So, I run a sound company that hugs the line between DJ work and the corporate/live sound world. I've also learned if you have time & money, it's wise to spend what you have most of, and due to the Covid thing, I obviously have more time. So, I've spent most of this year building speaker cabinets & gear racks in anticipation of the day they actually can get used.
Just like everyone else though, my business isn't making the $ I thought it would this year & 'adapting to the new environment' instead of waiting for the environment to get back to normal is what seems necessary lately. I've been analyzing through what aspects of my company could make money on their own, because there simply aren't any audiences to put a PA in front of lately.
Anyway, I have 2 different ideas that I believe would work:
#1 Buy/build a CNC setup: Put it to work making knockdown cabinet kits for DIY kinds of people. That machine could also (possibly) source work from our local construction industry, and maybe make artwork for Etsy or something like that. Also, it makes sure the audio side of my company has a bottomless supply of speaker cabinets, I'd just have to buy drivers & amps
#2: Spraying U-Pol Raptor (or similar): This is the goop I've been spraying my cabinets with, and it's actually a DIY bed liner for pickups. Pretty sure it wouldn't be difficult to post a few pics online & get the phone ringing to refurb speaker cabinets, car sub woofer boxes, jeep bumpers, tool boxes & whatever else can fit in my limited spray space. I'd shy away from full vehicles & pickup beds though, I don't have the space & there's other shops in town that are better set up for that.
The CNC idea would require some $ investment on my part and time to get going, but it wouldn't necessarily be limited to local business. Shipping could make it workable for people all over the countryside. It also doesn't require a ton of my time once the machine is cutting up a job.
The idea of spraying Raptor has basically no barrier to getting it going, other than the willingness to do it. It also has the downside of it wouldn't make a nickel without me actually doing the work, where the CNC idea can to an extent. It also would be limited to a more local market I'd imagine.
So my question is this : Which way would you focus your attention on? Do you see another idea I've missed?
Thanks in advance!
Todd
Just like everyone else though, my business isn't making the $ I thought it would this year & 'adapting to the new environment' instead of waiting for the environment to get back to normal is what seems necessary lately. I've been analyzing through what aspects of my company could make money on their own, because there simply aren't any audiences to put a PA in front of lately.
Anyway, I have 2 different ideas that I believe would work:
#1 Buy/build a CNC setup: Put it to work making knockdown cabinet kits for DIY kinds of people. That machine could also (possibly) source work from our local construction industry, and maybe make artwork for Etsy or something like that. Also, it makes sure the audio side of my company has a bottomless supply of speaker cabinets, I'd just have to buy drivers & amps
#2: Spraying U-Pol Raptor (or similar): This is the goop I've been spraying my cabinets with, and it's actually a DIY bed liner for pickups. Pretty sure it wouldn't be difficult to post a few pics online & get the phone ringing to refurb speaker cabinets, car sub woofer boxes, jeep bumpers, tool boxes & whatever else can fit in my limited spray space. I'd shy away from full vehicles & pickup beds though, I don't have the space & there's other shops in town that are better set up for that.
The CNC idea would require some $ investment on my part and time to get going, but it wouldn't necessarily be limited to local business. Shipping could make it workable for people all over the countryside. It also doesn't require a ton of my time once the machine is cutting up a job.
The idea of spraying Raptor has basically no barrier to getting it going, other than the willingness to do it. It also has the downside of it wouldn't make a nickel without me actually doing the work, where the CNC idea can to an extent. It also would be limited to a more local market I'd imagine.
So my question is this : Which way would you focus your attention on? Do you see another idea I've missed?
Thanks in advance!
Todd
Focus on CNC, but keep the Raptor as a local only, part-time backup during otherwise idle time.
Only spend money on the CNC project. Use word of mouth for the Raptor work. Be sure to get a
good local business CPA, unless you can do it properly yourself. You could have some significant
deductions to offset income if buying CNC equipment.
Only spend money on the CNC project. Use word of mouth for the Raptor work. Be sure to get a
good local business CPA, unless you can do it properly yourself. You could have some significant
deductions to offset income if buying CNC equipment.
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Both sound reasonable, I´d only suggest checking a couple basic points:
*do you live in a densely or sparsely populated region?
Meaning: is there enough people to eventually build a sizable market?
* is anybody else doing basically the same? Locally or within comfortable driving range .
Slightly worried at:
* Also slightly worried at your apparent lack of workspace.
Can´t you rent/borrow/whatever somewhat larger working space?
At least for the larger jobs.
Not renting "by month" but by single use or weekend.
No NEED to work at home, no need to be on Main Street, both you and customers can drive to the spraying shop.
So start small, but start looking around for possible expansion.
*do you live in a densely or sparsely populated region?
Meaning: is there enough people to eventually build a sizable market?
* is anybody else doing basically the same? Locally or within comfortable driving range .
Slightly worried at:
* Also slightly worried at your apparent lack of workspace.
Hints at having no more than, say, 2 car garage space which is not enough, period.
Can´t you rent/borrow/whatever somewhat larger working space?
At least for the larger jobs.
Not renting "by month" but by single use or weekend.
No NEED to work at home, no need to be on Main Street, both you and customers can drive to the spraying shop.
So start small, but start looking around for possible expansion.
The problem with any business is competition.
Whether you sell ebay, website, Amazon etc it always seems to be a race to the bottom on price.
Last month on ebay I turned over £500 which at first glance is ok.
However when I did my monthly accounts I had overheads of about £600 !
SO I worked many hours designing, making, selling and posting stuff to lose £100.
The only way to make money is to get a full or part time job.
The only other option is selling rare or unique items where there isnt the competition.
Whether you sell ebay, website, Amazon etc it always seems to be a race to the bottom on price.
Last month on ebay I turned over £500 which at first glance is ok.
However when I did my monthly accounts I had overheads of about £600 !
SO I worked many hours designing, making, selling and posting stuff to lose £100.
The only way to make money is to get a full or part time job.
The only other option is selling rare or unique items where there isnt the competition.
Isn't someone going to be loading/unloading a new part from the router every 5-10 minutes?
I think you should survey every cabinet shop around and feel them out for some advice?
700,000 population within a 60 minute drive..and growing rapidly.
On the CNC front, there are 2 big CNC shops near here. One has commercial sized clients like Boeing and Caterpillar, the other has commercial sized clients like Lowes & Huntwood. There was a smaller CNC wood shop in town that worked with residential building contractors, but it folded up in the 2008 mortgage meltdown & the owner decided to retire instead of fight it. That's part of what leads me to believe there's some promise of finding local work for a CNC, it's already worked here before.
With the 'Raptor' idea, there are 2 or 3 shops shooting bedliner within 15 minutes of my house. They're using more expensive polyurea based products (Line-X being one) with specialized $10k sprayers, with commercially zoned property and work spaces big enough to fit a large truck in. Their pricing reflects their overhead...which also means they're not getting many smaller individual jobs.
Rather than trying to compete with those guys, it makes more sense to me to offer a reasonably comparable result, and simply stay away from the projects they're interested in...and maybe have them refer clients to me for a decent deal on smaller projects.
My family has a hangar at the airport...I can figure out more workspace if I'm desperate enough
I still wouldn't spray anything there though. No heat.
Wouldn't that be just awesome? If it gets busy enough to need fresh wood every 10 minutes, I'm hiring someone to do it & putting it in it's own shop so I don't have to listen to it!
On a more serious note, if it's cutting up a project, I don't care if it finishes in 10 minutes or 10 hours really. Harder woods will take longer, softer woods go faster.
nigelwright7557, could I send you a PM?
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Before you make the decision to get a CNC setup, try and use one. How long does it really take to cut something you want? What does it take to deal with the mess and dust it creates? I happen to have a "hobby level" machine capable of pieces up to 24" by 24". Even a relatively simple shape can take an hour. And it takes attention while it's running. It isn't just a set it up, start, and walk away. I don't have the luxury of a dedicated space to run it so there is additional time for setup and cleanup.
It would be wise to take a long look at the economic climate right now before undertaking any significant investment unless you can get through some lean times during startup. Covid is making direct customer interactions more difficult right now, and the political and economic conditions going forward are highly uncertain. Consumers are not spending money on non necessary items.
I have been incorporated for nearly 14 years and selling tube amps, parts and kits for over 20 years. The direct to consumer audio DIY market has always been cyclical, dying off during the summer and picking back up in September. This did not happen this year, business has been slowly dropping all year, then vanished in November with two orders for the whole month.
I have been incorporated for nearly 14 years and selling tube amps, parts and kits for over 20 years. The direct to consumer audio DIY market has always been cyclical, dying off during the summer and picking back up in September. This did not happen this year, business has been slowly dropping all year, then vanished in November with two orders for the whole month.
I feel you for sure. January & February were going like gangbusters, March dropped hard & by April it was 0. DJ stuff has been sputtering along since then though, mainly in response to the govt limiting attendance. If they don't limit attendance everything comes right back. If they do, it falls off again.
It's not an issue for me.
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