knocking it on the head
- Thread starter woolfy
- Start date
Good, fair assessment there Woolfy. Running a business is a ball ache at the best of times, dealing with invoicing, chasing payments etc being the worst of it. There is a fine line between success and Failure stress! Failure is too strong a word, you've not failed but you have been bogged down by it. You've had to build up as you went along, not easy especially relying on cash flow.
Enjoy the break and reconsider as and when
Jon&Cara
Enjoy the break and reconsider as and when
Jon&Cara
the maidstone is now sat where the Dog was - we pushed it in yesterday. I think you should keep things ticking over with work on other classics - even if there is competition elsewhere, the bodywork on the Dog is spot on - no-one can deny your ability's, I would suggest less vehicles, concentrating on getting them turned round quicker - problem with that however is when people can only pay so much a month, so it is difficult - maybe you need to be a bit firmer with the owners who have treated your workshop as cheap storage. I wish i had a foolproof answer - and I hope photos of the Dog will serve as a good advertisement
The Dog is home....
http:www.singleusemedical.co.uk
my new business
The Dog is home....
http:www.singleusemedical.co.uk
my new business
correct colin that is vera, this is one of the last vans im going to finish that i mentioned about, i have been working on the timber framing in the back of the van for the last week or two, i will have pics of it later this week. going back though, to the business side of things , i like to think of it as a (successfull failure). success in the fact that i gave it my best shot and have tried to turn out some nice vans and produce stuff to a high standard,as well as help people in their quest by getting there own projects finished by supplying panels etc to them, and on the other hand a failure in that i wish i could have had a bit more cash or backing to push things on and make things even bigger and better, instead of struggling along and letting a few people down along the way.
Big Bad Woolf
Big Bad Woolf
and that lee is what i have been trying to say all along, i just couldnt find the correct words to say it. the trouble is, that if you only work on one van at a time you cant generate enough income from it to make the business a full time commitment and cover all the over heads with rent and electric plus materials etc, so then you decide to take on a few vans,but this has the opposit effect, because then you have maybe too much work and then have to take on someone else to help you out, and try and get the vans completed in time for the customer, this is ok but you then have another employee to pay along with his national insurance ans then employers national insurance, and also public liability etc etc etc. so the extra money you are earning is still going out as fast as what is is coming in. add this to the fact that sometimes people mess you about with money etc or taking you for advantage with free storage, and you can start to get the picture of exactly how messy things can start to become.
Big Bad Woolf
Big Bad Woolf
because belive it or not you would be suprised just how much these vans take up space wise,along with all your equipment etc.and in the past i have had a number of people bring vans here,and asking me to have a look over the van and sort out a price to restore it, only to then be messed around whilst they go away and think things over, then they come back and try to ask for a different quote by knocking certain things off the original list, then before you know it the vans been here in storage for months only for them to change their mind altogether.and unfortunatly the farmer rob is a very nice guy but he wont let me leave vans outside of tucked away elsewhere on the farm. so then the van takes up space inside the unit, which then hinders you even more whilst working on other vans, so the more space the better.i also dont think that he would be too impressed if i rented outhalf the unit to someone else as this would uncover a whole new tin of worms with insurances etc to cover both my line of business and also the new guys.
Big Bad Woolf
Big Bad Woolf
if i sit here and look back to the very beginning of coventry commers i can actually see where i went wrong along the way, but at the time i couldnt see it and thought that i was making the right decisions at the time.you see, when i first started out, and met everyone on here for the first time, i only made panels and supplied a few other items etc, this was quite a good time as although i spent quite a few thousand pounds trying to get panels re produced i had a smaller outlay,and the returns were quite good. but when i decided to step things up a gear and go into restoring the vans my overheads and outlay became a much bigger story, as first i had to kit out all the unit with machinery etc along with having the place made secure and all wired up electically.couple this with the cost of getting stocked up with materials etc, and its starting to look like one big money pit. also if im being honest to myself and everyone else, on the first one or two vans, becasue they were new to me ,and i hadnt done them before i was in at the deep end, and i can honestly say i lost money on them, but i didnt want to lose face and look a plonker, so i just had to stomach it and get the vans finished at my own expence, but still try and turn them out to a high standard, as i knew that this would be the road to a succesull business. but then came this awful recession, and things started to show signs of slowing up a little, i have tried to weather the storm best i could, but because it also effects other people as well as myself ,you then start to get the delays with payments etc etc, this is only more fuel to the fire im afraid, and you can start to see the slow down fall beginning to take shape, add this to other competition from outside, and coupled with one or two wrong things said by other parties about you, and you will be surprised just how much it can effect your business.
Big Bad Woolf
Big Bad Woolf
Woolfy me old mucker, I'm sorry things haven't worked out as planned for you, but like you say, this economic downturn is making things very difficult for small businesses.
I hope you're proud of what you've achieved over the years, it takes a certain amount of balls to set up a business like this and I for one am very grateful for the panels that you've produced.
I think you should treat CCP as being laid dormant rather than closed and hopefully one day like a phoenix it rise from the ashes. I don't know anything about running a business, but maybe after time to reflect, you should pick and choose what services you should offer (i.e. those that bring in healthy income) and think about diversifying your skills into other areas like others have said. Good luck comrade!
I hope you're proud of what you've achieved over the years, it takes a certain amount of balls to set up a business like this and I for one am very grateful for the panels that you've produced.
I think you should treat CCP as being laid dormant rather than closed and hopefully one day like a phoenix it rise from the ashes. I don't know anything about running a business, but maybe after time to reflect, you should pick and choose what services you should offer (i.e. those that bring in healthy income) and think about diversifying your skills into other areas like others have said. Good luck comrade!
All the best with your future plans Woolfy. Hope things work out good for you there.
[img=left] http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k489/CommerOzzy/th_109_0309.jpg?t=1336911145[/img=left]
[img=left] http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k489/CommerOzzy/th_109_0309.jpg?t=1336911145[/img=left]