valiant
+1y
this has always been something i have wanted to do since I was real little. My problem is the same as pjsbird, I am only 19, no real documented experience. I exceld in welding in highschool, but dropped out before I could finish the class (im working on a diploma now). The few cars I have done body work on turned out real nice. I am interested in mainly body work and painting, I would like to do suspension work but its a little harder to sell to average joe. But I figured I would do my b2000, my valiant and another car/truck and start showing them off, showing what I am capable of and maybe people would ask for stuff and I could start that way.
I am also getting into fiberglass sub woofer boxes and wiring and stuff, I have had a few people ask me to wire systems into thier cars. I dont know what it is about cars/trucks that calms me down, but I get bored very fast but with cars I can work on them 24/7 and it would never get dull, when I get bored, I start thinking about what I could be doing to my truck or to my car, its sad really.
but something else that no one has mentioned is INSURANCE. make sure you get a good policy becuase if you work on someone's car, the drive off into the sunset and a week later you get served with papers becuase something brake and cuased an accident, or they "thought" you were going to do something different from the quote or they said you said you would include it but you didnt. it is always good to have.
and matt is right. A few months ago, I almost started a BBQ restuarant, specializing in smoked, real smoked, ribs and briskett, but the start up was way too much and my rent would have been 1700 a month, cost of food would have been about 700+ a month. I just couldnt get a loan to start one, with the BBQ rest. we have around here, I would make a killing once someone tasted the food, I love to smoke meat for back yard BBQ's and people are alwasy saying "you should open up a rest somewhere." You also have to understand that for the first year or two, you wont be taking much money home with you, most of it will go into your bussiness trying to make it better.
And make sure you do your taxes monthly not annually, that way you will pay a nice low amount each month instead of a huge amount at the end of the year.
my parents are looking into helping me start a restuarant, but my father would help me on weekends and my mother would waitress when my sister couldnt work, we all cook/wait in my grandmother's restuarant, but German food gets old after awhile of cooking where BBQ is simple, not as fancy or gourmet. I even had a name and logo drawn up.
but if it came between a custom shop or a restuarant, I would love to work on cars more then cook 7 days a week.
if you do start a bussiness, all the best to you and I hope you do well,
I wish rent on the northwestcoast was as cheap as it is in PN, as 4 stall shop would run here about 5-6k a month.
-Mike