We had the good fortune of connecting with Anneliese Shaw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anneliese, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
A high standard for attention to detail with a responsibility to get it right for our clients. In addition to happy clients, we get most of our business through referrals, and our reputation is a top priority. We also make sure to follow-up promptly with both new leads and established clients.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Anneliese has a masters of social work and worked for fantastic non-profits throughout her career where she was able to help clients with special needs. Brad has a degree in business that led him to five years of pharmaceutical sales before making a transition into newspaper information technology.

Opening our own business has been especially challenging since we opened just a few months before Covid struck. We managed to keep the lights on and welcome the reopening of the economy. Our early customers trusted us with their business and we were able to start establishing our reputation in the market.

We chose to move back to the Mancos Valley where we grew up and re-establish our roots. We were fortunate to find a market and niche that allows us to be our own bosses and mange our priorities as we define them. We’re always honest with our clients about what we can and cannot accomplish for them which is sometimes painful. Our limitations involve both equipment and staffing that we can’t justify in our market, and we always try to provide helpful referrals in those situations. We find that this approach generates considerable goodwill that compliments our reputation.

At Southwest Signs and Graphics, we’ll work with you to design creative solutions for your large format graphics and signage!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado is all about the outdoors, and we take guests into the mountains where they appreciate the natural beauty and extensive opportunities for fun. Some friends especially like a whitewater rafting trip while others prefer leisurely horseback rides or hikes in southwest Colorado. Mesa Verde National Park is also a sought-after destination right in our back yard. When they’re ready for a meal or casual drinks, we can take them to the Columbine restaurant, Absolute Bakery, Mancos Brewery or Fenceline Cidery. Another major draw in our area is the scenic Durango and Silverton Railroad. We’re located halfway between Purgatory and Telluride ski areas for fantastic downhill skiing. Even closer to home are cross-country trails, snowmobiling and lots of hiking and biking trials just minutes from home. We would walk through the art galleries in downtown Mancos and check out the historical buildings in town to include the oldest still in-operation high school in Colorado.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d especially like to recognize our social media contacts who help spread the word of our services. There are so many who have helped us along the way, such as Jodi, at The Daily Zu in Cortez, who has taught Anneliese about instagram, marketing and just lots encouragement in general. Sachs Construction in Durango gave us our first job when we opened and lots of encouragement as we shared a building with them. The endless support from our families from following us on social media, to building us a work table to assisting in wrapping a rodeo barrel. There are so many customers and other businesses that have helped us build and grow our business by word of mouth, liking us on social media and just liking our work. A huge thank you to all of our customers, friends and family, we appreciate you all.

Website: www.swsignsandgraphics.com

Instagram: swsignsgraphics

Facebook: SouthWest Signs and Graphics

Image Credits
R. D. Kratz (picture of the sunset)

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