Officially a small business owner. Check out my website!

[Ilikeshinythings]

Touché..thanks John...Took care of that potential problem. Good idea about doing a half light too..I was thinking of a prop I could have at a table if I were to go to auto shows next to my business cards and pictures of lights I've restored.

 

[jaundice]

Oh yah, one other thing I was thinking about doing is going out and finding cores at junk yards that are still in decent shape, restoring them and selling them on my website and other advertisement sites. OEM headlights are expensive!!

Whoa! Now you're talking. This is a great idea because you can sell them on ebay or enthusiast websites. Plus, you're not waiting around for work. You can go out, grab a pair of honda headlights at pick'n'pull, shine them up, and probably make more than the $80 you would charge if the customer brought you a car.

I do different work, but I've often thought that there is a lot of money to be made in crazy niches like this, both on the forums like Fivemega, or like this off the forums. Start slow, do some auto shows, get a reputation, and when you get too much work, raise your rates. If you keep up the quality, in a couple of years, you'll be the guy that these famous hot rod builders call to do the job right. And then you'll be making real money!

Again, going to auto shows with a small booth with you doing your thing, and a bunch of before/after samples will quickly get the word out. Pick the right show, maybe a Honda Tuner show or something similar?

JohnR66, excellent idea about the before/after headlight.

Good luck!

-John

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

I'm thinking about picking up two sets of lights from a junk yard at a time. That way I don't have to worry about warehousing costs, lights not selling quickly and losing money. I figure they'll sell eventually either way. Business has been decent this month. I have done three cars this month and I have at least 3 more in the works for April.

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Updated my website with a new set, 2004 corolla SE. The lights were pretty messed up, particularly the right one.

 

[CarlR]

What a great idea - I hope it goes well for you.

Regarding using a photo on your business cards or website, there are a couple really inexpensive ways to go.

First, there are tons of photos on Flickr that the owners have offered up for commercial use - you might find something there.

Second, there are microstock photo sites such as istockphoto.com that would have exactly what you want, pretty inexpensively.

My brother just went through this so it's fresh in my mind.

Good luck,

Carl R

 

[burgessdi]

Very nice website :wave:

U might want folding business cards so you can take lots of notes when meeting people

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Thanks for all the ideas!

 

[copperfox]

I swear I saw those Merc and BMW headlight photos on Autopia a short while ago... :huh:

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

I swear I saw those Merc and BMW headlight photos on Autopia a short while ago... :huh:

I swear you probably saw my thread

 

[andyw513]

Hey, good luck with your business pal, great idea!

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Thanks Andy! Right now things are pretty slow, but I have a few cars lined up for the next month. I need to make myself seen!

 

[andyw513]

Jingle:

"So you can't tell the difference between lows and brights?
Go see Mr. Kaser at shinyheadlights"

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

^perfect! haha

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Updated my website with a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This was my hardest challenge so far. It took me 3+ hours and 5 levels of sandpaper. I started at 1000 and that did NOTHING, so I moved down to 600, then up to 800, then 1000, then 1500, then 2500 grit. Alternated vertical and horizontal sanding to make sure I covered up all the previous grit. A little elbow grease voila!

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

The brighter sunlight in that latest pic definitely helps show off your work better.

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Thanks! The surface of this cars lights looked like a cracking desert flat up close. It took a lot of elbow grease and over 3 hours.

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Just added a 1999 Toyota Camry to my website. It's nothing special but it came out pretty good. I am going to start using lighting to my advantage beginning with the next set of lights I restore. I'm thinking I will use my Fenix E01 to bring out the shine! What you all think?

 

[peterkin101]

Normally I frown on such postings as this on forums such as Candle Power etc

However, this has really caught my imagination.

I think you've got a great potential with this but I'd advise a few things:

1) Stay Sharp, if your work is good enough (and the pics certainly suggest so) then you will start to grow and prosper. Quality and service are NEVER out of fashion.

2) Don't rush into anything. You may end up with all sorts of offers for advice, marketing,loans for expansion to name a few. Take care-these people are after you for what's in it for them. A lot a businesses fail because of the owners being spun a line and over-committing.

3) The eBaying of used and restored lamps is great but every one of them knocks 15 or so percent off your margin. Great if it results in masses of otherwise unobtainable business but a drain otherwise ESPECIALLY if you need to do free carriage like eBay will want you to do!

4) If you are going to expand seek the services of a good Lawyer. It will be expensive but their advice could save you much more later.

Best wishes and hope you expand.

Regards,

Peter.

 

[Federal LG]

Nice!

Good luck Daniel!

 

[Ilikeshinythings]

Normally I frown on such postings as this on forums such as Candle Power etc

However, this has really caught my imagination.

I think you've got a great potential with this but I'd advise a few things:

1) Stay Sharp, if your work is good enough (and the pics certainly suggest so) then you will start to grow and prosper. Quality and service are NEVER out of fashion.

2) Don't rush into anything. You may end up with all sorts of offers for advice, marketing,loans for expansion to name a few. Take care-these people are after you for what's in it for them. A lot a businesses fail because of the owners being spun a line and over-committing.

3) The eBaying of used and restored lamps is great but every one of them knocks 15 or so percent off your margin. Great if it results in masses of otherwise unobtainable business but a drain otherwise ESPECIALLY if you need to do free carriage like eBay will want you to do!

4) If you are going to expand seek the services of a good Lawyer. It will be expensive but their advice could save you much more later.

Best wishes and hope you expand.

Regards,

Peter.

Thank you for the kind words and the suggestions. It may sound like a plug but I really do care more about doing a high quality job than anything else. I don't expect to become rich from this, though that would be great. I do, however, enjoy the feeling of fixing things, especially when the owner of the car is really happy with the outcome. Like anyone else, I need money, but my business will not make or break the bank. It is also relatively low overhead. I won't rush into offering new products or services. Most other companies out there specialize in detailing and auto-repair and offer this as an upsell, but I have friends who do all those other things so I focus solely on the headlight restoration aspect. I've considered buying used lights and selling them but I won't be doing that anytime soon. There is no shortage of customers! That's for sure. Reaching them and convincing them that they will benefit from my service is the trickiest part. I hope I never need a lawyer but I will contact one if I am offered something or if I plan on branching out.