortable atmosphere that is really good for our business and beyond. I’d say this has been my biggest growth area. I’ve learned I can transfer this skill into sales, which I’ve always seen as blind spot. (I also have a sales coach now: Gina R. Smith Coaching and Advisory Services!)
For you: If you’ve always avoided sales, think of it in a different way. Approach the task from a different angle. My sales coach had me create an avatar for myself. Since I’m an actor, I responded to this tactic immediately. I can sell signs and be in character at the same time?? Whaaaat? When I get nervous, I become Ava St. Claire – a sophisticated bad ass that knows all the things about all the things. BOOM! (Now, to perfect my pipeline. Oy!)

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Being Certified Opens Doors

We are certified women-owned by WBE and WBENC. There are so many opportunities that come with being certified. You must be prepared with financials, paperwork and patience for these particular certifications. (Matt is a rock star in these areas.) The learning here is, being certified is just the beginning. You must do additional the work to take advantage of these opportunities. You must show up to events, you must research grants, competitions, etc. and you must get your company listed on corporate supplier diversity portals so that you can be seen and chosen for werk!

If you are woman, veteran, minority — look into certifications. You don’t have to go it alone; organizations like Small Business Administration (SBA) and National Association of Women Owned Business (NAWBO) will assist you with applications.

Working With Your Spouse is Like Eating KFC’s Bean Salad

Have you ever had KFC’s bean salad? It’s a mish-mosh of kidney, green and yellow wax beans, bathed in a sweet vinaigrette. My dad loves it. Me, as a kid, not so much. I would move my fork around in it, looking for something that I liked. The kidney beans were too large; just ominous and gross. The green beans were mealy and had a taste that was unidentifiable. The only thing that I liked was the waxy yellow bean because it sorta squeaked when I chewed on it and that gave me some ounce of satisfaction. Working with your spouse is like this. You’re constantly looking for the thing that you like in order to make this entrepreneurial salad work. I like marketing. I like networking. I like strategy. I don’t like accounting, taxes, quoting or even the important minutiae of knowing sign substrates. But the sweet sauce of this Collaborative Sign & Design bean salad is knowing my spouse has my back and I have his. Trust is sweet. Security is sweet. Getting to be yourself in times of happiness and distress is delicious.

Now, back to werk!

www.collaborativesigns.com.