Where do I start?

[yammiman]

I don't want to freak out any of the shops out that I have had contact with, but at the end of the day, I would really love to have my own shop - I have the capital, the facility, and 25 years of business management experience - I would like to find some one with restoration experience I.E. welding, dis assembly, assembly, etc. - I would make the right person a part owner right out of the gate - we could sub contract the painting, interior work, etc. until we reached a point where we could self perform that work - my question is where do I start to find this person???

[Stuart Adams]

Truthfully. Save your money. Work in the industry and learn the in and out of what your perceiving is really reality. Talk to succesful people in the arena an take baby steps. IMO. A partnership is very risky and you can go broke in. 60 seconds. It's a marriage You wouldn't marry someone on the first date.

[Rick D]

Originally Posted by Stuart Adams

Truthfully. Save your money. Work in the industry and learn the in and out of what your perceiving is really reality. Talk to succesful people in the arena an take baby steps. IMO. A partnership is very risky and you can go broke in. 60 seconds. It's a marriage You wouldn't marry someone on the first date.

What Stuart said! Been there done that!! Unless you both have the same money invested and you are both doing the same work, meaning you both do fab work, you both do suspension work, you both do engine work, you get what I mean?? If you have the business sense and the money look at opening your own shop and bring in the right people to do the work. But if your just starting off your going to have to have something you can show, a car you have built, or work you have done??

Good luck!!

[Vince@Meanstreets]

First off, where are you located?

Finding good help is very tough right now. The competitiveness of the industry is making it tough to keep them when you find them. You see alot of good workers moving for more pay.

Im going to tell you from experience. Building cars doesn't make money. It takes alot to keep going and when your average project takes 6-7 months to complete its tough to get bills paid during that time.

I started out in the wholesale manufacturing and slowly got pushed into the car building side and find myself stuck here. Its going to take time transisioning back but that takes capital.

Take this advise.
Plan your business to have more than one facet. They say build on the "secret sauce", I say fill your cabinet with more than one.

Start small don't grow till you have a good plan set forth.

If you have the capital don't blow your load. (I'm guilty of this and I'm still trying to recover), I was advised to invest 30% of it and I didn't.
Never assume you can regain the money back in the future. You will not.

Always move forward. You can remember and learn from the past but don't dwell on it. "Only the fool and the foolish trip on things behind them".

Avoid investors and government assistance if you can. When things get low (and they will) investors will pull their money. Smart ones will at least.



I have seem many shops rise and fall. Some self detroyed , some for stupid decisions and some for taking on more than they could handle.

Whay type of service do you plan on providing?

[Vince@Meanstreets]

oh, and NO PARTNERS!!!!! That one almost put me back to flipping burgers.

[214Chevy]

Wait a minute...he's gonna make me partner straight from the jump? He doesn't care that I have a hidden drug problem and I'll steal from him. Where do I sign up? Just trying to exaggerate and make a point to you. Be careful of doing business that way. Like Stuart and Vince said...be very careful about a partner. Especially, the one I just exposed to you. And, you said first "I have the capital." A con man would see that and financially rape you. Harsh words, but oh so true. I've never been in a business, but almost lost my Chevelle in a shop dispute just like this when I first bought it 11 years ago. I lost $3000 out of the deal, but at least I got my car and $4000 worth of parts back.