Car Decal Making as a Home Business
Home businesses producing car decals rely on vectoring software, programs that produce mathematical lines and curves, and a vinyl cutter for manufacturing decals. Small shops create auto detailing enhancements, magnetic signs, race car numbers and fleet vehicle decals.
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Business Plan
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Home-based decal businesses must follow state and local laws. Home-based businesses, just like any brick-and-mortar store, require a business plan. Business owners often require licenses, which they can obtain through their local code office. The business plan should include costs associated with the purchase of sign-making tools and vinyl supplies. Because capital may be limited in a home-based business, budgeting is also an important factor.
Equipment
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A craft knife is used to "weed," or remove, the excess vinyl around the design. A car decal business requires hands-on experience creating design elements on a computer, as well as with a vinyl cutting machine, photo editing capable programs, and vector graphics software that create mathematical lines the vinyl cutter can interpret. Decal makers use a digital camera and a scanner to improve poor quality copies of artwork. Sign-making tools, such as a squeegee for applying graphics, and pre-mask tape for applying the vinyl decal to a car are also necessary.
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Equipment Costs
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Vinyl-cut car decals last from five to seven years, while stickers last about a year. Vinyl cutter prices range from about $400 for a desktop sticker printer to thousands of dollars for professional, larger scale models. Sticker printers produce short-term decals with a lower quality than those produced with a vinyl cutter. Businesses purchase vinyl and sign-making materials in rolls or by the yard from sign-making wholesale retailers.
Advertising
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Car decal shops advertise and market products locally as well as online. Home-based car decal shops rely on word of mouth and pass out business cards to friends and acquaintances. Car decal entrepreneurs sell pre-designed decals at flea markets and craft shows, and offer quotes to customers seeking custom designs. Because budget is important to small decal businesses, many use free online classified sites and online auctions to sell their decals. Businesses also place ads with local newspapers, free classified print publications, and online phone business directories.
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References
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