I've been working from the house for a little over 2 years now, I've read up on the posts homebased vs. shop. I am talking with a couple of guys, (one is a window-tinter, the other does truck accessories). They both would like to have a shop also.
What I'm curious about, are there any 'heads out there sharing space with other businesses? If so, what are the good and bad points of doing this?
Thanks a million! for any advice!
------------------ I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
posted
I guess the bad part is that you're sharing shop space, so you cant claim all the space for yourself and conversely if someone else ends up runnin over into your space it could cause a problem.
On the otherhand, if the shop space also includes a bay for pulling a vehicle in for installations, having 3 services under one roof could be pretty handy.
As long as you and the other owners can get along real well and can work out scheduling for the bay, it could be a great way of advertising. Any time someone stops by for a tint job, they'll see the other products and services too so they'll probably come back for something else.
It could work against you though. A local car stereo shop has a guy that comes in one day a week to do window tinting, but if customers cant come in on that day they're gonna go to one of the other 20 tint shops in town where they can get it any day.
If you do something like this, I say split it 3 ways. You dont want one guy to pay the full bill then the other two paying him rent or a percentage of sales cause then that gives more control to one person. They can easily shut you out.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I sublet space at a shop I was running after checking it out with the owner of the business. The guy looking for space made animatronics for two of the local theme parks. He worked out how many square metres he needed and we just worked out what portion of the shop that came to, divided that into the rent and everyone was happy. The two businesses had a small amount of overlap IE: paints/artwork etc and it worked out quite well, I think because we both respected the original agreement and stuck to it with a little give and take when neccessary. Worked well for us because the shop was oversize for our requirements at the time but in a great location. When the first guy moved out we did the same arrangement with a guy that did typesetting which went well also. Good luck, David
------------------ David Fisher D.A. & P.M. Fisher Signwriting Brisbane Australia [email] da_pmf@yahoo.com [/email] aka Bloke-
[This message has been edited by David Fisher (edited April 30, 2001).]
Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I thought the title and the author name together was absolutely GREAT!!
"Sharing shop space, need advice" by "COOP"!! Ha! I couldn't have planned it better! That is so cool!
:^)
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
posted
I shared with a boat fabrication crew in Luoisiana. Never any problems...just got used to each other's fumes...I sat on a stool that had a palette of resin on it once, then realized, gratefully, why there was a shower in there!
The perks were..lotsa polite folks to direct the customer to you and some respect from those who find it odd that arrangement could be maintained.
...also, to get lunch...one had to sit in line at a bridge over a bayou that had to wait on barges to pass. I timed it right and got to eat lunch when I got stuck and then could "cover" for the others (phones, etc.) while they ate. Takin turns, that allowed most of us to keep working and less pollution and cost from the vehicles. Always worked great, each learned a lot about the other's profession and never had to leave the shop locked up or unattended during work hours.
Honor is a good thing to have, and find in others for this to work.
Good Luck, whatever you decide!
Sounds good to me!
------------------ DrQuill - Mural Woman PEACE SIGNS logodesign2@icqmail.com Georgia, USA
I shared shop space for a couple years with a detail shop. It worked out really well in many ways, and not so good in others.
Cons: I did get bumped out of the bay space. Early on, it was easy to get my share, but both our businesses grew rapidly at the same time. Because law requires you to wash a vehicle INSIDE the bay, he came to need it fulltime. Law allows you to decal outdoors, so that's what was left for me. Blah. And on rainy days when I HAD to book something indoors, I was always asked, "How long you gonna be?" ARG. I didn't like that in my own bay if you know what I mean. One day I was big time sick and worked through it because they needed the bay right after me.
Pros: If you needed to leave your shop, you have backup to answer your phone, or arrange for pickups with customers. And I did the same for him if he left. Invaluable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then we both got employees. Oh man. Space got really tight. What worked great for two, was changing when 4 came into the picture.
We then parted ways, when I moved into my own location, connected to a bodyshop. My rent was 4x lower which was awesome. That was due to the fact that I didn't have my own bay this time (and I didn't really in the other either while paying huge rent), however the bodyshop allowed me to use their 15,000 bay space whenever I needed.
Cons: They were always busy too. LOL. But they did make allowances for me when needed.
Pros: I had a backup for pickups and deliveries.
How I think it would work best is what someone else mentioned, ensure you have your own bay space. They can only use it upon YOUR approval, not the other way around. If you pay rent for it, it's yours period. If you don't arrange for this, I can assure you, whoever grows fastest will consume every square inch of your new location like a bad weed.
This arrangement can be wonderful. Now being homebased, I miss the activity of life around me that kept me motivated. The occasional hi, or laugh with someone can do wonders for moral.
I know you'd love the arrangement coop. I'd do it again in an instant. It works extremely well if you work alone. Once you have employees, you'll want your own space, but that can wait till later.
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