The “PENS” sign is glue-chipped and silver mirrored with supplies from Angelgilding.com. The bracket is wrought-iron, custom-made by a local artisan. This project was the result of nine-month-long process of Letterhead learning and a labor of love for the art of tradition.

People often ask how I’m doing in this rough economy. I usually say that it’s been tight, but that I continue to clinch some good sales. When they ask me how I do it, I explain that it’s because I hustle. I’ve been hustling since a cashed check meant running to the all-you-can-eat restaurant and then filling my gas tank. And now, on the eve of turning 50, it’s the same thing, but the stakes are higher because I have a family and bills to pay. I define hustling as the art of continually seizing opportunities to keep the money stream flowing. This mentality has been the key to my survival, regardless of my economic situation.
 

Thirty years ago, when the rent for my first live/work SRO was $75, I found that I could successfully sell signs in nearby Richmond, one of the most impoverished cities in the country. The long demise of Richmond, from it’s heyday as a vibrant center of World War II shipbuilding and manufacturing, left a ghost town of struggling shops that hadn’t been touched by a professional sign painter in years. The local business owners were very appreciative of my earnest beginner’s efforts and I became the neighborhood sign painter, which kept me going for months. It helped that I was happy to pad my income with soul food hamburgers and Sunday church breakfast plates. There is a way that hustling, sincerity and being hungry, can really work together to make opportunities happen.

I recently completed a façade improvement project in Richmond, not far from I started. A neighborhood family hair salon wanted to upgrade their image and had the vision and community revitalization funds to realize their dream. It was as though 30 years of hustling coalesced at just the right time. Despite the low-budget reputation of the neighborhood, these shop owners were ready for a high-end makeover. This opened up design options that included custom gilded routed letters, cut-out copper leaf illustrations, a wall mural, an updated valance and a re-faced can sign. Being ready for a top-of-the-line job, in a most unexpected place, allowed me to support and enhance the immense pride of this small family business.

 

This is some of the early “living-on-a-shoestring” work that I did in Richmond.

One factor of my early sign painting success was my extreme affordability. But the real key was that I was able to gain the confidence of clients, regardless of the price. In some cases, a low price can make people suspicious of the quality they are getting and thus a greater leap of faith is required. I’ve been lucky in that I’m usually able to elicit trust quickly, but this is where “street instinct” needs to kick in. I’ve developed a keen sense of when a client believes in me. If the charm doesn’t take right away, I’m nowhere, and there isn’t much sense in fighting the down-slide. I’ve learned that having to push too hard for a client’s trust usually backfires because I then feel like I need to prove something, which adds a lot of unnecessary pressure. I much prefer to work in an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation.

 

Another dream job recently appeared at the other end of the economic spectrum. A parent acquaintance of ours owns an enchanting gift shop and gallery space in the sophisticated 4th Street shopping district in Berkeley. As I became more familiar with her storefront, I realized that the existing signage did not begin to convey the marvelous vintage nature of the store’s interior. This was to be my shot at demonstrating that turn-of-the-century glass advertising can be commercially viable in the right location. The client’s trust and enthusiasm for the project led to a spectacular and inspiring array of signs that featured glue-chipping, chemical silver mirroring, and water-gilding with white gold, recalling Paris of the early 1900s. In this case, an innovative use of trade, for pens and calligraphy supplies, increased the available budget and made everyone happy.

 

When I hustle, I’m turning on the sign radar. I’m ready to tell any potential client that I see great signs that will pay for themselves. To paraphrase from a couple of Mark Roberts' columns: “I know that signs don’t save money, they make money and I’m not going to leave any of it on the table,” and “I’m a sign expert, and I’m going to show you possibilities between A-frames, walls, windows and vehicles that you couldn’t see before, but now you think are obvious.” Thanks to Mark for the high-octane rant that has made me a lot of money over the years. Practice the pitch continually on location, and once it becomes a habit, everything changes. I try to present a can-do attitude that leaves no doubt that I can. I’ve gotten into some trouble getting ahead of myself, but over time, the ride has gotten smoother.

 

Ten Tips For Hustling On The Cutting Edge:

    1.  Build your repertoire of sure-fire sign techniques.

    2. Always be ready for those once-in-a-lifetime jobs.

    3.  Learn new things whenever possible, even if there is supposedly no market.

    4.  Create opportunities with alternative funding sources.

    5.  Stay open to the unexpected.

    6.  Don’t justify inferior work.

    7.  Be proactive about fixing problems.

    8.  Minimize stress for you and your client, whenever possible.

    9.  Don’t feel sorry for yourself – ever!
    10. Remember that excellence translates into value.