Getting customers to start is hard with any business, but you got to start somewhere, right? As far as quality of work, we plan on doing a shop vehical to show case our work that will be at cruise nights and car shows. Thanks for all the input so far, keep it coming.
You better do something else besides just car audio…
The average person would run to best buy and get a head unit and have them install it with a warranty before they would run to any smaller shop…
The market is full of car audio shops…even if you price match and everything else you still are not going to be much better then any other car audio place in the area.
Look at new cars…most come with factory CD players…and even more are coming with much more powerful speaker systems then even 5 years ago…not to mention a lot of company are intregrating there HVAC controls and radio controls into one console…I think aftermarket car audio is going to have a rough run over the next 10-15 years…
The only place I have seen that does very well with just car audio is a store called Cartoys and they are all over texas.
hahaha dirty dave, nice guy like dave,
If you need any help in this area I would be more than happy to lend advice. I have been through some pretty hairy times now. I am the only one really doing this in the WNY area and we are scraping by. I would not recommend the audio business, even if you do well Kustom Workz right now has the ability to keep going even in bad times…on top of that they do amazing work with interior and audio…and have the buying power to undercut your prices…trust me, i know from experience, people will slash your throat for a dollar…it is almost a lose/lose situation
Im trying to be positive too 
I would recommend moving somewhere else other than buffalo. There just isnt enough money to sustain a business here very well, it is harrrrrrddddd.
If i wasnt already rooted i would go to the ATL 
I think you are forgetting about someone
i would listen to what most of these guys are saying. audio is already too big around here, you need to make a shop specializing in something else. i would recommend a very decent yet priced-right body shop to do stuff like body kits and custom appearance mods or something, you need to bring something new to the area that doesnt already exist so much. Hybrid has all the import motor-performance end under control, and they do such good work it would be hard to compete as well as almost insulting if done by certain individuals. inn-tune’s got the import tunning pretty well locked down, and audio shops are too established in high numbers.
cliff notes: body shop FTW. AND i would be interested in helping out/working for you for the rught $
^^^ agreed
i know how most production body shops treatbody kits … if anyones seen the green avenger (i think thats what it is) … has the yellow interior, spoiler, body kit and round tail lights …
um yea, if it wasnt for me and ron, schmitts would have painted his scoop and tails as delivered … its only because we took OUR time to fix the parts that they didnt leave looking like ass
i spent 2 nights on that dudes tails because they were far from paint ready when delivered …
if someone started a local shop that was based around teh local car enthusiest, in the summer you would have body mods, and the rest of the year you would have your summer customers bringing in their DD’s that got damaged due to the weather
just a thought …
I respect what you are doing and the fact that you want to try something is the best part…but…this would be a mistake. Opening another car audio shop in Buffalo is a bad idea.
Reasons:
1- There are MANY of them here with a much stronger foothold then you. Places like KustomWorkz have EXTENSIVE financial backing, and as a result, the ability to bury you. They can undercut your sales and even lose money simply because they can afford to.
2- Buffalo is relatively small… hence you have a limited customer base. That combined with the fact that that limited base is spread and devided between SEVERAL large installers is not a good formula for success.
3- You need to differentiate. Being very market specific (car audio only) only works if you have a large customer base(small margin but profit and large quantity of sales), OR you focus on very high end and wealthy customers (high profit margin and low quantity of sales). Differentiation is a great formula that will work in almost any market. SCAP can perform all kinds of services, including car audio, so they keep themselves busy in a relatively poor market and economy. They have a good formula.
4- Car audio is not as big as it used to be and the weather in Buffalo is completely against you. The amount of time, during the year, that people can use their cars and enjoy the outdoors is very limited. Toys such as sound systems are mostly a summer thing. What are you going to do the rest of the time to pay the rent and your staff?
Car alarms? … how many of these do you think people will want during a season and will the profit on those support your expenses? Unfortunately I doubt it. I could be wrong tho.
Its awesome that you are thinking and planning. The MOST important thing is to start SOMETHING… just dont lose your ass in the process. I would recommend you do some more thinking and try to come up with with something else that has better potential.
who?
after doing some research and figureing out my options and what im doing in terms of school, this is probably not the smartest move i could me making, sorry arcticzap, im out man.
if this were like 12years ago when all you heard on the streets were license plates rattling and rust falling off of cars i say go for it. some of you may remember this others were in car seats in thier parents cars. this market is not a good idea to get into. custom stuff would be a good idea like building lowrider cars and trucks, kinda like elite had going a while back but a little more advanced.
check out this shop to see what im talking about
http://deviouscustoms.com/Galleries/Galleries.aspx?display=0
I read in a paper a few months ago. This guy in california started a pooper scooper buiness. People paid him to go to there houses and pick up dog shit. The guy made millions off it. Now thats something worth looking into.
If someone were to make a Domestic shop that would do body kits and painting, and engine mods, at a reasonable price, i would go their all the time. becuase im just a domestic person…and i dont know jack shit about putting anything on cars…and im lazy…its people like me that make business go round
bodykits and domestic. appearently u really dont like domestics
I meant Import Performance, not domestic performance. And Im not trying to insult you Jay so dont take it the wrong way, but i meant full time as their only income kind of thing. An established brick and mortar operation.
VA-POO-RIZE
so youve never seen a kit on a Grand prix, bonnie, grand am…alero…eetc. they exist…and i like them
Well apparently theres not as much interest as we first thought so its out the window. Back putting in mad applications till I find that perfect job, working at a car place.
so the story tellers a rocer thats cool
Don’t be stupid
Well I would consider Mitsu & Honda engines as import. Pretty much is full time especially when there are 8 engine jobs right now.
Anyone looking for an apprentice willing to learn and put in hard long hours for minimum wage? Going to Wyotech in the fall and will be back after graduation, 9 months later.