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Hello all, I stumbled across this forum while doing some research on starting a shop. I had some questions to assist in guiding me in the right direction. For starts, what is the general thought on being some what specialized? I’m master certified with Kia and Hyundai as well as hybrid certified. So I was wanting to try and stay toward those three as my main focus. Or has this been proven to not be a solid business model? Also for my shop, we are going to be building it from scratch, so was curious about some input. We are wanting to start with three bays. What would be the minimum building size? We were thinking a 30x60. Which would give us an office/waiting rooms and a little storage. Or would this be to small?

 

On another note, if anyone on here is in the Charlotte-greensboro area that would like to grab some coffee, I would love to pick you brain for a bit.

 

 

 

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I don't have any research to back this up but I think you will need more then 3 bays to break even on new construction.

Thanks for the input. We already own the commercial lot. And we’ll be the general contractor on it. And for the budget the 3 bay is about all we can do for now.


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Will you owe when it is done? Any idea what your monthly rent/mortgage ect would be when all said and done?

Will be leasing from a different LLCs for roughly $1000 a month.


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You can market to attract those brands, but I'd work on everything. I also found out from experience starting a new shop that when you position yourself as a specialty that becomes your image in more minds than you would ever think, and ends up limiting you later when you really do want to work on everything. Build with as much capacity as you can, you'll want to have it later. I would hope that longer term you don't want to be the main guy, and that means you will need more capacity. Your own business should be more than just a glorified job, at least you should be working for it to be more of a business than a job long term.

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Your own business should be more than just a glorified job, at least you should be working for it to be more of a business than a job long term.

That’s my long term goal. Starting will just be me. Then later as work load allows a service advisor/office employee, then another tech. Then eventually that staffing that I can put down turning wrenches.


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I would start off with at least one helper of some sort. I thought the same way when I started out, but you can not support big boy shop expenses with one person, and it is not safe to work alone all day. Bottom line you will not make any money unless at least two people are producing repairs; unless you plan on living in the shop, taking cash only, and paying no taxes.

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  • 2 months later...

Hi statrepair

I can't steer you well on the size of your shop because I've not had my own shop for a while - but I CAN address your question, "what is the general thought on being some what specialized?"

First of all, I totally agree with other comments. As an example, gandgautorepair said "...but I'd work on everything. I also found out from experience starting a new shop that when you position yourself as a specialty that becomes your image in more minds than you would ever think, and ends up limiting you later when you really do want to? work on everything."

I agree. But the one important thing is, NOBODY have a crystal ball. 

Here's what you should know and do. 

1) When you specialize, you can charge higher prices. After all, you're "The Specialist".

2) I've done a video about this - How to Stand Out in Your Market. In short, when you drill down on a particular niche, you stand to win. You can see that video here:
YOUTUBE-HowToStandOut.jpg.64a9f0dc5e7f5c5f0236283e622bc4a6.jpg

3) You can easily TEST this. You can create simple OFFER CARDS or BUSINESS CARDS with different "Titles" for you, the owner. You said "I’m master certified with Kia and Hyundai as well as hybrid certified."
So (as an example) a title to focus on Kia could be "Certified Master Kia Tech - All the service without dealer pricing"... or something like that. You can do the same for Hyundai and Hybrid too. 

4) Create BRAND SPECIFIC OFFERS. I talk about that here in this video:

YOUTUBE-Crazy-Million-Dollar-Strategy.jpg.9407c75095f3180713bc0ba4a8295ff9.jpg

As an example, you could do "KIA OWNERS ONLY"... or "HUYNDAI OWNERS ONLY". Printing is cheap. You can do this on your own computer (really cheap - but effective) when you use these printable business cards.

They work with Laser or Ink Jet - and this way you can make different offers - and then test! 

Hope this helps!

Matthew Lee
"The Car Count Fixer"
Join the conversation today on YouTube at Car Count Hackers!

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         1 comment
      I am going to borrow a quote from billionaire, Warren Buffet, “The best investment you can make is in yourself,” This statement, while simplistic, speaks volumes. A shop owner is much more than a boss, a shop owner is a leader. And leaders are solely responsible for the success of their team. This means that you must work hard and commit to a life of continuous learning and improvement. It also means that if the team fails, a leader must always blame himself or herself for that failure and find ways to improve.
      For your business to flourish, you must invest your time and energy in understanding what your role is in your company. It also means that you must be committed to continually improving your level of competence. This does not mean that every task is your responsibility. However, it does mean that the buck stops with you. If your business is not where it needs to be, or you are looking for increased growth, then it is your obligation to do the hard work and set goals, have the vision, perform the research, and develop the plan to achieve your overall objectives.
      When you invest in yourself to become the best leader and the best businessperson you can be, others around you will feed off your energy and your passion. This sends a strong message to everyone on your team that you have what it takes to bring the company to the next level.
      One last thing, another obligation to your company is assembling the right team of people around you. Once you have the right people, you need to invest in them too. Find what truly motivates them, not what you believe inspires them. Be a coach to your employees and always strive to bring out the best in them. Be strong with your convictions and expectations, build strong relationships with your employees, and don’t be afraid of admitting when you drop the ball.
      While Warren Buffet is best known for making billions of dollars with his investment strategies, I want to believe that this quote has its basis in something that money cannot buy.
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