2012 Sign Franchise Review Commentary

Monson: I have a difficult time identifying just one "biggest issue" facing our industry. I think there are a few. Certainly the economy is a concern; the uncertainty of the eurozone and what impact it could have on our financial markets, the upcoming election, and our country's continued debt problem all have the potential to negatively affect our still fragile economic recovery. Tax uncertainty makes planning difficult. The increasing burden of new government mandates, government regulations, and the new health care law are concerning to all business owners. As far as how do we address them: each business owner needs to remember the lessons of 2009: manage cash and expenses, proactively build sales, and maintain a healthy quick ratio.

Palmer: Properly conveying our breadth of products and services to the marketplace continues to be a challenge. In order to be successful the signs and graphics industry must embrace a proactive consultative sales approach to business rather than a retail product oriented reactive position.

White: The biggest issue we all face is running a great business in this economic climate. When I say running a great business, I refer to being a company that delivers great product and service in a way that yields sufficient financial results to improve the lifestyle of our franchisees and enable them to reinvest in the continued growth of their businesses. This is the ultimate goal

Yet, we are faced with the challenge of doing this all on our own. There have been no bailouts for small business. Nobody has done anything to improve access to capital that small business owners need to expand and grow. We are finding ways to accomplish our goals but frankly we’re disappointed that small business has not been a higher priority for our elected officials.