Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cris Call. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Hard work, dedication and a drive to succeed. Love what you do, you will be doing it for many hours a day. Always keep quality and customer service as main priorities. Customer service has become a thing of the past. Be the one who still offers it and cares. This is you out there, be proud of what you do. When I started this out of my spare bedroom, I delivered all orders and was the salesman all in one. Each time i dropped off an order i usually picked up more. They like the personal dervice.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
11 years ago I was in the corporate world working for a Fortune 500 company. Watching each year more and more of our benefits and pensions disappear. I started making stickers as a hooby for friends of mine. Baseballs, footballs etc. Then they asked for signs and magnets and more. I grew and learned this industry from never saying NO and always trying to meet the customers need, I loved it, it was fun and I could see it starting to grow. As time went on and I had more and more customers coming to me, I decided it was time to move it out of my house. I moved to a small shop where business boomed and we outgrew that building in a few short years. We then moved to a building 3 times the size in downtown where we currently reside. We then got into LED signs, large building signs and digital message centers. When I first bought our bucket truck I got the idea to put a mannequinn in the bucket as a joke, It became so popular we left him there and then added one sitting on our building. It has become our trademark and we are known throught the area.
We strive to provide for our customers quality, fair priced products with fast turn around. We average 6 to 8 employees and continue to grow with the industry in many fields and technologies. We have become the largest sign company in the county.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As stated I worked for a Fortune 500 company which included 12 hour shifts, weekends, holidays and swing shifts. I worked those shifts and came home on 4 to 5 hours sleep and did my business jobs on offtime. This grew to many late days and evenings, cutting out vacation time and holidays. I saw the light in the tunnel and knew I could make this grow and give me the independence and finacial goals I have set.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
I knew nothing when I bought my first vinyl cutter. I called tech support on how to start it. Knew nothing about graphic design. I learned through videos, going to trade shows and meeting vendors that helped me with product and equipment knowledge. I was once sent to Barcelona to help with a manual for a HP large format printer. After visiting and learning more about the technology I brought it to my shop. We continue to attend trade shows and by new equipment to grow our business.
Contact Info:
- Website: lightningsign.com
- Instagram: lightning signs
- Facebook: Lightning Signs & Decals LLC
- Linkedin: lightning Signs & Decals LLC
Image Credits
Cris Call