Meet Mike Lugay | Co-Owner

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

Hi Mike, how do you think about risk?
Taking risk to me is something we all need to do. This is coming from a guy who was always fearful of taking risk. I would always be afraid to take chances because of my conservative upbringing. When I opened up a business with my partners, we had been talking about making this move for a long time. I never really took it seriously because I had always been content with being an employee and having a job. Even though many of the clients at my old jobs who have their own businesses would tell me that you have to take chances if you want to move up in life. Being an employee all my life I finally got tired of having to work for someone else and as I got older as well I decided to spend some money I had saved and take that chance of opening up our own business. I felt it was a sign to finally take all those years of experience and use them in this venture. If I would have tried to make this move a while back I may not have had as much experience and knowledge as I do now. So I do value all the places I have worked at in the past. Today the company is continuing to grow at a rapid pace and I have never been more happier to have taken that risk and move up to the next level in my life. I have no regrets for the choice I made. I would tell any person that risks are something you need to take to become a Entrepreneur. It’s up to you to determine the outcome.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My Art background started when I was about 12 years old. I always love to draw and I would always be drawing something whether it be at home or at school I always loved sports so I would constantly draw sports related subjects. I kind of knew that I had a certain talent at art because my friends and teachers would always tell me that my illustrations were amazing. As I got older I would do more illustrations in High school for friends and for teachers. I knew then that I wanted to go into the art field. My Parents were not to happy with the decision at first because my Dad was an Ophthalmologist and they wanted me to go into the Medical field. They later said that they support any decision I made for a career choice. I then perused my art career as a graphic designer/illustrator by going to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for my AA degree but I always wanted to move to Los Angeles since my teen years. I then moved to LA and attended Otis Art College to get my BA degree. After I graduated I worked doing graphic design for a promotional product company but after a few years I got my first job as a Graphic Designer at a sign company doing signs. I enjoyed it very much. Since then I have been in signs as an employee and eventually became a owner. I can absolutely say that my art background played a major role in my career as a sign owner. I only wish I had opened my own shop earlier in my but I have no regrets and enjoy what I am doing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The most exciting places to me are the city that I live in now which is Los Angeles. I always tell my relatives and friends from out of town that they have to come to this city for a visit. Some of them do find their way out here and they always leave saying that they had a good time. There are many places I bring them like Disneyland and especially Universal Studios. There is also the nature side of SoCal like Joshua Tree and the Mountains as well. My other favorite place to go is definitely Las Vegas. My Parents moved there when my Dad retired and I spent almost every weekend there. I have quite a bit of relatives still living there as well. It is a beautiful city and I always love being there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents have always supported any decisions I made as far as career choices. My Dad was an Ophthalmologists so he was hoping I would choose Medicine as a career and when I told them I wanted to go into the art and design field he was a bit hesitant but told me that he would support any decision I would make. So I give props to my folks for their support. Also want to credit my business partner Lee Tonks who I worked for for over 10 years. Lee pretty much let me run his business as far as everyday management of the shops. This was a key part of gaining well needed experience of how to run and sustain a business. Me and my other business partner Marco Lozano worked for Lee for a long time and are very happy with all three of us as business partners.

Website: lasignfactory.com
Instagram: @lasignfactory
Linkedin: Michael Lugay
Yelp: lasignfactory