scoutabout
None
These threads are always funny. "Cheap" Utahns and other factors being blamed for poor business skills.
UM? SLC/UT AND ROCK CRAWLING/OFF ROAD SHOPS DONT MIX!?
- Thread starter VANDALL
- Start date
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
nope, that's not cheap rockdog that's resourceful/innovative/self-sufficient. Cheap is offering $2k for a car that has a for sale sign on it for $5k. That's cheap.
Last edited:
R
rockdog
Guest
I agree to some extent with your comment. In all businesses there are people with great business skills and some that just aren't going to make it no matter what.
But I just don't think there is enough money in a fab shop to make it long term. I know you can make some cash on a full turnkey buggy, with the guy that is willing to pay for it. But I just don't think there are enough of those people out there to make a long term good living at it.
But, I'm a fairly conservative guy, so I look at it from that angle. If you look at the success rate of any start up. The odds are pretty grim. Now put that start up in an area that doesn't have a high return customer rate. I think that's just a recipe for disaster.
rondo
rondo
- Location
- Boise Idaho
I don't know what's cheap about going to an off-road shop. What do they charge, 100$ an hour? How about charging 10$ to put a single bend in a piece of pipe, not bad for 2 min work. Plus the piss poor quality work some of them put out over time is embarrassing. Not to mention work left undone that was paid for...must i go on. If a shop goes out of business, than at least admit that some of it is due to dishonesty and poor work ethic.
The only thing i'm happy about by being hosed by 3 of Utah's fine off road shops is that i've figured out how to do things myself. RME is a great resource and a couple of the folks here have given me great advice, even come over to my place to show me what right looks like.
I'd like to go to a good off road quite frankly as i have very little time off. But i'm sick of taking a bath and paying up the ying yang for it. I'm done with shops except to buy parts/tabs etc from. With that said Tyler at Rollover did a great job for me on ring/pinion set ups and he was priced reasonably. If a shop deserves praise then great but there were so many bad ones!
The only thing i'm happy about by being hosed by 3 of Utah's fine off road shops is that i've figured out how to do things myself. RME is a great resource and a couple of the folks here have given me great advice, even come over to my place to show me what right looks like.
I'd like to go to a good off road quite frankly as i have very little time off. But i'm sick of taking a bath and paying up the ying yang for it. I'm done with shops except to buy parts/tabs etc from. With that said Tyler at Rollover did a great job for me on ring/pinion set ups and he was priced reasonably. If a shop deserves praise then great but there were so many bad ones!
Last edited:
No offense, but this is the business sense that puts shops out of business. Poor management is the reason for the vast majority of small business failures.
People think "$10 per bend--that takes 2 minutes! I can make tons of money doing this"
They neglect to account for the fixed and variable costs associated with operating a business and owning the equipment necessary to do that kind of work. Sure, $20 for 5 minutes work is great. But the equipment wasn't free, and the cost of your facility, insurance, taxes, wages, utilities, advertising, etc all have to be accounted for too. Either your labor or your equipment has to be burdened with that cost. If you're just looking at it as $10 for 2 minutes work, then you're doing it wrong.
There is also value in the knowledge and experience a specific individual brings to the table--but there are plenty of individuals who's knowledge and experience wasn't worth anything too
There are some people that may take offense to this, and for that I apologize. But there are a lot of blue collar industries out there where the labor sees what management is charging for their services and thinks they can go out on their own and make a killing. Fabrication, electrical, contracting, plumbing, printing.....you name it. Skilled labor is skilled labor, but skilled labor that starts it's own business very often finds out that it was far better suited to being a skilled laborer than a successful business owner.
This also applies to hobbyists who start their own business because they think it would be cool and they are knowledgeable about it, and not because it's necessarily a viable business with a market to support it.
chadschoon
Well-Known Member
- Location
- lehi
No offense, but this is the business sense that puts shops out of business. Poor management is the reason for the vast majority of small business failures.
People think "$10 per bend--that takes 2 minutes! I can make tons of money doing this"
They neglect to account for the fixed and variable costs associated with operating a business and owning the equipment necessary to do that kind of work. Sure, $20 for 5 minutes work is great. But the equipment wasn't free, and the cost of your facility, insurance, taxes, wages, utilities, advertising, etc all have to be accounted for too. Either your labor or your equipment has to be burdened with that cost. If you're just looking at it as $10 for 2 minutes work, then you're doing it wrong.
There is also value in the knowledge and experience a specific individual brings to the table--but there are plenty of individuals who's knowledge and experience wasn't worth anything too
There are some people that may take offense to this, and for that I apologize. But there are a lot of blue collar industries out there where the labor sees what management is charging for their services and thinks they can go out on their own and make a killing. Fabrication, electrical, contracting, plumbing, printing.....you name it. Skilled labor is skilled labor, but skilled labor that starts it's own business very often finds out that it was far better suited to being a skilled laborer than a successful business owner.
This also applies to hobbyists who start their own business because they think it would be cool and they are knowledgeable about it, and not because it's necessarily a viable business with a market to support it.
I agree 100% Me being in the plumbing field you get to see all the plumbing companies going under right now when times are tough. They all got into business when times were booming and now they all seem to be going under.
R
rockdog
Guest
No offense, but this is the business sense that puts shops out of business. Poor management is the reason for the vast majority of small business failures.
People think "$10 per bend--that takes 2 minutes! I can make tons of money doing this"
They neglect to account for the fixed and variable costs associated with operating a business and owning the equipment necessary to do that kind of work. Sure, $20 for 5 minutes work is great. But the equipment wasn't free, and the cost of your facility, insurance, taxes, wages, utilities, advertising, etc all have to be accounted for too. Either your labor or your equipment has to be burdened with that cost. If you're just looking at it as $10 for 2 minutes work, then you're doing it wrong.
There is also value in the knowledge and experience a specific individual brings to the table--but there are plenty of individuals who's knowledge and experience wasn't worth anything too
There are some people that may take offense to this, and for that I apologize. But there are a lot of blue collar industries out there where the labor sees what management is charging for their services and thinks they can go out on their own and make a killing. Fabrication, electrical, contracting, plumbing, printing.....you name it. Skilled labor is skilled labor, but skilled labor that starts it's own business very often finds out that it was far better suited to being a skilled laborer than a successful business owner.
This also applies to hobbyists who start their own business because they think it would be cool and they are knowledgeable about it, and not because it's necessarily a viable business with a market to support it.
Wow, I agree with everything you have said! I own a small business. Others think I'm getting filthy rich from it. They only see what comes in each month. Not overhead- insurance, taxes and on and on!
Plus the labor that goes on behind the scenes to manage all of that
Plus the "my ass is on the hook for this if it goes into the crapper" factor
I'll tell you this, I miss the old days wheelin with Vandall...and Lee Mattingly for that matter.
I remember on Upper Proving Grounds one time..
Vandall: Hit it harder!
me: I don't want to break again
V: If you break, I'll fix it
me: full throttle--boom!
V: Awesome!
and he did fix it lol. Sheared both stub shafts at the same time right at the flange.
I believe it was this day...
YES!!!!
dustybronco
www.sextonoffroad.com
- Location
- Kamas, UT
A man owned a small ranch in New Mexico. The New Mexico Wage & Hour Dept claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to interview him.
"I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent.
"Well," replied the rancher, "There's my ranch hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $600 a week plus free room and board. The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $500 per week plus free room and board. Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night."
"That's the guy I want to talk to, the half-wit," says the agent.
"That would be me," replied the rancher.
"I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent.
"Well," replied the rancher, "There's my ranch hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $600 a week plus free room and board. The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $500 per week plus free room and board. Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night."
"That's the guy I want to talk to, the half-wit," says the agent.
"That would be me," replied the rancher.
scoutabout
None
XJEEPER
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Highland Springs
For anyone who's ever owned or run a small business......and/or worked on a ranch, this is classic.
iamsparticus
Take your Rig to the Edge
- Location
- Ogden,Ut
small business is hard life but it does give you the satisfaction of making your own way. Ive owned several small business and they are very hard you have to charge fro your time or you end up on your head, problem is that most people get to much overhead and assets as well as doing lots of favors for people for free. You have to look out for your self first then other people and things will work out better