Starting an audio shop...

[Lucky4Designs]

I got a call from my buddy about a month ago saying he had good news (I was expecting him to tell me he'd let me have at his AQ1200D!). Instead, he told me the guys running the retail store on the south end of town his dad owned were slacking on paying his dad for letting them use the place so his dad is going to evict them. I guess that is said and done now, and my buddy said I'm the only person he would trust running a shop with and thinks we have potential to be successful with both of our experience combined. His dad said that if we could come up with an effective business plan, he would have the shop under his name, but in a way it would be ours. Another plus is the place has a 2 bdrm apartment/thing above it!

I'm a little stumped as to how we would pull this off. Here's what I've come up with to make a little extra cash though...

Use as little money as possible while maintaining efficiency

80% installations, 20% or smaller retail in order to prevent spending money on equipment we can't move

Finding a way to get around the system for raffles. I have a friend who is a member of the Pheasant's Forever chapter here in town and he works around the system all the time. (sale of raffle tickets in KS is illegal )

A small bit of online retail

My buddy knows how to mod, repair, and build amps

I can do recones

And that's about all I have for now. Most of the necessities are already taken care of (location, bills, rent, ownership, company type, business name, security, friend is a certified dealer for a couple companies, etc..)

We don't really plan on retailing really high end stuff for right now. Basicall just what we see around town and once business starts getting better we'll contact other companies. Is there anything else we're missing? Anyone lurking the forums who has operated or owned an audio business? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

[roscoe1129]

uh where in KS?

[Ray]

Good luck

Its cakewalk starting a shop

The bitch is keeping it going.

[Lucky4Designs]

uh where in KS?

Wichita, that's another reason we probably wouldn't carry high end equipment because Wichita is chocked full of tweakers looking for cheap deals. Plus, I don't know very many people around Wichita that have the kind of income to drop up to $800+ on a single sub like it's nothin'. The location isn't terrible, but it's not goody two-shoes north Wichita either. The population is mostly Hispanic/Latino in the area and many of them are drug dealers and pay cold hard cash. Not the best crowd to associate with, but business is business. For security we have bars on the windows, a safe built into the wall that will probably be covered with an audio poster lmao, an ADT security system if I remember correctly, I believe around 10 security cameras, and a Pit Bull haha

[roscoe1129]

uh where in KS?

Wichita, that's another reason we probably wouldn't carry high end equipment because Wichita is chocked full of tweakers looking for cheap deals. Plus, I don't know very many people around Wichita that have the kind of income to drop up to $800+ on a single sub like it's nothin'. The location isn't terrible, but it's not goody two-shoes north Wichita either. The population is mostly Hispanic/Latino in the area and many of them are drug dealers and pay cold hard cash. Not the best crowd to associate with, but business is business. For security we have bars on the windows, a safe built into the wall that will probably be covered with an audio poster lmao, an ADT security system if I remember correctly, I believe around 10 security cameras, and a Pit Bull haha

well I am in Kansas City which why I asked.... uhm.... good luck and you should do fine with a good business head on your shoulders.... just dont go uhhhhh "ghetto" and keep it clean man!

[310_cutty]

I would like to open a small body shop with a small install bay also.

But I'm getting more hands on experience first working in shops around here to see if I can really handle it.

Good luck to you bro, hope it works out!!!

[Lucky4Designs]

Thanks for the support guys! We're working on a plan to expand the existing garage for a nice install bay. The majority of the area for installs with a toolbox for each vehicle (each toolbox containing a DD-1 ), the back right corner of the garage for box building and fiberglass parts/boxes, a temperature controlled room in the back left section of the garage for minor body work and paint, a TermLab station in front of the paint shop, and finally, a bench testing area in the back center between the other two closed-off rooms. I have about $10,000 worth of hand and power tools, air compressors, paint guns, sanders, table saw, router table, and just about any other tools you can think of. Seriously... Think of something... I have a 48" aluminum pipe wrench and that's just the beginning!

Here's a few pics of what I had in mind.

Sorry if the handwriting is hard to read

I told you I had a 48" pipe wrench!!!