Still contemplating

[southoakjtw]

I have been on and off of this forum quite a few times over the last year. I have been contemplating buying a kit and jumping in for that long. I am really close, now tonight I log on and see a bunch of posts talking of how slow things are. No matter, I still think I will be jumping in within the next week or so. I want to get my kit purchased, and try my hand before I go for some training. I have been self employed for more than 10 years in the landscape industry, I will continue in that field for at least the short term. My goal is to have a mobile windshiled repair, pdr and detailing business. I am starting with the windshield repair.

I just wanted to put all that out there for comments. I have been prompted to write something the last couple times I logged on. Any advice or comments in general will be well received.

Thanks everyone!

[CONE OF SILENCE]

Well I guess the best thing to do when your "Contemplating" a new business is decide
what kind of support system is in place to help you when it gets tough going. Help with
advertising, help with finding leads, help with finding new reoccurring accounts, help with
procedures, help with technical questions, help with procuring quality tools and quality
supplies to do your chosen profession. To keep this “Response” shorter, another question
you want to get your teeth in, is this: “What do you think it would cost someone in
inventory, building/sales/warehouse space to startup a business that has the “Right Out Of
The Chute” potential of making you $35,000 - $70,000 a year. This business can do that,
and you can start part-time and make $200 week or go full time and there is not a ceiling
on what you can make. I need to shut this note down so I will close with this. “Don’t ask
someone who has quit this business how to do it; but find someone in this forum that has
made it work and will mentor you, and listen to their advice and take notes, and put action
to your dream”. "The world is full of “Contemplators”. I think your a “Do’er... Go Make
It Happen Today!

[southoakjtw]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. The low start up costs coupled with the earnings potential is one thing that attracts me. The other attraction is being close to the auto industry, I am a car nut, so getting to start something so close to the automotive industry is exciting. I know it can grow into so much more with the right efforts.

I am going to make the leap, and I will continue to read the threads on this forum and any other places I can find info. I will keep you posted how things go.

[harrellbenjamin]

Originally Posted by southoakjtw

Thanks for the words of encouragement. The low start up costs coupled with the earnings potential is one thing that attracts me. The other attraction is being close to the auto industry, I am a car nut, so getting to start something so close to the automotive industry is exciting. I know it can grow into so much more with the right efforts.

I am going to make the leap, and I will continue to read the threads on this forum and any other places I can find info. I will keep you posted how things go.

Just remember in this as in any other business you are going to have the people that could not make it in this or any other business for that matter.The people that make a good living don't have much time to worry about "how slow it is".They are on the street making money.JMO..........

Buy a used kit if investment is an issue.Get some training and practice .If you can't pay for the price of your kit just doing friends and others part time in one month there is a problem with something.Thats when its time to do a gut check.This is an easy business.Its the hardest thing to just get out and do it.

[S&W Glass Repair]

Just my opinion but here are few things that are important to me:

1) only use resins that are BSI or ANSI certified, you know that they make the grade. There are several companies that make these resins but many that don't. I only use the best resins, the cheap resins are used to lube my seals.

2) Patietance is a virtue in this business, quality repairs, especially tight star breaks may take longer so having more then 1 unit is a plus. I have 6 and am expanding to 10 for next year.

3) You've been self employed for 10 years, your doing something right, translating to the windshield repair business shouldn't be so hard coming from landscaping. I have always used the analogy that: If you can change the oil in your car I can train you to do glass repair. I have always considered glass repair an art, easy to learn, hard to master.

4) People will buy you, if your a people person everything else will fall into place, period. A good movie to watch is: The Pursuit of Happyness, as sales people we have all gone through bad times. For me it was becoming extremely cynical about people in general and that's not productive so after watching the movie I immediately realized some of the things I had been doing and corrected them which has helped me tremendously.

These are just my opinions, I have a very successful business but certainly don't know it all, I have learned from this forum and continue to read it on a regular basis. I'm sure somebody will disagree with me but again it's just my point of view. Good luck in your business and you can always contact me here.
Cheers,
Scott

[screenman]

If you do decide later on PDR be very careful where you spend your money on training. I would say along with many other that only 1 in every 200 or more people that pay for training at one of the big mills ever ends up earning a living from it. As for windshield repair if you have been thinking about it for 6 months you have missed out on that amount of time of learning, get out and do it.
But first get some training otherwise wyou may spend a lot of time practising the wrong way.

[Blind Squirrel]

After a Google search on "Johnson County", and clicking on Wikipedia, I find that it has a population of just over 500K, is the fastest growing in the state, and has the state's highest median income. It is also a suburb of the greater Kansas City area, which expands your marketing area considerably.

This is great, because my first concern before telling you to jump in with all 4 feet was that marketing strategy for windshield repair has many variables.

This means you can build a strong base of commercial accounts which you service on a periodic basis. It also means you have access to retail business.
The marketing perspectives for commercial vs retail are different and should be planned efficiently.

You said you want to add PDR to your service. Think carefully about this. windshield repair can be learned in a couple of weeks if you really focus on it. PDR takes at least 6 months of very intense training to become proficient and really make money. Depending on your growth plan, capital funding,and tolerance for dealing with personell issues, it can be a royal pain in the ass. Some people multi-task better than others, so again, think this over carefully.

As a company officer for a landscape service business for 10 years, you certainly know the value of a business plan. Of equal importance is the experience to know the value of seeking advice and mentoring.

Many of us repair only home based operators are loners by nature.

I failed twice in this business when trying to go full time and had to do it in my spare time as I gradually built up fleet accounts. I sought out and carefully evaluated every possible resource to help me learn what it took to make it to this point where I support my family well and have developed many valuable business relationships and great friends.

I occasionally remind myself that I have a job that I can't be fired or layed off from and can give myself a raise anytime I want.

On that note, I should mention that working this business as a "Mom-and-Pop" does have limitations. There is a finite level of productivity if you stay small. It is however an above average income. If you expand, again this depends on your management skills, goals, and tolerance for certain aspects.

I must mention and express gratitude to some of the people that have mentored me.
David Coit helped me to see that you really can go out, find a chipped windshield, and ask the owner of the car if they would like to have it repaired.
Mike Burstein helped me to understand the value of building and maintaining a customer base.
Eric Howe helped me to see the value of a professional presentation.
Kerry Wanstadt, Rory Most, Jeff Higgins, Brent Deines, Jim Pottorf, Mark Hullstrom, Rich Campfield, Jay Sampson, Heath Heine, all these people unselfishly gave their time and insights to helping me to grow.
And there are a few "nameless ones" that gave insight into how not to do things.
Thank you all!

[southoakjtw]

The response to my post last night about contemplating wr has been great. You guys really responded with some positive responses. I appreciate that. I am going to order my kit this evening, so I can start working at it. It seems that Delta is having a "boot camp" in Florida sometime in January. My goal is to attend that training session. I need to do some more checking, and get things finalized.

Thanks for the reply, it really helps keep me motivated. I will keep reading.

[Chips-B-Gone]

[quote=southoakjtw;27604] It seems that Delta is having a "boot camp" in Florida sometime in January. [quote]

There is also a training class in Eugene on Dec 14.. My tickets are bought and Paid for...I CAN't Wait!!!

[southoakjtw]

I had been thinking I would go to Eugene for training. Then I saw info for the Mobile Tech Expo, and thought that would be perfect; I will take my wife, and she can see what I am thinking for my new endeavor. I need to get my tickets bought and line up a hotel. I better get moving! My new Delta kit should be shipped tomorrow, I am excited to actually get my hands on it and start "hands on" learning. I will call around tomorrow and find a practice ws from a junk yard....I'm feeling good, moving forward.