SHOP OWNERS: What the best advice you would give someone?

[chopshopcustoms]

close for at least 1 month a year ,,<---therapy

You have GOT to be kidding on that one... If I did that- people would go nuts around here. Maybe that works in the backwoods of country towns but here in Boston , Id be chewed up and spit out for the next person to step on if I did that.

With 100 work weeks, I am lucky to take off a Sunday here and there...
People really dont realize how much it costs to run a shop- it can get expensive.

With insurance,rent and supply overhead, its over $10K a month here BEFORE my payroll....

All I can say is tread lightly when thinking about doing this, save $$$ (then save some more) and talk with everyone you can who HAS openede their own shop- might not be worth it in thelong run for you, but worth a try.

Good luck

 

[dawg]

my shop eats money...

 

[Tripper]

my shop eats money...

With the way it's goin'... $$$ is probably the cheapest thing u could feed u're shop!!!

BoB

 

[satanherself]

You have GOT to be kidding on that one... If I did that- people would go nuts around here. Maybe that works in the backwoods of country towns but here in Boston , Id be chewed up and spit out for the next person to step on if I did that.

With 100 work weeks, I am lucky to take off a Sunday here and there...
People really dont realize how much it costs to run a shop- it can get expensive.

With insurance,rent and supply overhead, its over $10K a month here BEFORE my payroll....

All I can say is tread lightly when thinking about doing this, save $$$ (then save some more) and talk with everyone you can who HAS openede their own shop- might not be worth it in thelong run for you, but worth a try.

Good luck

If your work is good enough,,people will wait,,and with 100 hour work weeks at some point burn out will happen the quality of work will suffer..and you'll loose busy as well as get a negative reputation..Which is the hardest thing to get rid of and lasts forever

and not for nothing,,to some taking a month or even 2 weeks off,,people may thing WOW they must be doing really well and must do good work to be able to close

 

[chopshopcustoms]

If your work is good enough,,people will wait,,and with 100 hour work weeks at some point burn out will happen the quality of work will suffer..and you'll loose busy as well as get a negative reputation..Which is the hardest thing to get rid of and lasts forever

and not for nothing,,to some taking a month or even 2 weeks off,,people may thing WOW they must be doing really well and must do good work to be able to close

LOL- guess you arent from Boston. We dont allow real vacations here... My customers think nothing of calling me on a Saturday night on my CELL to see if someone will be there on a Sunday. (yes really but I guess if you are working on $150K cars I should be that attentive to the clients....)

Im booked out a solid 6 months right now and people are willing to wait for my work (which is good) but I need the 100 hr work weeks just to keep up with demand. I have 6 employees too... I guess in this economy its a good thing.

 

[latenitecustoms]

One thing that some people overlook is the business part of a business. Most people that start shops are talented in their craft but may not have much business experience. It is good to know a little about marketing before opening the doors. Have a plan for advertising. If you don't know how to attract customers to your shop it doesn't matter how talented you are.

 

[chopshopcustoms]

I agree on that one. The best thing I have foudn is to create a website. Doesnt matter if its a small or high tech one, just that people can checkout what you do BEFORE contacting you.
Also soft sell marketing seems to be much more effective than 'in your face-buy from me' marketing these days....

As Ive always been told- align yourself with people who are better than you for the things you have weaknesses in...

 

[custom cabby]

and above all else..... DO NOT WORK WITH OR BUY AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED BUSINESS FROM FAMILY!!! this is a major mistake, no matter the business.

 

[custom cabby]

and above all else..... DO NOT WORK WITH OR BUY AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED BUSINESS FROM FAMILY!!! this is a major mistake, no matter the business.

did that sound too.... hostile? oh well, you get the point.

 

[chopshopcustoms]

did that sound too.... hostile? oh well, you get the point.

I think maybe there us a story in there........ but ultimatley I agree- if you are getting the business from another family member its never because they are independently wealthy and just dont want to work anymore. There is always an issue with purchasing an established business (family or not) you get thier good AND bad....

 

[chopshopcustoms]

gonna ad one more- DO NOT....I repeat DO NOT. EVER store parts or cars for someone . Got a 'friend' who has stored a car with me for almost 11 years- Ive moved it to 5different locations. And never once has offered me anythign foir it. (I Know - MY MISTAKE)

Now its for sale... I want it GONE.

 

[SmallBlock Jimmy]

Isn't there a rule where as if you store something for someone for over ten years, you get to keep it as your own?,hehehe....

Ive done this too for like 15 years for a motor for a friend, a few years ago, I started storing it between the fenders of a 69 f-bird,hehehe........

 

[chopshopcustoms]

Isn't there a rule where as if you store something for someone for over ten years, you get to keep it as your own?,hehehe....
QUOTE]

hhhmm- Ill make an execurive decision and say SURE...lol

 

[chopshopcustoms]

Ive thought of another one:
Dont let your employees ever thinl they CANT be replaced. EVERYONE in this inductry (except the show owner) can be replecd- it may take some time to find a suitable replacement- but there are guys out there ....

 

[dawg]

When you find good employees, take care of them. While it's true you can replace someone, you can't always get the same quality of work from someone else. Face it, some have more talent and a better work ethic than others. At the end of the day it's your name on the sign out front, and it's the quality of your shop that keeps it there, or not...

 

[Boltbreaker]

I am not a buisness owner but I do have a thought.
I had someone do some fabrication work for me (non car related) and they where relatively new to being a business owner. I was being invoiced on a time and material basis (which I will never do again) for the work.
Come to find out that they where billing me for the hours that they worked on things they screwed up. They mismeasured some items and where charging for the time to redo their mistakes. It gets pricey when its a 10 hour mistake at $80 an hour. They lost a good customer.
So please be fair in how you charge.
My 2 cents

 

[donsrods]

I have so many thoughts on this subject I don't know if I can condense them enough to fit in here and make sense. Over the years I have worked for some very smart people and watched how they did business and tried to learn some lessons from them. Here are a few of the things I think are very important to any business, big or small:

1) If you are the owner or manager, you should be the first guy in the door in the morning (before starting time) and you should leave after every one else at the end of the day. You are setting an example for your people and it is impossible for you to tell them to get to work on time if you are late yourself.

2) The assets of the company are not yours to play around with, even if you own it. Again, how can you tell employees to not take things when they see you doing it? Yes, you may be the owner, but the company assets belong to the company to make a profit, period. If they see you paying the same rate as everybody else, it helps to train them to do the same thing themselves.

3) Working hours are not for play or family stuff. You are at work to do just that. Sure, a few personal calls or stuff like that happens, but you can't let it get out of hand. Standing around gabbing also isn't making any money for the company, so it has to be limited.

4) Gossip and griping are a major cause of problems in a company. Again, being the boss you have to not only discourage it, but refrain from engaging in it yourself.

5) Employees are somewhat like children in the respect that they don't miss a thing. You have to protect the image of the company at all times, and make sure your actions are always above reproach.

6) Compliments go a long way toward making an employee feel important and productive. Instead of catching your employees doing something wrong, occasionally catch them doing something right, and let them know you noticed.

I know some of my comments seem pretty harsh, but business is especially tough today, and lots of companies are folding. We all have to take our jobs seriously or we may come in one day and find out we no longer have a job. It happened to me almost two years ago, and I just recently found a job. It is no fun out there today, things are really hard.

Don

 

[dogpatch1]

wow alot of excellent ideas and rules here to run a shop by, but, DON i'm printing those and hanging them on my shop wall excellent. dp1

 

[chopshopcustoms]

plan plan plan- save for a rainy day and then save some more.

 

[Cyanide Jello]

Don't go to up, above and beyond what the customer whats. In the end, you'll spend more time and money (and time is money) than the car was actually worth to begin with...

And my favorite;

You can't turn chicken sh*t into chicken salad...

Nothing is EVER EASY...

Be frugle...