About to open a Tint Shop in S. Florida Any Tips?

The only thing is I dont have that much exp . been tinting for about a month. But with the plotters and programs . I figured I'd be able to handle most cars . Thats why I was going to stay at the Tint shop for a while to get as much exp. as necessary. Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

You are about to open a shop in the most competitive market in the country with one month's experience... my advice to you is to rethink what you are about to do.

But i figured if I had the capitol. And I found an area that had high traffic and no shop in a 3-5 mile radius that had LLumar. i would be OK.

in another thread you said



I dont think I would be starting my own shop if i were you ....the capital you would need....well...is your dad an oil baron?

In my other thread. I said the same thing. But now I see what my shop is making. And the owner doesnt even come in. He has a manager that Tints and another tinter.Who has been helping me learn. So I figured maybe somehow I would be able to open my own shop or maybe partner up with someone.

Stupidity rules -go for it!!!!

Thats why I started this thread to actually get some advice.

money AND skill
not just money...

was hoping in 3 months id have enuff skills just to make it thru.

you were wrong..

how was i wrong. when i haven't done it yet ??

trust us..take your time

Yeah, thats what I keep hearing. But I need to start makin some money. I'm makin like 5+2 an hour. I know im just learning . figure since i got the money to open up something. But I am takin any advice serious. Thanks for the advice. Take it slow. And be patient. I'm trying.

it can be done. but the best thing that keeps a shop around is good work and customer service. wheenever we have complaints they are redone no questions asked, unless its like one spec in a window. if you do good work youll hang for a long time. with only a months experience you can do it but we would suggest you perfect your skill then go out and get money.

if you have a customer complains and you cant get it better they will ask for money back. and if you dont have experience they might all end up asking for it. especially in florida where they can go to every shop and ask if its good. there are alot of shops there.

bravery is good, but in order to make it your work has to be very good

another question comes to mind....what experience do you have as far as business goes? Is this just an idea that, because you can tint, you should start a tint business? Running a business successfully, be it a tint business, real estate business, or janitorial business....isnt just about being able to "do the job". There are many MANY aspects of running a successful business besides the fact that you are able to do the work. You have many things to consider grasshopper....thats why i say....take your time!

Just do some cash in hand side work.

I used to have a trucking comp. And thatdidnt work that good. I have a pretty good knowledge of business. And where Im working the plotter does most of the work. I'm getting pretty good at shrinking. Except I need to learn the diff. models of cars. Maybe I should hire an assistant. Or go partners? Figure since I'm in a position to open a shop. Theres not much over head in the tint business. not like trucking. And I see Labor being the main overhead.

so what happens when the plotter breaks down? or your puter goes to

The first thing i learned was to cut out windows manually.

this is gonna get good

tru dat...think ill sit back and cuz no matter what makes sense...hes gonna do whatever!

I have seen so many "florida tinters" looking for work via the classifieds on here and they have 15 to over 20 years of experience......

Maybe you can find one of them to work for you if you have the funds to open a shop.....but with a month of hands on....I would not even think about trying to tint for a living on my own.

LIL Details I think you were on the money with that. Now what do you guys think . How much do these exp. tinters make? And should I carry something else beside llumar. Where I'm at thats all we use.

You should carry whatever film fills your needs, way too many film manf and brands out there to ask a ? like that, that ALWAYS turns into a pissin match, my films better than yours type shiat

as far as what they make, that all depends on your area and what not, but go through here and find some in your area and contact them and find out


http://www.tintdude.com/forum/index.php?showforum=13

Thats what i thought. So i bought some Lunar, I know don't laugh. And its terrible compared to LLumar they shouldnt even try to bit the name. Thats why i was aking for suggestions.

talk to your rep if he will even let you carry llumar. its what i use but others like other films as well.

Hey VIP TINT let me ask you a question? I like the way your shop is setup . How many bays do you have? Did you start at the place? I like to have one similiar to yours down here in Ft. Lauderdale. Any Tips would be great !!

i have one deep bay in which we can work on two complete cars and a set of truck fronts with the bed sticking out the back.

this is our first shop. i dont really like our setup because i think it is too skinny. it is plenty wide but i would like it wider. i like a shop that has a lobby if not two, an office with a window to help customers and a bathroom that the customers have easy access to. we have a 42 plasma here for the customers as well but we never hung it. its sitting in our shop bay with a dvd player, xbox, and playstation for when we're slow. we'll hang it this summer hopefully.

try to keep the office and showroom nice and clean. goes far with customers when they first walk in.

good luck

thankyou for the info. cant wait to get my own shop. going. you guys do just tint?Don you guys need 4 man crew? where i work they got 2 and me the newbie.

u pay ur guys salary or per vehicle. Not sure since im startin fresh, was gonna try solo. Not sure.

You see what the shop is making but do you know what the shop is putting out ? for rent, insurance, film, advertising, payroll, business cards,invoices,stamps,paper towels,spray bottles,taxes etc

stay at a shop for at least 2 years before even thinking about going out on your own,and all plotters and programs do is trim the windows thats the easy part, have you tinted an 07 vette yet or a new beetle,how about a 97 and up tuarus ?

get off the forums David.

i have a 4 man crew to handle the amount of business we get. at first we started with 2 but we had to turn business away cuz we can only do 1 car an hour. now that word has spread and we are even busier we run 4 man crew during the week and 5 on saturdays. first 6 months was 2, then 3 for the next year, and for the past year and a half its been 4. just in the past couple of weeks i brought in another guys for just saturdays and when our other guys need a day off.

i dont hire anybody with tint experience. i like to train them from the ground up. i just ask that they know how to do minor thing son their own vehicle like change their own oil or install their own stereo system.

our prep guys get an hourly rate, as they start tinting they get a percentage until they want full comission, but i warn them that in the winter they will make a lot less if they drop their hourly rate.

WHERE are you in sw FL??? Ft. Lauderdale??? Your in Boo country.

What does Boo county mean? Yeah fort lauderdale.

It means you're in her neck of the woods...derrr......

Thats funny, considering that theres a tint shop on every corner.

I think they do mainly flat glass tinting...

Nah, do everything.

I meant Boo and her company...

Yeah your probably right.

Ditto.
Devil

So... dude takes you in, trains you and gives you a chance to make good money, and after a MONTH you are ready to go out and cut his throat?? That speaks VOLUMES about you. You are exactly why I will not train anyone within 100 miles of my shop!
As far as finding a location that doesn't have a shop within 3-5 miles, GOOD LUCK in S Fla!! Tint shops are more common than Amscots or 7-11's!!

Boo is on the other side of the state, at least 3 hours away.

Well Key West,
My buddy owns the shop where I'm at. And he's helping me to get back on my feet and he wants me to try and open up my own shop. So you shouldn't be so quick to assume anything. Unless you know facts about someone.

You MIGHT have explained that you were doing so with his blessing more clearly in your initial post. It sounded like you were.......Screw it! re-read your first post like it was written by someone else. THEN tell me not to be so quick in assuming. Dude, there was NOTHING to assume! It did not sound good!

RRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNN

#1 > Since he's your buddy you should know how long he had been tinting, and in the tinting business before he opened his own shop. The answer to that may give you a better gauge of where you need to be before opening your own shop.

My life's experiences have shown/taught me that the ones that put in their time/dues and learn all the in's and out's from the ground up, become good employer's or employee's.