why cant you? all you need is the software/knowledge of it.

 

It seems to be neck and neck. I think I will choose a centralized location near the bridge on the peninsula right off the highway, so it wont be so bad if someone from the southside did want to come to it.

 

I have mixed feelings about this subject. Many people know that i work out of my garage. no, i'm not a cut throat garage kid doing clutches for $100 or swaps for $300. I do charge similar to a shop minus the overhead they have to charge for. I charge this because i respect the shops in the area, and take pride in the work I do for people. I work at home for myself because i know there is a market for people to have their car worked on for a good price and have someone they can go to anytime (7 days a week and pretty much call me or AIM me any time of day or night for questions, advice, info, whatever).

I have most of my experience with southside shops. In my opinion, the kids in this area may want a nice shop strictly performance oriented with a dyno, that does motor builds, tunes, cages, exhaust, etc. But in reality, shops like that do not cater to kids. They cater to racers who spend money. These kids out here on the street arent racers, they are people having fun, enjoying a hobby in the time and current lifestyle they are living. This isn't there life long passion, its their way to pass the time. The people who keep performance shops alive are the people who need their race cars prepped, refreshed, fixed, tuned, etc. Sure, there are people on the street who use their services, but as Matt stated earlier, mom and pop work pays the bills for the shops you think are performance shops.

Southside has many shops, and they have even more people who do their own work and are friends with the shops. The cars most of you modify or own have readily available info online on most of the mods you do.

From an outsider's opinion of the Penn, i feel like a small shop with a dyno and 3bays, 2 of which are lift bays and a stocked showroom will do well. this shop would have to have 3 full time techs with at least one of those being a very knowledgeable tuner.Also, a secretary, aprentice/bitch boy (once a week clean up boy) and manager/salesman would be a must. Finances would be handled by an outside profession accountant service who comes once a week to ensure proper paperwork is being handled.

This shop's focus would be moreso in the performance cars area, domestic/import alike. Performance work would be what their passion is, but doing a transmission rebuild on a honda, changing a clutch on an evo, doing headgaskets on nissans would be the stabilizers of the shop with put food on the table. No, the shop wouldnt profit for a couple years, but as the years progress, they will be able to cater to what they feel is paying their bills as their environment develops.

A showroom is neccessary because it brings people in who need the MSD 7-8000 pill series for their 2step that weekend. It brings backyard mechanics in a bind into the shop to get that ARP flywheel bolt set because their customer didnt mention they were all stripped out when they tried to do it last time. It brings passerbys in who see the lights/seats/shiiny parts in the showroom display. It lets you bring in potential customers and helps your service shop have access to the parts for their customers.

Having a Hampton/Newport News location would benefit IMO because you will be somewhat centralized to the area in terms of Williamsburg, Gloucester, Norfolk (military), even Richmond or virginia beach (even though we all know that beach kids are spoiled and hate driving anywhere for a shop).

take all this with a grain of salt if you will. It is my opinion and my recipe for a potentially successful shop of the caliber that you all seem to be discussing.
-Francisco

 

pretty much, minus the dyno. i dont feel the need to have more than 8 dyno's in the area. but if the shop is doing that much dyno business then yes. we had a dyno over at our shop and it was more than a hassle to run/opperate then it would benefit us. we did more repair/engine jobs that took up most of our time. so when someone wanted to run their car on the dyno, one of us would have to stop what we were doing and run the dyno for them. in other words put the other stuff on the back burner just to make a quick buck.

 

i think a shop cant be hidden either. no one just driving around is gonna find it.

i mean really besides tuners edge and MAS, i dont think theres been a shop on any main road

i may be wrong, abacus, dyno inc, autosolutions, all aspects...... all stuck down some off road behind other buildings

 

well, i am not familiar with newport news, but I know of only 2-3 dynos out there, one being a dynapack. I feel its a nice in house piece. it enables you to have that backyard mechanic (ie:mshue) and other non dyno owning shops make you money. and again, it brings in the walk in customer for repeat work. guy gets his car baseline dyno'd, needs work done later that he feels uncomfortable doing or has no info about, he'll at least think of your shop when he runs down the list of potential shops in his head. and thats where the business experience comes into play where you make the customer feel appreciated just in his one or 2 visits for small things. repeat customers bring loyalty and word of mouth customers. free advertising saves money and makes money

 

to a point yes. but security is a factor as well. easily accesible and secure is the ultimate goal

 

For the kind of work the shop would be doing, not being on a main road will not hurt as much as if it were a jiffy lube or something.

If you have one of the few performance shops around, word will get around. It is not like you are driving down the road and you all of a sudden want an engine build. Usually you do some research first and find a place that you know will do that job right.

 

The shop I intend to open within the next month or so will have, two good full time techs, 3 bays, and a sec. I have been debating on buying a dyno, although I have had my eye on the one inside of MAS. I will wait to see these shops that I am looking at this week. So it seems like the 757 might have two new shops on the way.

 

95 % of my business is word of mouth and we stay fairly busy.im right next to where autosolutions was with no front to speak of.do good work and people will find you!..