Taking the plunge?
Discussion
Well story goes something like this, Taken into office at work a month ago to the day and made redundant (thanks then!) so I am now sat here on "Gardening leave" with no gardening to do!.So do I take the plunge and go full time on the TVR's as an independent or get a 9-5 boring job?
What are your views?
Cheers
LeeBee
P.S large chunks of money gratefully accepted
What are your views?
Cheers
LeeBee
P.S large chunks of money gratefully accepted
Sorry to hear of your predicament, their loss. If you go independent perhaps you can expand your horizons and tackle some other makes as well ! ~ maybe a part time job until the independent business kicks off (gardener say!?).
Anyway best of luck, things invariably turn out for the good.
Anyway best of luck, things invariably turn out for the good.
Sorry to hear about your the job, what would you like to do? Working on cars can be fun until you HAVE to do it. I know that when I started out I wanted to work on cars but after having a job as a tire fitter and seeing the mechanics lives I decided to keep it as a hobby. If you enjoy the work it might be worth giving it a go.
Is there enough work out there for you? You could always go into selling them as well?
Is there enough work out there for you? You could always go into selling them as well?
Sorry to hear it Lee..
this is a tricky one.. you'd have to do some projections on costs, overheads etc, My gut feeling would be a "no" as I thought about this myself years ago and came to the conclusion that no car owners actually want a garage owner to make any sort of profit/living... I myself scrutinise bills, complain about hours charged, cost of parts and all that sort of thing if I think its viable, I woudn't want to set myself up for it from other people though...
Cheers,
Matt.
this is a tricky one.. you'd have to do some projections on costs, overheads etc, My gut feeling would be a "no" as I thought about this myself years ago and came to the conclusion that no car owners actually want a garage owner to make any sort of profit/living... I myself scrutinise bills, complain about hours charged, cost of parts and all that sort of thing if I think its viable, I woudn't want to set myself up for it from other people though...
Cheers,
Matt.
Good point, one thing I have always tried to do though is be honest, I don't charge 8 hours to do a job if I know I can do it comfortably in 4 (unlike some nameless outfits).I usually diagnose a problem and call the owner and let them decide if they are happy to proceed with the work and in most cases give a fixed price for the work instead of running the hourly rate clock.Basically I don't like to be bull*hitted and don't do the same to others
Cheers
LeeBee
Cheers
LeeBee
Lee,
Sorry to hear about being forced to do gardening - never pleasant for anyone !
Going on the info and advice you have given me in the past and what you've done to your own 'S', I would say go for it !
Dave Batty appears to make a living out of offering a pashionate service to a specialist marque and if you can extend those skills across a number of makes then I don't see why not.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Cheers
Paul
Sorry to hear about being forced to do gardening - never pleasant for anyone !
Going on the info and advice you have given me in the past and what you've done to your own 'S', I would say go for it !
Dave Batty appears to make a living out of offering a pashionate service to a specialist marque and if you can extend those skills across a number of makes then I don't see why not.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Cheers
Paul
quote:
Good point, one thing I have always tried to do though is be honest, I don't charge 8 hours to do a job if I know I can do it comfortably in 4 (unlike some nameless outfits).I usually diagnose a problem and call the owner and let them decide if they are happy to proceed with the work and in most cases give a fixed price for the work instead of running the hourly rate clock.Basically I don't like to be bull*hitted and don't do the same to others
Cheers
LeeBee
I know... and its all these good intentions/practices that "cost" money.. ie an hour diagnising (sorry its an S.. 3 hours
) a problem, would you charge for it if they then said no thanks to the repair ?? Plus a fixed rate for a job.. what about changing manifolds ?? what happens when the bolts pull out and the block needs helicoiling.. Mr owner says "no you quoted £x so I'm paying £x"
I know I'm being pessemistic here, but I'll bet that all (well most anyway) garages set out with good intentions and end up having to get a bit more "realistic" just due to pressure of work/bills ect.. etc..
sorry to be the party pooper here, but you don't see many small independent garages making megabucks...
Cheers
Matt.
Remember:
NOT all TVR owners are on here, just the good guys
, some are inevetably TOSSERS.... And another thing... not meaning to be even more pessemistic, a problem highlighted this minute in the threads:
"...cos there's this bloke called Lee who everyone I know says is great, but the next buyer of my car might not know him.."
Sorry again
Matt.
quote:
Does anyone know if servicing by an independant like APM or Joospeed is likely to devalue the log book value.
"...cos there's this bloke called Lee who everyone I know says is great, but the next buyer of my car might not know him.."
Sorry again
Matt.
Only you can decide what is right for you- the trouble is no-one knows how things will turn out. Some realistic views have been put across as to why you shouldn't do it, but then again, didn'y the guys who set up their own businesses 20 years ago go through the same thought process?
I'm not saying that everyone who started has made a go of it; indeed, some good friends of mine recently sold their classic Maserati restoration business due to lack of customers......
That said, you know you have a captive audience here on ph. There may be a way of starting out slow with minimal overheads, doing a few jobs here and there whilst seeking other employment. A 'toe in the water' so to speak.
To quote my great grandad, "If you don't know what you want to do......do something, and you'll soon know what you DON'T want to do."
Whatever happens, no-one can take your hobby away
Good luck, cheers.
I'm not saying that everyone who started has made a go of it; indeed, some good friends of mine recently sold their classic Maserati restoration business due to lack of customers......
That said, you know you have a captive audience here on ph. There may be a way of starting out slow with minimal overheads, doing a few jobs here and there whilst seeking other employment. A 'toe in the water' so to speak.
To quote my great grandad, "If you don't know what you want to do......do something, and you'll soon know what you DON'T want to do."
Whatever happens, no-one can take your hobby away
Good luck, cheers.
Hi Lee,
Sorry about your job.
As to the setting up on your own, the only issue I can see is 'getting known as a recognised independant' for the servicing side.
Most of us agree that our cars are best looked after by an independant (often with TVR training) and would happily see a row of independant stamps in the service history. Until you were perceived in the same vein as Tower View, Thames V Racetech, Dave Batty etc that could be an issue.
However there are many jobs outside of the regular service that need doing and this would generate a lot of work I'm sure - ie my door pins back in December. Your local reputation is very good and there are people on here who would welcome an Oxford based specialist.
I was trying to be positive but realistic here.
Cheers,
JSG
Sorry about your job.
As to the setting up on your own, the only issue I can see is 'getting known as a recognised independant' for the servicing side.
Most of us agree that our cars are best looked after by an independant (often with TVR training) and would happily see a row of independant stamps in the service history. Until you were perceived in the same vein as Tower View, Thames V Racetech, Dave Batty etc that could be an issue.
However there are many jobs outside of the regular service that need doing and this would generate a lot of work I'm sure - ie my door pins back in December. Your local reputation is very good and there are people on here who would welcome an Oxford based specialist.
I was trying to be positive but realistic here.
Cheers,
JSG
Although I do much of the work on my own car, I agree completely with JSG's comments (condition is far better than a book of TVR franchised service stamps - particularly when looking at models as "old" as the S series is now).
Sorry to hear about your job too Lee. Why not give your hobby a try full time - you'll be no worse off than you are at present. You can always look for "a boring 9 2 5" if it doesnt pay the bills.
Sorry to hear about your job too Lee. Why not give your hobby a try full time - you'll be no worse off than you are at present. You can always look for "a boring 9 2 5" if it doesnt pay the bills.
Dear Lee
Sorry to hear about your predicament. There are lots of things to consider:
1. What do you enjoy doing in life and is enjoyment more important to you than money.
2. Sometimes in life you need to take a few risks, but it pays not to be impulsive.
3. It depends on your personal circumstances - if you could afford to go self employed - then go for it. There are a number of grants available now to set you up. You need to prepare a business plan etc (I am sure you know all this) Remember out of little acorns...
4. I for one have just paid a huge amount of money to Dave Geralds in Worcester and would be glad of an independent mechanic that I could trust! One that tells me of the cost before proceeding with all the work would be nice!!
Best of luck
Louise
Sorry to hear about your predicament. There are lots of things to consider:
1. What do you enjoy doing in life and is enjoyment more important to you than money.
2. Sometimes in life you need to take a few risks, but it pays not to be impulsive.
3. It depends on your personal circumstances - if you could afford to go self employed - then go for it. There are a number of grants available now to set you up. You need to prepare a business plan etc (I am sure you know all this) Remember out of little acorns...
4. I for one have just paid a huge amount of money to Dave Geralds in Worcester and would be glad of an independent mechanic that I could trust! One that tells me of the cost before proceeding with all the work would be nice!!
Best of luck
Louise
Lee,
I think you should go for it. You've got a reasonable sized workshop already and I'd imagine a fair few "regulars" that visit you - and most likely recommend you to others.
You know the cars very well, and I'd say that you've got a very good reputation. So all this combined, it's not like you're starting from scratch.
If it's any inspiration to you, my mate next door used to fix cars for a hobby, he was a bus driver but was fed up with the job. He went on to build a large garage in his garden, jacked in the job, and has been running his garage business for the last four years. His reputation has shot through the roof, he's invested some profit to buying all the latest diagnostic code readers/gas analysers, AutoData software (£600 but if you saw the diagnostic info, You'd want it!!) All this has enabled him to broaden his audience and make his job easier and he's now looking at getting bigger premises.
Four years ago he used to work in the rain with a bit of tarpaulin draped over his garden wall
Cheers,
Dave.
I think you should go for it. You've got a reasonable sized workshop already and I'd imagine a fair few "regulars" that visit you - and most likely recommend you to others.
You know the cars very well, and I'd say that you've got a very good reputation. So all this combined, it's not like you're starting from scratch.
If it's any inspiration to you, my mate next door used to fix cars for a hobby, he was a bus driver but was fed up with the job. He went on to build a large garage in his garden, jacked in the job, and has been running his garage business for the last four years. His reputation has shot through the roof, he's invested some profit to buying all the latest diagnostic code readers/gas analysers, AutoData software (£600 but if you saw the diagnostic info, You'd want it!!) All this has enabled him to broaden his audience and make his job easier and he's now looking at getting bigger premises.
Four years ago he used to work in the rain with a bit of tarpaulin draped over his garden wall
Cheers,
Dave.
Lee
I'm sure that if you don't take the opportunity now it may never come around again and you will regret it whilst sitting in your rocking chair telling Tiv stories to the Great grandchildren
. It obviously will depend if you can afford the 'experiment' i.e. the financial backing/funds to see you through the transition.
I’m no financial expert (or any expert come to think of it ) but I would have thought that as a family man I could endulge myself on £2K a month, so £12K could keep me afloat for about 6 months whilst testing the water, I’m not sure what your region is like for small bussiness start ups but you could conceivably do it with someone else’s money .
From your posts and the general post where you are mentioned you seem like you know the cars and are active in the Oxford region of the TVRCC.
Talking from a potential customer point of view, as all PistonHeaders must be considered. Initially I would think that the meatier end of the market would be the area I would consider your services for i.e. manifolds, exhausts, brakes, suspension upgrades etc.
I know that this may seem like the deep end and ar*e about face but most people, whilst not liking to pay the full main dealer price for servicing on the older cars, do expect a stamp from an independent 'name'. However I would consider a reasonably priced repair, i.e. cheaper than a 'name', from someone that’s just starting out, but is well known within a TVR region. Once you’ve established a ‘name’ for yourself in that area then I believe the regular servicing work will follow.
Either way you’ve got to have big b*lls, best of luck either way.
Harry
I'm sure that if you don't take the opportunity now it may never come around again and you will regret it whilst sitting in your rocking chair telling Tiv stories to the Great grandchildren
. It obviously will depend if you can afford the 'experiment' i.e. the financial backing/funds to see you through the transition. I’m no financial expert (or any expert come to think of it
) but I would have thought that as a family man I could endulge myself on £2K a month, so £12K could keep me afloat for about 6 months whilst testing the water, I’m not sure what your region is like for small bussiness start ups but you could conceivably do it with someone else’s money . From your posts and the general post where you are mentioned you seem like you know the cars and are active in the Oxford region of the TVRCC.
Talking from a potential customer point of view, as all PistonHeaders must be considered. Initially I would think that the meatier end of the market would be the area I would consider your services for i.e. manifolds, exhausts, brakes, suspension upgrades etc.
I know that this may seem like the deep end and ar*e about face but most people, whilst not liking to pay the full main dealer price for servicing on the older cars, do expect a stamp from an independent 'name'. However I would consider a reasonably priced repair, i.e. cheaper than a 'name', from someone that’s just starting out, but is well known within a TVR region. Once you’ve established a ‘name’ for yourself in that area then I believe the regular servicing work will follow.
Either way you’ve got to have big b*lls, best of luck either way.
Harry
Well all i can say is ive just, within the last week,
had Lee do a full service and fit the mighty "leebee"
exhaust. and when Lee does a full service, its more like, thats replace leads, cap, rotor arm, airfilter..
etc. so much more than a "full" service. All the
work was carried out on time, even though the original
exhaust took a "while" to get off and at the price quoted.
I travelled up all the way from Kent bacause im passionate about my
car and wanted someone passionate to work on it.
Well ive found that person and hes got my custom for as long as hes in the game. I can't recommend him enough. The car has never run or sounded better.....
mark
had Lee do a full service and fit the mighty "leebee"
exhaust. and when Lee does a full service, its more like, thats replace leads, cap, rotor arm, airfilter..
etc. so much more than a "full" service. All the
work was carried out on time, even though the original
exhaust took a "while" to get off and at the price quoted.
I travelled up all the way from Kent bacause im passionate about my
car and wanted someone passionate to work on it.
Well ive found that person and hes got my custom for as long as hes in the game. I can't recommend him enough. The car has never run or sounded better.....
mark
Lee been thinking about this a bit overnight after my pessemistic head yesterday...
..you've got premesises
..you've go the tools
..you've got an initial clientbase (some of us lot)
therefore the initial outlay is very small so as long as you do a forecast of your bills/morgage etc, and plan to cover those with some spare, then I think you could give it a go.. Afterall, unlike a lot of business ventures, the initial outlay is low therefore the risk profile is also low, so if it goes wrong (hopefully not) then losses are minimal..
Cheers,
Matt
PS.
quote:
Dear Lee
.....
4. I for one have just paid a huge amount of money to Dave Geralds in Worcester and would be glad of an independent mechanic that I could trust! One that tells me of the cost before proceeding with all the work would be nice!!
Best of luck
Louise
Louise WTF was wrong with your car then !!! you described it as "It is a lovely car and has been well looked after"
Yours in a concered/sympathetic kinda way,
Matt
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