if u could own your own shop.....

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by Jmac Oops, I forgot about MTX ...

 

Anyways, Snova, you'd be carrying way too much product ... You'd go out of business so fast because you usually have to sell a quota and, with that many companies, you couldn't get anywhere close to yours even if your business were based in Mexico City, the people in Mexico were insanely rich, and there was a car audio craze in Mexico City ...

 

And taxes are insane in the US ? LOL, try living in Canada ...

lol, we'll, can't you tell I'm not a businessman?

For my truck, 1995 Pathfinder, I pay $3800/year insurance..I'm 18, almost 19, no tickets, no accidents- and that was the cheapest I could get around here- that's how bad it is //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[andy00018 10+ year member]

Originally posted by snova031 lol, we'll, can't you tell I'm not a businessman?

 

For my truck, 1995 Pathfinder, I pay $3800/year insurance..I'm 18, almost 19, no tickets, no accidents- and that was the cheapest I could get around here- that's how bad it is //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Well no "Reported" accidents!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

Well, I should of said insurance too //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif...

but I'm not talking border and import/export taxes and such...I mean property taxes and such...they are crazy here...

Plus, a house from my area averages probably well over $300,000....they would sell in any other state for probably half of that...it's just pathetic here...

 

[b0mbrman 10+ year member]

Originally posted by nswartley b0mbrman you live in SF? im down in los gatos...and if you know about los gatos then you know about los gatos //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif its near san jose

 

-nate

I actually live in Berkeley (for about one more week)
I've been down to Los Gatos though and I'll probably head back to visit a friend before I leave town...

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

If I could have my own shop, I'd hire a few people from this forum, no cert/resume needed.

Dealership can come later. Distributors are always around.

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by b0mbrman I actually live in Berkeley (for about one more week)

 

I've been down to Los Gatos though and I'll probably head back to visit a friend before I leave town...

maybe i know your friend //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

actually probably not, seeing as how i'm still in high school. are you attending college? or are you older than that? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

-nate

 

[musclehead 10+ year member]

if i had my own shop i would carry middle grade popular stuff and one or two flagship products

i would hire ALL KINDS of people. i say this because here in the midwest, its kind of prejudice. especially in the car audio business. im not saying just because i may have been discriminated against or turned down for employment at a shop, but because its true. please dont have a one track mind folks. im not just talking about race. sorry i know thats a contreversial topic. if a person is good at what he is hire to do, it should be all good. i wouldnt trip if he or she is overweight, black, white or blue. from my experience, it seems like alot of the guys at many shops come across as arrogant. its like, i work here (at the shop) and now im cool. knowing that there self-esteem is lower than the grand canyon (way off the subject). i would push a friendly, straight-forward, no bs sales approach. and keep my team of employees diverse.

 

[hihoslva 10+ year member]

Originally posted by b0mbrman I'm sure the people in your town would love if there was a store with all the high-end brands and with a good demo section so that they could hear everything set up correctly and decide what they wanted...and then order it online at a price you could never match //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

Not necessarily. Plenty of people will pay retail, because you get a warranty. And plenty of people do not have the time nor the inclination or skills to do their own installs. And they don't care to learn. If everyone did their own, why would ANY shop stay in business? I've done a few installs for people who are amazed that I can rip a dash apart, throw the kit together and wire up a deck in 30 minutes. To most of us, that's no great feat. But to these people, it would be worth whatever I would charge them (though it's always freinds and whatnot, so beer and being the go-fer ("grab that wire stripper, would ya'?") is payment enough).

If you own a store, you can carry mainstream stuff (plus some high-end things) or do ONLY high end. To carry only high-end stuff, you have to be the BEST to make any money at all.

In order to be consistently successful, you need to cater to everyone, IMHO. I mean, many people who just want a little thump aren't going to spend $350 for a sub they never heard of, no matter how good it is (*cough* Brahma *cough*). People will come into a shop and want a good value. And if they recognize the Sony name, and that's what they want, then that's what they get. An honest businessman will tell them what they can expect out of their system, and provide that. Not talk crap about a brand, but explain what the advantages of one product are versus another, and allow a customer to make an informed decision.

And any shop that does "free" installs is not doing them for free. The profit has to come from somewhere - usually by a well-marked-up product price.

Business is business. You get in it to make money. Plenty of people make money dishonestly. But the real good businesspeople, who stay in it for the long haul, make money by being GOOD at what they do, and treating the customer with respect. And such sevices carry a premium price.

I'm good at what I do for a living (not car audio) and get paid well to do it. Plenty of people could do what I do for less money. But I get paid well, because I do a quality job. It's no different from good lawyers, doctors, accountants, carpenters, etc. You want good work, you pay a premium for it.

~HH

 

[Tek 10+ year member]

I think you guys are forgetting to put JL on your lists of brands. I was talking a local shop owner and he said they can get 10 different sub brands, but 80% of the people who come in there want JL.

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by Tek I think you guys are forgetting to put JL on your lists of brands. I was talking a local shop owner and he said they can get 10 different sub brands, but 80% of the people who come in there want JL.

I think several people mentioned JL...

back here in Korea, if you odn't carry Zapco and Treo, you're out of the game...

 

[Steven Kephart 10+ year member]

Being an installer at a shop, I've seen what it takes to start and run a stereo shop. You can't have all the really high end brands. First of all, a lot of brands won't let you have their line if another local shop already has it. They don't want to compete with themselves. Plus most of the higher end brands require a buy in. So every company will require you to purchase $5k of merchandise to set up an account with them, and then they require you to buy a certain amount per year. It always takes a couple years before your business get's its name out and you start becoming busy. So it would be virtually impossible to have the high end brands at first.

Ok, so now you have all the brands you wanted. Now you need connectors, kits, harnesses, tools, display boards, wire, etc. The connectors/kits/harnesses/wire although really cheap to buy on their own, really add up fast. I think my boss spent about $5k on just that stuff when we first moved into car audio. The display boards and switching for them can really be expensive. The really cool custom ones can get up to $80k really fast.

One thing I have found out is that the most money is in alarms. We price our alarms under the other shops, so we sell quite a few of them. And as long as you find a good brand that isn't overpriced (dei, Clifford, etc.) you can make some decent money. Next is from doing basic installs. Custom stuff is more fun, but you just don't make any money at it.

As you can see, it is very expensive to start a car stereo shop. I highly recomend that you guys work at one first, so you know what you are getting into.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Good advice Steve.

I started an electronics repair shop when I got out of college. Me and my best buddy. When we moved up to stereo sales, it was still the repair business that drew people in to the shop. Basically, we offered something that the local competition didn't have - high level technical knowledge. We also subcontracted with all the Radio Shack's in our area to do their installs for CB radios and car stereo. But when the big corporate electronics companies came onto the scene, we went under. It's a tough business.

Part of your business will be fixing other peoples' mistakes. That's where you get a reputation. You'd best learn how to fix alternator whine...

You also need to know when someone is wasting your time and have the savvy to tell them to get lost. I used to have guys come to the shop with coffee and donuts in the morning, and hang around all day BS'ing. Don't make any money that way. And don't even think of starting your own business if you smoke weed...

 

[wesleysh 10+ year member]

I know there are a few businesses I could make money at, a local shop is not one of them. Maybe online, but I think I've always known that I bring nothing special to the audio game that's going to set me apart. So I answered for the fun of it, not because I actually want my own shop. Getting into the audio game is like getting into the music or movie industry. What do you want to do, meaningful stuff that will put you out of the game or a bunch of crap that everyone likes and make tons of money.

 

[i3abyjay25 10+ year member]

my shop would be great.. it would be outside.. and i would sell stuff like legacys and pyle. and sony X plode.. and maybe a few refurbs... and some blown and used subs... that would be great.. and i would call it Swap-meat Specials...

 

[crhye250r 10+ year member]

Steven,

I am an installer at a shop as well. We do lots of custom work, as well as lots of basic installs. I understand your comments fully. We charge 55/hr for custom labor...thats not nearly enough.. I am attatching a picture of the last custom install we just finished in a Lexus IS300. The shop i work at is called Dr. Dashboard. (http://www.drdashboard.com/). We are the only JL dealer in evansville...because JL only authorizes one dealer for that city. We have a huge demand for JL and kicker, but we also sell lots of memphis, pioneer, and Kenwood. My least favorite part of installing there, is we do some installs of product the customers bring in.. And to say the least its a pain in the ass. For instance today, i installed two Pyramid "Hyper Pro" twelves and a Boss amp in a 85 Ford LTD. I could have thrown up. But..thats part of the job. It was fun working on the lexus though...You just take the bad with the good. Well heres the pic of the lexus. I have more pics if anyone would like to see...Trust me...its worth taking a look at..