Thinking of actually opening up shop...

Hey Seth email me direct, I might have an option open for you....CruzinCali@aol.com

Stay in your garage and do this shit as a second income. You will be better off in the long run.

Originally posted by SSM-Uncle Fester



I would have to recommend you staying out of garage until you get the customer base built up. Never count the people that ask for a quote as business until they have the vehicle in the shop. You might have many asking but until the contract signed and deposit done it is not business.Good luck and I wish you the best.

I'm not looking to do it immediately. I just know now that there is an opening, and its got me thinking about it. I'm thinking more along the lines of a year from now, I'm just looking for advice and ideas right now.



Originally posted by bdroppeddak



1000 sqft isnt enough space, i would say min 3000 sq ft so you could have a couple vehicles apart, and still have room for an office and bathroom, and tools...

A 3000 SF space rents for $4000 minimum here.

Originally posted by Pneufab



My advise would be ,don't open one too soon. I made that mistake years ago!I would make sure you have enough cash saved to carry you for at least 6 months. If it is an attached unit, you may have to get an insurance plan (umbrella) for $1000000 to cover any damage to the joined units (in case of fire,etc)That alone may add another $100 a month.Once we rented a unit and paid all of the utilities, we were flat broke! With no savings, it only took a few months before I was looking for a full time job! Also if you get with a partner, make sure he doesn't turn out to be a deadbeat and never come to work or return customer phone calls!I would think word of mouth at local car shows and cruise nights along with your truck would be a great start for advertising. Word of mouth and recommendations are the best resource. Also don't get in the habit of trying to be the cheapest guy out there, even if you are desperate for business. Give them a fair price for the work and stick to it! If you give one guy a deal, he will tell his buddy and want the same deal and so on.. You do quality work and should charge for it! Maybe throw the guy a bone if he agrees to sport your shop sticker in his window or pass out your card at the next show.Good luck with whatever you decide!t

Thanks, thats good advice.

Originally posted by fkntukn1



Edited: 9/5/2007 4:45:54 PM by fkntukn1

work out of your garage for a while... need to get some more rides built to showcase your work... and from experince every tom ,dick ,and hairy from yer town will come get an estament and 1 will prolly get work.... good luck bro

Yeah I already know how that goes. I get a couple calls a week about stuff, and generally never hear back.

kepp it simple seth, the only reason i would go to a shop, is if you are getting to much work to keep at your house, the second you have 3 vehicles that are waiting and have left a deposit, bam, you get urself a shop.

some things to keep i mind.

down payment, some shopes require a first and last month down for rent, some require a sum of money in the bank

expect your shop utilities to equal or exceed your home utilities, there is more power in bigger locations, plus shops usually dont insulate as well as homes so heater and air run more, also, an office is good to have, to keep reciepts, orders, phone, etc. almost a must have. i think 90 cents a square foot iny our town is to much, you could do that in Los Angeles. hope this helps.

hot damn thats some money

my shop is $750/mo and is insulated, 40x60 with 3 large offices, 2 bathrooms ... a/c and heat in offices and a heater in shop ... on 2 acres of cleared cliched land ... on a main road, but outside of town

Seth i've been in the same boat with my pops for the last 2 years and we finally just decided to go for it. im in las vegas and we picked up a 5 bay +1200sq ft showroom area and we're at $5,500 a month. i just got keys about a week ago and we've started the re-model on the building(it used to be a midas)...

We've made sure we have enough cash to pay rent and utilities etc for 8 months. we're doing live radio feeds and huge grand opening parties for the first couple weeks we're open...


But beyond the building, there's tons of things you have to take into consideration and factor in before you decide you want to give it a shot. If you want to be legit you'll need a business license, tax id, insurance, sometimes buildings have common area maintnence premiums every month, etc... plus you have to make sure the building is zoned properly for the work youll be doing...

i've already been at the shop and devoting 12-18 hours a day and havent opened yet. it's a huge commitment, and you have be prepared to work your ass off to make any money... just my experience so far!

If anyone's in vegas and would like to come check it out we'll be at


NOTORIOUS MOTORING
9827 W. Tropicana on the corner of Tropicana and Grand Canyon...

Seth,
I think you could make it work, but from what I've seen from shops starting up in this area,
DON'T GET A PARTNER!!!!
Every shop I've seen fail was because of fall-outs between friends over who does more work, how the money gets split, etc...

As for advertising, you're already on the right track- look at your truck!
Bring some business cards up here, and you KNOW we'll be sending people your way!

In this market, there's too many shops in garages turning out half-ass work. If you set something professional up and your pricing is reasonable, you'll make it.

One option is to get a small business loan. If you're a credit union member I believe this process if fairly straightforward- just put together a business plan that makes sense, forecast your profits and losses... and go for it! It's the American dream, right?
Good luck!

-Phil at FBI

Originally posted by NO1LOWR



kepp it simple seth, the only reason i would go to a shop, is if you are getting to much work to keep at your house, the second you have 3 vehicles that are waiting and have left a deposit, bam, you get urself a shop.

some things to keep i mind.

down payment, some shopes require a first and last month down for rent, some require a sum of money in the bank

expect your shop utilities to equal or exceed your home utilities, there is more power in bigger locations, plus shops usually dont insulate as well as homes so heater and air run more, also, an office is good to have, to keep reciepts, orders, phone, etc. almost a must have. i think 90 cents a square foot iny our town is to much, you could do that in Los Angeles. hope this helps.

Thats one of my problems, right now I have two vehicles lined up with a deposit, and two more that may get to that point. But I have to make them wait because I don't have the room here.

I guess I'll look around more, but that seems to be the best price around here so far.

Originally posted by framelayer521



Seth,I think you could make it work, but from what I've seen from shops starting up in this area,DON'T GET A PARTNER!!!!Every shop I've seen fail was because of fall-outs between friends over who does more work, how the money gets split, etc...

As for advertising, you're already on the right track- look at your truck! Bring some business cards up here, and you KNOW we'll be sending people your way!

In this market, there's too many shops in garages turning out half-ass work. If you set something professional up and your pricing is reasonable, you'll make it.

One option is to get a small business loan. If you're a credit union member I believe this process if fairly straightforward- just put together a business plan that makes sense, forecast your profits and losses... and go for it! It's the American dream, right?Good luck!

-Phil at FBI

I don't want a partner. I've experienced this already and did not like it. The only thing I would consider, is someone who splits the rent, gets some space and does their own thing. I just have to worry about it getting out of hand. But there aren't many people I would consider sharing space with. But I do feel that I need to move into a larger area, because I have simply run out of room. I'm at a point where I can't really acquire any more tools because of space limitation.

I don't know if a business loan is an option for me. Most of my income over the last year has been under the table in one way or another. I don't have much credit established either, just whatever comes off my card I guess.

You might be surprised at how easy it is to get money from banks to start a business...
There are programs that the government subsidizes (spelling?) to make it easy to get started... worth looking into!

-Phil at FBI