• Welcome to the Framer's Corner Forum, hosted by the Professional Picture Framers Association. (PPFA)
    You will have to register a free account, before you can SEARCH or access the system. If you have already registered, please LOG IN
    If you have already registered, but can't remember your password, CLICK HERE to reset it.

New to Site

Byron Ward MCPF

Well-known member
Master Certified Picture Framer®
Messages
68
Location
Hesperia, California
Company
HD Art N Frame
I look forward to spending time on this site. I'm from the High Desert of Southern California, about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I live in Victorville, but work as a government contract manager 80 miles away at Fort Irwin, an Army desert warfare training base. About ten years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to learn how to properly frame pictures, so I went over to the Fort Irwin Frame Shop (at the craft center run by my company's contract personnel), took the class, and over the next few years got more involved, framing awards, assisting the staff with customer projects, and teaching basic framing to soldiers and military family members. Because my management job allows me plenty of latitude, I now frame several hundred items a year as an additional voluntary duty, mostly award certificates for Fort Irwin employees.

I joined the PPFA about six years ago, passed the CPF exam in 2008, and am now preparing to take the MCPF exam next year during the convention. Last year, my New Year's resolution was to get more involved in our professional organization, so I became active in the Greater Los Angeles Chapter and volunteered to put together the chapter's newsletter; the 17th monthly issue just went out this week.

One of this year's resolutions was to get more involved in social networking, so here I am. I am also intrigued by the Grumble site, a member of something called Linked In (although I'm not sure what to do with it), and I may even get a Facebook account someday.

I'm not a full time framer now, but I may be before the end of the year, as my government contract is scheduled to end in a few months. To jump start this goal, I recently bought all materials and equipment of one of the three frame shops in the area, and my 60' garage is now filled. My focus at present is on the non-framing aspects of running a small business, of which there are many, as most of you know. I'm in a pretty good position to open a shop, but frankly the prospect scares the hell out of me on several levels. I will greatly appreciate the support I know I will get from the professionals on this site.
 
Welcome Byron

Dear Byron, Welcome to the site and my suggestion is to "make a New Years resolution" not to open a small business 'cause I've been at it for 35 years and it still "scares the hell out of me". Try & have fun & welcome. Les
 
Byron, Welcome to the FC. Les makes a good point about being scared 35 years later. I only have about half that many years in business, and the fear hasn't let up yet. But I will add, that it balances out the frustration I had felt working for other organizations.

If you figure out how to effectively use Linked In, be sure to let us know. Except for adding contacts, not much seems to happen there for me.
 
Gregory, please tell us more about this frustration you had working for other organizations. Some of us may have or have had similar experiences working for others and that is why they started out on their own as framers. The fear may be the uncertainty of not having a regular income, having to wait for customers, a day going by without a single customer etc.
There are those who visit Las Vegas in order to win a fortune and never have to work for someone else or even work for yourself for the rest of their life.
There are many who failed in this attempt.
 
I suspect this would be a good time to start a frame shop.
1. A lot of shops have closed, and that means a larger slice of the pie for the survivors
2. If you can make it when times are tough, then it's a piece of cake when the economy comes back.
3. There is a LOT more good information available these days as opposed to the Dark Ages when many of us started- a real leg up.

And, of course, you are scared of what might happen. But if you don't do it, you will never know what you are really made of....

And you will meet the best people in the world in the framing business, both colleagues and customers, (with a few crabapples thrown in for leavening)
 
Ellen

Ellen, "thrown in for leavening" is one of the best I've ever heard. Good for you. Really we have great customers, I've been in retail for over 40 years now and have some experience elsewhere. We have had only one bad check we couldn't get paid for and we don't ask for ID, that's 35 years. The guy was a banker in Baltimore, we're 30 miles in the country so we don't know how to handle "city slickers". FRAMING CUSTOMERS ARE THE BEST with some "leavening thrown in".
 
Back
Top