MustangC.

not to mention 4K is not nearly enough to start a legitimate business. if you try to runa repair shop without a license and insurance, youre going to end up in a world of ---- the first time something goes wrong or you get that one person who is impossible to satisfy.

seerex

Lol No I would not do that. But I did start a computer repair/ recovery business. I just started and alread making a killing. My phone want off all day to day, I am book for the hole week .

MikeJ-2009

You already said you've made $50. I wouldn't call that a killing, and I wouldn't be booking that kind of "killing".



One of the most solid business lessons I've learned is from (1) Richard McKinnon, the daddy of Tre West.

-Stay as small as you can, for as long as you can. Having a big shop and big rent might do something for your ego, but it's not any kind of business plan, and surely won't make people just flock to your overpaid for building.

Secondary would be the advice from the spirit of the wise Doctor:

It's true. Once you establish yourself as a no-bullshit, get the fucken job done kinda guy, people won't be price shopping, which is your enemy as a no-name. I would suggest doing things out of your own garage, with very little overhead, and very low emphasis on big pimpin for your first 3 years. Once you establish a customer base who like you enough to tell their friends, and you consistantly have $700 a week profit for 3 months STRAIGHT, that's when you look for a little expansion to take care of the work load. After that, refer back to Richard McKinnon and he'll tell you what you should do.

J-MAN

i grew up there, was gonna go back down to visit friends for holloween but probly wont go for a few more weeks.

Wank.a.lot

holy ---- man. thanks for the best advice i've heard.
i'm kinda in the process of starting my own shop. i'm gonna start in my garage and slowly try to make enough to where i don't need a real job anymore.
i don't have enough money to just buy everything i need so i've been buying used ---- on craigslist when i see good deals.
i was gonna lease a real shop asap, but after what you just said i think i'm gonna try to keep it in my garage as long as possible. seems like a better plan, grow when you have to... a nice big shop is not gonna make you money. it's gonna cost you money.

turbo4life

ive been doing side jobs constantly form painting cars in my back yard to doing swaps .. i dont have a garage i dont only deal with hondas ive just recently pulled the motor on a wrx and dis lodged a nut jammed between the flywheel and the case (customer thought the motor was seized up , it did not move at all) now i got 2
more wrx impreza's lined up for swaps (rod knocks) customers like the work i do cuz i give them extra for their money like the kid with the impreza i just mentioned i installed the sti turbo he had and changed the clutch for no extra (cuz i have the engine out anyway)






ive built this for a mexi ricer.. but you have a good point there i should put some of that ---- on my car so they will like it and see it before they buy it.. (incentive)

i just dont want to waise money on shiny ---- i live the big ugly wg its HMT but you have a point there!





jd
my ----- is running (ls in it) (wiring is all fixed not as rigged as it looked first time i posted the car w/vitar motor) its not overly rice lowered only about inch in a half lower on the NEX coil overs
the wing is oem si and lips are fake shake eGay type r but not rice.. everyone loves the way my car looks the mexi kid wanted to buy my b20 should of sold that pos

customers come to me by word of mouth ive done enough fixing.. sacramento is a small cow town so word goes around

thanks for the input

seerex

Lol I use to do it a lot, it was good side money. Plus I still have most of my old customers that always call me when something goes wrong. Yea $50 is nothing, what I ment is; when I use to do it party time I was making a killing; now I am doing it full time. BTW I never do more the 3 a day, and still make more the a 9-5 type job. Also most of it is under the table. The only part is sometimes the are down weeks, in which you wont get to many calls. Other weeks there is way to much work, but I never take on more the I can handle.

mandrel-bends

When we started in 2003 ... we had 3 performance shops in the business complex we were renting in. 5 years later, none of the shops are still around. 1 of them made two tries, the second being in a better location with a new owner - still failed. And these were good economic times.

TurboG

Make sure your legal papers are in order, any permits required are obtained, and then open some the ------- shop. ( maybe incorporate yourself as protection)
Advertise like a ----------er Best of luck

Scott-EP

in the beginning, your car has to look like what other people would want. once you have some customers under your belt with nice cars, you can go back to having a junkyard setup. my car is quite a bit different than how i would really want it, but when i go to car meets, people think its badass and ask question and want work done. if it looked how i wanted it to, people wouldnt pay any attention to it. luckily, i dont drive my car and leave it anywhere, and at my house it is pretty safe.