The interview for Sign7 News gave an insight into the everyday issues facing a typical small to medium sign business. Tyler says one of the big concerns for the average sign-maker was undercutting from people who set up a business from their home with no real overheads. Customer loyalty was also increasingly strained as new buyers in companies looked for the lowest price when it came to commissioning new work—rather than reliability, service, and reputation.

Sign-makers who set up business at home, or ‘in their bedroom’ as Tyler says, do not have to pay business rates, they do not need to fork out for public liability insurance, and they do not have to have, ‘all the accreditation under the sun’.

When it comes to support from the Government he is quiet specific, stating: “We could do with something on business rates because high rates kill shops. Shops are the main source of work for many smaller sign-making businesses.

“Like a lot of sign-making companies we can’t put prices up for fear of competitors undercutting us. Everybody is undercutting due to the beauties of the internet. Your wages are higher and your overheads are much higher.”

The Bristol sign-maker also criticised the gas utility companies who try to tie firms down to contracts by offering fixed prices for two years, only for the same company to drop their prices soon afterwards meaning the sign-maker lose out on the lower rate.

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