President’s Post – November 2025

Hello everyone,

The sunshine has finally broken through what feels like an endless stretch of rain. If your experience has been anything like mine in Taranaki, you’ll know the rhythm: machines idle, the workshop gets a few extra sweeps, and even the simplest install feels like it’s forever waiting for a break in the skies.

Well, that break is here, and with it comes the reality that we’re entering the busiest time of the year. I hope your schedule is full, your team’s energised, and things are humming along.

N3 Update

Since launching N3 in September, 64 NZSDA members have activated their accounts, with 57 using them regularly. That’s great, but it also means plenty of you haven’t yet jumped on board.

Here’s the standout stat: in just one month, our members made over $20,000 worth of purchases through N3, with a total saving of $6,804. That’s an average of 25%. This is money literally left on the table if you’ve not jumped on board.

For me personally, I’ve already seen the extra dollars in my pocket. It’s so easy to start, so if you haven’t yet, make it a priority. Your business (and your bottom line) will thank you.

Master Signmaker Accreditation (MSM)

We’ve had a great run of new members signing up recently, which is always encouraging to see. But part of the real value in the NZSDA sits with existing members who continue to raise the bar.

One of the best ways to do that is through the Master Signmaker Accreditation. I’ve spoken with a few of you over the last month who are keen to get started, or who just need a nudge to finish your application.

If that’s you – keep going! This accreditation is one of the best things you can do for your business and for the future of this amazing industry. The craft matters. The standards matter. Your legacy matters.

When It All Goes Wrong: Owning and Learning from Mistakes

Let’s talk about mistakes. Because in this trade, where we juggle design, production, installs, site variables, deadlines, and materials – mistakes are part of the game.

Let me start with a story.

Back in 2012, Mainfreight New Plymouth were moving into a new purpose-built depot. We were awarded the job, which included a massive 25m wide painted logo on the façade. This was without a doubt the largest physical sign we’d tackled.

We finished the job, sent through the photos as instructed, and invoiced the work.

The next day, the phone rang. “You’ve painted the wrong logo on the building.”

“Haha”, I laughed in response – “I haven’t head that one before” I said.
The silence on the end of the line was deafening. He wasn’t joking.

Turns out, we’d used an old logo that we had on file. The company had updated their branding a year earlier, and it was subtle, the font was a bit thicker, the angle slightly different. No one had sent us the new logo, but worse – I hadn’t asked. I’d simply used the drawings and artist impression and never even submitted a proof.

We repainted the wall and then we repainted the logo. It was days of work and extra product and all at our cost.

Then we got to work building a new process around the mistake to ensure it never happened again. (As I’m writing this, I’m thinking I need to remind our team of why we have this process, and this story that many of them don’t know!)

That was a hard but valuable lesson.

So here’s what I’ve learned, and what the a recent I listened to reminded me of:

1. It’s not the mistake, but how we respond that matters most.

Especially in small shops, even minor issues can create major ripples. But your response is everything. Don’t bury it. Don’t deflect. Don’t blame. Own it.
Then, prioritise fixing it.

With the Mainfreight job, we fronted up. We took responsibility. We acted fast.
That preserved the relationship and protected our reputation.

2. Fix it in three phases: customer, team, system.

• Customer: Respond fast. Make it right. Let them know they’re your priority. The longer you leave it the bigger the problem becomes for everyone.
• Team: Look into how it happened. Don’t assign blame, look for gaps in communication, training, clarity, or process. Remember people don’t know what they don’t know.
• System: Do a “post-mortem.” Ask yourself and your team: Where did this fall through? And what do we need to change so it doesn’t happen again?

In our case, that was pretty simple – we needed a signed off proof for every job, and we needed to make sure that proof pointed out our clients responsibilities.

Small fix. Big impact.

3. Know when to sweat it, and when to let it go.

Not every mistake needs a full repaint. We’re not brain surgeons.

One shop owner on the podcast I listened to shared how a wall mural went slightly off alignment, and they panicked, until they saw it from 10 metres away and realised it didn’t matter.

Learn the difference between a 1-metre problem and a 10-metre problem.
Perfection has its place, but so does perspective.

Your Monthly Takeaway

Mistakes aren’t the problem. Repeated, un-owned, or un-learned mistakes are.

That’s the difference between reactive and resilient businesses. The strongest teams aren’t mistake-free, they’re just better at learning from them, adjusting systems, and moving forward stronger.

This month, I’m inviting you to:

• Pick one recent job where something went off-track.
• Ask: How did we respond? What did we learn?
• Choose one checklist, template, or system to improve.
• And finally, celebrate a win. A job that did go well. A process that worked perfectly. We often move on too quickly. Don’t forget to acknowledge what’s going right, too.

 

Thanks for being part of this community. Let’s finish the year strong, and when things do go wrong (because they will), let’s keep owning it, fixing it, and learning from it.

See you out there!

Logan Sutton
Creative Director – Future Grafix
President – NZ Sign & Display Association