Low start up business ideas

[Coleman262]

crosseyedlion said:

Small update: it's all going well. Booked up until April 2020.

Having to relocate to the south east due to my other halfs new job next year, if anyone knows of any industrial premesis available...

Where in the south east are you heading? I’m in East Sussex and industrial stuff is big ££ or anything that isn’t doesn’t want anything to do with the motor trade, struggling to find anything for myself

[crosseyedlion]

Coleman262 said:

Where in the south east are you heading? I’m in East Sussex and industrial stuff is big ££ or anything that isn’t doesn’t want anything to do with the motor trade, struggling to find anything for myself

Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Sussex.

Big money and availability is a nightmare. Not so worried about the additional cost as I know I can get the work in and 75% of my customers travel up from around the m25.

[Gallons Per Mile]

Well done OP, this is a brilliant thread!

I guess your past experience has helped you a lot jumping straight in to being a mechanic as it sounds like you used to do that before anyway?

You sound like you're pretty good at running a business as well as doing the physical stuff and my bet would be that it's just as important as the actual jobs you're doing.

Inspiring stuff! Good luck with your move and please update us with your new premises and how it's all going

[48k]

crosseyedlion said:

Coleman262 said:

Where in the south east are you heading? I’m in East Sussex and industrial stuff is big ££ or anything that isn’t doesn’t want anything to do with the motor trade, struggling to find anything for myself

Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Sussex.

Big money and availability is a nightmare. Not so worried about the additional cost as I know I can get the work in and 75% of my customers travel up from around the m25.

Do some research in to the farms in the target locations - many by me (Buckinghamshire) have diversified and set up mini business parks on their land offering workshop and office space.

[SydneyBridge]

Would a unit at Bicester heritage be too pricey? Seems a great place to be based

[crosseyedlion]

SydneyBridge said:

Would a unit at Bicester heritage be too pricey? Seems a great place to be based

I'd be joining a long que!

[singlecoil]

Have you had a look at

https://propertylink.estatesgazette.com/

It's like Rightmove etc but for industrial properties

[crosseyedlion]

No premesis found as of yet.

But back to work for me. Time to get the workshop in order, make some efficiency improvements and keep making big steps towards a related but much more challenging startup in 2020!

Don't worry, this business isn't getting closed. I'll still need it to put food on the table for a good while yet!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

(and if just do it if you're thinking of going self employed. I'm happy to advise in private if anyone needs it)

[JulianPH]

crosseyedlion said:

No premesis found as of yet.

But back to work for me. Time to get the workshop in order, make some efficiency improvements and keep making big steps towards a related but much more challenging startup in 2020!

Don't worry, this business isn't getting closed. I'll still need it to put food on the table for a good while yet!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

(and if just do it if you're thinking of going self employed. I'm happy to advise in private if anyone needs it)

Such an inspiring and detailed thread that I had not come across before.

Merry Christmas (I might be a tad too late with that!) and a Happy New Year OP. A fantastic journey to read about with very valuable advice indeed for anyone looking to do the same.

[dsgrnmcm]

Brilliant thread!

Any further updates OP, did you complete the move?

[crosseyedlion]

dsgrnmcm said:

Brilliant thread!

Any further updates OP, did you complete the move?

Thanks! I've been waiting to see what happens to give you an update. However in summary, I found somewhere ideal near Horsham, got to the point of signing the lease - but backed out. We have bought a house in Surrey and are half moved in now, I have to finish up in Sheffield (probably about a months more work) but I still can't wait for the move.

The last 6 months have been a nightmare and the hardest I've ever had to work, just to keep my head above water (including my dog nearly dying, me narrowly avoiding hospital due to covid).

Here's why...(i've tried to organise it as there are a lot of factors)


Issues with the present setup:

Since taking on the workshop, I have been almost 100% doing body off chassis rebuilds on TVRs.

Whilst I love the cars this was never the intention. Its near impossible to find staff to grow the business and TVR's are an extremely difficult business proposition - the number of random difficulties in disassembly/assembly or faults that have no relation to the work carried out is always difficult to manage. Keeping vehicles to schedule is a nightmare and tons of hours go into them that you simply cant bill for.

I've always worked on the mantra 'choose your customers, not your business' - due to the roaring success of the TVR work I was quickly swamped. TVR owners are a broad church. Most of them are really very decent and nice, but there are a tiny minority that you could never imagine driving anything else. There are VERY few of these, but its a very close nit community and they all talk to each other.

I made the mistake on unwittingly taking on one of these customers who found a long list of issues after delivery, some simply fabricated. Smelling foul play I contacted businesses they previously had used, none of them would deal with them again. So I suggested an independent inspection, and they rejected this (twice).

Immediately a number of bookings vaporised. He has since contacted other customers and its generally made the last few months incredibly stressful (or added to it). It seems to be getting worse, as he's now telling outright lies about me on PH - which I can prove are false. However he's been clever in not naming me directly, the community know who did the work. Genuinely a factor in me throwing in the towel with the TVR community - it only takes 1 or 2 weirdos to have a huge effect on your business. Its not a market I want to be in any more. Lifes too short.


So the business needed to change:

I was quite happy with changing the business, and even had around 6 months of bookings in for when I moved to surrey this month (was supposed to) - however, the only suitable workshops where hard to find and an uplift of outgoings to £3-4k a month, this is before paying myself. Going into a period of immense uncertainty.

The bounce back loan scheme seemed ideal for my situation, as turnover is high and the costs of moving would be covered. However, I bank with Tide. Don't bank with Tide. They got approved for the scheme but then didn't offer any BBL's. The doors pretty much shut for all the other banks immediately. As such I never got one. I had managed to save up some funds and could just about do it.


A simpler life:

Working 7 days a week until 12pm (sometimes) isn't really a good long term situation. I want to go back to a low overhead business without so many unknowns and a larger market. I went self employed for more freedom in my time to work on personal projects, the focus has to be on them now (some REAL automotive engineering projects).

In short, going into a massive period of uncertainty whilst having to slightly reinvent the business and pedal significantly harder (4k a month going out for a 10 year lease!) just didn't make sense.

So i'm going to enjoy the security of my savings in the bank, my new home and start a new simpler business - maybe I should reread this thread from the beginning. I'm still going to be involved with cars though and there are some interesting things in the works.

I basically just need a few weeks off at home.

I'm very excited and optimistic for the future, lets see what happens....

Edited by crosseyedlion on Tuesday 25th August 20:35

[Gallons Per Mile]

Shocking behaviour from a certain TVR owner by the sounds of things. I'd be furious about that.

Good luck for the future!

[crosseyedlion]

Gallons Per Mile said:

Shocking behaviour from a certain TVR owner by the sounds of things. I'd be furious about that.

Good luck for the future!

There isn't a huge amount I can do unfortunately, as although he made it very clear where he was getting the work done at the time, he hasn't mentioned me or my business since, just 'the restorer' - being a prolific poster on here, he seems to see that as licence to make up or bend the truth to suit his agenda. He does this as he knows if he mentioned me directly, being untrue (I have evidence) he would be liable.

But, oh well - life goes on. Theres no point being angry about it for too long. I'm a great believer in karma.

This workshop had provided an income and I've learnt even more to carry forward into whatever it evolves into. I'll keep you all informed.

[Undirection]

Gallons Per Mile said:

Shocking behaviour from a certain TVR owner by the sounds of things. I'd be furious about that.

Good luck for the future!

Indeed! I've been part of lots of smallish car communities and businesses can be massively affected by just a random rumour. You're either the best thing since sliced bread or you shouldn't be touched with a bargepole. As you have found, a bad rep on a community can be nothing to do with you. Its really risky specialising in a particular brand but you can recover, just use forums and SM to show all the good work you are doing or have done, get testimonials from happy customers and eventually the said dhead will fade away.

[bltamil1]

crosseyedlion said:

There isn't a huge amount I can do unfortunately, as although he made it very clear where he was getting the work done at the time, he hasn't mentioned me or my business since, just 'the restorer' - being a prolific poster on here, he seems to see that as licence to make up or bend the truth to suit his agenda. He does this as he knows if he mentioned me directly, being untrue (I have evidence) he would be liable.

But, oh well - life goes on. Theres no point being angry about it for too long. I'm a great believer in karma.

This workshop had provided an income and I've learnt even more to carry forward into whatever it evolves into. I'll keep you all informed.

Hi, I’ve just stumbled upon this thread and read the last couple of pages. I should state straight away that I am not a lawyer, but I don’t think your TVR friend can claim innocence because he hasn’t specifically named you in his posts. If the subject of the posts (you) can be easily identified by the readership, I think that they are in dangerous territory. Might be worth speaking with an actual lawyer of course.

[spikeyhead]

bltamil1 said:

crosseyedlion said:

There isn't a huge amount I can do unfortunately, as although he made it very clear where he was getting the work done at the time, he hasn't mentioned me or my business since, just 'the restorer' - being a prolific poster on here, he seems to see that as licence to make up or bend the truth to suit his agenda. He does this as he knows if he mentioned me directly, being untrue (I have evidence) he would be liable.

But, oh well - life goes on. Theres no point being angry about it for too long. I'm a great believer in karma.

This workshop had provided an income and I've learnt even more to carry forward into whatever it evolves into. I'll keep you all informed.

Hi, I’ve just stumbled upon this thread and read the last couple of pages. I should state straight away that I am not a lawyer, but I don’t think your TVR friend can claim innocence because he hasn’t specifically named you in his posts. If the subject of the posts (you) can be easily identified by the readership, I think that they are in dangerous territory. Might be worth speaking with an actual lawyer of course.

If it's straightforward to work out who you are from their posts, they're liable, and as PH is the publisher then so are they.

I'd report the posts to the moderators and ask for all of them to be removed or you will be forced to seek legal action.

[crosseyedlion]

I'm not actually *that* bothered now. I'm certainly not interested in pursuing legal action, lifes too short. Although if he names me directly I'll absolutely pursue it as there would be no doubt.

I'm also not keen on getting posts removed, enough people have read them and knowing him he'll keep doing it online or in person (he has to other companies). If they're taken down I'll have no opportunity to reply should I absolutely have to and it looks like I have something to hide.

I'd rather just move on tbh. It's only a part of the reason for a change in direction. Not him personally, but the community. I was talking to a parts supplier a couple of months ago and they said they'd lost 7 tvr specialists in the last few years. As much as I adore the cars, and (I believe) do an excellent job. They're not an ideal business proposition

[Hoofy]

If you've done good work for others, they will no doubt tell everyone how good you are.

Similar happened to a garage near me and everyone else was singing their praises, it actually drowned out the complainer and made them look a bit silly.

[n3il123]

TBH it didn't take a lot to work out who it was and the guy comes across as a prize .

[Gallons Per Mile]

n3il123 said:

TBH it didn't take a lot to work out who it was and the guy comes across as a prize .

I might have had a look in the TVR area too... Thoughts echoed.