no more internet in shop

[betts]

James-Congratulations!

Sounds like you are doing well on your own.

 

Gary-What I can tell you is there are a lot of things that suck about "being your own boss", but everytime something comes up I still say "it beats the hell out of working for someone else". And I have had some great bosses and worked at great places, its just not the same.

 

I have a partner (read another marraige, now have two at once) and we bought an existing shop in 2001, in the middle of the deal when 9-11 happened, and we jumped head first into the worst lag in the mold building industry in 20 yrs.

 

We have made some mistakes and things aren't pretty on paper right now, but the corner has turned we believe and good things are on the horizon.

 

Gone are the days when tool shop owners made big bucks on every job and customer loyalty is a thing of the past. But what I believe has kept us alive, and will help us grow in the future is basically niche marketing. You don't want to have all your eggs in one basket, but that is tough to avoid when you are small. We try to be innovative in all we do as we see this as the future of all US industry.

 

The thing we have learned the most often is you got to have balls, big ones. He who hesitates is lost is not an outdated cliche. So with the caveat that you must do your homework and beat up EVERYONE on their prices,(because that is what will happen to you-nature of capitalism) I would recommend "going for it" to those who know they possess the drive and tenacity to make things happen, especially when things are tough.

 

Looking forward to anticipate what your current and prospective customers will need in the future needs to be constantly on your mind. Tough to do when you are buried with work wondering how you will meet due dates.

 

The only other thing I would add (for now) is that you MUST have support from your spouse! My wife is great, but this kind of stuff is definitely a strain on anyone.

 

That's my Saturday speech.

[MetalMarvels]

Actually my spouse surprised the heck out of me by asking if she could work in the shop! She is very detail oriented and prefers to follow a "cook-book" approach. She is becoming a good operator. What really surprised me the other day was her comment "you know... What we REALLY need is another machine or two...". I am glad I married her almost 28 years ago - I couldn't have gotten this far without her!!!!

[P_Scott]

jimspac,

 

quote:

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I can not even call my reseller now, so this forum gets me out of a bind now and then.

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We're a reseller in your area. Feel free to call us whenever you have a question. Whenever I'm not training I'm available to answer technical questions. Those who have an agreement with us take precedence but I still answer questions from those who don't. As long as our good nature isn't abused , just like the internet access to this forum. There are several members on this forum who can vouch for our services.

[Guy Arseneault]

jimspac,

 

SFA is our reseller.

 

No problems here.