Tyler777

On 10/17/2021 at 7:19 AM, Tintguy1980 said:

Welcome to the industry. You sound like I did back in 1980. It certainly doesn't hurt to have like material installation skills. I use ask those questions when hiring back in the day; have you installed large vinyl decals, cabinet paper, wallpaper, etc. I'd also ask if they had a hidden artist in themselves or are they good with children. The latter was to gauge their level of patience.

 

Here's what I can share that may or may not be the best advice:

 

Question 1.

Yes, tinting is a good business to get into with just a couple caveats; 1) you will be dealing with the general public (GP) of these times. Tinting for people who know you gives a false sense of security in that they may 'accept' what you have done so well and thank you without complaint. However, the GP today will scan the glass surface so much so it wouldn't be unusual to find fingerprints or nose smudges from their inspection effort.  And 2) I wouldn't give up a day job until the skills needed for the general public are consistently solid from car to car or home to home if that were something you would do as well. I worked a part-time job in the evening and made myself available for tinting during the day; had to do that for almost 2 years before my word of mouth reputation brought in enough work to support my home and the blooming business.

 

Question 2. Brick and mortar, IMO, is the best route. However, it can be tough to finance a shop in the early days without sinking many $$'s in promoting your business. And as always, location, location, location, is always key. From a mobile perspective, well, I did that too. But, only because I did homes and business building glass as well. One feeds the other; auto leads to homes or business and vice versa. Homeowners always asked if I did cars. If they had a clean garage setting I would offer to do their car at their home. That is about as mobile I would get in terms of tinting car glass. Mobile vs. brick and mortar location will have some consumers questioning how reliable is your service in the event there were to be warranty claims. I use tell customers that the mobile guy has a tail-light warranty; you see their tails heading away from you compared with my store location is right here. It's truly is a tough call whether to do mobile or brick and mortar. No one but you can make that decision.

 

I'll leave you with a couple things learned over the years; for the consumer there are only two of three factors they are able to receive (watch those that come along and say otherwise). A good price, a high quality product, or high quality service; all three are not attainable. So, the next thing would be; if your market is saturated with other tinters, you will have to find something that sets you apart from your competitors. Don't lose sight of what you are doing by paying too much attention what the others are doing.

 

Hope this is useful as I have long since retired and may have forgotten more than what I know about the industry.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for all this!! This is great information and definitely some excellent pointers and tips in there too. That helps me a lot.

It gives me something to keep in mind for the future as well.

Currently, I have some family vehicles that I am "scheduled" to do in my free time. So I am definitely looking forward to those for practice, if nothing else.

I have a long way to go - needless to say - and I need much more practice, but I am definitely looking forward to try to start something on the side and see what happens and where I can go with it.

Thanks again for this great information!

Hello all!

I am new tinter and new to the site, but I have been reading a lot on here recently. I just have a little experience but I am learning and feel I have a pretty good handle on the process - but obviously need more experience to be confident. (which I am working on - I have 2 more cars to do this weekend actually that I'm really excited about)

A slight backstory, I have always had tinted vehicles. I cannot stand factory/clear glass - drives me nuts! So I have a pretty good understanding of the VLT's, different tint makeups, etc. I greatly enjoy window tint and just recently got into to trying it myself and it went very well if I do say so - even my wife was impressed (she wasn't sure how it would turn out at first). I know I have a long way to go, but I had fun nonetheless. I have done a LOT of decal-ing in the past and even some small jobs with vinyl wrap; so I think that has helped with this process even though they are not the exact same procedure.

I just have a couple general questions pertaining to the "future" if anyone has any input:

Is tinting a good business to get into? (as in, quit my 8-5 job and do this full time one day)

What is the best way to start business for someone like me - I've heard mobile tint is a good way, or would it be better to start larger with a shop? (Again, this will be a little down the road as I need more experience/learning to be to that point, I'm just trying to get my "road map" in order so to speak.)

I know there are a lot of variables involved in this, but testing the waters in something that interests me is what I am mainly wanting to do.

Thanks in advance for anything and everything!