Meet Mathew Crane | Owner of Coastal Vibes Graphics & Signs

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

Hi Mathew, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought behind starting Coastal Vibes Graphics & Signs was pretty simple. Do what I love to do and do it the way I love to live. My wife and I have talked about starting our own design and print studio for as long as I can remember. We have always wanted a laid back coastal themed shop. So finally we did it and went all in on the dream. I have worked in the industry since I was a teenager but always for someone else. All of the shops I have worked in have always been super high stress environments and I am a very laid back easy going person. Our shop is like Endless Summer meets a sign shop. Now don’t get me wrong, at the end of the day we are all business and put out the highest quality products and designs but we like to do it as stress free as possible. That’s why our company motto is “Relax, We’ve Got This”, so you can come in and explain what it is you or your company needs and then just relax we will take care of the rest for you. So I guess to answer the question, the thought process behind starting my own business was to leave all the stress behind but continue to do what I love which is provide high quality design, print and wraps but in a laid back atmosphere.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Coastal vibes is just different from other design and print studios, when you come in to our shop you know that right away. We have set a vibe inside that no one will forget. Our studio is super colorful and laid-back with a retro surf theme. We have the newest technology printers available on the market which gives us the ability to output the highest quality prints possible and achieve colors that were once unreachable. I am extremely proud of what we have built here and every single morning when I unlock the door and I step inside it brings me true happiness. I have been working in this industry since I was 16 years old so being able to bring that many years experience to the table combined with the newest technology is my combination for success. Another factor to my success is honesty. I always say I am honest to the point of recklessness but I believe it’s a good way to run a business. If I have a client who has an idea that I know will not turn out the way they hope, I tell them. It’s not always easy for them to hear but it is the truth. Everyone should have that friend that tells them something isn’t a good idea, I am that guy. Sometimes it may cost me a sale but I sleep better at night knowing that I did the right thing by telling them. I would rather tell them now then let them waste their hard earned money and time only to be disappointed in the end. I want to make sure everyone who works with me is not just content with the work I did but excited about the product they received. I get a high off of seeing my clients excitement when I complete a job for them. Knowing that I just made something so important for them happen is a feeling I cannot explain but I just love it. I am blessed to have a job that at the end of the day I get to step back and look at what I created. I love my clients and I make sure that each one of them leaves Coastal Vibes 100% satisfied. A lot of design and print shops just want to make as much money as quickly as possible and never really step back and think about how important what we are doing is to the owner of that business. I brand businesses, I give businesses their image and that is their everything. As a small business owner I know that every decision made is a big one, especially when it comes to how you present yourself. I am really big on making long lasting relationships and getting to know my clients so I can help make the ideas they have in their head come to life. I am a very social person and also really big supporter of small businesses so I love to help other small businesses like myself and watch them succeed. As for our brand I think that’s the most simple of all. Our name even says it, Coastal Vibes. I’ve always heard the saying “play to your audience” and we live in a very beachy, coastal area. So our success in branding is simple. Keep it coastal, keep it easy, keep it fun. Coming into a design shop for your business should be exciting, it should be fun. A lot of people have told me that me that me doing their car or their store front or their new logo is what made their business feel official. I take pride in that and I like to make sure I share in that excitement with my clients. This is my love, this is my life and this is my passion and to be able to share that with my clients brings me true joy and happiness.

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.
If I have friends coming to town from out of state I love to show them around our area. We live in a truly beautiful tropical state and I love to share that with friends. I am originally from New Jersey and I have lived in Florida for quite a long time now but I still discover new beautiful and amazing things all the time. I love to take people to new restaurants and try all the local cuisine, Florida truly has such an amazing array of different restaurants offering foods from all over the world and I love to try new things and bring friends to try them as well. I am also a really big fan of street art and watching its popularity grow over the last few years has been great, so I love to take friends to places like Wynwood walls and just around the city to be able to see the amazing art that is there for everyone to enjoy. Not only does Florida have natural beauty but we have amazing artists all over the state and seeing murals go up on the walls and the city become more beautiful each day with every brushstroke is something that I just absolutely adore and love to share with friends. The art scene in South Florida is booming right now and the amount of insanely talented Street artists and muralist that we have is amazing. I also like to take friends to the beach to enjoy our beautiful waters that we have here and all the activities that go along with it whether it be just hanging out on the sand, fishing or any other water sports, as long as we are at the beach it’s a good day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shout out to my wife, my parents and my in-laws. Without them and their support none of this would be possible. Opening my own business has always been my dream but I had a very steady and comfortable job so the fear of leaving the comfort behind to take the risk of starting my own business and living my own dream was real. My wife is my biggest supporter and has 100% got my back. She is the one who encouraged me to take the leap and chase my dream and I can never thank her enough for that. I’d also like to dedicate this to my family who is always been supportive of me and everything I do, at times I think that they believed in me more than I believed in myself but their encouragement and their belief has given me the drive to open this amazing company and materialize my dream.

Website: www.CoastalVibesGraphics.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coastalvibesgraphics/

Other: Mat@CoastalVibesGraphics.com

Image Credits
Photo Credit Nothing Negative Co.