1st paid job coming up

Damien · July 8, 2023

Hey all, I have my first paid job coming up next week and have 4 more scheduled after that one. Iv been practicing non stop for the past month or so. Iv went thru 3 different 100 ft rolls on my vehicles and other friends and family vehicles. Just seeing if anybody has any tips or suggestions for the start of my business journey? I’m starting my prices supper cheap. I’m doing a complete 4 door car install for 80$ using a decent carbon film. I know that’s super cheap but I’m trying to build a good customer base before I raise the prices. Thank you all in advance for any tips and suggestions you all give me.

TintDude · July 8, 2023

2 hours ago, Damien said:

I’m starting my prices supper cheap.

First of all don't do that. I had ChatGPT help me with this and it is spot on:

While it may seem enticing to start a service business with prices significantly lower than the competition, there are several reasons why this approach may not be advisable in the long run. Here are some potential drawbacks:

1 Quality perception: Customers often associate higher prices with better quality. By significantly undercutting the competition, you risk creating a perception that your services are of lower quality or that you are cutting corners to offer such low prices. This can make it difficult to build trust and establish a strong reputation in the market.

2 Profitability challenges: Operating a business with very low prices can make it challenging to generate sufficient revenue and maintain profitability. If your prices are too low, you may struggle to cover your costs, invest in necessary resources, or sustain your business over time. This can lead to financial difficulties and potentially force you to increase prices later, which may alienate existing customers.

3 Value proposition: Competing solely on price often reduces your value proposition to being the cheapest option in the market. This can attract price-sensitive customers who may not be loyal and are more likely to switch to a cheaper alternative. Building a sustainable business requires offering unique value, exceptional customer service, or specialized expertise, rather than relying solely on low prices.

4 Undercutting your competition: By undercutting the competition significantly, you risk engaging in a price war that can be detrimental to all businesses involved. Competitors may respond by lowering their prices further, leading to diminishing profits for everyone. This scenario is not sustainable in the long term and can harm the entire industry.

5 Perceived lack of expertise: Setting prices significantly lower than your competitors may give the impression that you lack experience, expertise, or confidence in your services. Customers may question why your prices are so much lower and whether you can deliver the same level of quality and results as your competitors.

6 Difficulty raising prices: If you establish your business with significantly lower prices, it can be challenging to increase them in the future without facing resistance from existing customers. Once customers have become accustomed to your low prices, they may be reluctant to pay more, even if you have improved your service quality or expanded your offerings.

7 Long-term sustainability: Building a sustainable business requires a solid financial foundation. Operating with prices significantly lower than the competition can make it difficult to invest in growth, retain talented employees, or weather economic downturns. It's essential to consider the long-term viability of your business model and ensure that it can adapt to changing market conditions.

While pricing is an important factor in attracting customers, it is crucial to strike a balance between offering competitive prices and delivering value that justifies your rates. Competing solely on price may lead to short-term gains but can have negative consequences for the long-term success and sustainability of your business.

---

Now the next thing I would suggest is customer management.

90% of your problems are going to come from customers who weren't prepared ahead of time what to expect.

Print out a stack of these: https://www.tintdude.com/care.html/ and read it with and leave one with each customer before you begin the work, this will save you a lot of grief and you'll thank me later.

Damien · July 17, 2023

On 7/8/2023 at 7:28 PM, TintDude said:

First of all don't do that. I had ChatGPT help me with this and it is spot on:

While it may seem enticing to start a service business with prices significantly lower than the competition, there are several reasons why this approach may not be advisable in the long run. Here are some potential drawbacks:

1 Quality perception: Customers often associate higher prices with better quality. By significantly undercutting the competition, you risk creating a perception that your services are of lower quality or that you are cutting corners to offer such low prices. This can make it difficult to build trust and establish a strong reputation in the market.

2 Profitability challenges: Operating a business with very low prices can make it challenging to generate sufficient revenue and maintain profitability. If your prices are too low, you may struggle to cover your costs, invest in necessary resources, or sustain your business over time. This can lead to financial difficulties and potentially force you to increase prices later, which may alienate existing customers.

3 Value proposition: Competing solely on price often reduces your value proposition to being the cheapest option in the market. This can attract price-sensitive customers who may not be loyal and are more likely to switch to a cheaper alternative. Building a sustainable business requires offering unique value, exceptional customer service, or specialized expertise, rather than relying solely on low prices.

4 Undercutting your competition: By undercutting the competition significantly, you risk engaging in a price war that can be detrimental to all businesses involved. Competitors may respond by lowering their prices further, leading to diminishing profits for everyone. This scenario is not sustainable in the long term and can harm the entire industry.

5 Perceived lack of expertise: Setting prices significantly lower than your competitors may give the impression that you lack experience, expertise, or confidence in your services. Customers may question why your prices are so much lower and whether you can deliver the same level of quality and results as your competitors.

6 Difficulty raising prices: If you establish your business with significantly lower prices, it can be challenging to increase them in the future without facing resistance from existing customers. Once customers have become accustomed to your low prices, they may be reluctant to pay more, even if you have improved your service quality or expanded your offerings.

7 Long-term sustainability: Building a sustainable business requires a solid financial foundation. Operating with prices significantly lower than the competition can make it difficult to invest in growth, retain talented employees, or weather economic downturns. It's essential to consider the long-term viability of your business model and ensure that it can adapt to changing market conditions.

While pricing is an important factor in attracting customers, it is crucial to strike a balance between offering competitive prices and delivering value that justifies your rates. Competing solely on price may lead to short-term gains but can have negative consequences for the long-term success and sustainability of your business.

---

Now the next thing I would suggest is customer management.

90% of your problems are going to come from customers who weren't prepared ahead of time what to expect.

Print out a stack of these: https://www.tintdude.com/care.html/ and read it with and leave one with each customer before you begin the work, this will save you a lot of grief and you'll thank me later.

Thank you soo much!! Iv raised my prices to 200$ and people are still coming in. I’m afraid I have over booked myself these next couple of weeks. I’m still not a fast tinter. How long does it take to be able to install a good window almost every time. Right now I’m about a 50/50 chance that’s it’s an acceptable window. It’s so frustrating having to redo everything on a window because of simple mistakes. And today I had my first “bad” job. The customer decided to have his old window tint removed the day he brought it to me. I had to remove everything and do a complete install and was under a small time frame. The work did not come out acceptable. I gave him a discount and put him back on the schedule to redo the whole job for no extra cost. I feel like this was the best way to hand those situations. Thank you in advance!!

TintLabb · July 17, 2023

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Thank you soo much!! Iv raised my prices to 200$ and people are still coming in. I’m afraid I have over booked myself these next couple of weeks. I’m still not a fast tinter. How long does it take to be able to install a good window almost every time. Right now I’m about a 50/50 chance that’s it’s an acceptable window. It’s so frustrating having to redo everything on a window because of simple mistakes. And today I had my first “bad” job. The customer decided to have his old window tint removed the day he brought it to me. I had to remove everything and do a complete install and was under a small time frame. The work did not come out acceptable. I gave him a discount and put him back on the schedule to redo the whole job for no extra cost. I feel like this was the best way to hand those situations. Thank you in advance!!

I was in the same situation you were in not too long ago! I used to mess up customer vehicles, take 6-7 hours on full installs, and offer discounted rates or a free tint job. Mistakes used to stress me out as I couldn't guarantee myself I could do it better the second time around those mistakes are a blessing in disguise use them as an opportunity to learn! In my opinion, there isn't really a specific time to get it done, you'll get faster as you get better. Today in a perfect scenario it should take me around 2-2.5 hours for a full install and I'm not sure if that's fast for industry standard. I honestly didn't think I could get better back windows used to scare me, quarter windows... but you just have to tint tint tint and do some more tinting. I did end up sacrificing some of my own time and worked with a professional for FREE for a few months which sped up the learning process and I honestly recommend you do the same if you can.

Dano · July 17, 2023

8 hours ago, TintLabb said:

worked with a professional for FREE for a few months which sped up the learning process

Best education time and money can buy. I wish more would do the same.

Remember....running slow is smooth, running smooth is the key to running fast.

It takes 5-8 months to get reasonably consistent on not too difficult vehicles. 18-24 months to get proficient. 3 years in and you can mostly do it in your sleep. Steer clear of anything euro and any windshields for about a year to lessen frustration. Kia, Honda, Toyota is where I would suggest you try to focus. You can also make good coin on doing front door sets on pickups without much pain.

Damien · July 18, 2023

18 hours ago, TintLabb said:

I was in the same situation you were in not too long ago! I used to mess up customer vehicles, take 6-7 hours on full installs, and offer discounted rates or a free tint job. Mistakes used to stress me out as I couldn't guarantee myself I could do it better the second time around those mistakes are a blessing in disguise use them as an opportunity to learn! In my opinion, there isn't really a specific time to get it done, you'll get faster as you get better. Today in a perfect scenario it should take me around 2-2.5 hours for a full install and I'm not sure if that's fast for industry standard. I honestly didn't think I could get better back windows used to scare me, quarter windows... but you just have to tint tint tint and do some more tinting. I did end up sacrificing some of my own time and worked with a professional for FREE for a few months which sped up the learning process and I honestly recommend you do the same if you can.

Well that makes me feel a lot better about my self lol i spent nine hours on a full install for a Pacifica mini van today. Everything was going smooth until I got to the back window. Didn’t shrink it enough the first time and ended up creasing. 2nd attempt came out much better. Back windows still scare me and I’m struggling with quarter windows. I either leave too much excess film or have gaps. It’s frustrating but I enjoy the struggle once the struggle is over with lol I’m just going to keep on working. Surely I’ll get good at it eventually. You pros make it look so dang easy.

Damien · July 19, 2023

On 7/17/2023 at 10:03 AM, Dano said:

Best education time and money can buy. I wish more would do the same.

Remember....running slow is smooth, running smooth is the key to running fast.

It takes 5-8 months to get reasonably consistent on not too difficult vehicles. 18-24 months to get proficient. 3 years in and you can mostly do it in your sleep. Steer clear of anything euro and any windshields for about a year to lessen frustration. Kia, Honda, Toyota is where I would suggest you try to focus. You can also make good coin on doing front door sets on pickups without much pain.

Hey Dano, I have a question. I had a customer come in and wanted 20% over the 35% they originally had. I glanced over the old tint and didn’t see too many if any contaminations. So I installed 20% on top of that. Pulled the vehicle out side and noticed there was soooo much contamination. Hard like sand in the film. So I scratched my head and pulled it back off and realize the sand seemed to be under the old tint. Does darker tint show more contaminants than lighter tint? So I went ahead and re tinted the window and the window came out awful. Like streaks and tons of micro air pockets. I am still stressing over it.

Dano · July 19, 2023

It's always harder to hide contamination in darker film due to contrast.

For removal here's my process....

Sides:

1. Pull film one panel at a time and spray with SprayAway.

2. Blade the glue and catch with a paper towel.

3. Spray again...Use an Olfa /SS NT blade to clean the edges.

4. Wrap a microfiber around a triangle card and jam into the gaskets/glass edge to scrub what is hidden/hard to reach.

5. Spray again...Use #3 steel wool to scrub, including top edge.

6. Rince with water/squeegee.

7. Wipe with clean microfiber, triangle the edges again. Once with the glass up and do the gaskets again with the glass down.

8. Spray with water and run your hand around the glass to feel for contamination.

9. Squeegee dry and clean the outside of the glass.

10. In good light, look through to glass at different angles to spot anything you might have missed.

11. When you get ready to install, blade/triangle/wipe/spray/wipe top edge/squeegee/flush edges just like a normal install to maintain consistency.

If you're working on used cars you may want to incorporate #3 wool or at minimum a 3m white scrubbie after your blade step. Keep a separate knife for cleaning edges so you don't wreck your film cutting blade. Only knife clean behind the edges, you can easily scratch glass in an open area.

Good luck and please consider a premium subscription here on TintDude. Without this site passing on knowledge would be much more difficult. It's not much and goes a long way towards keeping the site up and running. :yep