Franchisee school is an intensive, two-week class where new owners learn about sign making operations, rules and procedures of the corporation, and the marketing of the franchise itself.

Business owners who are used to running their own business in the past without outside influences may be used to "shooting from the hip." But once they own a Signarama franchise, they're often surprised to learn how things work within a franchise operation. I was an independent business owner before taking over the Carmel store, so there were a few things I was surprised to learn.

One thing I realized I needed to learn was the marketing of the business. My previous background was in mechanical engineering, and my previous job was in the retail/B2C sector. Now my job is more B2B with a lot more knocking on doors to meet people face to face, and going to a lot of networking meetings.

Signarama franchisee school also instructs students on the details of each product and process — the school day itself is broken up into two different parts; classroom studies and hands-on, real-world situations. We learned a wide variety of skills including: how to wrap a car, using the digital printer, laminating banners and signs, and even sign design.

Now that I'm back in the store, I'm lucky enough to have a production staff who already knows what they're doing, so I'm putting all my energy and marketing knowledge to work, building future relationships and meeting new people in the community.

For more information on our different signage products, visit the Signarama website. You can also find your own local Signarama franchisee, and he or she will be able to help you.