Tell us about you and your background.
Dave’s number one passion is cars – driving them, as well as making them look amazing – inside and out. An electronics service engineer by trade, Dave knows his stuff when it comes to technical things (such as complex printer machinery). Add to that skills blended from a previous life when he owned both a car detailing business (pampering luxury cars) and a graphic design business, he also knows what it takes to make a vehicle grab attention.
After joining the BMW Race Series around 15 years ago, Dave realised the opportunity to combine his knowledge of technical equipment, with his love of cars and start signwriting race cars. And so the GT Signs story began.
GT Signs first took off in Auckland in 2007 creating fantastic signage and wrapping all sorts of stuff for our customers who just wanted something a little bit different. We love cars and anything with wheels so it was only natural that we wanted them to look great too. We’ve wrapped race helmets, bikes, kitchen cabinetry/barbacks/splashbacks… and of course, all the usual things like cars, buses, vans, motorbikes, and trucks.
In 2017, this little local business got a new burst of life when we relocated to Ōmokoroa. Just out of Tauranga, where local business is thriving, we are still wrapping cars and vehicles, but now finding there is a huge demand for labelling and sticker products for businesses – small and large alike. Adhesive vinyl these days has come a long way and is so easy to apply, we love that our customers can do it themselves! Everything needs a label, right?
Tell us about your business.
We do:
- Vehicle and boat graphics
- Signage and display advertising
- Window graphics/frosting
- Custom wrapping and wall/floor art
- Labels and stickers
- Design (of logos and graphics files)
What makes your business unique?
Locally owned, we pride ourselves on our friendly, efficient and professional service. Our large number of repeat customers tells us we must be doing something right!
How is your business different now from when you first started?
We are much busier! We have learned a lot along the way making us more skilled and efficient at the service and quality we provide to our customers.
What is your greatest success in business/what are you most proud of?
We are stoked that we are seen in the community to be dependable, and are often recommended by others – it’s awesome to be part of the ‘keeping it local’ circle!
What is a significant challenge facing your business/industry right now?
Keeping our prices to a comfortable level for our customers despite significantly rising costs of materials.
What is one common misconception about your industry?
That marketing is something that can be left at the bottom of the to-do list, or till when you have more time. People often underestimate the power of mobile advertising that vehicle graphics provide to a small business. Same for the never-ending value that decent signage offers a business. Signs never stop working for you, day and night. It’s an investment all businesses should be making early on in their days.
Also, your business’ branding and appearance can easily (and should!) look as good as that of the big brands. Don’t cheap out on signage. A little business can make itself look as good as a big organisation at a relatively small price.