What’s it like to run a yard sign business?

Bobbi and her daughter facing stork

Starting a yard sign business is a great way to be your own boss and make extra money. With low overhead and the ability to work from home, this business is perfect for those looking for a flexible side hustle or transition of their career. 

When did I start my yard sign business?

It was during one of my early mornings, a 6 AM drive over the bridge, with tears streaming down my cheeks, that I wondered if “this” was IT. 

We struggled for years to have a baby, and now I had to drop her off at daycare, reminding them over and over how she likes her bottle, worrying if they would remove blankets from her crib and if they would cuddle her if she cried. 

I wish I knew then that there was an option, and this daily grueling grind without my daughter didn’t have to be IT. 

I wish that I had the understanding back then that my dream had all the potential to be my reality. 

Eventually, I got sick of being sick and tired of being tired. 

I didn’t want to work to enjoy the weekends. I wanted my work to mean more than a paycheck. 

So finally… I stopped selling my soul to the corporate American grind. I pulled my daughter out of daycare and was determined to make my local business work. Looking back on this decision, it’s just a sentence in my story, but back then it felt like a major crossroads.

As the owner of Stork Handler Central (wholesale) and a local stork and yard card rental business in South Jersey, Days2RememberPro, I get the most pleasure from walking with women who are at this crossroads and considering if stork rentals and yard cards are an excellent start for them.

We offer a way to explore this work-from-home business by scheduling an intro call.

Regardless, the most important thing I want them to know is that they have a choice. What you do for money should compensate for the many facets of ‘you’ and if it’s only filling half your cup, you should start exploring the empty space. 

Stork Yard Sign Business

How Your Early Days in the yard sign business will go

Running a yard card and stork rental business has many perks and benefits. One of the biggest benefits is the flexible schedule and the ability to structure a routine that works in your favor. 

There are a few terms that you should be familiar with:

Dropoffs/Installs: Dropping off and setting up the sign display in the customer’s yard

Pickups: Picking up the yard sign and display from the client’s yard at the end of their rental

If you are planning to start your business with the lowest possible overhead, you will be the one who will do the installs and pickups.

As a local business in the early days, I personally put out every sign and picked up each one.

As the business grew, I did the installations myself and then hired someone else to do the pickups.

The next phase was to bring on multiple 1099’s who were paid by the job for installation and pickup. The third phase was to bring on my best 1099’s as full-time and part-time employees, which we now have done. 

In the early days when I did it all, the installs were in the early mornings and pickups were in the early evening. Then we switched to “installs” in the evening and “pickups” in the morning—stork orders we usually give the time window of being up the next morning by 11:30 am.

As we transitioned to staff, we also began offering a discounted weekend rate if they were okay with delivery anytime on Friday and pickup on Monday.

This incentive worked and helped us to staff a few people for 8–12 hour shifts on Friday and Monday and not have to keep going back to the same location three times on a weekend. 

Does owning a yard sign business mean having to working weekends?

A yard card and stork rental business does not require working weekends by default, but if you are trying to make your investment back as quickly as possible, it would be important to remember that most birthday parties happen on a weekend.

There are strategies, of course, around not working weekends if that is important to you.

Some stork handlers opt to consider a business partner or simply hire someone to take care of orders on the weekend. 

Running a yard card and stork rental business is one of the best and most versatile work-from-home businesses or side hustles you can start.

What’s a day in the life of a yard sign business owner look like?

Ultimately, there is no typical day when it comes to stork handlers because your “typical day” is how you see fit.

You set your own boundaries and know your own worth.

Scheduling and logistical strategy are critical parts of the business. If you’re struggling to figure out a schedule that works—or having trouble in general—you can always schedule a coaching call with us after you purchase your product. 

On the intro call, we review your product choices, installation/dropoff strategy, rates, etc.

and work on a game plan that will help you be successful. This is included in your purchase!

What’s the takeaway?

As a yard sign business owner, you are in control of your schedule. You can structure a routine that works for you and your family. There is no “typical day” because you set your own boundaries and know your own worth. Scheduling and logistical strategy are critical parts of the business, but you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to help you be successful. 

If you’re interested in starting your own yard sign business, we offer a variety of stork yard signs and other products to get you started. Click here to browse our selection. 

In the meantime, check out our recent article on ‘The New Age Entrepreneur’

Is Becoming a Professional Stork Handler Right for You?