scared as hell

ok, technically i'm not an owner, but i subcontract so if i'm not putting on film i'm not feeding my kids.....my question is this....and be gentle with me.....since the first of july when indiana pased their new tint law business has slowed down alot....to the tune of 1-3 cars a WEEK.....last week looked really dead and on thurs. my honda dealer called with 8 cars so i picked up some work, i got a few of them left for this week, and 1 car today, 1 tomorrow and i think thats it....now i can't go to the dealers that my shop (the one i work for) does work for, he'd get mad and taking away my bread and butter, there's 3 "cities" together here, and the shop is in mishawaka, he does work for the dealers in the town the shop is in, they're only at most 3 miles away.....i could go hit up the dealers in the next town over.....a few more miles...or the next town in the other direction.....8-10 miles.....i could offer mobile work?? remote starts, keyless entry.....??? or should i throw in the towel and take a job from a friend of mine that's an arborist..put me in a bucket truck and cut down trees???? i love tinting windows, i've been doing it for about 5 years now, but i also love my children and we need to eat....i'm gettin an ulcer i think from worrying so much....it really scares the hell out of me.....any ideas wold be greatly apprecieated.....the guy that owns the shop just bought it in december (the shop has been there for a long time though) and this year seems extremely slow as compared to last year, or even before.....i should be booked at least a week or two out....and as i've read most of the shop owners here are doin prettty good as far as stayin busy and i'm wondering what i should be doing here....i'm ready to throw the towel in....???? thanks a bunch kids.....love the site and all the help we give each other.

uhhh...Hate to say this, but I have about 5-6 friends of mine that started in landscaping, then went on to have their own landscaping deals..They all do EXTREMELY well....My personal opinion? The future is brighter in trees than tint....

i don't know what to tell you. it's been the worst july i've ever had. normally in july i do around 4-6 a day the whole month, but this month has been shiot. i did 6 last WEEK. and i only have one appointment so far for this week. in july, i usually make 5 times what i make for dec, jan, and feb combined. but this july has been barely double those months. if i didn't do auto glass replacement, my ass would be closing down at the end of the month. just have to hope it starts picking up again.

i agree TTS....this july sucks.....i just don't know what the hell is going on....man, if it weren't for the dealers, i'd be broke ass.....a friend of mine wants to get into doing flat glass with me....he's a helluva salesman, and i'm pretty sure i can install....i've been doing cars forever, but then i wouldn't have to deal with a 'legal limit'.....i've been thinkin' that this may be a good way to supplement my income?? any ideas? thanks for the input guys..

Zrok,

I have so much to say/ask you in your situation. But for now, if your friend is a hella sales person, do consider the idea of flat glass work. I did 10 years ago and haven't regretted it yet. Although now with all these new heat shrinking techniques....maybe I should do them again.....NAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

Anyhow, if you are up to it, PM me your number and I'll call you with my nationwide, long distance free, unlimited nights and weekends cell hours and lets think of ways to keep your kids full. This goes for you too TTS.

What state are you in?

i'm in texas. and if you would have read zro's post, you would know he's in indiana.

DON'T WORRY BUSINESS COMES AND GOES. YOU NEVER CAN TELL, SOME MONTHS IT MIGHT BE COLD AND I DO 3-4 CARS A DAY, THEN IT MIGHT BE HOT AND I ONLY DO LIKE 2-3 A DAY.
THE BEST MOVE YOU CAN DO IS TO MAKE OUT SOME NICE FLIER OR BUSINESS CARDS AND EVERY TIME YOU GET OUT AT THE STORE PUT LIKE 10-20 CARDS ON THE CARS IN THE PARKING LOT, PAY A YOUNGSTER TO GO TO THE LOCAL COLLEGES AND HIGH SCHOOLS AND HIT ALL THE CARS UP THERE. EVEN IF YOU PASS OUT 1000 CARDS AND ONLY GET 10 CARS YOU STILL KEEP BUSY.
ANOTHER OPTION IS TO PUT A SMALL AD IN THE YELLOW PAGES, THAT IS WHERE I GET MOST OF MY BUSINESS. AFTER THAT IT'S LIKE A SPIDER WEB, EACH PERSON TELLS PEOPLE AND SO ON.GREAT QUALITY GETS YOU ALOT OF WORD OF MOUTH CUSTOMERS.

Hey SIR YELLSALOT. Drop the caps and read the dates.

clean cars or install radios. isn't tinting what those guys want to learn?

I'm also pretty scared in this also, I started about a year ago full time tinting I have been doing it on the side for a lot longer than this. Man this winter almost did me in, the only thing that saved me is the fact my dad owns a brake and muffler shop that I dont have any overhead involved. One day when I get my business built up I will split the expenses with him. I really need to do some advertisement in town because all I get is the word of mouth, but I like this method better, I dont get alot of price shoppers on the phone, usually they are serious when they call on me.

its these damn SUV's with "privacy glass" fukin everything up...

I honestly dont see how a shop thats not out west or florida type climate can survive all year round as just a tint shop...Im in a town of over a 100,000 and only tinter in phone book for auto in town can go weeks at a time and not tint"If I did Ill egal also then maybe a week at most"but what do you do then..You guys are mentally tougher than me No block buster movies on friday would K1ll me

check out netflix unlimited movies for $20/month... and the first two weeks are free, so how can you go wrong?

I have a small business that I run out of my garage(my husband is on disability so it works to be here) and have an unlisted number yet I do an average of 14 cars a week, of corse I have also been doing this for 27 years so I have ALOT of repeat customers as well as referrals.
Also I do alot of tinting over the factory privacy glass as it is not designed to block any heat just visability.

With all my years of experiance I would say that the business cycles, it may seem slow but it has always come back.
Good luck...

*I would love to be in a town of 100k with no other tinters in the book. I would rule year round here. I am only 15 minutes or less from Florida line.