From technician to business owner.

[Noel]

I took a page out of Erics book and went into business for myself.

Being a technician is ok if you are single, live in a studio and don’t have any project cars or a need for disposable income. For the last 40 years, every remaining occupation that hasn’t been shipped overseas has become a McDonalds job. In part because the work force has become heavily diluted with an ocean of new trade school grads, out of work transplants, and older workers who had their retirement stolen by wall street.

I got tired of sitting on my toolbox waiting for my turn to do an oil change on whatever 90’s car rolled in. My yearly gross for the last 3 years has been 32K, down to 25K and my last check was 20K year to date, and that’s GROSS. All the while my store managers and service managers are talking about how great the numbers are. How are the numbers great when the shop is empty most of the day I said. Then the store was closed down by corporate, and whoever wasn’t fired was transferred to another location the town over. So I moved my toolbox there and was sitting on it all day at that store.

Then the same bosses started saying the same thing. “Numbers are great!! Everything is fine!!”

So I took what little money I had and what I could borrow and rented a small shop in a good neighborhood. Cut my full time job at the chain store to one day a week, and started fixing cars for myself instead of my corporation.

To be honest, I didn’t think I would last. Granted it’s only been 3 months, but I started breaking even the first month. And that’s with my work day starting at 3PM. That’s with me advertising as “by appointment only.” That’s with me taking multiple days off every week because my newborn isn’t in day care yet.

My old customers at the chain shop would ask me things like “how many parts can be replaced with junk yard parts? Do I sell used tires? How can I get a free diagnosis? Free oil change?”

My new customers give me blank checks and tell me to fill it in with whatever it comes to. They ask me things like, “How soon can the dealer get the parts to the shop?” I saved my first customer so much money, he tipped me $100.

The difference is night and day. I wish I had done it years ago.

The best part is that my customers believe me when I say what’s wrong with their vehicle. They don’t treat me like a criminal.

Actually, the best part is entering a new dimension where people respect me. Not just my customers, but parts suppliers, business suppliers, lenders, and other business owners, just to name a few. My new position in life revealed to me how much I was looked down on before. I was regarded as scum, and I was there for so long that I just got used to being regarded as a lesser human being by my bosses and my shops affiliates. And that’s wrong. As techs, we solve problems. Sometimes very complicated electrical issues. Sometimes we have to get into our customers heads and really try to see through their eyes just to simulate a condition to get a code to pend.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always an awesome day. There are late nights and back breaking labor at times because my ceiling height doesn’t allow a lift. I even worked through thanksgiving night. But I’m basically doing the same work I did at the chain store, but instead of forking over all that money to my store manager, my service manager, my district manager, my vice presidents, and executives, it’s going in MY coffers. I decide wether to reinvest or embezzle it (joking).

I also feel the presence of “the dark side.” I have resisted the urge to charge a huge markup on a part when I knew I could get away with it. But I didn’t, because I believe in what goes around comes around. And so far I’ve gotten nothing but good jobs coming through the door.

Something I didn’t even see coming when I started this venture, was retail. I’m currently setting up shelves to sell impulse items I can buy in bulk super cheap, and resell them at a huge profit, and still for under the big chain stores. Snow brushes, cleaners, ice scrapers, air fresheners, hub caps and floor mats and wipers, the list goes on and on.

If I make it through this winter, I will emerge turning a profit for spring time. Then I’ll work on acquiring a dealer license. I honestly believe that the only way to support a family these days is to have your own small business. And since there can’t be that many small businesses, the new emerging middle class that they will be made of, will be a much smaller one. While everyone else slips into poverty and the working poor.

If you’re charging your groceries on your credit card (like I was), then the economy is not getting better for
YOU. Maybe it is for your bosses, and their bosses, but not you. It’s time to do something about it, even if opening your own shop isn’t the answer. Do SOMETHING, find a niche, anything.

If working for someone else is working for you, and you’re making at least 50K, then that’s awesome!! I wouldn’t have made this drastic move if I was one of those people, but I wasn’t lol.

Topic

[Rick]

The most difficult thing about small business is getting started, and knowing what you’re doing. If someone graduated trade school and suddenly wanted to open their own shop, I’d recommend they get experience first.

[zero]

Interesting, it’s nice to hear a success story. A guy I work with is actually leaving the dealership yesterday to go open his own place. I think he was planning it for a while as he claims to have enough business to cover the rent on a monthly basis.

Anyway, people will always return to places they have good dealings with, especially in the auto repair game. Since every tries to make it out like we’re stealing money right out of their pocket. When people ask me where to get their car fixed I always tell them to find someone that answers their questions and explains what they are doing and why.

Anyways that was some rambling, good luck and just remember something inspirational.

[Bluesnut]

My hat is off to you and you made a great move. Some years ago I did the same thing. Work was slow and most techs were loitering around the coffee pot while waiting for an oil change to come through the door and the dealer (multi-line) was selling a ton of cars. Everything was rosy for him; not the guys standing around on flat rate.

The dealer even made a comment one time during a meeting about the “service department is nothing but a pain in my axx. If I could, I’d bulldoze it down and park cars there”.
That kind of flew in the face of some of his TV commercials which touted “Service after the sale”.

Over 80% of the lights were burnt out in the shop and he wouldn’t even replace the bulbs or fix the wiring which the fire marshal had written him up on.

[James O’Hara]

Its times like that, that OSHA decides to make a surprise inspection if you catch my drift.

[Mike]

Your story is quite inspiring. You should really forget about selling cars (you mentioned getting a dealer license) though. Every car you sell, everytime it comes back work, even if it’s not being warrantied and the customer is paying, they will always treat you like you owe them something. It’s not worth the aggravation.

[Author]

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