Headlight Restoration - One man band or thriving team?

[Old Blue 66]

My HL operation is really coming along nicely. Dealer accounts are building faster than I had originally thought when I embarked on this three months ago. Im VERY satisfied with where I am and the money coming in. But Im always looking for more.

My question to forum members using HL's as a means of income and building a future business with a crew: Who has techs out in the field working with them? Is this something thats reality or this biz a one man band operation?

Im at a point where I could hire someone but this brings up many questions that are meant to be asked for another day.

[pommy]

My 2c...

It's a one-man-band.

Even training a young person, he/she would realize that they could do it themselves.

You could franchise, re-sell the kits and offer training to another area that's close to you?

Or, you could "sell" part of your already working area, with training and supply them consumables at cost plus 15% maybe?

Have a great day!

Pommy

[Eco Steam]

I think outside the box, I try not to let anything hold me back from being successful or growing my business. With that said, you have to ask yourself, "Am I ready to take on an employee" or "Am I ready to offer someone part of the money I currently bring in?" and it can go on from there. Simply ask yourself the important questions when making a decision like this.

I think these are a few of the things you have to consider when deciding:

Do I have enough consistent work coming in to justify hiring someone?

Can I afford to hire someone?

Does the area/town you live in have enough business to keep 2+ busy consistently?

What are my current advertising avenues?

Do I want to keep my biz small and local or go global?

Etc....

I respect anyones advice on the forum, and I try my best to not get sucked into negativity, with that said, this can be a 1 man show or 1000 location biz, but its up to you to make it happen, plain and simple.

ATX

[candyman]

Something else to think about> SS payments, workers comp, and soon, employee insurance requirements depending on number of employees. Hiden cost that come from your pocket, plus the cost of a CPA or EA for handling the paperwork unless you know enough about the law to do it

[pommy]

Im VERY satisfied with where I am and the money coming in. But Im always looking for more.

Bit of a contradiction there Paul

As Candy said, it can be a lot of extra pressure and $$$'s - so if you're quite happy with what's coming in - I'd be riding the wave for a while and enjoying it mate!

Cheers,

Pommy

[Old Blue 66]

Im VERY satisfied with where I am and the money coming in. But Im always looking for more.

Bit of a contradiction there Paul

As Candy said, it can be a lot of extra pressure and $$$'s - so if you're quite happy with what's coming in - I'd be riding the wave for a while and enjoying it mate!

Cheers,

Pommy

What I meant Pommy was that this early in the start of our company, we already have a lot of business. Weekly dealers to see and after a successful run in a home town festival with 11 appointment set to do work for retail customers, we are growing faster than I imagined when we were on the drawing board looking at this thing on paper. All of this means that this can be a legit biz (based on the huge response we have received from dealers and the public) and my intentions are to build a crew of HL techs.

I did hire a part time guy and we work very well as a team. The idea is that he can now help me do cars at a faster rate and that give me more time to hunt for new accounts. He takes one HL and I do the other - BAM! 15 minutes per car. I pay him hourly right now and he does great work. What I was looking for from this board is maybe some experienced guys who are doing the same thing. I want to make better decisions and could use some guidance.

[Old Blue 66]

Something else to think about> SS payments, workers comp, and soon, employee insurance requirements depending on number of employees. Hiden cost that come from your pocket, plus the cost of a CPA or EA for handling the paperwork unless you know enough about the law to do it

Yep, Ive done all of that. We have the workers comp and know how much we'll be paying into taxes. I realized that I need to raise HL restoration prices for dealers by $5/car to be in the profit area that I need.

[t4k]

Something else to think about> SS payments, workers comp, and soon, employee insurance requirements depending on number of employees. Hiden cost that come from your pocket, plus the cost of a CPA or EA for handling the paperwork unless you know enough about the law to do it

Yep, Ive done all of that. We have the workers comp and know how much we'll be paying into taxes. I realized that I need to raise HL restoration prices for dealers by $5/car to be in the profit area that I need.

Sounds like you are good to go!

[pommy]

Hi Paul,

I was just kidding around mate

I personally know from previous situations, apart from the costs involved - there's also a big trust issue with hiring staff too.

There's a similar thread on here about it right now.

Good luck!

Cheers,


Pommy

[ajaybutler]

When it comes down to a team,I would work out a percentage deal. 30%-40% because overhead is supplies and admin, insurance, and advertisement. But with that you can train and build your team successfully!