Looking for some career advice

sweetcheeks · January 11, 2023

Although it is my first post here, I have been reading these for awhile now and I have come looking for some advice / opinions before I really pull the trigger on what I feel needs to be done.

I have been tinting for seven years now, five for dealerships and two years in retail, where I am currently at. Was hoping to get some information regarding your experiences and if it is a common trend in this industry.. what exactly would you guys consider fair pay for the work that you do? Lets say I work for an absentee shop owner. Lets say I handle front and back end duties of the shop.. I provide quotes, schedule appointments, handle walk-ins, take calls, send invoices, as well as install for the retail side and maintain a contract with a close by dealership.

To be fair, we do have a lady who takes care of most front end aspects but she floats between two shops so she is not always in shop with me.

I get paid $19/hr and it is just me handling ALL installs and dealing with dealership bullshit. At this point in my career I am feeling SUPER jaded and absolutely demotivated and am teetering between getting out of the industry for good or thinking that maybe it is just the shop I am at now.

To the owners out there, do you work your shop full time? Do you have help or is it just you? Is it common to have an absentee owner?

I am not a greedy person by any means but it just feels so disheartening to be breaking my back and being SO stressed out maintaining retail and a dealership with what feels like absolutely no incentive to do so. At this point, I might as well just open up my own shop and make all the money but I am so over it I don't even want to deal with that. Maybe being on commission will help? Maybe salary + commission on gross profit? I don't even know.

It's funny because my paychecks now are not much more than what I made doing dealer work and I am now doing 2-3x the amount of work running a shop that is not even mine. I just can't seem to get ahead and it is extremely tiring and hard on my state of mind. I could use some help and advice and I truly appreciate you reading this. Feel free to do so over private messages, I am an open book but tried to keep this as vague as possible.

much love,

TintDude · January 11, 2023

It may be worth having a conversation with your employer about your workload, pay and about potential additional support or compensation for your added responsibilities.

Regarding fair pay, it can vary depending on the location, cost of living, and other factors.
I've always worked on commission and there are times when you work uncompensated, but the higher pay for the tint work tends to make up for it.

Hopefully you can talk to the boss and get something more fair going, If not, it might be good to look for a different job or maybe start your own business if you feel ready.

sweetcheeks · January 11, 2023

On 1/11/2023 at 1:45 PM, TintDude said:

It may be worth having a conversation with your employer about your workload, pay and about potential additional support or compensation for your added responsibilities.

Regarding fair pay, it can vary depending on the location, cost of living, and other factors.
I've always worked on commission and there are times when you work uncompensated, but the higher pay for the tint work tends to make up for it.

Hopefully you can talk to the boss and get something more fair going, If not, it might be good to look for a different job or maybe start your own business if you feel ready.

I appreciate the quick response buddy. I have spoken to him several times throughout the year only to be met with half spoken promises it seems.

When I originally started, I was brought on part time as he had just hired a helper some weeks before me. Long story short, I quickly became full time, he opened a second location, I lost my helper a year ago, and the past 14 months has been pretty much just me.

When I started, we were all in the weeds together, rocking and rolling, having fun while working hard - everything I was looking for that I was missing doing dealer work. It truly was great but it also quickly changed.

I have already voiced my concerns with him about shouldering all the work and wanting a helper but nothing ever came of it - besides hiring the lady to run most front end duties and a failed attempt at posting an ad on craigslist of all places. To be honest, I don't mind running front end but it's terribly frustrating doing it all by myself and would have rather had a full time helper/installer instead so when I run customer relations, work is still getting done on the back end.

I understand he has a business to run, hiring another person will cut into profits - I get it, I do. But sometimes I feel that if he does not want to hire someone to help me, then I need him there full time to be with me but he is not. It is an established location where we can get pretty busy even in the slow season.. and no, he is not at the second shop either. (however, it is MUCH slower there versus the one I am at). That stated, he is hardly ever actually in state as he travels around all over the states to 'explore'... I guess you could say.

I am a humble man, I know whether I am here or not, the shop will still exist - I will not let my ego grab hold and do NOT maintain an attitude of "without me he has nothing" because I know that is not true. I am truly at a crossroads at this point in time, feels lonely man.

Edited January 14, 2023 by sweetcheeks
removed some of my rant

TintDude · January 11, 2023

From what you say about the owner, I would start trying to find another job as soon as possible.

I've had a similar situation. The boss was always gone and a hard drug user. Once he stopped caring about even paying for film I was out of there and the best move I could have made. If the boss was there and gave a damn, then I'd say stay and work it out.

sweetcheeks · January 11, 2023

Thanks tintdude, I appreciate you hearing me out brother. Luckily he is not a hard drug user or anything like that but he definitely has a certain lifestyle he wants to maintain and while I do not judge or fault him for it, it seems to not fit into what I want out of an owner.

I like the guy as a person, he does care for me and checks up on me.. we talk about things not work related, etc etc but at this point I'm pretty much over it.

It's funny because I actually supported him in everything he wanted to do, travel, open another shop, etc, but I believe I did so at the behest of my own well being and it is something I can no longer maintain. He is a good dude at heart but I cannot support someone else's lifestyle while sacrificing my own, for which you're right.

I feel at this point in my life, I will just have to make the changes needed despite how scary it is to break out of what has become 'comfortable.'

While it is not a bad shop and he leaves me to my own devices and does very little to micromanage me, something still just feels off man. Sometimes I think I care TOO much about the job, if that makes sense? It sometimes feels as if I care for my work and my customers so much that it just adds to the stress that already exists.

TintDude · January 11, 2023

I know what you mean. I felt it was in my own best interest to do the best I could at that shop, but like your situation it just wasn't sustainable.

TintDude · January 11, 2023

I'll tell you though, it felt dang good the day I quit. It was a little scary, but another shop picked me up right away.

sweetcheeks · January 11, 2023

Thanks so much again for reaching out to me, it helps to know that things will work out as they're supposed to and that I'm not alone in feeling this way. It really hit home when you said you tried your best for the shop but it wasn't sustainable and I am definitely feeling that I am in that position, as I have given it my absolute all.

The lease on our apartment is up this year so the wife and I are talking about moving back to my hometown. It is a much bigger city and I feel there will be more opportunity for me down there to really find the right shop/pay. I also have quite a few contacts down there that I met during my years doing dealer work that I can reach out to but unfortunately, I would have to stick it out another half year here.. which, to be honest, I don't know that I can weather this storm as it already feels like I'm drowning.

You offer a nice service here, full of awesome resources and I thank you for that tintdude.. as for your time as well.

Edited January 16, 2023 by sweetcheeks
edited out some of my rant

TintDude · January 11, 2023

No problem at all. We do have a good classifieds section here. Probably wouldn't hurt to put some feelers out. :thumb

Dano · January 12, 2023

The guy you work for sounds like a chief manipulator. Not a chance would I stay anywhere for that crap. If you write the checks you can keep the rest and he can find another bitch to starve out while he pretends to give a fuk. If you leave tomorrow the dealers still need an installer.

Become a vendor, don't line up to be someone else's workslave because you're scared you can't write the checks, when the money runs out he won't write one either.

Selling you fear is manipulation. It's how D-bag's get you to stay subservient.

My answer was always 'fukit I'm already hungry, I'm going to put a roll of film in the car and shake the trees. Whatever I find is mine and I'll do it again tomorrow until I can find a shop space thats disused next to a garage or tire shop. I have a friend local who just did exactly that a few days ago leaving the absentee pimp...er...owner to let him find another set of sweetcheeks to leave a handprint on.

Please read or even watch 'your next five moves' from Patrick Bet David on youtube. Best 10min you're going to spend today.