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I am self employed, run a small engine repair dealership and have an auto repair shop at the same time juggling time an space to run both. It is very difficult as we live in an area that in the last year has had massive job losses and the town has gone to the toilet basically. Up here in Canada we are a couple years behind the big USA recession, and its just hitting our area. This industry is down roughly 50-70% area wide at all the shops. I have been trying to sell my property (building and business) for a couple years for roughly half of actual net worth and nothing at all has happened. Just received an offer almost 80% under listing price (less than the price of a pickup truck) for an established business AND building…
I like the self employed lifestyle but I am working on moving from Canada to the USA and therefore am open to any type of scenario just to make it happen. Dealership, indy shop, powersports, whatever it takes. Im sure it will be a shock again to work for “the man” but it is a necessary evil in my case.I am self employed, run a small engine repair dealership and have an auto repair shop at the same time juggling time an space to run both. It is very difficult as we live in an area that in the last year has had massive job losses and the town has gone to the toilet basically. Up here in Canada we are a couple years behind the big USA recession, and its just hitting our area. This industry is down roughly 50-70% area wide at all the shops. I have been trying to sell my property (building and business) for a couple years for roughly half of actual net worth and nothing at all has happened. Just received an offer almost 80% under listing price (less than the price of a pickup truck) for an established business AND building…
I like the self employed lifestyle but I am working on moving from Canada to the USA and therefore am open to any type of scenario just to make it happen. Dealership, indy shop, powersports, whatever it takes. Im sure it will be a shock again to work for “the man” but it is a necessary evil in my case.I started working at a shop mid high school as a co-op program (1995/96 maybe) and that got me in the trade. I did my apprenticeship (Ontario Canada) which was a disaster of epic proportions due to me employer not wanting to “sign” me off to write my exams- and then he would have to pay more than minimum wage. After a few years I got this done and wrote my COQ test, got my interprovincial license and found a new job. That was in 2002, and since then the industry in my town at least has died. I worked in several Indy shops, and finally opened my open garage but the economy killed that idea so I left the trade for years. Now I own a powersports dealership and do limited automotive repair as well.
The biggest thing I found thats changed is $$. I hear daily “will you price match?, free estimate?, payment plan?, warranty?” My shop rate is half of the dealers around here and I still am getting undercut by the big guys just trying to keep their techs working. I realize I live in a dying town yes, but how can the big 6 bay service station drop from $99/ hour to $50/ hour just to get work? All about $$. How come a GREAT wage here is less than $20/ hour for a licensed tech with 15 years experience? $$.
I am trying to leave Ontario to move to Tennessee, and cannot believe the wages are similar. It’s amazing to me that the cost of living is 40% cheaper there but the hourly wage is the same. Crazy. If I can get a work visa or employer to sponsor me, my family is headed south.
Back in the day we had paying customers here who maintained their vehicles. Now we have the roads full of old junk, and the folks cannot afford to pay to have their cars fixed so we get either shops competing and dealing for work, OR the 50 backyard guys doing auto repair out of their driveways for $15/ hour. All about $$ in my opinion. Looking back this career path was not the smartest but those are the decisions we make I guess.
I started working at a shop mid high school as a co-op program (1995/96 maybe) and that got me in the trade. I did my apprenticeship (Ontario Canada) which was a disaster of epic proportions due to me employer not wanting to “sign” me off to write my exams- and then he would have to pay more than minimum wage. After a few years I got this done and wrote my COQ test, got my interprovincial license and found a new job. That was in 2002, and since then the industry in my town at least has died. I worked in several Indy shops, and finally opened my open garage but the economy killed that idea so I left the trade for years. Now I own a powersports dealership and do limited automotive repair as well.
The biggest thing I found thats changed is $$. I hear daily “will you price match?, free estimate?, payment plan?, warranty?” My shop rate is half of the dealers around here and I still am getting undercut by the big guys just trying to keep their techs working. I realize I live in a dying town yes, but how can the big 6 bay service station drop from $99/ hour to $50/ hour just to get work? All about $$. How come a GREAT wage here is less than $20/ hour for a licensed tech with 15 years experience? $$.
I am trying to leave Ontario to move to Tennessee, and cannot believe the wages are similar. It’s amazing to me that the cost of living is 40% cheaper there but the hourly wage is the same. Crazy. If I can get a work visa or employer to sponsor me, my family is headed south.
Back in the day we had paying customers here who maintained their vehicles. Now we have the roads full of old junk, and the folks cannot afford to pay to have their cars fixed so we get either shops competing and dealing for work, OR the 50 backyard guys doing auto repair out of their driveways for $15/ hour. All about $$ in my opinion. Looking back this career path was not the smartest but those are the decisions we make I guess.