On-Site Engraving LLC | Application Preview
On-Site Engraving LLC is applying for government grants to establish a new monument engraving business in Northern Illinois. They plan to provide on-site headstone engraving services at cemeteries and also engrave yard boulders and decorative stones. The funding will be used to enhance their operations and serve the local communities. The company has identified an opportune moment to enter the market, as most existing engraving businesses are nearing retirement without succession plans.
Their business model starts with mobile engraving services, with aspirations to open a workshop for more comprehensive operations, including handling engravings for other companies nationwide. They have conducted extensive market research, finding a lack of competition in their area, making them well-positioned for success.
The main competitor, Moore Monuments in Sterling, IL, primarily offers services through their own orders and does not engage in outside engravings. As a small, family-run business with significant dedication and experience, On-Site Engraving believes they can provide high-quality results and a personal touch that larger, aging competitors cannot. The owners' youth and drive are seen as an advantage against the older, less adaptable competitors who have garnered poor feedback from clients due to an uncompetitive environment. Overall, OSE aims to become a leading name in headstone engraving while supporting the local community.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 88-0871594
Location: Dixon, IL, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: Less than $100k
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
We are creating a new Monument engraving company in Northern Illinois. We do headstone engraving at the cemeteries on site or we have them shipped to us for a full engraving of a headstone. We also engrave yard boulders and small decorative stones as well. We will use this funding to upgrade our business to serve our local communities throughout Illinois. We have talked to 99% of the Monument engraving companies in Illinois and most are ready to retire with no plan to keep the businesses going. They have told us we are getting in at the right time in this market. We love what we do as a company but need a boost to help get us on track and it'll help out our local communities.
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Business Plan
We are starting out as a on site engraving service. Where we drive to each cemetery and engrave dates and names. Our goal is to open a shop locally, where we have multiple companies from around America sending us blank headstones and we engrave everything on them and then ship them back out. But we will always have our mobile trucks to go on site at our local cemeteries. This market with engraving headstones seems to not have much interest with most people. It's kind of forgotten about or not thought of much. With that being said, we have done months of research, calling almost every company in Illinois that engraves or sells headstones. They are all excited that we started this company here in Illinois because there is pretty much no one around here but 1 or 2 companies that engrave still. And those few companies are getting ready to retire and shut down/ liquidate the business. Here at OSE (On-Site Engraving) we have 3 owners and we are all family and very dedicated to our customers and quality of work. Together we have 10 years of headstone engraving experience and plan on having more years built up with experience though out our years being in business. We do have a end goal for what we want as a company. Thats to engrave at cemeteries (we already do) and to be the main company in America that can get all engravings for headstones shipped to us and we will ship them back to customers when completed.
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Self Identified Competition
Our top competitor is Moore Monuments and granite in Sterling, IL. They are a 1 stop shop for engraving services locally. They do not engrave for other companies like what we plan on doing. They only engrave what's ordered through them. We will have an advantage is we got the grant to create our shop. We are small town people and can produce amazing end results. We are hard working and dedicated to success in our company. One thing that really stands out and makes us different is that us 3 owners of OSE are in our early 30s and just starting this. Our main competition is now in their 60s and 70s and have gone through 7 different owners of Moore Monument. You can call up almost any Monument company/funeral home in Northern Illinois and they have nothing but bad experiences with Moore Monument only because Moore Monument knows they can get away with certain stuff because there's no real competition here. Until us.
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Contact Applicant
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