The best thing about the future is that it's already here

They say that any past time was better, as Jorge Manrique said in the fifteenth century in his "Coplas por la muerte de mi padre". But scholars of this work agree that he really meant that the best is "the uncome", that is, the future.

I am Pepe Llabrés, founder and CEO of Sign24h, and I've been enjoying what I do for 32 years. When I finished my studies in England I had to decide what I would work on. It was clear to me that I wanted to be an entrepreneur like my parents: I had lived it since I was a child and I loved it. As a young man I organized private events, traded in computer parts, programmed applications and worked in my parents' businesses. He enjoyed! But what I wasn't sure about was what product, service or sector I was serious about.

Almost by chance I discovered a technology that was becoming popular and that helped transform the sign industry: the vinyl cutting plotter! I'm talking about the 1990s.

When I returned to Mallorca, in an almost magical way, I passed in front of a shop that was being transferred: it was a sign maker with a plotter who for personal reasons was selling the business! I couldn't believe it. What a coincidence! I went in, we talked, and you can say that I left with the business under my arm.

I already had my first sign business. It was called "Rótulos Arenal". The salesman showed me the basics of the business and how he ran it. It was underway, so I was able to learn from real orders and customers. After two months I was left alone in front. Work kept coming and I learned as I worked: it was two years working Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and from dawn to dusk. In 1995 the future was getting better and better.

The first workshop was 30 m². Within a year I rented a bigger one, where I continued working and learning. I hired several workers – I already had a small business! I bought more machinery to manufacture faster and better, I began to create a business structure, to organize processes and jobs, and to offer new services to the customer. In 3 years it already had a warehouse of 800 m² and 35 workers.

It was the time of the economic boom, I'm sure you remember it: that boom that lasted until the crisis arrived. We worked a lot, the turnover was high and the margins were very good. In addition to generating profits, my experience and knowledge of the sector increased every day.

When the crisis came, it was time to reinvent itself. The future seemed uncertain, but the internet was knocking on the door and we had to think about how to take advantage of it. I decided to reinvest the profits and break with the established. I've never liked doing things because "they've always been done that way."

"You can't sell signs online!", "you're going to stick it!", "the customer wants you to visit it, advise it and install it!", "you can't do that online!".

The premise sounded crazy: if IKEA can do it with the furniture, why can't I do it with the signs? And boy could it be done! In about a year, with the experience acquired over the previous 14 years visiting, manufacturing, installing and listening to customers, and with a lot of curiosity about the internet, I inaugurated on March 10, 2010 the first e-commerce in the signage sector: Rotulowcost.es

In these 16 years we have sold more than 100,000 signs. We went from participating in the entire value process to leaving part of it in the hands of our customers, in exchange for much lower prices. More value at a lower price! And the one who couldn't believe it now was the customer.

The company grew and evolved, but the industry became less profitable: our customers struggled to make money. I had to give it a whirl, I couldn't offer the same thing to everyone anymore. I thought about how to create products focused on the growth and profitability of sign professionals.

28 years after that "magical coincidence", of that future that was to come, the company that will lead the future of signage was born: Sign24h. High-end signs for professionals, in 24 hours, manufactured in series. A company created to help you as a sign maker, digital printer or agency – whether or not you have manufacturing capacity – to work less, earn much more and live better.

I will help you add this new line of business to the ones you already have, or to reconvert your business to a highly profitable model with less personal burden.

• The manufacturing business in the signage sector has always required a large investment in material and personnel infrastructure.
• For the production of signs, machinery, specialized personnel and a large contribution of time are needed.
• The finishes must be perfect, as they are products that represent the image of the companies, which adds more work and resources.
• In the last decade, sales prices in the sector have not stopped falling, but costs and expenses have continued to increase.
• This has led to the current situation of low margins, in which high turnover is needed to generate profits.
• In most cases, the entrepreneur earns a net income that is more like that of a salaried employee than that of a successful business owner.

• In these 32 years we have worked and been successful at all levels of the sector, and we want to share our experience with you.
• We have manufactured simple and complex signs, for small businesses and large companies.
• We have purchased finished signs and customized them.
• We have run distribution companies of supplies and material for sign makers and printers.
• We have designed, installed and maintained.
• We have made mistakes and rectified, fallen and picked ourselves up, studied, developed and gained experience.

• We offer a new line of standard signs ready to customize.
• We have improved all the technical and aesthetic aspects of the signs most demanded by your customers, and we have manufactured them by the thousands to optimize costs.
• With an exceptional style that you can acquire at a price well below its real value. You're going to sell them easily and quickly, and you'll earn a good margin.
• You will buy without risk: free return including shipping and 2 years warranty on all products.
• You won't need specialized and hard-to-find staff: the complicated part is done by us, the easy part is done by you!
• With the current collection and new additions, you can dedicate yourself exclusively to selling these signs, or combine it with your current manufacturing activity.

• You will get high income and net profits every day.
• You'll stop saying NO to your customers when they ask you for a complex sign.
• You won't have to worry about claims or breakdowns: our signs have a 2-year warranty.
• You will wake up happy to go to work.
• You will have more time to dedicate to what you really like or care about. No more working on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays!
• You will have more income and therefore you will be able to afford to enjoy life without financial worries.