Starting a guitar repair business from home
Discussion
Another guitar one, I've read through singlecoil's thread but not much help.
I have the knowledge, I have the skills, how do I get the customers?
Location is rural but striking distance from 3 decent sized towns none of which has a guitar repair business other than changing strings.
I don't need the money, I have a WFH job which takes up Mon - Thurs but it's long been a hobby and I like the idea of seeing if it has legs as a small business, maybe taking me into retirement at some point.
I don't need any money, I have all the tools and I have the premises.
Just need customers!
Do I need a website or does a Facebook page suffice nowadays?
Thanks!
I have the knowledge, I have the skills, how do I get the customers?
Location is rural but striking distance from 3 decent sized towns none of which has a guitar repair business other than changing strings.
I don't need the money, I have a WFH job which takes up Mon - Thurs but it's long been a hobby and I like the idea of seeing if it has legs as a small business, maybe taking me into retirement at some point.
I don't need any money, I have all the tools and I have the premises.
Just need customers!
Do I need a website or does a Facebook page suffice nowadays?
Thanks!
I'm sure you've thought of it but make sure you offer proper guitar set up and upgrades - our local one is always doing my mates guitars (has 20+) and he did a great job setting up my 25 year old Ibanez. Can't remember what it cost me.
Other than that, get in with local musicians, word of mouth will do a lot for you (assuming you are good!).
Other than that, get in with local musicians, word of mouth will do a lot for you (assuming you are good!).
I only know the guitar world a bit (wife mad on them, I can't play to save my life) but I suspect your best move is to use a couple of your own or buy in a couple of projects and do some restoration threads on a few pages/local groups/websites etc. show your work off, show the process, I suspect you will get a ton of enquiries based on it. Some of which you might want to move forward with.
wildoliver said:
I only know the guitar world a bit (wife mad on them, I can't play to save my life) but I suspect your best move is to use a couple of your own or buy in a couple of projects and do some restoration threads on a few pages/local groups/websites etc. show your work off, show the process, I suspect you will get a ton of enquiries based on it. Some of which you might want to move forward with.
That's a good idea, I recently restored an old Jedson and took photos along the way, thanksA friend of mine did this. He had a light web presence and relied mostly on word of mouth. Based on his description, his customers were not kids and mostly in their 30s plus. They were loyal but many were fairly skint and not always able to pay straight away. He didn't have any 'rich guitar collector' type customers. He wasn't affiliated with any shops. He undervalued his skills at £35/hr, and seemed to do about 2-3 hours a day which achieved little more than funding his own hobbie. He was a little reluctant to do electronics.
You'll be in competition with people like that. This is a bad thing in the sense of the bottom end of the market being very cheap, but could also be a good thing because there is little differentiation between budget vs luxury services (even if the individuals concerned have the same skill level).
My amp tech at Keld Ampworks runs his business properly with a better-than-average website, semi-automated invoicing, detailed clear policies, agreed dates, and template-based emails. His deposit-based invoicing workflow is smooth for preventing timewasters without deterring customers. His website is full of photos of example repairs, as well as articles and adverts for workshop services. His bench rate is higher than average but he's good at communicating his expertise to customers. He's clearly very popular because he has hired assistants.
As a customer, if I saw a guitar tech within driving distance with a website like Keld's, I would be drawn in to make an enquiry.
If I were you, I'd set a higher hourly rate that adequately reflects your skills (but isn't ridiculous), and then make sure your website and social media presence give a strong first impression.
You'll be in competition with people like that. This is a bad thing in the sense of the bottom end of the market being very cheap, but could also be a good thing because there is little differentiation between budget vs luxury services (even if the individuals concerned have the same skill level).
My amp tech at Keld Ampworks runs his business properly with a better-than-average website, semi-automated invoicing, detailed clear policies, agreed dates, and template-based emails. His deposit-based invoicing workflow is smooth for preventing timewasters without deterring customers. His website is full of photos of example repairs, as well as articles and adverts for workshop services. His bench rate is higher than average but he's good at communicating his expertise to customers. He's clearly very popular because he has hired assistants.
As a customer, if I saw a guitar tech within driving distance with a website like Keld's, I would be drawn in to make an enquiry.
If I were you, I'd set a higher hourly rate that adequately reflects your skills (but isn't ridiculous), and then make sure your website and social media presence give a strong first impression.
Edited by Grrbang on Thursday 6th March 00:15
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