Normal business hours, what do ya think??

fastfredracing · 05-04-2010, 05:15 PM

So. I am seriously considering not keeping conventional business hours any more.I love what I do, but quite frankly, I am completely burned out on dealing with the public. All I really want to do is turn some bolts on cool cars, and make enough money to feed my family, and keep my old Porsche running.
In an average 9 hour day at the shop, I am lucky to get 3-4 hours of real work done. And this work is done in no more than 20 minute intervals. If it is not the phone, it is a vendor, a customer walking in, a neighbor needing help etc... It never ends, and it has taken the wind out of my sails.
I have been thinking that I may only be open for business maybe on monday, and friday. These will be the days that I do the customers that want to wait for their state inspections, tires, quick brake jobs etc. I think tue, wed , and friday. I am going to start working nights, to get large jobs done. I have an abundance of this work, it is what really pays my bills, and it is what I love to do, but it is goddamn near impossible to remain focused on the task at hand during the day.
I can already see some pros, along with some cons, what do you guys think?

stomachmonkey · 05-04-2010, 05:32 PM

My friend had the same issue.

When his kids were old enough he brought his wife in to run the front, field the calls.

They've been doing it that way for at least 10 years. Works perfect for them

Oh Haha · 05-04-2010, 05:38 PM

Do you work alone? If so, would it be possible to bring in someone to answer phones, write estimates, etc.? Could you afford to hire another tech to help with the workload?

If I relied on a shop that was only only 2 days a week I would probably look elsewhere.
I don't know you or how good your work is so please take these for what they are, my opinion.

It sucks that your profession is no longer fun for you. I hope that you find some solution so you can enjoy it again.

This is one reason why I don"t think I could work on autos for a living. I like to do repairs on "my" time.

Shaun @ Tru6 · 05-04-2010, 05:42 PM

I apprenticed at a Porsche Independent shop after college. It was THE place for customers to get away from their wives and hang out at a real race shop, beers started pouring after 5. Sort of the real-world analog to Pelican.

Things is the owners of the shop never got any work done. Lots of laughing, ball busting, advice giving, but little billable hours. All work had to be done from 7AM to 1PM, then it was a party.

Phone: get a call service. Answer all your calls at a specific time, tell them to call you back at a specific time if you have to play tag.

Vendors, same thing: come in before 10AM.

Customers: can't help that, attend to them as you can, see below.

neighbor: might cause a little tension at first, but you need to spell out that you are working. don't be afraid to be firm.

Consider hiring a front desk person. Do the math: your billable hours being productive vs. what you have to pay them. If you get in 2 solid hours of work that covers their 8 hour day because they are dealing with minutia, the real dividend is lower stress and feeling better about the work you are doing, without interruption.

$.02.

Jagshund · 05-04-2010, 05:58 PM

Sounds like you've been working in your business. The trick is to work on your business so that you have spare time to do the things you love. A lot of small business owners don't know the difference and become burned-out, as you are describing.

There are many ways to accomplish this, but I won't start listing them here as I'd hate to come off as condescending.

James Brown · James Brown's Garage

I got real tired of that at my shop (aircraft repair) everyone liked to come in and shoot the bull one after another. So I started to come in at noon and work toll 8-9ish. I found most of the customers wanted to do there hangar flying in the am. Not many come in after 3 pm. so now I can work in peace. A lot more production getting done now.

asphaltgambler · 05-04-2010, 06:01 PM

Been there: done that....you need a front/counter person to handle all the mundane tasks and to cock-block problems. A good choice would be a young Guy or girl just out of school and has an interest in cars plus enthusiasm

Oh Haha · 05-04-2010, 06:05 PM

We have a PCA member that runs an import repair shop. i was talking tohim at the a PCA function and asking some questions about another shop he's opening.

He replied 'stop by any day after 5:30 and the beer is on me". I understood EXACTLY what he meant.

Friends are great but when they disrupt business it's time to ay down the law.

Would your lawyer buddy want you just hangin' out at the office with him?

fastfredracing · 05-04-2010, 06:28 PM

That is what I am talking about James. I would still man the phone during the day tue-thurs. ( I may have to take messages, and emails) And customers would still be able to drop and pick up during the week, I would just be doing the grunt of the large work in off hours , when I would be most productive. Most of the large jobs I do are dropped off for a couple of days anyhow, so what difference does it make when I do the work?
While I appreciate some of the above advice, I have no desire to have employees. My business used to be a busy 5 tech shop with counter people. I ran it like this for 5 years, and it was on occasion, profitable, but I had to sell my soul and move into the office to do it, I hated it. I downsized 8 years ago, and will never look back. The one man business model does have its benefits.
I am blessed with more work than I could ever want, I just would like to do it in an enviroment that is a little more manageable . I am not new to this , I have been in business for myself for 18 years, I have tried many different approaches, the fact of the matter is that mon-fri, 9-5, there WILL be constant interruptions. In my young days, I would work nights ,after the shop was closed to get large jobs done, but I have no desire to have a 60-70 hour work week any more.

Jagshund · 05-04-2010, 06:35 PM

Are you looking to build your business or maintain? If you have hopes of building it into something more, you might want to examine all options. How many hats are you wearing right now in regards to the business (mechanic, manager, front office, etc.)?

fastfredracing · 05-04-2010, 06:55 PM

I am not looking to build my business any further than it is. Actually , what I have now is a nice comfortable fit for me. I can make real good money with very little risk, and drama in the current configuration I now have . As my current situation changes I will probably turn away more of the normal day to day " muffler on a caravan" type work and move deeper into specialized work, prob mostly air cooled stuff, and BMW, Merc, Audi etc..
I currently wear all of the hats, and have and can do it well, I am just looking into making my work a little more enjoyable for myself. I realize that I am not the typical business model, nor do I want to be.
I have been a stressed out mess of a workaholic for the last 20 years, and I would like to simplify my life one step further, and maybe enjoy a little of life's fruits before it is too late

Jagshund · 05-04-2010, 07:10 PM

Were I in your situation, and did not want to hire an additional employee, I would consider something like a 3-day office schedule and appointments-only for the remainder of the week. I have a good friend who recently changed his Saturday hours from an 8-2 schedule to appt. only. He has much more time to spend with his kids and only opens the shop when there is the prospect of making more than $1000 for the day.

sailchef · sailchef's Garage

Working with the public takes a toll on you.