Labor Intensive Actives can equal lower return for a business

[baileyuph]

Tim,
In a word, to make a business go, find something you can learn to do fast and well, then do a lot of it.  Last year in this economy, this philosophy worked very well for me.  But, for my operation, there is even more room for improvement.  I am looking at patterns and techniques, plus equipments that will set the stage for better performance.

My question to you, or any involved in boat covers is;  If you got three boats in a row all made by the same manufacturer, of course same size and style, could the pattern development from the first be the basis for most or all of the pattern requirements for the three boats?  If so, even with some modifications would it save time in generating boat covers for all the "same boats"?   Or is there a better approach?

Doyle

[Mojo]

.

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 couldn't give a seminar speech .

There are people who can do public speaking engagements and those who cannot because they are just not comfortable with the entire thing. I come from a background
( corporate/marketing/PR ) where it was imperative that I do public speaking. I spoke in front of huge crowds and small ones. I like the smaller intimate groups the most.

I attended training classes on public speaking and learned how to work and control audiences. So this comes easier to me then maybe others. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I maybe able to do public speaking and win over audiences but there are many things I am not good at. Marine work is one of those.  ;D

Chris

[Mojo]

Tim:

I wished I had the time to sit down and write out ways to discover, tweek, re-invent and then market and move a business. Over the years I have worked on some awesome product and brand projects and learned a great deal from heavyweight Fortune 500 marketing types.  Working with manufacturing companies I also learned a great deal on product development and assembly. I wished there was a way to share this knowledge with others.

In regards to my own business, I focused on something that I enjoyed and in an area I had a passion for - motorcoaches. I could train anyone of you to make my products in 2 hours. They are not hard. The problem comes in when a customer contacts you and tells you he has a certain series of awning or topper assembly and has questions. The educational portion of this job is what took years and I am still learning.

I get a lot of my business because of my reputation of being known as an expert in mechanical and power awnings and across all brands as well. ( Little do they know ). It wasn't easy getting there and I still learn from time to time. I have spent countless hours working with technicians learning every single one of the brands, assemblies, etc. heck I have done installs myself just so I could learn. But I had a passion for it so enjoyed the educational process.

I suggest to anyone who is looking for a niche that they learn the product and its application frontwards and backwards and become experts to set themselves apart from the competition.
A perfect example of this are some of our marine people. Mike and June know boats and models like few others do. mention a type of boat and model number and both will recall the exact design in their heads. I consider them both experts because they know the boats from top to bottom, not just the canvas that hangs on them. Heck, Mike and June know powerplants and transoms and all the mechanicals as well. This is why I have such a deep respect for them as tradespeople.

Doyle is another one as is Russ. Both know cars extremely well and have a deep knowledge about them. There are many others on here who took it the extra mile and learned the guts
of what they work on.

We can all learn about fabrics, sewing techniques, etc. but going the extra mile to know brands, all of their issues, etc. is what sometimes sets you apart from your competition. I like to tell people that it isn't my sewing prowess that gets me business. It is my level of knowledge on each application for the products I make. My customers know they can come to me and chances are I will have the answer to their question and if I don't have the answer I will get it in very short order.

Chris

[bigredneck]

Hey guys, i really like this forum. My shop is part time only , I used to be full time then in 1986, I got into the environmental business full time, but couldn't give up the trim work totally because I really enjoy it.  I don't do  furniture just automotive, motorcycles  and such. I do repairs but on my schedule not theirs.  Getting cranky as I get older.

[sofadoc]

Hey guys, i really like this forum. My shop is part time only , I used to be full time then in 1986, I got into the environmental business full time, but couldn't give up the trim work totally because I really enjoy it.  I don't do  furniture just automotive, motorcycles  and such. I do repairs but on my schedule not theirs.  Getting cranky as I get older.

Welcome Mr. Neck. Watch out for JD, He's probably going to try and unload a time-share on you.

Imagine how cranky you'd be if you did it FULL time! >:(