Harlan,
I have no experience running an auto shop. I know a few who do and I also have some experience with other small businesses (including my own freelance web stuff, see sig). Some of the people I know are in the happy position of being so busy they don't need to advertise their services because word-of-mouth is so strong they can't handle the business load as it is. The problem small businesses (of any kind) encounter is how to advertise in ways that generate a return on their advertising dollar. The bottom line is, don't bother advertising if you're unwilling to spend real money and do it for a long term. Advertising works by having people see your ad (and brand) in numerous places a bunch of times. Placing a one-time ad in a local newspaper is an absolute waste of money that would be better spent elsewhere. Because of the nature of your business, you'll want to really target your advertising in places which are local and relevant. I'm not sure about your area, but we have a magazine here on the east coast called "Cruisin" (http://www.cruisingmagazine.net/) which would be a good place to advertise if you were on the east coast. There's probably some stuff like that in your area. This would be the kind of place to look to advertise. There are many other things you can do that can raise brand awareness: - "Sponsor" a car show. There are a lot of car shows which need sponsors. They need to pay for the space, trophies, advertising, etc., and sponsors help them offset these costs. The fee to become a sponsor varies. - Become involved in some local car clubs. I know some people in some of the clubs I belong to keep pretty busy just doing stuff for other members. - Network with other similar services. For instance, if you do everything except paint, work out a partnership agreement with a body shop. - Sponsor a "Shop Night" with one of your local clubs, where club members can come to the shop and learn something (as long as it is interesting and useful) - Get a website and put interesting information on it. Show the quality of your work and write articles which show your knowledge and passion. If you decide to go for it full time, all I can say is good luck. I find one of the biggest challenges to be finding a way to grow the business while also DOING the business. About 7 years ago, I ran a talent agency, booking tours across the US and Europe for some heavy metal and punk bands. The bands were popular enough that booking the tours wasn't really a problem. The challenging part was that as the owner of the agency, I not only had to do business (book tours) but also run the business. I had to be human resources, accounts payable, accounts receivable, the marketing department, the IT department, and then I could actually do the work that got the money. That added a major amount of stress and served to get in the way of making money. This October, I weighed heavily whether I was willing to go out on my own. These days I'm an IT consultant. In September I was looking to leave the company I was with. During my job search, I found numerous opportunities which would have allowed me to go out on my own. The challenge, however would have been ensuring that the rate I charged would cover not only the money I wanted to make while doing the work, but the money I didn't make while running the business. In other words, if I wanted to earn $x per hour, I needed to earn at least 2*$x while producing, to cover the time when I wasn't producing. Keep that in mind when setting rates - you need to be making money when you're at the desk paying bills or accepting payments, or doing sales, not just when you're doing real work. Good luck, man! Karl Groves AIM/YIM: karlcore Skype: eight.pistons www.WebAccessStrategies.com 25,000+ Antique and Classic Cars For Sale: www.thehotrodclassifieds.com New listings added literally every minute! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 6:14 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Chevelle-list] O/T business Since its slow, I thought I would ask, I have been out of work since 3-07 and have applied at over 190 places, (and the electric company and others are ruthless-wanting to shut me off) I used to work at car dealers mainly doing warranty claims, I am desperately trying to get out of this,(kind of cut throat) and was wondering if anyone had any tips about starting your own business? I kind of have a side line but its mostly friends who want stuff done for cheap. I want to do restoration work (which I am familiar) but would also like to do street rods, fabrication, suspension, engine installs. And was thinking of hiring someone for this-- my main worries are how to get that first customer? advertise? where?? (a friend of mine has his own business and his advertising rarely brings in new customers, its mostly word of mouth) and I am in need of some equipment-do I take out a loan?? any opinions would be appreciated. Harlan http://hometown.aol.com/harkem123/HarlanKemperAssociatesindex.html ************************************** See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)
