While your eye for design and mat-cutting expertise helped you launch your framing business, keeping the momentum is the real challenge. With the picture framing market projected to grow by 3.2% through 2030, now’s the time to seize new opportunities and scale your business.
Since nearly half of small businesses don’t make it past five years, growing your framing business should be a priority.
This five-step plan lays out how to navigate a business growth plan for framers, helping you make the right moves, avoid common pitfalls, and achieve sustainable growth.
Step 1: Set Clear Business Goals
Building a business growth plan for framers takes intentional planning. It starts with clear, measurable goals that give your business direction. Instead of vague ambitions like “increase sales,” set specific targets such as “increase revenue by 20% within a year.”
Break big goals into quarterly milestones to track progress. For example, if your goal is to boost revenue, break it down into actionable steps like launching a new service each quarter, ramping up social media marketing, or securing five repeat clients.
To keep your framing business profitable while planning for growth, focus on both quick wins and big-picture goals. At the same time, steadily work toward larger milestones, such as launching an e-commerce website for online orders.
Step 2: Know Your Market and Set Smart Pricing
Pricing strategy is a big part of a business growth plan for framers. If sales are stagnant, customers hesitate at checkout, or profits aren’t keeping up with costs, it may be time to adjust your pricing. That starts with understanding the market. You should:
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Identify customer demand: Review past sales, ask repeat customers what they value, and track which services receive the most inquiries. Determine whether clients seek high-quality museum-grade frames, budget-friendly options, or quick turnaround times — then, refine your offerings.
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Analyze competitors: Visit other frame shops, check their pricing, note their services, and read customer reviews to find opportunities for improvement.
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Differentiate your business: Fill gaps in the market and offer something unique, like custom-sized frames, eco-friendly materials, or other underserved services in demand.
Once you’ve identified your market position, refine your pricing strategy to support growth and profitability:
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Review material and labor costs: Calculate the cost of materials and time spent on each frame and make necessary adjustments to maintain profitability.
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Test different pricing strategies: Offer tiered pricing with basic, premium, and custom framing options to appeal to various budgets. Track which options sell best and adjust offers as needed.
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Negotiate better supplier deals: Buy materials in bulk or switch to vendors offering lower rates without sacrificing quality. Even a 5% to 10% cost reduction on key supplies can increase profit margins.
Understanding your market positions your business for growth. When you know what potential customers want, how to differentiate yourself, and how to price competitively, you’ll increase profitability and stay ahead of the competition.
Step 3: Strengthen Marketing and Branding
Targeted marketing helps customers find your business, understand your services, and feel confident choosing you. As you grow, aim to attract new clients and create a strong online presence. You can:
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Use social media: Post high-quality photos of your frames, share client testimonials, and feature customer reviews as social proof.
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Update your website: Make sure it has clear service descriptions, pricing, contact information, and up-to-date photos to engage visitors.
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Run targeted ads: Use Google and social media ads to reach local customers searching for custom framing.
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Build referral partnerships: Connect with art galleries, photographers, and interior designers who can refer clients to your business.
Even small marketing efforts — like updating your website, posting customer testimonials, or running targeted social media ads — can bring in more customers and grow your business.
Step 4: Expand Services and Offer Custom Solutions
Many believe business growth simply means selling products or completing more framing jobs. In reality, sustainable growth comes from expanding your offerings, reaching new customer segments, and increasing the overall value you provide.
Diversify Your Services To Meet Customer Demand
Expanding your services lets you increase income without relying solely on sales volume. Offer specialized solutions that make your business more appealing to your target customer:
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Add high-value options: Offer services like shadow box framing, digital frame previews, or art restoration to attract collectors, artists, and interior designers.
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Create subscription-based services: Provide ongoing framing for hotels, galleries, photographers, and offices that need frequent custom work.
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Provide white-glove service: Supply delivery and installation services to cater to high-end clients seeking a full-service experience.
When you expand your services, you become a go-to solution for a broader customer base, attracting customers who require specialized framing and standard services like repairs and maintenance.
Invest in Operations and Scalability
When demand increases, having the right tools, team, and business model puts you in a position to handle more work without sacrificing quality. You can:
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Upgrade framing equipment: Invest in a computerized mat cutter or an automatic joining machine that speeds up production, reduces errors, and allows for more precise custom work. These tools help you complete jobs faster without increasing labor costs.
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Hire and train staff: Hire an experienced framer to handle complex projects or a front-of-house team member to manage customer service and sales. Train staff on key details of your picture framing business as well as customer service and upselling techniques.
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Simplify operations for scalability: Track inventory levels, process payroll accurately, and monitor sales trends to stay profitable as your business grows. A point of sale (POS) system like LifeSaver can help automate these tasks, reduce errors, and keep daily operations running smoothly.
An all-in-one platform helps you manage extra inventory from taking on more jobs, support expansion with more payment options, and keep on top of quotes and work orders.
Step 5: Focus on Customer Retention and Loyalty
Acquiring a new customer costs five times more than retaining an existing one. While bringing in new business expands your reach, customer retention increases long-term value. Successful businesses build loyalty, which ensures customers return more often, spend more over time, and refer others.
Loyal customers drive growth, so retention marketing strategies should be a key part of your framing business plan:
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Reward repeat business: Offer a discount on future orders or a free upgrade to encourage customers to return.
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Start a referral program: Give customers a percentage off their next order or a bonus upgrade when they refer a friend.
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Follow up after the sale: Send a quick thank-you email and ask for a review or testimonial to build credibility and improve search engine performance.
Prioritizing customer retention leads to stronger relationships and more referrals. Research shows that loyal customers spend 67% more than new ones, which means retention strategies are a key driver of long-term business growth.
Build a Stronger Business With a Smart Business Growth Plan for Framers
Scaling your framing business starts with a solid business growth plan for framers. Stay on track by setting clear goals, refining pricing strategies, expanding services, and marketing effectively to attract new clients and retain existing ones.
You can build a profitable, sustainable business with more revenue streams and a growing customer base.
The right tools make scaling simply. With a POS system like LifeSaver, you can manage inventory, process quotes, and work orders, generate business reports, and handle secure multipayment processing.
Plus, our FrameVue integration shows customers digital previews of finished projects, making it easier to convert inquiries into sales. Start a 14-day free trial with LifeSaver to take the next step in growing your framing business.
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