Framing Service

The demand for framing is universal and shows little sign of decline in the digital age. Some people prefer to have custom frames made and others prefer to frame themselves. If you enjoy working with your hands and have an eye for framing, this is a easy to start and potentially lucrative work at home business you can start right from your garage.

Before The Start-Up – Let’s Not Get Ahead Of Ourselves

No specific qualifications are required to start a framing business; you will however need to be a competent framer before starting out. You’ll also need the artistic ability to decide on the right frame to bring out the best in paintings, photo’s and prints. Finally you’ll need to be a savvy marketer and home business entrepreneur. If you don’t quite have this skill set yet, don’t worry. With enough drive and motivation everything can be learned, the most important thing is to get started today!

The Start-Up

Before starting your business you’ll need to decide exactly what type of framing service you’d like to operate. You can either run a full service from your home, or you can make frames for framing shops and other retail establishments that contract out their custom frames. Running a full service from your home, will entail dealing with customers on a daily basis and handling everything from sales and marketing to construction and packaging. On the other hand constructing frames for existing retail establishments will mean less business administration, but also less potential to create a thriving business that one-day might hire employees and move beyond the home environment. What you decide on will depend on your priorities and your ability to find framing contracts from existing retail establishments.

To begin operating you’ll need to create a workshop. Ideally this should be in your garage but many an entrepreneur has made do with less. You’ll need a work bench, storage space, vice, all the necessary tools including glass cutters and clamps and finally supplies of wood and glass.

If you are setting up an independent framing business you’ll also need to setup a small home office to handle business administration, marketing and sales. You’ll need a desk, phone, computer, printer and a fax machine. You’ll also need basic business stationary such as business cards, letterheads and possibly even brochures. Branding is important to every business; be sure to get stickers made and place them on the back of every frame you make.

Making It Work

A large percentage of the framing market is based around ‘do it yourself’ framing. You might want to offer both custom-framing packages, as well as do it yourself framing packs to cater to this market. Before creating your own price structure, take careful note of what your competition charges, this information is essential to make sure your products and services are competitively priced. Typical rates are about $15 (USD) for an hour of custom framing work.

Marketing

Market your framing business in local newspaper classifieds, direct mailers, coupon books and even the Yellow Pages if you can afford it.

Don’t Forget

Before getting started, consider the neighborhood you live in, and the work at home legislation that applies to you. For instance, you might be required to get a permit before operating machinery in your garage, your neighbours might also complain if the traffic in and out of your garage gets too great. Finally, depending on the country you live in, you might be required to take out insurance. Don’t forget to account for this hidden cost.