Seeking Opinions/Advice

Tconnor · May 12, 2018

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forums, and have found a wealth of information, and have enjoyed reading the forums over the past month.

Question: I'm highly interested in opening a shop in the future. I don't want to be the big shop, but my son will be 15 soon, and in my mind I want to create that experience of owning a small business, working hard, learning a skill/trade together. I'd like to start with automotive, and progress into flat glass down the road. My first step would be to seek training, practice on as many cars as I can for 6 months until I feel like I can confidently handle "the public". I do have two friends in the industry whom I can utilize for support/help. My goal is to treat the trade with respect, and learn the skills necessary. I have a desire to become "the guy" in town that does Quality work, clean shop, professional environment etc.. I want to be able to perform jobs by hand, but I do also plan on using a plotter for efficiency (but I'm adimant on being able to not rely on a plotter, I respect the trade aspect of tinting). This is a dream of mine, I know its a hard business to get going with, and takes alot of practice to become "good". I'm willing to put in the time, and work.

Do you all have any constructive advice for me? I'm really curious what you all think & reccomend. I'm really serious about this. Its not so much about money, but more about my son & I starting something from nothing, and being able to share that experience.

About Me: I'm 42, I work for MIchelin/Sales. My first job at the age of 15 was working in a Tint Shop, a quality professional shop. I prepped windows after school, and on the weekends. Swept floors, and took all the abuse a 15 year old would around a group of seasoned tinters. The clicking noise of an Olfa Silver still brings nostalgia to me. My current career is fun, its dealing with Tire shops on the independent & national levels, I work close with FORD/GM & Chrysler-FCA dealerships working with Parts/Service & Bus. Ops. MGrs. Pay is decent, but involves driving 3000 miles per month. I've done this for almost 9 years now. I owned my own business (non automotive) for 9 years prior to my current role. Once my kids were born, insurance, and stability became priority. I'm approaching a point where I am willing to take a risk.

Yes I know some of you will make fun, point me in the other direction, or tell me I'm stupid....tell me to use the search feature. Just looking for your experiences.

Thanks in advance, I appreicate all the knowledge/humor and community I've found on here!

tinttexas · May 12, 2018

Sounds like you are on the right track. I'm pretty new myself. I dont think it will take 6 months to start tinting cars for the public. I would start with family and friends cars. If you get proper training once you do about 15 or so you should feel comfortable. If you just try to wing it it will probably take 6 months from just trial and error. Pay for a quality training its definitely worth it. Sounds like you have a great vision and plan. Good luck to you and your son sir!

TintDude · May 12, 2018

Everything @tinttexas said, especially some training. Welcome to the forum. :thumb

florida tinter · May 13, 2018

great plan !

I had 5 kids and would take them to the shop after school to hang out and work , had my Youngest girl tinting small windows at 10 years old.....all the kids still tint and are set up all over USA tinting and making a GOOD living !

jh812 · May 13, 2018

Follow your dreams, this life ain't worth living if you can't enjoy every day.

If I can give you any advice don't get stuck on one method of installing. So many times I see tinters only stick to the first way they learned. I've learned a multitude of ways to install film and I utilize them all. Every vehicle is different so it's good to have different variations.

You'll get frustrated, you'll cuss, and want to quit. That happens with learning anything new though. You'll figure out pretty soon if it's something you want to pursue, or if it's something you just once tried.

Good luck!

Tconnor · May 14, 2018

Awesome feedback. Thank you all for the encouragement, it all helps the process!!

CaliTINT · May 15, 2018

You already sound like you have your head in the right direction and the background and support to succeed.

If you are practicing mostly on the weekends I personally think you are going to need way more time than 6 months though before you should start offering your service to the public. Takes quite a bit of time to learn. Not only do you need to learn how to tint, but you need to learn the industry itself, and also how to market and sell it. Seems like your business background should help you with everything else though.

Keep reading, asking questions, watching the 100s of videos online, get some training, and practice practice practice!

Sunbreakers · May 15, 2018

On 5/13/2018 at 7:58 AM, jh812 said:

Follow your dreams, this life ain't worth living if you can't enjoy every day.

If I can give you any advice don't get stuck on one method of installing. So many times I see tinters only stick to the first way they learned. I've learned a multitude of ways to install film and I utilize them all. Every vehicle is different so it's good to have different variations.

You'll get frustrated, you'll cuss, and want to quit. That happens with learning anything new though. You'll figure out pretty soon if it's something you want to pursue, or if it's something you just once tried.

Good luck!

Best advice you can ever get.....there are lots of good tinters, but they can only do things one way and crumble when they have to take a different approach...learn to do things multiple ways and you will feel content and always have happy customers which = $$$$

Tconnor · June 1, 2018

On 5/14/2018 at 9:34 PM, CaliTINT said:

You already sound like you have your head in the right direction and the background and support to succeed.

If you are practicing mostly on the weekends I personally think you are going to need way more time than 6 months though before you should start offering your service to the public. Takes quite a bit of time to learn. Not only do you need to learn how to tint, but you need to learn the industry itself, and also how to market and sell it. Seems like your business background should help you with everything else though.

Keep reading, asking questions, watching the 100s of videos online, get some training, and practice practice practice!

Thank you. I agree with the 6 months timeframe. My knowledge on "how to do it" is vast, but actually getting to the point where a customer comes in with a VW GTI or a Porsche GT3, and confidently being able to handle the job without hesitation is where I want to be. I'm in the process now of gathering as much information as possible, reading, watching videos, techniques etc....I will never just jump into anything for the sake of doing it, as I want to be confident, and be able to back it up with quality work.

Thanks for the help!

Tconnor · June 1, 2018

On 5/14/2018 at 9:45 PM, Sunbreakers said:

Best advice you can ever get.....there are lots of good tinters, but they can only do things one way and crumble when they have to take a different approach...learn to do things multiple ways and you will feel content and always have happy customers which = $$$$

Great advice. I'm 100% confident, very good with face to face situations with customers (good or bad situations), and actually relationship building is a very strong point with how i operate. As far as techniques, styles, approaches....I'm very interested & open to learning multiple techniques. My goal is to be "the guy" in my area that produces quality work, creates a great customer experience, and I strongly want to become skilled at the trade without relying on a plotter. I also want to use a plotter, but I really am interested in the art of install, prep, and just mastering that craft. I want to know what chemicals, manufacturing process(s), shipping methods are used to produce different films. The whole process of applying film is intriguing to me, as well as qualifying a customer based off their needs/wants....Like, is this customer just wanting to enhance the look of their car, or do they want to protect their interior, or are they concerned about protection from the sun...OR all of the above. Just want to provide quality work, strive to constantly become better, make a little money, and provide my son with an experience together.

Thank you!