Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

  I`ve been an IT professional now for 29 years and no longer enjoy the work. Thanks to new laws, most of my time is spent on paperwork rather than addressing technical issues.

  I started fixing our cars and have helped several friend with brakes, exhaust and other repairs. I`ve found that I really like this line of work and have been thinking about opening a shop. The only concern I have is this would start as a part-time activity.

  I`d like to get opinions on whether you would go to a shop that was open only in the evenings and weekend days.

Thanks in advance.

Phil

Hi Phil
Perhaps maybe you should find a small local shop and maybe help them out part time.
You will find a bit different attitude of people that are not your friends and family.
If you just want to do it part time then perhaps your own garage and a few fixes here and there while you get the hang of things. check with your local zoning board on this and all local laws etc.


JM

If its just you running the shop you can do it part time (evenings and weekends) at home and make a lot of money. Just be careful of zoning laws and don` t keep a lot of cars in your driveway. Stay low key and you will stay busy. My brother in law does this and makes a ton of money.




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Get Out of Debt

I think if you make it very clear that you`re only open part time, I`d have no problem making an appointment. You might incentivize things with perhaps a lower price than surrounding shops.

Most people have a pretty clear understanding that the economy and corporate jobs are in trouble. They understand people are searching out ways to become self-employed. As such, most people will pretty quickly understand too that you`re starting a new business.

More important than part-time auto repair, I think would be to focus in on a niche. Merlin used to be a muffler and brake shop. Yes, they did other stuff, but they marketed to that niche. Now they`ve changed to the used-car maintenance niche (200,000 mile shop).

Can you extract a pattern of some sort that would be a niche in your area? If so, that may be another way to "excuse" the part-time hours. Around here, we have a shop exclusively devoted to antique cars. They`re open part-time, and it`s easy to understand why. Maybe something like that, where it`s a smaller niche than "every car on the road."

 

JM's idea is not bad. If you are avoiding taking risk then follow JM's suggestion. But since you are an IT professional, why don't you start an online auto parts store. Or give services to people at your place.

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Are you sure that's what you want to do? You might consider the idea of fixing what's wrong with your current situation before you launch into something completely different and potentially less lucrative. There will be plenty of issues which occur in the auto business once you get into it.

What about the online auto parts idea, and offer question and answer facilities. I came across a window cleaner who gives online tuition about how to clean windows, http://www.do-it-yourself-window-cleaning-tips.com/ - Who would have thought it. This site was built with SBI which I think is a great way to go.

If you absolutely positively have to do the auto thing, what about a mobile service so you can go to the customer by appointment?

 

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I think experience  is most important for repair auto engine and it is the one of the big question.

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