Small engies are my life and i am going to make it my career.i guess i am looking for a an opinion on wheater sale business would be beter or mechanics. i love both end of sport. and was wondering if there was any particular good small engine schools. Thanks
Need help with my life!
- Thread starter 666drifting
- Start date
Can't help you much with the schools. ( My son does business with UTI and they offer small engine courses) Sales are nice but I think the backroom in parts and labor is where the profit is. Typically fewer dollars tied up in inventory and space.
Years ago when CB's were booming I started doing a part time business from home. Didin't take me long to figure out a $100.oo invested in a radio that I could sell for $110.oo once or twice a year; wasn't as good as a
$30.oo microphone I could sell for $40.oo 5 or 6 times a year.
After I retired I had locals ask me to do snommo service and repair. I stock boggies and bearings, belts etc and was ending up with more work then I wanted. Occassionally I might buy a used sled if I can turn a buck and resell.
Keep your overhead and inventory low and work for yourself ( no employees)
J
jafraune
Well-known member
I think in order to be successful with it, you have to offer something that is different. Weather that be in incredible new way to do business or great prices...I dont know. I think a good example of this is Indydan here on snowest (I dont know if that is all he does though). He offers great products for polaris sleds and the man is always busy.....now I know that may be a little extreme...but he built his name and product and has an A+++++++ reputation. Customer Service A+++++++++++++ as well. Anyways I think that is key to running a small business, and a small engine one too.
Just my .02
thanks for the advise
Are you sure you want a career out of it and it's not more the type of thing you'd rather do as a hobby in your spare time? I was really thinking of HD mechanic because I enjoyed working on things a lot but came to relize I wouldn't enjoy it for 8 hours a day very long.
Very right that you have to be able to make money. Small business isn't for everyone, it's not nearly as stable, you have to work anytime your needed, etc.
I choose to go in the healthcare field and don't think I will ever look back, a lot less stress, stable job, better pay, better hours, and the best part no more physical labour!
Very right that you have to be able to make money. Small business isn't for everyone, it's not nearly as stable, you have to work anytime your needed, etc.
I choose to go in the healthcare field and don't think I will ever look back, a lot less stress, stable job, better pay, better hours, and the best part no more physical labour!
wow! way different ideas. i like to get plenty of physical labor and activity, and i would love to have my name on a business and not have to wrry about when to work, yes you still have to work plenty but if you want to get up a little earlyand quite a little early you can. and dont have to worry about lossing my hobby, thats hunting. but seems sleds and small engines are my life
but i guess i am still looking for the answer of how good of a business is it to get into. yes the economy is crap, but i hope it doesnt stay there forever.
It is a very good business to get into. Big bucks are spent in the aftermarket world. Do your homework, lots of once small businesses are now known as the tops in the market. Look at Carls Cycle sales and Starting Line Products, they both started very small and are both huge now. The problem is you must warranty everything and make sure everything you sell including services are top notch. And yes you will have to work more than you think, people will call you on the weekends when they have questions about the product you sold them and if you don't answer they will come on this forum and bash you. Take a look around this forum and look at all that people want from a company the best places to look are from the post from people that are not happy. It takes a lot of money and time because people don't like spending thousands of dollars and get left behind because there sled that you just worked on does not work. You can build a great business but must treat your customers right, you can even sell the same things as the next guy as long as you are known as the guy that will take care of all the needs of the customer in a timely manner.
Good luck!
Good luck!
When I read your posts I was going suggest you take and finish an English class first but then I remembered I'm no Rhodes Scholar and decided to keep that thought to myself.
I know you asked about engine school and that has been covered a bit. I would suggest perhaps a 2 or 4 year degree in business. There are a ton of stories out there about business failing that had a great product or service but terrible business practices.
If you want to run your own business check this guy out. He did not take a vacation for 7 years while building his first company. Some of you may not like Cuban but the guy has a ton of drive and I find him interesting.
Mark Cuban Interview
I know you asked about engine school and that has been covered a bit. I would suggest perhaps a 2 or 4 year degree in business. There are a ton of stories out there about business failing that had a great product or service but terrible business practices.
If you want to run your own business check this guy out. He did not take a vacation for 7 years while building his first company. Some of you may not like Cuban but the guy has a ton of drive and I find him interesting.
Mark Cuban Interview
In order to stay afloat in a bad economy like that you'd have to have a diverse business. You couldn't just do sleds and quads etc. You'd have to do other small engines that in a slow economy people are going to need. However you have to decide many things, if you are going to be making a product like SLP for an example economy isn't as big of factor as there products go throughout all of USA and Canada. If you just do service work mostly, the economy could hurt a lot worse, because most of your business would be very local.
If your passion is for that, then do it and i'm sure you'll do good. The first few years it might not be great and a slow economy doesn't help but hard work will pay off.
Some people enjoy physical labour, I have been doing it since I was 14 and absolutely hate it now, but if you enjoy it it's a lot different. I just wanted to see if you though of that fact that it's a lot different then when you do it as a hobby.
Sled shops in a decent economy make a killing, if you really wanted to do that, living in a small town that has tons of sledders and running a small shop would probably be a very good idea.
if your going to do a shop of your own..start now by getting even a part time job at a dealer..eventually you need to work for every brand dealer so you will have their training (free too) can purchase their specialty tools at cost, and will understand each manufacturers style...I had my own auto shop for 12 yrs, (lost it due to letting the wrong person handle the money) and it is very tough to get going..but if you have the knoledge and desire you can do it..one thing I will say..biggest secret to fixing things(any thing) is to be able to understand it(diagnose it...not guess at whats wrong)if you understand how it works..you can figure out why it doesnt work......
Hey thanks for all the advise guys
anyone know of any good small engine schools
Many of the Factory motorcycle race mechanics graduate from MMI (motorcycle mechanics institute). Keep in mind that most of these schools are private and very expensive. If you go work for a good dealer and prove yourself most of them will put you through the factory training wich is free. I would go with the factory training and work for a dealer to start. Keep in mind that engine work is not the only things that people make money doing. If you want to one day own your own shop you will need to know about suspension and chassis along with the engines, most people looking for service would rather take their sled or bike to one place to get all the work done.
Keep in mind that Factory training will teach you how to work on their brand where the schools, depending on how good the school is, will give you in depth theory about engines but not specific to any particular brand.
If you want to owne a service shop go with the dealer factory training, this will give you all the training you need and give you a head start at building a reputation. If you want to design your owne suspension, engines, pipes, ect. go to a good school and learn the theory behind it.
Keep in mind that Factory training will teach you how to work on their brand where the schools, depending on how good the school is, will give you in depth theory about engines but not specific to any particular brand.
If you want to owne a service shop go with the dealer factory training, this will give you all the training you need and give you a head start at building a reputation. If you want to design your owne suspension, engines, pipes, ect. go to a good school and learn the theory behind it.