thinking of starting up my own business
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you also have the benefit of being able to change your company's image over if the market were to ever change.
...you can turn it into a general parts store, or an american muscle store, or what not... whichever way the wind blows, it'll always be blowing somewhere.
"web based business"
yet another area of my expertise.
ok. im assuming you are a normal "joe schmoe" who wants to start his own business.
im also assuming you have no prior website design/business skills.
correct me if im wrong please.
but if this applies to you, did you ever stop to think how you are going to direct traffic to your site? coming from personal experience (when i did my buddies website) for a small shop (with a above-par webdesigner (me))
it was really hard for me to get SHITLOADS (better word?) of traffic to the site.
our traffic mainly consisted of flyers we passed out at shows we had booths at, word of mouth (the shop has been established for over 8 years in so cali) and diddly little shit advertising....
what im trying to say here is that it is alot more work and involves alot more variables than you think.
you seem to think you can just "open up" a import shop and watch the cash start flowing in. please step into my time machine, dials set for 1996 and ill make your wish come true. nowadays (unless you live in a market where import shops are few and far inbetween, and yes i do know you said "website" (but for arguement's sake)) import shops run a dime a dozen.
and the web? HA forget it. you would have to be on par with SPEEDOPTIONS.com or OPTIONSAUTOSALON.com in order to compete. and as for the "investors"....
im not talking about your "uncle eddie" who won 10,000.00 in the Ohio state lottery...
im guesstimating from the type of business you are describing and wish to create, you would need AT LEAST 200,000.00 to start off with. Why? any REAL investor can shell out the necessary cash needed to get the business up and running. but what's in it for them? they want some angle, some uniqueness aspect that will set your company, be it web-based or mortar-based apart from the rest.
i know if i was an investor with that kinda cash to drop, i would first do an independant survey of the market and see whether or not it is flooded. then i would take a look at your business plan and try to figure out if you are going to be the next optionsautosalon.com or the next .....superhonda.com
third (did i do second allready?) of all, assuming you are doing the "internet thing"
(forget then about the rent payment for the property you are using for your place of business) where are you going to warehouse your stock at?
who will pick, pack and ship your orders?
who will do customer service?
who will deliver your products?
who will take care of maintaining (sp) the website?
who will take care of the advertising?
will you hire employees to work for you?
will you pay for their insurance?
how much an hour will you pay them?
what if you catch an employee stealing from you?
i think you get my point.
now if this is some "run of the mill, back-woods moonshine" operation coming from your apartment bedroom....
dont expect to be living the Champaigne Wishes and Caviar Dreams any time soon.
it'll be more like Mad-Dogg 22 wishes and Hot-Dog dreams (without the buns)
im not trying to discourage you at all, it just that starting, running and maintaining a real business takes lots of time, money and patience. and even with those key virtues, and the fact that you ARE making money, chances are you wont see a profit for many years or months to come.
you are not going to get rich quick by running a half-assed internet-based business with low stock, poor website design, and serious lack of cash-flow.
<<edit>> and for when i graduate to ensure "job security"
i would also suggest you hire an attorney, or if you cant afford one, goto a free
legal clinic to get some much needed help.
and its good that you have "nothing to loose" but you must realize that just because the Fast and Furious is out and about, and every teenage pimple faced kid and his mommy has a honda that is <<quote unquote>> "fixed up"
does not mean that you will be successfull in the industry. what will set your store/site apart from the rest?
what will make ME want to buy my 500.00 boost controller from you?
or some ricer buy some altezzas the same?
i dont know you. you have not established a name for yourself on the internet or in a store.
i would personally rather stick with a well-known site like optionsautosalon.com for my major purchases.
what if legal issues arise? are you equipped to deal with them?
what about refunds?
little shit like this can make or break your company.
what if i order a part from you and it is defective? or you overcharged my credit card or some other inevitable situation that may arise....
one fuck up like that from a small, independant site/shop can ruin your reputation
and you will be the next thread on hondaswap.com entitled "DO NOT BUY FROM"
becasue some pissed off kid in idaho thought you gave him shitty customer service and decided the only way to get back at you was to flame you and your company in a thread.
shit, look at the telecommunications market. if your not AT&T or VERIZON forget about it. (shitty analogy...but u get the point)
again, if you know your shit, and know what you are doing, then please excuse my ranting and raving on here. you dont say much about your past experiences or talents so im naturally assuming you dont know much.....plus the fact that you posted the question on hondaswap.com instead of talking to an attorney to figure out your options, then opening the shop/site, THEN posting on hondaswap.com...COME VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE/IMPORT PART STORE.
and a "cock measuring contest" ??????
i only flame n00bs and dumbfucks that run their fat mouths and let their ignorance show through....
if you read my previous posts i stated that i ran 3 different websites while i was in highschool. my brother also owns his own webdesign/graphic design business.
and i am by know means expecting to get rich off this. im not wanting to be the next nopi.com. i just love the scene and want to be a part of it.
im at work and dont want to get fired, ill post more later
and i am by know means expecting to get rich off this. im not wanting to be the next nopi.com. i just love the scene and want to be a part of it.
im at work and dont want to get fired, ill post more later
ok well i didnt read ur previous posts...i just wanted to throw my .02 cents in.
mea culpa.
aside from the facts that you do know "all that is web" and your brother is a design whoever, the simple fact remains that you need to ask yourself
who or what will my business become?
are you going to follow the rest and hope for a semi-quick buck..."money
people make buying and selling shit off of ebay" type shit? few hundred a week or so?
or are you going to set yourself apart from the rest?
but it holds true for everything that i said. this may not apply to your particular case, but it does apply to the rest of the joe nobodies out there trying to get rich quick off an allready-played out idea.
but logistics aside, i guess the old adage "if you build it, they will come" might hold true in your case. either way i wish you the best of luck.
IMO tho, its not worth it. i say either shit or get off the fucking pot.
yes, im sure you could pull in a few hundred or so a week by "being a part of the scene" with your site....
but fuck man, even that takes alot of work. why not hold back on your idea for a year or so, re-configure your battle plan and come up with an actual business plan that WILL make you rich?
i think there WILL always be a market for "import parts" unless a giant tsunami engulfs japan (and mexico i believe...and parts of the u.s. where honda builds cars)
or the CEO of honda gets caught with his hands down a 8 year old boy's pants and all hell breaks loose, stock goes to shit and company folds (good fallacy dont u think?)
the point im trying to make here is that regardless of whether or not the "import scene" will be around in the next 20 years, one rule remains cardinal. Teenagers and young adults will always love fast cars.
but im afraid to say that since the market IMO is so saturated right now, the only facet that has room for competition is the R&D of import performance products.....do good in your math classes and physics and what not, and come out with a header or some other part that out-performs other similar products and get a patent on the technology and watch the money roll in.
SPINNER WHEELS. you know the 20" rims that the homie g's ride on (and white boys who want to be homie g's) that spin while the car is stopped?
one company finally received a patent on the technology and is now attempting to sue everybody under the sun that manfactures those types of rims.
the funny thing is, that a whole host of companies were trying to secure patent rights upon the "spinner wheels" and one finally succeded...
so now those companies have two choices
1) stop manufacturing a HOT HOT HOT product that sells like crazy
or
2) bend over, spread their tight little cheeks and start paying royalties
its a cutthroat business as with anything else in life and if you want to make it big, you gotta get a infallable edge upon everyone else....
[insert "Captain Obvious" picture here]
Domeskilla
Senior Member
I didnt read this all, but i'll reply on what i did read.
It is saturated, unless you deal with all imports, you're fucked. Honda's are like hookers, 5 dealers per street corner.
From my understanding, that is why a certain company closed up, b/c its too saturated, the big companies can go lower in price and everyone jumps on that price, instead of being loyal.
You'll find out, REALLY soon how hard it is to push enough aftermarket parts to stay in business.
Good luck non-the-less... but no, there will not ALWAYS be a market for imports. Its at its top right now.. if you notice ppl are trying to stray from honda's to do something "never done before"..
i respectfully dissent codee....
as long as there are people who
1) cant afford a high priced sports car
2) like to go fast
3) like to work on their own shit...
there will ALWAYS be a market for import parts.
as long as the United States is alive and kicking....and as long as foreign countries keep importing cars into the u.s....
there will ALWAYS be a market for import parts.
i guarantee all of you on here your kids will want to "fix up" their cars....
my dad has owned over 35+ diff. cars in his lifetime....
and 99.9% oif them were sports cars of one sort or another.
as long as there are people who
1) cant afford a high priced sports car
2) like to go fast
3) like to work on their own shit...
there will ALWAYS be a market for import parts.
as long as the United States is alive and kicking....and as long as foreign countries keep importing cars into the u.s....
there will ALWAYS be a market for import parts.
i guarantee all of you on here your kids will want to "fix up" their cars....
my dad has owned over 35+ diff. cars in his lifetime....
and 99.9% oif them were sports cars of one sort or another.
Domeskilla
Senior Member
Originally posted by karnash@Jul 7 2003, 05:34 PM
i respectfully dissent codee....
as long as there are people who
1) cant afford a high priced sports car
2) like to go fast
3) like to work on their own shit...
there will ALWAYS be a market for import parts.
as long as the United States is alive and kicking....and as long as foreign countries keep importing cars into the u.s....
there will ALWAYS be a market for import parts.
i guarantee all of you on here your kids will want to "fix up" their cars....
my dad has owned over 35+ diff. cars in his lifetime....
and 99.9% oif them were sports cars of one sort or another.
yes, but if a company requires him to buy so much shit and no one is buying it at the rate they are now.. you're fucked. There are so many honda suppliers right now.. i can buy a part at over 100 import places online. Unless he can become popular, he'll sit on products.. that is why you sell more then honda, or you have a shop, to build a car that "shows" your products and your ability.
It'd suck to be 100 tial wastegates and end up paying a 10000 buy in.. okay, now you have 100 wastegates.. to get that cash back and make profit, you need to sell them at lets say 130-140 bucks. B/c remember, he can't get as good of a deal as a bigger company, b/c his pockets are shallow.. so he is forced to buy less, and rake the prices up to pay for his buy in. So you can get it from him for 130 or from someone else for lets say.. 100.. where ya gonna go? suppliers like that, start really small at a local market first, get a name, then go online and try and get the online ppl.
usually that is the case with wholesale.....u got to buy in large quantities in order for them to sell to you.
i think what he is trying to do is get his resale license and make a decent website that has something to do with honda or acura and sell small shit....headers and what not...
i think he is only looking at pulling in a few hundred a week PROFIT if that.
with all the work he is going thru to do the small shit....he should just go for broke.
he claims he has "financial backing" so shit, use that motherfucker to it's fullest.
nothing ventured nothing gained.
i think what he is trying to do is get his resale license and make a decent website that has something to do with honda or acura and sell small shit....headers and what not...
i think he is only looking at pulling in a few hundred a week PROFIT if that.
with all the work he is going thru to do the small shit....he should just go for broke.
he claims he has "financial backing" so shit, use that motherfucker to it's fullest.
nothing ventured nothing gained.
and this isnt some idea that just popped in my head and i posted right then and there. my friends and i have been planning on opening a shop for about a year now. im just looking for something new to do and im obsessed with speed and all variances thereof.
im not wanting to make any insane income off of this, hell i would be happy breaking even. i have tendencies to just dump a shatload of cash into one hobby or another every year so if i lose money on the deal its not like its going to be anything new.
thanks for all the info and advice posted thus far, keep it coming
edited info i posted about one of my investors, changed my mind after posting it
im not wanting to make any insane income off of this, hell i would be happy breaking even. i have tendencies to just dump a shatload of cash into one hobby or another every year so if i lose money on the deal its not like its going to be anything new.
thanks for all the info and advice posted thus far, keep it coming
edited info i posted about one of my investors, changed my mind after posting it
Like i said, i seriously looked into it.
Running our of my home, I estimated i would need about 100,000 to get started, accounts, 800 number, e-commerce website, and so forth....
and on top of all that, it's nearly impossible to make a living off just selling parts. If i was going to do it, i was going to do it for a couple hours a day... handle some sales, box some stuff up, and drop off at ups in the morning.
and Karnash- the quote button is the exact same as the old version. lol
Running our of my home, I estimated i would need about 100,000 to get started, accounts, 800 number, e-commerce website, and so forth....
and on top of all that, it's nearly impossible to make a living off just selling parts. If i was going to do it, i was going to do it for a couple hours a day... handle some sales, box some stuff up, and drop off at ups in the morning.
and Karnash- the quote button is the exact same as the old version. lol
halcyon985
Senior Member
As far as 800 numbers go I can get you info on the company we use if you want it, just send me a PM. Its cheap as hell and you dont pay anything if you dont use it, and a pretty cheap per minute rate. Best deal I found, also you can change the number where it forwards to on the fly via the internet, which is good if you are running the business out of the house and want to go fuck your girlfriend and her house but still get business calls.
what were you going to start out selling B?
i figure to start out with i need to focus on one type of product, wether it be suspension/wheels/bolt ons/exterior/internal.
seems like it would be alot easier to get started focusing on one thing.
" i was going to do it for a couple hours a day... handle some sales, box some stuff up, and drop off at ups in the morning."
i was pretty much thinking the same thing
i figure to start out with i need to focus on one type of product, wether it be suspension/wheels/bolt ons/exterior/internal.
seems like it would be alot easier to get started focusing on one thing.
" i was going to do it for a couple hours a day... handle some sales, box some stuff up, and drop off at ups in the morning."
i was pretty much thinking the same thing
i looked into getting good shit- not Toucan or Keystone distributions... Blitz account, Greddy account, and so on. their requirements and inital buy-ins made it a very costly process. but that's the way to make money.
other companies such as keystone are HUGE re-sellers, and give you a small buy in- but they take a huge cut. intead of making 50%, you make 10%.
the old saying is true- you have to have money to make money.
other companies such as keystone are HUGE re-sellers, and give you a small buy in- but they take a huge cut. intead of making 50%, you make 10%.
the old saying is true- you have to have money to make money.
having worked for an "import shop" I know that you do need to throw in a large sum of $$$ to make any sort of profit.
Take Neuspeed for instance
The initial buy in to get somewhat good prices ( I forget the scales, but for ease of doing business lets say its bad/good/great set of prices) is ~10,000 dollars.
Now thats to get good prices, not the best, and not the worst, you can make some profit, but not alot. and 10g's doesnt go along way especially with high priced parts.
Each company works basically the same way, a large buy in to determine your future price scale. so for instance, on that 10k buyin your future prices until you make another LARGE buyin will remain in the 'good' category
so yes, you do need alot of $$$ to make $$$
and its an even better idea to get a business plan going. Im starting to finish mine and hopefully by the beginning of next year ill have my LLC all set up and be fully legal.
Take Neuspeed for instance
The initial buy in to get somewhat good prices ( I forget the scales, but for ease of doing business lets say its bad/good/great set of prices) is ~10,000 dollars.
Now thats to get good prices, not the best, and not the worst, you can make some profit, but not alot. and 10g's doesnt go along way especially with high priced parts.
Each company works basically the same way, a large buy in to determine your future price scale. so for instance, on that 10k buyin your future prices until you make another LARGE buyin will remain in the 'good' category
so yes, you do need alot of $$$ to make $$$
and its an even better idea to get a business plan going. Im starting to finish mine and hopefully by the beginning of next year ill have my LLC all set up and be fully legal.
