what would you do at my age?
Discussion
Hey all,
Please excuse the newbie status, I've been lurking here for a while but only just decided to sign up after seeing all the help and advice that's available on here!
Basically I'm after a bit of advise as to what direction to go in.
I'm turning 21 on monday and over the last year I've really been struggling to decide what to do with my life. I got straight A's at school, went to Art college studying 3D design, then Uni to do product design. Completed the first year but really couldn't take anymore - I hadn't learnt anything I didn't do at college and I had no opportunity to expand on that - also seeing the final year students work that wasn't significantly more advanced than my own, with them graduating and ending up working retail in the local high street (I don't recall a single person continuing in the design industry other than to do more education) I decided I really was wasting my time there.
I took a gap year and started working full time at my local ice rink (I'd been working there part time for 2 years already) where I took over as the Plant Technician and helping with the general maintenance of the building, as well as the usual hockey coaching that I'd been doing part time. A full year has gone past now and I'm no closer to deciding what to do with myself.
I currently make carbon fibre and fibreglass parts for cars (mainly kit cars and elise/exiges) and I earn good money doing so. I have also started doing carbon overlays which is proving very, very popular and has a huge mark up. I never advertise this work it all comes through friends. I love the work and it pays very very well. I think if I actually advertised my services I could probably run this as a small business rather than a hobby but I really don't know where to start!
Other than that I am a natural designer. I love art and contemporary furniture design and I had a lot of interest in my work while at Uni, but no means of producing my work in any real volumes. I would love to produce my own pieces of furniture and even some more artistic pieces, but I'm not sure how much of an income this would produce.
My real passion is cars (obviously - the reason I'm on this forum!) I am getting more and more involved with a certain kit car manufacturer that is about to release something pretty special, and after seeing what was involved I would love to produce my own designs from scratch and eventually have my own company producing my own cars - more than likely low volume cars rather than the actual kits. This takes a huge investment though and I cannot see me having the money to do this anytime soon!
I have also considered learning to spray, do airbrushing, or just do smart repair stuff - but all this seems to be is just a 'job'. I don't want just an average 'job' with an average salary. I want to do something I love doing, or at least something I enjoy that pays very well!
In the long term I'd love to have my fingers in a lot of pies - so to speak, and I want to be running at least one of my own businesses by the time I'm 30.
When I have the financial means to do so I would love to pursue my dream path in property development (new builds not just redecorating run down places!) but before anyone says it, the whole architecture route doesn't interest me, I love the design side of things rather than the technical aspect.
I know it's a bit of an essay but I'm really interested to know what you would do in my shoes, particularly from the point of view of successful businessmen with a lot of experience.
if you could go back in time, what would you do at my age?
Please excuse the newbie status, I've been lurking here for a while but only just decided to sign up after seeing all the help and advice that's available on here!
Basically I'm after a bit of advise as to what direction to go in.
I'm turning 21 on monday and over the last year I've really been struggling to decide what to do with my life. I got straight A's at school, went to Art college studying 3D design, then Uni to do product design. Completed the first year but really couldn't take anymore - I hadn't learnt anything I didn't do at college and I had no opportunity to expand on that - also seeing the final year students work that wasn't significantly more advanced than my own, with them graduating and ending up working retail in the local high street (I don't recall a single person continuing in the design industry other than to do more education) I decided I really was wasting my time there.
I took a gap year and started working full time at my local ice rink (I'd been working there part time for 2 years already) where I took over as the Plant Technician and helping with the general maintenance of the building, as well as the usual hockey coaching that I'd been doing part time. A full year has gone past now and I'm no closer to deciding what to do with myself.
I currently make carbon fibre and fibreglass parts for cars (mainly kit cars and elise/exiges) and I earn good money doing so. I have also started doing carbon overlays which is proving very, very popular and has a huge mark up. I never advertise this work it all comes through friends. I love the work and it pays very very well. I think if I actually advertised my services I could probably run this as a small business rather than a hobby but I really don't know where to start!
Other than that I am a natural designer. I love art and contemporary furniture design and I had a lot of interest in my work while at Uni, but no means of producing my work in any real volumes. I would love to produce my own pieces of furniture and even some more artistic pieces, but I'm not sure how much of an income this would produce.
My real passion is cars (obviously - the reason I'm on this forum!) I am getting more and more involved with a certain kit car manufacturer that is about to release something pretty special, and after seeing what was involved I would love to produce my own designs from scratch and eventually have my own company producing my own cars - more than likely low volume cars rather than the actual kits. This takes a huge investment though and I cannot see me having the money to do this anytime soon!
I have also considered learning to spray, do airbrushing, or just do smart repair stuff - but all this seems to be is just a 'job'. I don't want just an average 'job' with an average salary. I want to do something I love doing, or at least something I enjoy that pays very well!
In the long term I'd love to have my fingers in a lot of pies - so to speak, and I want to be running at least one of my own businesses by the time I'm 30.
When I have the financial means to do so I would love to pursue my dream path in property development (new builds not just redecorating run down places!) but before anyone says it, the whole architecture route doesn't interest me, I love the design side of things rather than the technical aspect.
I know it's a bit of an essay but I'm really interested to know what you would do in my shoes, particularly from the point of view of successful businessmen with a lot of experience.
if you could go back in time, what would you do at my age?
... after working with the plumbing contractors and sparkys at work - no chance! It's really not my cup of tea. I can certainly see the financial rewards from it but to me it's just a 'job'. There's no passion involved. I'd rather work for peanuts doing something I love than earn a decent-ish wage doing something that mundane (no offence to any plumbers on here!)
whilst you seem multi talented and multi skilled i would concentrate on one area. if you seem to be doing well in carbon fibre parts why not advertise and grow this into a viable business?
how about making one off pieces of furniture in carbon fibre? is that viable? most importantly do what you enjoy doing the most.
how about making one off pieces of furniture in carbon fibre? is that viable? most importantly do what you enjoy doing the most.
That is what I'm trying to achieve with this thread. Hopefully someone with insight in the industries can point me in the right direction or tell me not to bother with a certain route.
The carbon furniture is something I'm already working on actually. It's just difficult getting the sales without expensive advertising!
By the way, anyone with a 'SMEG' fridge that wants it wrapped in carbon? I will do it for free as long as you're happy for me to use the pics
The carbon furniture is something I'm already working on actually. It's just difficult getting the sales without expensive advertising!
By the way, anyone with a 'SMEG' fridge that wants it wrapped in carbon? I will do it for free as long as you're happy for me to use the pics
dazm said:
I want to be running at least one of my own businesses by the time I'm 30.
Well, it seems like you already are!Why don't you develop your carbon stuff into something even bigger. There are plenty of car forums out there and it doesn't take much for word of mouth to spread. I bet you know someone who does websites. Offer him/her a percentage of what you make to set up and run a good site for you.
What about drop-in interior trim for cars? Look at BMW, Audi etc plastic interior trims, and just make replacements. Race teams? Bicycle enthusiasts? Car modders ? Bespoke furniture?
dazm said:
I love the work and it pays very very well.
To be honest most people in life would never be able to say that about their jobs - it's often one or the other - or sometimes, neither. Be thankful for this and make as much of the business as you can.Edited by john_p on Friday 2nd October 14:52
Thanks for all the replies, it seems you're all pretty much pointing me in the direction I was already heading by expanding my carbon work. The only thing I am concerned with is that the market could already be saturated, hence the reason I am starting to look at doing overlays more and more - the only competition would be from a company in Singapore, although they may be able to beat me on price (unlikely at this stage with my very low overheads) I think a lot of people would prefer to deal with someone closer to home.
I do need to get a website up really (any web designers here that can do something for a reasonable price?), and then I'll have to do the whole accounts thing and look into the tax issues. I've always been PAYE so I'm really struggling with setting up something from scratch - I think that's the reason I haven't taken it any further than a hobby until now...
As for the comments on getting into a design studio; have you ever tried doing it without completing the degree? They won't even look at you unless you're a graduate. Very frustrating when you know your work is well above par. I would have loved to have done this as soon as I'd finished Uni but now I've kind of got my heart set on going it alone, working for someone else will never allow me to enjoy my work and have the free time to pursue my other interests
I do need to get a website up really (any web designers here that can do something for a reasonable price?), and then I'll have to do the whole accounts thing and look into the tax issues. I've always been PAYE so I'm really struggling with setting up something from scratch - I think that's the reason I haven't taken it any further than a hobby until now...
As for the comments on getting into a design studio; have you ever tried doing it without completing the degree? They won't even look at you unless you're a graduate. Very frustrating when you know your work is well above par. I would have loved to have done this as soon as I'd finished Uni but now I've kind of got my heart set on going it alone, working for someone else will never allow me to enjoy my work and have the free time to pursue my other interests
i'm not a designer so wouldn't know the hoops to jump through but i'd have hoped that an art school background and some talent would get your foot in the door of a company. talent is everything in that line of work, people insisting on a couple of letter after your name have their head up their arse.
one other thing to remember is that if you run a legit business you also need legit copies/licenses of any software you intend to use. not sure what you do use but it could get expensive quickly.
forgive my not being arsed to google, but what is a carbon overlay?
also, where in the country are you? i might have something of interest.
one other thing to remember is that if you run a legit business you also need legit copies/licenses of any software you intend to use. not sure what you do use but it could get expensive quickly.
forgive my not being arsed to google, but what is a carbon overlay?
also, where in the country are you? i might have something of interest.
I'm down in Kent.
What kind of software are you on about; Photoshop, AutoCAD kind of thing? If so no worries, I'm not hugely into digital design, most of my art/design work is done on paper and made by myself. Any laser cutting, CNC or 3D design work is usually outsourced completely so I doubt I'll ever need to use software like that. But as you mention there are a couple of things like that which could put my overheads up very quickly and I'm sure someone else will be along soon to give me some advice on how to go about setting up as a legitimate business...
Carbon overlay is basically when you 'wrap' a part in genuine carbon to make it look like a full carbon piece (nothing like the nasty vinyl stuff!)
No doubt this will open a whole can of worms regarding the point of it, when the whole point of carbon is to save weight, so lets just say this:
At the end of the day 95% of what I do is interior based and even if i do a whole dash board, centre console, door cards, etc. the added weight will be negligible. By doing exactly the same thing but using brand new pure carbon parts will save very little compared to the original plastics that are used, and will involve a whole load of fitment issues. Overlaid parts simple pop back into place and look a million times better than what they started as. People buy my stuff for the looks, and given that it can save them thousands of £'s I can see why. Using full carbon parts will easily cost 10x more than overlaying the original parts, and the weight saving on interior pieces really doesn't justify the massive expense unless you have an ultra lightweight race car, in which case you won't even be looking at thing's to make it look pretty, you'll be looking at what parts you can get rid of to save more weight!
What kind of software are you on about; Photoshop, AutoCAD kind of thing? If so no worries, I'm not hugely into digital design, most of my art/design work is done on paper and made by myself. Any laser cutting, CNC or 3D design work is usually outsourced completely so I doubt I'll ever need to use software like that. But as you mention there are a couple of things like that which could put my overheads up very quickly and I'm sure someone else will be along soon to give me some advice on how to go about setting up as a legitimate business...
Carbon overlay is basically when you 'wrap' a part in genuine carbon to make it look like a full carbon piece (nothing like the nasty vinyl stuff!)
No doubt this will open a whole can of worms regarding the point of it, when the whole point of carbon is to save weight, so lets just say this:
At the end of the day 95% of what I do is interior based and even if i do a whole dash board, centre console, door cards, etc. the added weight will be negligible. By doing exactly the same thing but using brand new pure carbon parts will save very little compared to the original plastics that are used, and will involve a whole load of fitment issues. Overlaid parts simple pop back into place and look a million times better than what they started as. People buy my stuff for the looks, and given that it can save them thousands of £'s I can see why. Using full carbon parts will easily cost 10x more than overlaying the original parts, and the weight saving on interior pieces really doesn't justify the massive expense unless you have an ultra lightweight race car, in which case you won't even be looking at thing's to make it look pretty, you'll be looking at what parts you can get rid of to save more weight!
if you're the one making money off it, who cares if it saves weight.
google seems to be all about DIY carbon wraps. there must be easy money to be made from the maxy p crowd. i might start hawking outside halfords!
you're south, but the wrong side. a friend has recently started a fashion based consultancy but it looking for creative/art talent. wouldn't be a bad idea to take a leaf out of her book as her main line is consultancy but hires out sketching/visualisation services to keep the money coming in.
google seems to be all about DIY carbon wraps. there must be easy money to be made from the maxy p crowd. i might start hawking outside halfords!
you're south, but the wrong side. a friend has recently started a fashion based consultancy but it looking for creative/art talent. wouldn't be a bad idea to take a leaf out of her book as her main line is consultancy but hires out sketching/visualisation services to keep the money coming in.
If you're considering setting up a business at 21 you could do worse than to speak to someone from your local business link group and also have a look at what help the Princes Trust can offer you. This help can be valuable as it will give you guidance in everything from how to register and as what (e.g. sole trader or ltd company) also it will help you getting a business plan together to secure any investment you need and to help you grow the business sucessfully. The Princes Trust may also be able to support you with a small amount of funding, there are also a lot of places that offer low cost rental for start ups and young companies.
Good luck
Good luck
Shirt - I know I know, It's just that the whole overlay thing often gets a lot of stick because it's essentially fake carbon parts (despite using real carbon!)
The wraps you see out there at the moment are all vinyl or other imitation carbon and basically they all look crap. I have yet to find anything that can pass off as the real thing. There is certainly a market for this vinyl crap so if I can offer something a whole lot better for not much more money I think it could run as a business, however I am concerned that it is not really scalable in any way. I don't want to be doing it forever, I want to do this to raise capital to fund bigger and better things.
As for the consultancy stuff, I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to getting involved with something like that!
Chris_w666 - Thanks for the advice, I thought the Princes Trust was all under 19's only, I'll definitely be looking into them. Already spoken to the local business link and got all the help I can from them, but as I'm unsure what I really want to focus on I can't really push anything yet. It's ok being a jack of all trades but i'd rather be a master of one...
jdw1234 - £400 is a lot of money for just a couple of bits of carbon, you should have come to me first!
DonnyMac - email sent.
EINSIGN - You're talking about water transfer printing. I looked into that a few years ago while doing something at college, it's incredibly expensive to start up purely because of the equipment costs, and it's really not as simple as it looks, but it certainly can produce some good effects when you do it right! It wouldn't be something I'd be interested in getting involved in though.
Looks like I'm going to be turning the carbon stuff into a business to fund my design work, I kind of knew it all along but it's really helped having other peoples' thoughts and advice - thanks everyone (keep it coming though!)
The wraps you see out there at the moment are all vinyl or other imitation carbon and basically they all look crap. I have yet to find anything that can pass off as the real thing. There is certainly a market for this vinyl crap so if I can offer something a whole lot better for not much more money I think it could run as a business, however I am concerned that it is not really scalable in any way. I don't want to be doing it forever, I want to do this to raise capital to fund bigger and better things.
As for the consultancy stuff, I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to getting involved with something like that!
Chris_w666 - Thanks for the advice, I thought the Princes Trust was all under 19's only, I'll definitely be looking into them. Already spoken to the local business link and got all the help I can from them, but as I'm unsure what I really want to focus on I can't really push anything yet. It's ok being a jack of all trades but i'd rather be a master of one...
jdw1234 - £400 is a lot of money for just a couple of bits of carbon, you should have come to me first!
DonnyMac - email sent.
EINSIGN - You're talking about water transfer printing. I looked into that a few years ago while doing something at college, it's incredibly expensive to start up purely because of the equipment costs, and it's really not as simple as it looks, but it certainly can produce some good effects when you do it right! It wouldn't be something I'd be interested in getting involved in though.
Looks like I'm going to be turning the carbon stuff into a business to fund my design work, I kind of knew it all along but it's really helped having other peoples' thoughts and advice - thanks everyone (keep it coming though!)
dazm said:
I thought the Princes Trust was all under 19's only, I'll definitely be looking into them.
Nope their business programme http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/need_help/the_busi... offers help until you are 30, you might qualify for funding but if not the other stuff is worth the effort getting in touch. Sounds to me like you are doing very well anyway, but at your age and relative lack of experience of the big wide world it's an easy trap to fall into thinking that there's somthing not quite right, or maybe you should be doing somthing else with your life.
I'd have a long think - and try to develop some depth of awareness of the relatively fortunate situation you are in and the talents that you have. Once you have done this it'll probrably become clear which opportunities you are best exploiting.
Remember the real goal in life is peace of mind. Out of all the things you do what makes you happy?
I'd have a long think - and try to develop some depth of awareness of the relatively fortunate situation you are in and the talents that you have. Once you have done this it'll probrably become clear which opportunities you are best exploiting.
Remember the real goal in life is peace of mind. Out of all the things you do what makes you happy?
dazm said:
As for the comments on getting into a design studio; have you ever tried doing it without completing the degree? They won't even look at you unless you're a graduate. Very frustrating when you know your work is well above par. I would have loved to have done this as soon as I'd finished Uni but now I've kind of got my heart set on going it alone, working for someone else will never allow me to enjoy my work and have the free time to pursue my other interests
How are you applying?If you are going through the paperwork/standard application route then I can understand that. Have you tried the application as marketing campaign route?
Agree with the last poster, if you've got a decent portfolio to show then you can use that to your advantage. Unsurprisingly design folk tend to like to have something they can see.
As an aside, you'll need to be careful in explaining why you didn't finish your degree. There is a slight danger that if you put it across in similar way to you have in the OP, you could come across as arrogant. It's good to have confidence in your abilities though.
Good luck.
As an aside, you'll need to be careful in explaining why you didn't finish your degree. There is a slight danger that if you put it across in similar way to you have in the OP, you could come across as arrogant. It's good to have confidence in your abilities though.
Good luck.
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