How Are Sign Companies Maintaining Profitability?

What has been the greatest permanent impact on the sign industry as a result of Covid?

Who can say what will truly be permanent? “Still a few tests,” Willy Wonka once said. Still, the impact of working remotely — by those employees of sign companies who can do their jobs from home — is undeniable. Prior to the pandemic, the majority opinion seemed to be that those working from home were watching Netflix, doing laundry and very little work. Covid’s necessity of remote work, its clear and positive results changed many minds. While some employers are recalling employees to the office, others have made remote positions permanent… for now.

Is there a way to create an AI-specific category in the Brain Squad survey, as it’s becoming so much more a part of everyday life, even in our industry?

Absolutely, yes, we’ll do it. What a great question! And so easy to answer — thank you! In the very same survey with this question was another asking how companies can use AI to assist the many facets of a sign business. We will add an AI-specific question to the surveys we send for all of our 2026 issues, so watch for this new area of contribution from the Brain Squad starting in January.

We asked the ST Brain Squad: With the rising cost of materials and equipment, what strategies are you using to maintain profitability without pricing yourself out of the market?

• Reuse, reduce, recycle whenever possible. Repurpose materials.
• Raised our labor rates and increased our gross profit margin.
• Break down all the jobs of the day, specifically service or T&M installs to make sure that all hours possible are billable.
• Constantly re-evaluate alternative materials and vendor options.
• Volume! Find a niche vertical and double down on it.
• Instead of going for one-off projects, we are trying to grow those relationships into more long-term and return business.
• Focus more and more on value.
• Charge what you have to.
• Find ways to value-engineer your products to meet the needs of the customer and still make a decent profit.
• We have been trying to buy in bulk to save money, which has made life simpler as well.
• Limiting spending. Before we would buy in bulk; now we just buy as needed.
• We maintain our older crane and bucket trucks, rather than buying new.
• Strategic buying and efficiency with materials and how we use equipment.
• Talk with your trusted sign supplier about price increases that are temporary.