I quit my job.....to start a new business.
 

I've been away from the board for awhile. There have been quite a few changes since i'd last been here. I was formerly known as Patton's 70, More of a lurker than a poster. I am working on a 68 SWB with an updated engine/drivetrain (lt1, 4l60e, Disc on all 4).

Anyway.....on to the big news.

After much thought and debate (about a year) I quit my job as a Maintenance Supervisor for a Primary Aluminum Smelter. I was working way too many hours, and was tired of all of the politics involved. The family was suffering through my work schedule and poor attitude. I finally came to teh realization that, in fact, "Money isn't everything". We (Family) decided to strike out on our own and open a powder coating shop (a joint venture with my brother). I know from reading prior posts, all of you on this board are very supportive. We are excited with our new business venture and I felt you-all would be excited as well.

We have moved to a new area and are having a hard time adjusting to weather,area and etc. I am finally able to get to the internet and this board again......so I'll be lurking and posting more in the future. I havent gotten access at the shop yet so I'll have to wait to get home to post.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate your moral support.

Thanks
Steve :D

welcome back from the fox valley area:metal:

Good luck, and welcome back. Are you opening a production shop or more of a job shop? It seems more and more auto restorers and customizers are using powder coating in their projects. I powder coat at home on a very small scale for my own projects and I love it. I am getting into plating as well. Might be something to also consider. Hope all goes well and you can make it work. If you offer competitive pricing you might be able to get some work from the board. Small parts are what nickel and dime us to death. I know some guys would do it if they had a place they could use that would give them great service and a good price.

I have also thought about ditching everything and starting my own business. You are braver than I am. I am too chicken. If you understand the business, then you can make it work.

Good Luck on the new venture..........should be a good choice.

Thanks guys.

jmanz69: job/batch shop. I am seeing alot of streetrod, race and motorcycle business. we've been up and running for about 4 months. This was an existing business we bought. It wasn't worked like it should have been. i am going to change that. we have some good existing customers we are holding on to as well.

Thanks again for the pep talk....it's much appreciated

Good luck and tell me how it goes, been thinking about opening a shop myself.

Good luck to you and your family. Someone has a quote in there signature here thats says " Find a job you enjoy and you will never work again" I believe this is true.

welcome back from springfield illinois.(just 20 min's from me).are you opening in jacksonville?

Welcome back to the board. (you may remember me as longhornmail)
Good luck on your new buisness. That is a good plan to buy and improve an exsisting buisness. Already have the clientell and maybe even emploies.
You thought about doing buisness over the internet too? Parts shipped to you, powdercoated, and then shipped back to the customer? Could be a PITA with 'window shoppers' but that would help ppl that have nowhere to go in there area, and increase your buisness and productivity too.

Thanks for the replies.

Joesjunk: Great quote...I'll have to remember that one.

doughby82: The business has been here for 2 yrs, like I said the previous owner did nothing to promote or go get the business. I hope to make it common knowledge in the surrounding area. We are about 3 blocks from the Morgan Co. Fairgrounds. E-mail me if you need directions.

Longhorn Man: yes that is a great idea....doing business over the internet. When i get the time maybe a website would be in order. We are already doing business with a company in Michigan. They will ship to us for coating and we'll ship parts back. So far it has worked out quite well for us.

I would like to give the business and official "Plug" on this website but am not sure if it would be permissible or ettiquite.

What do you all think???

good luck!i think it is a good idea to do business over the internet. welcome back to the board! a good idea would be to hit the local swapmeets with some examples of the work you do. and sell some stuff already powdercoated.
good luck hope you make it and your business does well!

Good luck with your business. I am in the process of building a small shed in the back yard so I can start the smae type of business in my garage. I hope it works for you and keep posting progress on the board. You should be able to pst on parts or paint board. Then provide the link here if nothing else.

As far as plugging it on the board, I think you just did. LOL

Can you handle a long bed frame? I am just curious as to the size of your shop and the extent of your projects.

Good Luck on the business venture from another Central Illinoian, Decatur/ Mt. Zion area, about an 1 hr and a half away. Someday, I may have to come up to see how big the shop is and what you can handle or do.

Good Luck on the business venture from another Central Illinoian, Decatur/ Mt. Zion area, about an 1 hr and a half away. Someday, I may have to come up to see how big the shop is and what you can handle or do.

nu2-72: I suppose I did sort of plug it already. We have a 26' lg x 10' wd x 8' hi curing oven. Plenty of room for a long bed frame. We coat all of Maxim Racing Chassis,Chassis (Sprint cars). As well as Gebhardt's Pro cars (drag racing door slammers, rail dragsters), and as i mentioned before Drive Train Speciaists (axle housings). These are just a few. No parts too big or too small we do em' all. If you have any questions about powdercoating or pricing please feel free to drop me an e-mail (powdercoats@hotmail.com) I'll do my best to respond as soon as possible....... How's that for a plug.

race2c: Please by all means stop by or call, we'd love to talk trucks. We have done some work for people in Decatur before.

Powdercoats,

Good Luck! on getting out on your own and Congrats! for it working out already :D

You might want to check with Josh as far 'advertising' on the board. I’m sure it would be worth it.

J

hey good deal ,,im in the country around shelbyville illinois,, ill look forward to doing buisness with you in the future

Good Luck. I wish you many years of success.

I also wish you luck with your new venture!

My husband and I did the same thing back in '97- started our own welding business. It has been hard work, but it has been great being your own boss....even tho some days it feels like you have 4 different bosses:) I hope for great success for you. My only advice is keep your head up and pay your taxes on time:D Good luck to you!

quote
 

That quote happens to be in my signature.

Good luck with the new business!. This board is a great place to put the word out for your company.

Good Luck and I wish you all the best.

Good news, good luck with it. Working for other people really bites.

Good luck on your new business. Are you also going to be using an aluminum oxide to blast the parts clean? Also, what about etching primer?

Thank You everyone for the encouragement. I appreciate the moral support.

If you dont' have a powder coating shop in your area please feel free to E-mail, PM or call me for quotes (217-243-1664).

dtlilly: We mostly sand blast to clean the parts. We are going to be investing in a dip tank that will strip the parts. We use a pickling agent to keep the parts from rusting and promotes adhesion. We have a 10' x 16' Blast booth that will accomodate most jobs. We usually make it down to Memphis for Super Chevy in April. Maybe we can trade stories about the truck that got away.

cool, congrats on the new buisness!

i have been doing powdercoating for the government for about 4 1/2 years now. granted we don't do the type of coating that most people visualize when they think powdercoating, but it's still a very neat process.

i'm hoping one day soon to hook up with one of the local shops and learn that type of powdercoating. hopefully one day i will have a shop i can do my own in as well

Good luck and keep us posted on how its going. I'd go with the website idea too. Lots of business seems to be generated on the web. I'd be intersted how much it costs to get some parts coated. Say, like a set of bumper brackets. How much to blast and coat? Thanks, Jeff.

red71cheyenne: most small parts we'll do in a stock color (black white, green, blue) for around $10/pc. other colors are a little higher in price. The price is also dependent upon how much prep time is involved. You can save a little $ by blasting the parts yourself. All parts need to be completely clean of grease, paint, rubber, nylon etc. The part needs to be able to withstand 400 deg. F. Give me a call for more details 217-243-1664, 8:30-5:30 EST

-thanks-

Good luck on the business. I do some powdercoating on the side and have thought many times about going into it full time.