Running a Repair Business Out of Your Home - FRETS.NET2024-03-29T16:02:11Zhttp://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topics/running-a-repair-business-out-of-your-home?commentId=2177249%3AComment%3A178628&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi.
What do you do if someone…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-14:2177249:Comment:1790912018-06-14T23:56:52.539ZJeff Andrewshttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/JeffAndrews
<p>Hi.</p>
<p>What do you do if someone gets back their guitar and calls you back</p>
<p>and tells you somethings not right and that the problem was not there before</p>
<p>so you Repair Man did something wrong?</p>
<p>How do you deal with that?</p>
<p>Hi.</p>
<p>What do you do if someone gets back their guitar and calls you back</p>
<p>and tells you somethings not right and that the problem was not there before</p>
<p>so you Repair Man did something wrong?</p>
<p>How do you deal with that?</p> Guessing thats a limited liab…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-14:2177249:Comment:1789952018-06-14T07:53:07.903ZLen Biglinhttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/LenBiglin
<p>Guessing thats a limited liability Co ?</p>
<p>Guessing thats a limited liability Co ?</p> Lawyer & Accountant: If y…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-13:2177249:Comment:1791832018-06-13T14:59:10.880ZRobbie Collinshttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/RobbieCollins
<p>Lawyer & Accountant: If you have real money coming in, I recommend setting your business up as a LLC and having an accountant set up your books. You may end up doing your own taxes but, in a jam, you have someone to call. This clears up financials and the LLC relieves you of personal liability to a point.</p>
<p>As for the customer contract, I use a standard form I drew up in Word that gives name, contact info, guitar make, model and serial; damage if any, jobs requested, ballpark cost…</p>
<p>Lawyer & Accountant: If you have real money coming in, I recommend setting your business up as a LLC and having an accountant set up your books. You may end up doing your own taxes but, in a jam, you have someone to call. This clears up financials and the LLC relieves you of personal liability to a point.</p>
<p>As for the customer contract, I use a standard form I drew up in Word that gives name, contact info, guitar make, model and serial; damage if any, jobs requested, ballpark cost if given, jobs performed, change orders, and guitar specs. After we go through this form, I have him or her sign. I use my phone to photograph dings and such for future reference. People appreciate the professionalism and it nulls the anxiety of giving it someone working out of the workshop in back or basement.</p> Most of my agreements are ver…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-08:2177249:Comment:1790822018-06-08T21:21:26.806ZTodd Reichhttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/ToddReich
<p>Most of my agreements are verbal, as most of my business partners are folks that I knew personally prior before a business relationship. Of course, it should be understood that there is some risk for drama/troubles in this situation (so far the worst drama I've encountered is being paid a couple weeks later than requested due to a business' accountant being on vacation, then forgetting about it for a week upon her return).<br></br><br></br>As far as a lawyer, it really depends on how comfortable you…</p>
<p>Most of my agreements are verbal, as most of my business partners are folks that I knew personally prior before a business relationship. Of course, it should be understood that there is some risk for drama/troubles in this situation (so far the worst drama I've encountered is being paid a couple weeks later than requested due to a business' accountant being on vacation, then forgetting about it for a week upon her return).<br/><br/>As far as a lawyer, it really depends on how comfortable you are. Personally, I think a lawyer is overkill for such a thing, but if you have the means free-and-easy then there's no reason not to; I'm always the sort where I feel the more meticulous you can be [within reason], the better off you'll be. So long as you're insured and you make sure to collect your dues regularly, you're not exposing yourself to much risk by having a less-formal process. Two parties hammering out a deal between themselves on a piece of paper should suffice; Ensure that each party has a copy with original signatures (which is to say, make your copies of the agreement BEFORE they're signed, and not after).</p>
<p>The important thing is for all parties to be clear on business terms, what you expect from the business, and what the business expects from you, and ensure that any term that's important is on paper with your signatures underneath. And, if you want the terms to be as favorable to yourself as possible, <strong>be absolutely sure you sell yourself</strong>. In my opinion, this is where most techs falter pursuing this path. And I'm not talking about you talking about how good you are at what you do, but the economic value you offer. The industry standard in this arrangement seems to hover around the business taking a 15% cut of your labor, but some places don't fully appreciate the kind of work we do and will try to demand ridiculous amounts; 30%, even 50% sometimes. You are worth more than that, and you should absolutely not settle for that kind of abuse. You are offering the business an opportunity to essentially make money by babysitting guitars now and again while processing payments. Here are some pointers on selling yourself that people seem to frequently overlook:<br/><br/></p>
<p>Scout stores, first. Go in like a customer, take a gander, plink around on some of their guitars. Look around at the store, and note how it's built as a business. Are the staff experienced, mature individuals that will be able to guide customers around the technical details of your work on your behalf? If not, that's a bargaining chip in your favor; "No offense sir/m'am, but none of your staff seems to have much technical knowledge regarding guitars, and I know that will require a bit more work on my part"</p>
<p>What is the customer base like? If it's a store/music school combo with lots of kids, you know you can count on a solid number of jobs like restrings, tuning machine installs, pickup swaps, bridge reglues, drop fills, etc. Not glamorous stuff, not particularly fun stuff for some folks, but I never turn my nose up at a solid opportunity to both make an easy buck doing something I enjoy while making somebody else's day. As John Prine said, that's the way the world goes 'round.</p>
<p>What products do they sell that you will install in the course of your work? Pickups, tuning machines, strings? As a tech working with them, ensure they understand that you doing your job well will also mean a higher sales velocity for such items. THEIR items. I have a policy that I'm not liable to any sort of damage to any sort of guitar that doesn't have a gigbag/case; When customers see that, they oftentimes have no issue dropping $30 on a basic gigbag for their axe, which they should've done anyway. </p>
<p><br/>Do they have a tiny cramped room onsite for you to work in? Don't accept that. Some businesses will try to give you a bare and unequipped joke for a workspace and demand extra % for their "generosity."</p>
<p>Do they have a bunch of guitars on walls that don't seem like they've been tuned or had their necks adjusted in ages? Mention how terribly their stock plays and be specific. There's an opening to offer coming in on a Saturday and for a few hundred dollars getting old stock playing as well as can be in order to increase their stock's velocity.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Be aware of all these things, be cognizant of all the value you add to the world and stand up for it, and don't be afraid to think outside the box. Just make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is anytime you develop an "expectation" of a business that you would like them to be beholden to.<br/><br/>Stay Awesome, Chris!</p> Yeah, I didn't really care fo…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-05:2177249:Comment:1786392018-06-05T02:30:23.292ZMark A. Kanehttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/MarkAKane
<p>Yeah, I didn't really care for the pressure. I worked in a store I loved dearly and the staff took in everything under the sun. It was great for the variety of work I was exposed to, and there for a while, I'd get nervous if the backlog dropped below 30! But it was never-ending pressure because I didn't know how to manage the load efficiently. The booking software has changed all that, thankfully! </p>
<p>Yeah, I didn't really care for the pressure. I worked in a store I loved dearly and the staff took in everything under the sun. It was great for the variety of work I was exposed to, and there for a while, I'd get nervous if the backlog dropped below 30! But it was never-ending pressure because I didn't know how to manage the load efficiently. The booking software has changed all that, thankfully! </p> 80 guitars?! My mind is absol…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-04:2177249:Comment:1787292018-06-04T14:07:40.008ZKeith Somervillehttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/KeithRailton
<p>80 guitars?! My mind is absolutely blown.</p>
<p>80 guitars?! My mind is absolutely blown.</p> P.S. You can check out the bo…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-02:2177249:Comment:1786322018-06-02T23:03:00.575ZMark A. Kanehttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/MarkAKane
<p>P.S. You can check out the booking system as it appears on my website by clicking here:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.thefretking.com" target="_blank">www.thefretking.com</a></p>
<p>It works on mobile devices beautifully, too!</p>
<p>P.S. You can check out the booking system as it appears on my website by clicking here:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.thefretking.com" target="_blank">www.thefretking.com</a></p>
<p>It works on mobile devices beautifully, too!</p> Mike,
I solved the drop-off/p…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-02:2177249:Comment:1788152018-06-02T22:45:55.783ZMark A. Kanehttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/MarkAKane
<p>Mike,</p>
<p>I solved the drop-off/pickup dilemma 5 years ago by working by appointment only, facilitated through this excellent service:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gettimely.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.gettimely.com/</a></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Nothing</em></span> I've done in 26 years of business has had more of a positive impact, and in ways I never anticipated beyond the obvious. For $19/month, it puts me in complete control of…</p>
<p>Mike,</p>
<p>I solved the drop-off/pickup dilemma 5 years ago by working by appointment only, facilitated through this excellent service:</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.gettimely.com/" target="_blank">https://www.gettimely.com/</a></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Nothing</em></span> I've done in 26 years of business has had more of a positive impact, and in ways I never anticipated beyond the obvious. For $19/month, it puts me in complete control of my schedule and has streamlined my business completely. It's simple to setup and operate. The two BIG takeaways are thus: 1. I don't get involved with my customers' scheduling issues. They make the appointment without any input from me during times <em>I</em> make available. 2. This has resulted in a time savings of <span style="text-decoration: underline;">5-6 hours per week</span> <em>not</em> spent on the phone arranging pickups and drop-offs. I rarely use the phone anymore. Text is king and I'll never go back. The control over my schedule is my number one weapon against wasted time. I can add or subtract booking times at will, and I do it every day in response to my workload. It takes seconds, not minutes. I work so much faster without trying to help customers decide their schedules. I have my booking calendar setup such that it accepts appointments out to 6 weeks for drop-offs. Customers receive text and email reminders of their appointments and I have gotten nothing but positive response to this system. Customers comment ALL the time about how efficient it is and how much they appreciate it. I set aside 2-3 days a week for drop-offs in 20-minute intervals. When the calendar gets too full, I simply block off days until I catch up. This reduces the number of guitars I keep in my shop. For 17 years, I kept between 50-80 guitars in my shop at all times. I never, ever got a break from the constant phone interruptions asking for a completion time. With that many guitars, how could I? Now, I strive to keep no more than 12-15 at any time. It allows me breathing room in my schedule and relieves the constant pressure. Currently, customers are booking 4 weeks out. So I have a ton of work in the pipeline and I'm in control. I cannot overstate what a difference it has made. And for $19/month? It's a no-brainer. </p> Thanks for the input Len.
tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-02:2177249:Comment:1785222018-06-02T17:32:13.809ZChris Shaltishttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/ChrisShaltis
<p>Thanks for the input Len.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Thanks for the input Len.</p>
<p></p> Todd, one other thing, do you…tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2018-06-02:2177249:Comment:1787182018-06-02T17:30:02.228ZChris Shaltishttp://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/ChrisShaltis
<p>Todd, one other thing, do you work with a lawyer to develop a contract? Does the business you partner with handle this? or is it just a handshake agreement? I prefer to keep things simple with just a handshake but in today's litigious society it seems you almost always need some kind of contract.</p>
<p>Todd, one other thing, do you work with a lawyer to develop a contract? Does the business you partner with handle this? or is it just a handshake agreement? I prefer to keep things simple with just a handshake but in today's litigious society it seems you almost always need some kind of contract.</p>