How do you know when it's time to fly on your own?

[Roach]

Alright.. some background... Been tinting for like 4 years now give or take... one main company... did some sub work here and there. Just about a year ago I decided to go it on my own... those plans had to be pushed back due to some surgery I had to have and I finally started my own business doing flat glass in Oct. I teamed up with a designer and did work for her clients. About a month or two ago I started getting calls from referrals (sp?) from her clients... ie non-clients. w00t!!

Back in like 1993 I started working for a friend of mine doing office cleaning at nite. Did that for a bunch of years... took a few years off.. came back to it. One of the guys he has working for him is leaving, and I'm going to take over the places he cleans. Only problem is, this will leave less time for tinting...

As I said, I've been working for my friend for many years.. not only is he a close friend but he's also a father-figure to me... he's helped me thru a lot of personal crap over the years, and he's supported me in any venture I've tried to make a go of. With the tinting, he has helped me financially and has said he will continue as long as I need help and he is able to.

So what's my point? My point is - as I mentioned, I'll be doing more work for him since the other guy is leaving.... which A) I need the money and B) it's stuff I've been doing for years... ie a comfort zone.

In the past week, I've had 3 residential jobs... I had one estimate today, and three tomorrow. All in the same neighborhood. Everyone likes my work and prices, and word is getting around.

My question to everyone is how did you know when it was time to cut the cords and, sink or swim, just do it?!?!

I am so tempted to just turn down the additional cleaning work... which would leave me short when it comes to being able to pay my bills. But, that would kindof FORCE me to be more successful with the tinting.

I dunno.. maybe next week things will be slow again and I'll be glad I have the cleaning jobs... or this is just the start of what will be a very crazy summer and the cleaning jobs will hamper my full potential with the tinting.

Any thoughts?? I wanna fly, but I'm still nervous... which I don't know if that will ever go away..

RoAcH

[Devil with bad attitude]

My question to everyone is how did you know when it was time to cut the cords and, sink or swim, just do it?!?!

I think what you have to do Roach is have a business plan in action and a set of very achievable goals.

Tinting should be able to give you a great lifestyle....... trick cars, up market home, boat, private education for the tribe, anything you want within reason just go and buy it and never question how much it costs, property investments, superannuation, no mortgages and contentment first and foremost in being able to work when you want and how hard you want.

Where a lot of tinters fall off the rails is that they undersell their worth or just don't put the effort into the venture. Or they get that large and wanked with the glitz and glamour and go belly up working like a dog for nothing but debt at the end. (God, I've lost count of how many of them I've seen over the years.)

I'm not an exponent of being a Jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. If you do tint, do it as a 100% commitment. Not 70, 80, 85 but the whole deal.

Keep the overheads down, work from home with your mobile phone for starters and forget auto on site unless you are young and keen as mustard.

You have to be very disciplined and not a bludger because you only cheat yourself.

Make the contacts, make the appointments and put your name out there. Start with 10 new contacts a day. (Any number that you are comfortable with) Then if no luck, increase the call rate till you generate those buyer prospects.

Selling is nothing more than numbers day after day. The more prospects, the more likelihood of sales.

Tinting will get you further and faster in life than cleaning IMHO.

Just ask yourself "are you ready for the rewards and challenges." If not then do cleaning like the thousands upon thousands of others out there in the USA and let a very unique profession opportunity go wanting.

Devil

[Image Tint]

When you don't have time to clean instead of not having time to tint is when I would consider flying solo. It's tough but worth it Roach.

[Roach]

Tinting will get you further and faster in life than cleaning IMHO

No doubt about that... which is why I left it so many times in the past.. but I keep going back to it cause I like the guy I work for and I know it's pretty secure - ie the comfort zone.

Thanks for the thoughts.... When I have my meeting this coming week with the guy I clean for, I think I'll tell him what I want to do and go from there.

The three estimates I had today went good.. nothing big footage wise, but I really, really enjoy this. The job we did today wasn't super big either - but thus far the people have been very nice, which makes doing work for them enjoyable.

This will be a good weekend... and I'm going to do a lot of thinking.

RoAcH

[Devil with bad attitude]

Roach,

Taste this! When I get one of my regular corporates who ring me up and say "I've got more glass for you to do" and never ask for a quote, just get you arse over here and do it when you can, I still go , punch the air and say what a wonderful life for doing something I still enjoy 99% of the time.

Now that's what tinting is all about that and you'll get that enjoyment if you grasp the opportunity the sooner the better.

Devil

[Guest Zrok]

roach, I agree with devil, just keep things like they are for now, when the business picks up (and it will, mine is slowly but surely) when it picks up to where you have time for nothing else (cleaning) then you'll know and be able to throw in the towel (on cleaning) and jump in with both feet, but the jump will be a small hop by then

[Roach]

That's not what I got from his message, but ok.

I'm meeting with the guy I work for cleaning on Friday morning to talk over things. Depending on how that goes will dictate what happens next I guess.

My overall thinking is that I don't want to start something that is going to hinder building the tinting business... bottom line.

So we'll see...

RoAcH

[Roach]

Just as an FYI for anyone who has been reading...

I had my meeting this am with the guy I clean for, and he said he's going to try and see what he can work out as far as when I need days off to tint, but more then likely he's going to have to find someone else to do the work. Which I'm totally ok with and understand. He has to do what is best for his business just like I gotta do what's best for mine.

Got three more estimates lined up for next week.

RoAcH

[Guest HB Tinting]

I wonder how you are doing Roach, hope everything worked out fine and your enjoying summer work.

[TintWizard]

The only thing I would add at this time t oANYONE who is thinking of making the leap to self employment is make sure you have the mentality of empowering creativity of generating your own paycheck. I think this is the one thing people that are striking out on thier own are afraid of the most subconciously. The fear of not making ends meet in the lean times will be your 1st class ticket to going out of business. Believe in yourself,budget accordingly andyou will draw to yourself the paycheck you need to meet your desires.

Their is no greater feeling than knowing YOU are in control of your own paycheck...having th ability to go out and generate it. In the lean times , I used to thrive off of packing up my work tools and mentally removing $$$ from potential customers pockets and putting it into my own due to the skills and service I possess. Once you lock that in your subconcious, you go out and manifest it ...make it happen. Good luck to all