Amanda Blackburn, owner of FASTSIGNS in Hattiesburg, never imagined that one day she would own her own business, let alone a sign shop.
After years of education, she and her husband Justin Blackburn took a leap of faith and opened their cozy Midtown shop in 2017.
“It’s important for people to own new businesses, implement their ideas, and take a risk,” said Amanda Blackburn. “Because if they don’t, the industry will die.”
The business creates custom signs for clients in Hattiesburg and across the country and provides graphic design, surveying and permitting, and installation services.
“I think most people don’t know what all the signage has to do with it,” Blackburn said, adding that the store also takes on big projects like rebranding and murals.
Blackburn, now 39, was 32 when she made the leap to business ownership. Sitting in her office on Friday morning, she recalled the good times — and challenges — that came with the process.
“We took a big risk when we did it. … There have been, and probably will be, many times when we ask ourselves, ‘Did we make the right decision?’, especially in the first year or two. “
“There were a lot of nights where I just booed and cried and was scared,” Blackburn said. “Did we do the right thing? We invested a lot of money to open this store.”
The Southern Miss graduate said she and her husband spent almost everything to open the store.
Now it sees hundreds of projects a month, despite recent supply chain issues that have resulted in price hikes and the unavailability of some goods. It buzzed with life on Friday morning as staff used machines to cut signs.
“Hard work pays off, but not always. You can work as hard as you want and fail, but learning from those mistakes and taking steps to correct them next time is important,” Blackburn said, adding that owning a business isn’t be for everyone.
She encouraged people to develop skills like accounting and project management before starting a business.
“I think it’s not all fame and easy street being a business owner. There (are) many long working hours. You know that everything falls on you. It is your responsibility.”
As a Midtown resident, Blackburn, who is a member of the Midtown Merchants Association and Pine Belt Young Professionals, wanted to open a shop close to home and close to Southern Miss.
“I’m always on the lookout for things happening in this space, ways we can invest, and I’m really excited about all the cool things happening in Hattiesburg.”
The shop recently designed wall wraps and large hanging medallions for the Southern Miss’ Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families, which opened in February.
“Every (job) is different. It’s never just mundane where it’s always the same age,” Blackburn said.
As a member of a community that has supported her over the years, Blackburn is committed to investing in the community and sponsors baseball teams and local events.
“It is important for business owners to give back and invest in the community. We want the money that comes through here to be put back into another organization that is also doing good in the community,” she said.
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Contact reporter Laurel Thrailkill at lthrailkill@gannett.com or on Twitter.