Thread: Thinking about opening a small engine shop.

Wahoo? Wahoo?.... I live right up the road in the big city of Morse Bluff, Give me a shout via private e-mail and we'll duscuss this a little further.. gary

If you think you can do it...you probably can. Go for it! My advice, like others said, start small and grow big, don't start big and go broke.

Yeah, some of these guys are a tad negative. Go for it! I had to, no one in their right mind would hire me......

Originally Posted by Edge & Engine

If you think you can do it...you probably can. Go for it! My advice, like others said, start small and grow big, don't start big and go broke.

i second that kyle and his family been in business the same time i have so have others so learn from the old guys opps i dont mean old as in age i mean old as being in the business for a long time frame

the way this economy is going its going to get tough so hang on i know i myself have been forced to bankruptcy so but at least my attorney said i can restart again in the same business so that is good news at least i wont have to worry about all the doctor bills etc.


and credit cards

try to stay clear of them if you can them companys will sock you dry instantly

calvin
if you need any advice on things just ask

Actually, on the credit cards, they will turn you over to a collection company, and they will immediately settle for half or better.

The longer you put them off, the better the deal they will cut you.

I mean, I only know this from other people.....................Not me.............

Screw the doctors................... They are vultures.......

Adam, best of luck to you - I hope you can make it there, 4000 is a pretty small town. Todays 'throw-away' society can be tough, people would rather buy a new 99.00 widjit than get their old one fixed for 50.00. In high school I worked at the local L&G shop, winters were tough, no one fixes stuff 'till they need it, then they want it yesterday. Good luck -

Geez, I just read my reply. I need to go slower so I get my words right. People THROW away stuff now. Anyway, I started my business small with hardly any capital and grew it to the point I could have matched my take home pay from my real job. Problem was I didn't have benefits without my real job. Don't ever forget, SERVICE sells. You mentioned a reason for doing this is the other guy has bad service. My quote on my invoices read " If you like my service please tell someone else. If you don't, please tell me". It works! You don't have to be franchised to work on big name brand stuff but you need to be able to buy parts. Also, some companies dictate inventory and amount of service work you do just to be "certified". If you feel more comfortable starting small that is what you should do. It is your turn to call the shots but you will have no one to blame but yourself if you call it wrong.

Dennis

Originally Posted by 1stmale

I think I will start by just doing saw and chain maintenance. I will also do lawn mower sharpening and maintenance. Are there any buying groups that I can use to get chain and parts?

i can probily see what i can do i know my prices for 91vx039g 3/8" low pro oregon chain i charge $ 7.99 each my goal after i rename myself and all i am going to become a McCulloch superstore Homelite super store Poulan superstore and then i will have the oregon and rotary and stens parts cause i have certain dealers around me in a 300 mile radius that are saving there mac homelite poulan inventory for me
till i get renamed that way i am in the clear and all



but i am putting everything on hold till after i see what happens when the trustee comes here if he dont take the old inventory then im blessed cause that is how i will make my living cause the prices on it will be reasonable

i have mac oil pumps on my store and alot of other mac parts i just added so far has 70 some parts on the mac catalog

so i am going to be adding more as time presses

keep your chin up if you cannot find a distributor let me know i may be able to set you up a discount rate for parts since you will be a small engine shop

would you believe i have about 15- 25 dealers who order from me

cause of the items that are nos
take care
calvin


if you plan on working on Echo units i am trying to get rid of these echo parts i have cause i want to totally get away from that product line so keep your eyes on estay lol ebay cause i will be posting that complete lot

Yes, Briggs, Kohler, and Tecumseh have been getting quite "uppitty" about
their dealer requirements, to say the least. The warranty "factor" is
inconsequential", as warranty work is a pain at best. Those companies
require a lot of startup bucks, and can drain you quickly.

I would go for Stihl first, screw the rest, the others will court you later.

Quote me on that, if anything......... But if you P.M. me, I still will be helpful.

Originally Posted by Dennis1960

Geez, I just read my reply. I need to go slower so I get my words right. People THROW away stuff now. Anyway, I started my business small with hardly any capital and grew it to the point I could have matched my take home pay from my real job. Problem was I didn't have benefits without my real job. Don't ever forget, SERVICE sells. You mentioned a reason for doing this is the other guy has bad service. My quote on my invoices read " If you like my service please tell someone else. If you don't, please tell me". It works! You don't have to be franchised to work on big name brand stuff but you need to be able to buy parts. Also, some companies dictate inventory and amount of service work you do just to be "certified". If you feel more comfortable starting small that is what you should do. It is your turn to call the shots but you will have no one to blame but yourself if you call it wrong.

Dennis

dennis this may be a good example of excellent service


http://www.cmsmallengines.net/index....thread_id=3372

Originally Posted by Fish

Yes, Briggs, Kohler, and Tecumseh have been getting quite "uppitty" about
their dealer requirements, to say the least. The warranty "factor" is
inconsequential", as warranty work is a pain at best. Those companies
require a lot of startup bucks, and can drain you quickly.

I would go for Stihl first, screw the rest, the others will court you later.

Quote me on that, if anything......... But if you P.M. me, I still will be helpful.

not to mention mtd fish they require you to be briggs kohler tecumseh and hydra gear certified
after adding all them figures up woah is all i have to say

thats why after 20 years im still not a mtd dealer


but yet i still get the dealer pricing

Calvin,
Yes, that is what I am talking about. You have been there and know what I mean.

Dennis

Originally Posted by Mike Van

Adam, best of luck to you - I hope you can make it there, 4000 is a pretty small town. Todays 'throw-away' society can be tough, people would rather buy a new 99.00 widjit than get their old one fixed for 50.00. In high school I worked at the local L&G shop, winters were tough, no one fixes stuff 'till they need it, then they want it yesterday. Good luck -

Small town...lol. Our town has around 750 people in it.

Originally Posted by Crofter

Unless you have a fair chunk of capital or a good line of credit you will not have a setup that will give good service either. Unless your business fills a demand that is not presently being met, you will be fighting for a portion of the existing business. One thing to know is a given that amongst the first customers you will get is the ones the competition considers deadbeats. If the other shop genuinely has poor management you might be able to take advantage of the situation but it is easy to misjudge the real cost of doing business to arrive at proper markups. Inventory is expensive to support. If you are doing it just for the fun of it, it will get old quick. Get some good financial advice and be aware of the amount of thankless paper work that is involved with a business. A lot of people that are mechanically inclined are not the best paper pushers or customer relations. It is possible to be the Jack of All but often there are some hats that Jack does not wear well.

Size it up well, but be cautious; make sure you are not wearing rose tinted sunglasses.

Sad but well put and very true...