What is a yard sign business?
A yard sign business or stork rental business is one in which you rent products such as celebration or stork birth announcements to your local community. You first, would purchase your inventory wholesale from a vendor of your choosing and then figure out your rate per a rental. Will you charge delivery ? What mile radius will you serve ? Check out this other great blog which walks you through the many questions you should review before purchasing your first inventory set.
You then would decide if you will offer self pickup and DIY options or you alone will touch your inventory.
What comes in a yard sign business starter kit?
Below are few different cost options you will generally see when looking for a yard sign or stork yard sign business starter kit:
$99 – License Subscription that locks in your area for a year, applied to your kit purchase when ready. All other packages include this subscription it is not additional
- $900 – 1 Stork Starter
- $1500 – 2 Storks Starter
- $2,530 – 1 Stork + Yard Card Starter Kit
- $2,850 – 1 Stork , “Flocking” Starter Kit
- $3,280 – 2 Storks , “Flocking” Starter Kit
- $3,575 – 2 Storks + Baby Galore Kit
- $1,999 – Yard card Starter (no storks)
Example:
Though there are many important pieces you need to consider and review just like any other business, the financial risk in starting a stork or yard sign business is often much lower than any other startup you can think of, and when structured correctly, should be able to yield you at least breakeven point in your first year.
A Yard sign business starter kit is going to contain everything from the materials you agree on (Storks, Birthday Signs, Flocks, Etc) to your general business plan and marketing strategy.
Setting Up Your Own Yard Sign Business
Firstly, Getting started with any business there are a few things you need to consider
What will you name your business?
How will you register your business? (most people go with an LLC). This is an important step which should not be skipped. You are not a business if you do not have a business entity.
Additionally, you may want to consider trademark protection – as there is no inherent protection for your business name.
You spend much time deciding your business name which works as your identity. If you fail to acknowledge this step your business could take off the first year and someone else could claim your name and use it as if you never existed and on paper you would look like an imposter.
Getting Insured
Secondly, you want to make sure that you get insurance depending on your products.
There are many companies that now insure “yard cards,” you want to be very clear on what you do when requesting a quote or the numbers will come back all over the place. Yard sign companies are not the same as “sign installation.”
Companies like State Farm and Insurance of America, supply insurance to yard sign rental companies. If there is anything else that you do or are planning to do such as Bouncers etc. it is important to discuss this with your agent. In some states it is very difficult to get insurance for a bounce house business . General Liability is the type of policy you are looking to secure.
If you currently have people working for you or are going to employee staff you should also discuss workers compensation and do your homework.
Deciding your territory and your rates.
Thirdly, you need to outline your service territory and your rates. This is the fun part, and our experts can assist you in determining the strategy. We have stork handlers that service 25 mile radiuses, and others that are willing to go 50-60 miles – it all depends on you and your set-up.
Marketing Your Yard Sign Business
Fourth, outline your marketing strategy. This is the piece that unsuccessful yard carders miss. You can have the most beautiful inventory and a facebook page but if you do not get people to the facebook page – no one knows what is sitting in your basement or garage.
You’re not getting sales because you’re not relevant, it’s because people don’t know what you do. Decide the media outlets you will use.
Though I am a big fan of social media; Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, I highly encourage you to have a website that you work with a professional on that is created with SEO optimization in mind.
Social media is controlled and owned by a 3rd party at any time you can be deleted, hacked, or banned . If this is your only media choice , you are at risk of losing the audience you’ve worked for if the worst casenario takes place and you get banned or lose your account.
A website is a place you can guide traffic, it also builds your brand awareness, and helps people believe in your legitimacy even if you are just getting started.
Take it a step further and claim your google business (which by the way you cannot do unless you are a real business with a business entity, see step 1 in this blog ). If you are a stork handler and have questions about this , schedule a call to discuss .
Your startup budget should include marketing items like T-shirts, business cards, fliers etc. You should make a list of those in your network of help , who can help you share and spread the word about your business.
Due to unpopular belief , I am not in favor of pushing the “give away” gimmicks – people value things that hold value. Free is not always the way to be. Yard cards in essence are a luxury item.
No one NEEDS a stork rental or a birthday rental. Lead with value not with price. “Affordable” is not a word choice you will ever see on our marketing or branding. Doesn’t mean that it’s not just means we are not trying to be remembered as “cheap.”
KNOW YOUR VALUE. This industry is still rather new in the trend setting stage, but truthfully the art of decorating a yard is not and has been done for many years.
However due to the fact that the masses are considering it regularly , the standard for price is still all over the place and people have the impression that they should haggle. Giving discounts and “extras” where it makes sense if your choice as a business owner.
HOWEVER, I would be wary of matching prices, bidding lower, and not taking orders that meet the price you really need to operate your business. This trap will have you losing money and before you know it selling out because it’s “not profitable.”
Don’t be afraid to lose the sale, instead work on your pitch on how you explain your pricing in a short, concise manner that leaves your potential customer with the tastes of professional and valuable, not cheap and affordable.
Decide what times you will work. Is this a side hustle or are you trying to make it your everyday work? Are you not sure? That’s okay too . You can get in with inventory that makes sense and start feeling it out. Don’t be afraid of change.
From the time I started our local business to now our time windows, when we deliver, how much we deliver for etc. has changed multiple times .
This is a discussion we cover often with our stork handlers getting started and we can help you flesh out the beginning and pivot as needed. The beautiful thing about a yard sign business is that you can really make it work for you through all the different stages of life.
Some years or months daytime hours might be better and others night time, running your own business gives you the power to ALWAYS make the decision that SERVES YOU!
Buying Your Sign Inventory
Now, the fun part , buying your inventory.
There are plenty of resources and vendors these days. We are personally known as Stork Handler Central, and we’re slightly different from other vendors in a few ways.
ONE, we lock in your territory. As a local yard sign business I know what it’s like to purchase inventory then have the lady down the street decide she too wants to run a “business” (no LLC or insurance etc. ) and she goes and buys the same inventory and undercuts our price. How does one explain to a customer why your price is fair when the lady down the street has the SAME Visual product?
Understanding this piece can kill a business, is the reason why we only sell to one in a 25 mile radius. You decide your zip codes and alone are our only client in that area also known as a “Stork Handler”
We offer support calls for your first year. When you sign on to start your business, we give you access to our calendar where you can schedule a call to discuss whatever is on your mind.
Starting a business is scary, there are a lot of choices , we know because we once sat where you are now. I often look back and think how funny it was that I was so scared to spend what I now can gross in a day , but back then…it felt like A LOT.
If your interested to see what our calendar looks like and how easy it is to get in touch with us you can check that out here, if you’re inclined to get your first call scheduled to simply learn more you can do that now on our calendar.
Stork Handler’s Yard Sign Business Starter Kit
Our stork is trademarked, so not only do we not sell to anyone in your 25 mile radius BUT no one can copy your product. Our storks are trademarked and copyrighted which means we have full ownership of that image.
The only people who don’t like trademarks are the ones who would like to infringe on them. If you’re not trying to copy another’s art or materials then it has no bearing on your life that they hold the trademark for it.
This is common business practice, do not let others persuade you to believe offering someone else’s trademarked image without the rights is okay, this is not a step in deciding what inventory you will buy, it’s illegal and unethical and you very quickly can find yourself in some hot water for a low cost startup that you were not bargaining for when deciding to go this route.
Additionally, our selling process is as follows: to get you in the game making money, and then let you decide how you grow inventory.
You do not need all of the things to start, you need a plan. Starting with storks is our strategy because they are cost effective; they set you up for first birthday lawn signs.
They get you in and on lawns with less of a learning curve (one stake vs. many that you need to learn for birthday). It doesn’t take all the extra tools, money and supplies just to stabilize 1 sign. They are easier to store and keep track of as you learn the business. The return on revenue is more than you will receive for a birthday sign with less work .
As your knowledge and understanding grows on the business and the direction you would like to go, you can decide how you proceed with inventory. Some choose to stay strictly as a stork rental business, others move into birthdays , some like to combine the storks and flocking birthday signs.
Though our name is “Stork Handler Central” we sell yard cards that suit all occasions.
HOWEVER, we lead with “Stork” in the name because we know the power of this product and the financial gain it holds. The beauty of this business is that once you solidify yourself in one product – there are a plethora of different verticals and add ons for you to explore.
These are all topics we can discuss on a call to help you have a few additional takeaways into what product might best fit our goals .
Your Starting Budget
You will need a startup budget, Stork Handler Central offers financing if this is an option you would like to explore. However, most people can get into the business for $900-$2,000 depending how much you want to start with in terms of inventory.
When you think of that amount spread over 12 months you would have to do literally nothing for your business to not make it back. NO ONE will be more invested in your business than you. Which means it will take YOU to keep networking and growing it.
We discussed a lot of high level details and some specific ones when considering if a yard sign rental business is for you. If you read this whole blog, know you’re on the right track to learning and absorbing helpful content.
Book a Call With Us
If you like to know more about what Stork Handler Central has to offer, book a call with us and visit our website.
You literally have nothing to lose , and you will walk away with a holistic understanding of the business model and what’s entailed!