Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Goehring. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

Signs616’s origin is rooted in family business and has found success by nurturing the small business & family focused mentality. Portable black signs with neon vinyl letters rented to other businesses and individuals is our bread and butter. We got started when my father purchased 10 signs and brought them to Michigan from Minnesota. No one had signs like these and he purchased them with the intention that my brother and I would work to rent them to customers and grow the small business. I am very familar with working with family and that incubates unique challenges. My father, brother and I worked to show customers what we had to offer- affordable advertising- and went door to door to offer our services. We would work out of my fathers pole barn until we eventually moved the business to where it is today. Working with family takes the right individuals to find success and its definitely not for everyone. I feel successful family businesses overcome those unique challenges because theres more of an emotional connection to the need to succeed. As an employee, if you make the mistake, dont get the sale, cost the business money etc, you might be reprimanded or shrug it off and move on. In a family business, if you do one of those things, you’re affecting you and your family’s livlihood. There is a responsibility you feel to not let each other down and to prove your achievements to advance together. My brother decided it was not the right path for his future and chose to leave the business which I understood. I took on the responsibilities and have grown the business to what it is today. My father has always been a big support and we work well together. He has his own business focused on marketing campgrounds nationwide and I worked for him over the years as well. My partner has taken over the operations of the sign business and handles the day to day and I have transitioned from running Signs616 to working with my father full time at The Campground Marketplace. If you foster good communication and clear boundaries, working with family can drive more rewarding success in ways measured other than dollars.

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

I started Signs616 from my fathers pole barn and by going door to door to show businesses what we had to offer. We specialize in affordable advertising via portable black signs that catch the eye as people passby to send a message quickly and effectively. We got started when my father saw the signs when visiting family in Minnesota and bought 10 to bring back to Michigan and offer rentals to businesses. Its taken a lot of hard work to make a name for ourselves and grow from offering portable signs to being able to offer many other services as well. We also specialize in banners, yard signs, custom vinyl, graphic designing, magnets, handhelds and more! We are a small business with direct and clear communication that offers signage for a varitey of needs. We have fast production times compared to many other competitiors and work with our customers to provide the best pricing we’re able to, often price matching and finding additional discounts/solutions. We are the original portable sign company in Michigan and strive to continue to offer the best looking, most affordable, quickest and effective portable signs. We continuously maintain our signs including cleaning them during longer rentals to ensure the neon is bright and effective for our customers. We are proud to be able to offer affordable advertising to Michigan businesses and indiviuals as well as other types of signage options. We’re unique because we continuously look for solutions for our customers that are unfamilir with the vast options for mediums, designs, materials, and production times. We have a small team that works together to provide the best experience our customers could want.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Our business grew by providing excellent experiences with each of our customers on a consistent basis. Word of mouth advertising is the backbone of growing a business and we have never had as much success with advertising as we have with referrals. It takes time, it takes consistency, it takes communication, and it takes owning up to your mistakes to earn a refferal. Asking for someone to refer someone they know to your business can be asked by anyone. But providing an experience someone WANTS to tell other people about is what we strive for. People understand mistakes happen or things out of your control affect them. What matters is how you handle it and how you can turn a negative experience into something the customer will appreciate. We work hard to provide experiences customers want to share.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Our signs speak for themselves. We place the portable black signs outside businesses to advertise a message and when other people see that message they often think of how effective it was at catching their attention and how they could apply our signs to their own businesses. Having clean, effective signs businesses can rent, hassle free, helped grow our business to what it is today. Our clear communication and dedication to providing affordable advertising to businesses built our reputation as the best portable sign company in Michigan. I believe because we can offer other signage needs such as banners, yard signs, and vinyl, customers know they’re being taken care of by professionals that understand them and their needs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.signs616.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/signs616/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Signs616/