Labor Intensive Actives can equal lower return for a business

[kodydog]

But you boat guys make $150 an hour. Right?  ;)

[baileyuph]

Kody, I will take those broken spring jobs like that until the end and do also.

I was closing last night and got a call to work on furniture that was just delivered.  The movers broke a frame component and customer wanted vendor to fix it now!!!   So, I got the call, I keep a set of tools, all lithium powered ready in a tool box, one tool for every bit needed, so no time is wasted looking for bits and changing sockets.  An electric stapler is also part of the gear, all that is reqired is just pick up and go! I might add, I presaw wood blanks and have them on the truck, which meets internal frame repair requirements. (yes, I have done that many to know what breaks).

Anyway, I just jumped in the truck and went and repaired it after closing, It was a $100 job that took me about an hou,r to stop by on the way home to complete. 

Like I said above, find something that not many want to do, that you can do, and get fast at it, then get a lot of it to do,   There are no bragging rights, just do four or five a day, and at the end of the day, it sure helps to pay the bills.  In this recession down turn, it isn't over - the government has masked over it with their credit card that is still growing, and tells us it is.  But any way, I had the best year last year in all my years in business.  I am paying the taxes out the wha - hoo too!
 
In contrast, I get motor cycle seats that have been beat to heck, bolts rusted, padding in need of repair.  Even after charging a good bit, it can be very difficult or impossible to make the same kind of money.  But the cycle seats have the bragging rights, pretty shades of vinyl, with perfect stitching.  Well, I suppose the furniture frames have some bragging rights, but you just pay the bills. ;)   And I should add; just learn to put up with working on cheaply built furniture.  Not every one who works on any upholstery could see doing what I do, it is beneath them.  I have been there and done that, too.

Kody, you are the man!
Keep preaching, this is the choir.

Doyle

[timtheboatguy]

But you boat guys make $150 an hour. Right?  ;)

$300 an hour just for getting out of bed in the morning!  ;D

[Rich]

Now we're talking!
Rich

[Mike]

ACTUALYi can only get $75 but I try to make up in doing the job fast.i used t gewt a lot of repairs up north  and it was easy money reokacing windiw vunyl was a good one the odd widow replacement job I did kast week was odd as not many hewre have windows 90% of my canvas work in covers im working od a couple product I can sell to a mass customer easy to make and a fair profit

[Mojo]

Bragging rights........ I sometimes yearn for that. I have none whatsoever. Yes I make some of the very best toppers and awnings you can get but seriously folks, how dang hard are they to make ?

I grant you there has been a ton of time invested in education  so I know the full spectrum of motorcoach awnings, toppers, mechanics of the awnings, motors, arms, types, styles, model years, fabrics, colors, patterns, etc. But in the end I sometimes believe I could train one of my German Shepherds to actually make one.

I would love a job that would give me bragging rights like a cleverly done motorcycle seat or a chair or maybe a boat interior job. The money in canvas work is great but there are no bragging rights whatsoever. You have no idea how I sometimes envy the work that you guys and gals turn out.

Chris

[JuneC]

You have no idea how I sometimes envy the work that you guys and gals turn out.

Chris

And I envy your paycheck.  Too many times I find I've earned maybe $5 an hour if I'm lucky. 

I think Doyle's original subject of this thread is finding a balance of creativity (implies labor-intensive but comes with bragging rights and low pay), and ho-hum products that are REALLY profitable.  I think it was Stitcher who used to upholster commercial stuff during the day for restaurants/hospitals/etc. and spent his nights pursuing his first love - auto trim on classics.  My problem is I haven't found the ho-hum big-money product yet and if I did, I'm not sure I could stick with it because I'm always thinking of new and fun things to pursue. 

June

[baileyuph]

Chris,

Don't be so negative about your success, your bragging rights are your take home pay and the total business package success.  I personally, see you have dimensional capabilities, that all wrapped up, that could yield a very commendable business story.

BTW Chris, I am actually enjoying the new challenges that come with doing new furniture repairs, the business contact is with different elements (up the marketing chain including some manufacturing representatives).  In my case, repair engagement is more a direct relationship with manufacturers, they don't take bids or ask how much?  However,  a business plan that aims directly at consumers would be different.

Working on brand new products carries the advantage of being exposed to state of the art technology, opposed to restoring furniture with considerable age.  That is something I appreciate.  A point;  High technology that is very efficient, marketed by impressive business plans can be very interesting while product quality may be just average.  Understandable, because quality is a function of consumer demands and ability to spend for the same.  I do hope I am making sense.

Anyway, nothing is perfect, but what is important is being able to pay the bills.  ;)

Doyle

[Mike]

I started in the north for 14 years there made good money on simple flat boat covers no bragging rights other then no wrinkles. I dint see many boat upholstery jobs either just enouigh to learn in here in florida for the last 9  years ive done more upholstery then I ever did before and the easy money cover are few and far between.
easy compared to a 20] cockpit and bow cover on trailers I could do 6 a day with two workers .

and chris I agree id love your position to never see the customer and not to have to do the installd easy money repair don't see many here either, ive started trying to sell some items as you customer can call me with  give me some measurments and I make it ship it and send it and get paid in advance ive got 4 orders so far :D
id like to make it full time

[baileyuph]

[I make it ship it and send it and get paid in advance ive got 4 orders so far 
id like to make it full time /quote]

If one can select a product (s) that is in demand, not competitive with foreign labor, a doable business can be made of it.  I know of two or three who are focusing on automotive related items that are doing well.

They are specialty items, relatively expensive, and are marketed on the internet.

The key to the successful styles I describe is providing a quality product to a middle class and upward market that a mere skill in their trade is not enough.

In general they work with analog patterns and have some degree of proficiency built into the process.  I didn't say they were getting rich, but are making it.  Low interference from customers is a virtue like Chris and Mike referenced.

But, the vendor has to be very good at generating the product, those with money can afford to be picky.

The risk is someone else gets your idea and competes, as any business.  I would think there is some asset to a specialty like that, particularly if the skill could be tranferred and volume is impressive.

In short it takes all the things we talk about plus a vision and how to reach the goal.  To raise the stakes, an interprenuer would probably have to off shore the labor to raise the stakes, much like the bigger corps have done (I.E. GE, you get the idea).

Doyle

[kodydog]

I would love a job that would give me bragging rights like a cleverly done motorcycle seat or a chair or maybe a boat interior job. The money in canvas work is great but there are no bragging rights whatsoever. You have no idea how I sometimes envy the work that you guys and gals turn out.

Chris

Seriously Chris? You work on friggin million dollar coaches. Bragging rights for sure. I would love to see some pics of your work.

[Mojo]

Doyle:

I was a little concerned about competition at the start but I have had very little except for the big companies that I myself compete against. It was not easy breaking into the " Bus Owners World ". They are very skeptical of new comers and tend to stick to vendors or companies they know.

I had to crack their world by attending rallys and get togethers and conducting educational seminars. By making myself available to them, putting my face in front of hundreds of people at each Rally I was able to get a foothold in the canvas world. Word spread that I did high quality work using the very best in materials and the rest is history.

They are very leery about letting anyone work on their " babies " ( motorcoaches ) so it takes time to build your reputation and a client list. But once you do you find that the owners of these coaches are extremely loyal and hand out referrals like candy. In return I also support them by attending their rallys, advertising in their publications and doing what I can to help them. It is also a HUGE help that I am an owner of one of these coaches and belong to their associations.

It was a lot of work getting there.

Chris

[baileyuph]

 Very Impressive story Chris, I encourage you to keep reaching or keep swinging at the plate for more home runs! 

You could take the coach awning business to higher levels, not to suggest you will not.  There are most likely related products to coach awnings that are good considerations for expansion.  Also, there are efficiencies that could be brought into your production business model, without compromise to quality at all, and above all make doing business easier.

The efficiences that I am thinking of would actually insure higher quality and less probability of error.  Much of what I alude to also applies to my business model, hence the reason I brought it up.

You have a great business story and I suggest sticking with it.   ;) ;)

Bragging rights are embedded in your story, don't belittle that fact.  Some bragging rights come in the form of what one sees, don't forget there are plenty of rights embedded, to those who understand the process as well as the product.

Plus, let's not forget that the magnitude of the numbers and how it translates into success, is equally impressive.  Actually, they (rights)vcome in all shapes and forms.

Keep on keeping on Chris, the real fun has just begun.  Take things to the next level, then the next level, incorporate technology into the process, add new products to support the technology development and the magnitude of the numbers will tell the real story.

Thanks for sharing, I am a fan.

Doyle

[Mike]

.

I had to crack their world by attending rallys and get togethers and conducting educational seminars.

that one thing I couldn't do i was invited to talk at a few yacht club meetings give a little seminar how to talk .
even in the past when I talked well I couldnt give a seminar speech .

[timtheboatguy]

The subject of this thread keeps grabbing my attention and in spite of my previous silly comments I find myself mulling over this topic in my mind almost every day.

There are things that we do that pay well and things that don't. Things we enjoy and things we don't. The bottom line for me is that while facing ever increasing taxes, health care cost, high priced gasoline and this list goes on; I need to make more money. And, not just to have more stuff but just to survive!

A friend once told me that a mentor said to him "to be sucessful, do one thing and be the absolute best at it." Often, I find myself doing way too many things and in too many places which is very inefficient.

So as I have been mulling over this for the last couple of weeks and discussing this topic with my wife; I have decided to start tweaking my business some, and researching the possibility of focussing on one aspect, that being boat covers.

This will not be an overnight transition, but my plan is to push forward in this direction and still do upholstery among other things for now. Hopefully learning to turn away from more of the time waster money loosing jobs, while building a reputation for producing high quality boat covers with fast turn around and a grat value.

Just my thoughts, my appologies for the excessive rambling. :)