Author Topic: Starting a Small Business After RE  (Read 6669 times)

daschtick

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Starting a Small Business After RE
« on: February 28, 2017, 04:36:35 PM »
Great sub-forum addition!

Although I am not quite as intense as many others on this forum, I am still planning on exiting the corporate world in 5 years at the 'early' age of 55.  At this point , my wife and I will be completely FI, and my only impetus for starting a business at that time is to create a small one-man job that also happens to be my hobby, with the added benefit of generating some spending cash.  I have no plans of expanding the business beyond what I can handle alone, as I am doing it more for my enjoyment rather than to make large sums of money, and I have no interest in becoming a manager.

The thing is, I have written my thoughts down, and begun to research what I need to do to get off of the ground, however, I realize that I don't know what I don't know.  Also, I don't know of a resource that is knowledgeable in this area that I could consult with.

First off, does anyone know of a good source of information to help me learn about starting a simple business, either as a book, or online, or perhaps even a forum?  Besides just getting started, I want to understand how to best protect myself as a sole proprietor, along with the tax ramifications of having a business.

Secondly, does anyone else have similar thoughts of starting a small business after FI?  Do you have any advice you wouldn't mind sharing?

swick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2017, 05:06:21 PM »
Daschtick - Writing down your ideas is a great start, my suggestion would be to download a free "Business Plan" template and just start working through it. It will help you organize the information you do have and highlight any questions you have as well as knowledge gaps.

I don't know of a resource that is knowledgeable in this area that I could consult with.


If you let us know the type of business you are considering, I'm sure we would be able to help you find resources.

pianomom

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2017, 05:22:07 PM »
I agree that more information about the industry would be helpful to guide you to resources. Another thing to consider is the state where you live and its laws for licensing a business.

For general information, Nolo has some books about legally starting a business. Your local SBA chapter also can point you toward resources and maybe even a local mentor. Once you're closer to forming the business I would consider talking to a CPA about the best business structure to protect yourself legally and any tax considerations.

Also think about how to separate your personal and business income and expenses from the very beginning, even if you're not making much money. For us, we have a separate business checking, savings, and credit card account and keep books on our business. We never use our business account for personal items. Before we started needing to run a strict payroll, if we wanted to take money out of the business we would write ourselves a check from the business bank account to deposit into our personal bank account.


daschtick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2017, 07:24:58 PM »
If you let us know the type of business you are considering, I'm sure we would be able to help you find resources.

What I am thinking about doing is providing a service whereby I help people with all things automotive. This could range anywhere from providing help with automotive purchasing or leasing, sale of a current vehicle, or assistance with servicing, including providing pick up and delivery.

I am personally obsessed with cars, and I really enjoy helping people with their auto related issues.  I am often consulted about issues related to maintaining or purchasing cars, and I have even been requested to provide assistance with these types of transactions in the past.  Most people really do not enjoy dealing with anything automotive, be it purchasing, maintaining, servicing, etc. With my service, I will not only provide my advice, but I will also perform much of the legwork that people dread.

For example, if a client is interested in a new car, I will sit down with them to list their desires, then provide them with a few potential vehicles to choose from.  From there, I may accompany them to various dealerships, or perhaps bring desired models to their location in order to enable a demonstration at their location.  I could also assist with dealership negotiations, and provide advice on various dealer add-ons based upon their wishes.

If a car needs to be sold, I could layout the options, including a list of pros and cons of each.  I could also take their car to be appraised for purchase by dealerships or assist with private sale activities including detailing, photography, ad development, and I could even be present during showings.

Lastly is servicing.  Some examples could be taking a vehicle in to have new brakes or tires installed, or having dealership services performed, or even a having simple oil change or emission testing.  Basically, I could perform all of the legwork for these tasks that people often don't have the time to deal with, or need to take time off of work to have this work done.

Essentially, I would be a facilitator for all of these activities - Primarily providing advice and legwork.  I could see this business being very successful in my area, as most dealerships are 25-45 minutes away, and there aren't many local repair shops. 

I am really excited about this plan, as it costs me next to nothing to establish, it allows me to help people doing something I enjoy, and I may even make a few dollars in the process.  I also like the idea that I can take on as little or as much work as I want, leaving me great schedule flexibility.  My greatest concern comes in the form of transport of a client's vehicle.  I would really need to ensure that I am adequately protected in the unlikely event of an accident.

So there you have it......thoughts?   




bunchbikes

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2017, 03:39:57 PM »
First off, does anyone know of a good source of information to help me learn about starting a simple business, either as a book, or online, or perhaps even a forum? 

Every business has lots of unknowns, and things you need to learn to pull it off. It's different for every business. The thing about businesses is that everyone is making things up on the fly. There is no cookie cutter step by step plan to business.


To keep it simple, you will be successful only knowing this:

Find a problem that people have, that you can solve with a product or a service.

If you create the solution to people's problems, everything else will fall into place.


I find that reading business books, etc. is generally a waste of time if you are not able to apply the information learned immediately.  Instead, I tend to read books specific to the problems I'm encountering.

For example, I'm wanting to start running ads using Google Adwords. So I just read a book about google adwords, and will be putting that into action soon.

bunchbikes

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2017, 03:43:07 PM »
I could also assist with dealership negotiations, and provide advice on various dealer add-ons based upon their wishes.

I think this is a great idea!  Everyone hates negotiating with dealers, especially in the U.S. where haggling is not a thing that we ever do.

You could negotiate some percentage payment. Like, if you are able to knock $1,200 off the price, maybe you keep 25% of it.  The customer saves money either way.

swick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #6 on: March 01, 2017, 04:49:36 PM »
I LOVE this idea! As far as insurance is concerned, to start I would look under your current policy and see what it covers, just your vehicle or any that you drive? I can't offer any more than that, since I'm not in the US, but that would be a place to start.

Smokystache

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2017, 06:45:24 PM »
If you let us know the type of business you are considering, I'm sure we would be able to help you find resources.

What I am thinking about doing is providing a service whereby I help people with all things automotive. This could range anywhere from providing help with automotive purchasing or leasing, sale of a current vehicle, or assistance with servicing, including providing pick up and delivery.

...
So there you have it......thoughts?

I think it is a great idea. I'm sure you've thought a lot about this, but my first thoughts go to single women and widows. (And I know that there are lots of women who feel very comfortable with car buying and repairs, but I also know there are a lot that would just as soon outsource this to a trusted person). I suspect if you get a few happy customers, the world will spread quickly. Keep us updated!!

swick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2017, 07:29:48 PM »
...and market and promote it as being a high-end care concierge service. You could have a ton of fun with the branding and marketing!

Cheesy used car salesmen/repair shop trying to take advantage of you? No problem! You have your own car concierge to save the day and take all your worries away by doing the work for you or educating you.

You could go totally classy in a James bond kinda way, or totally cheesy in a create your own comic superhero kind of way. (obviously would depend on your market research and who your target market is)   

daschtick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2017, 03:31:20 PM »
I could also assist with dealership negotiations, and provide advice on various dealer add-ons based upon their wishes.

I think this is a great idea!  Everyone hates negotiating with dealers, especially in the U.S. where haggling is not a thing that we ever do.

You could negotiate some percentage payment. Like, if you are able to knock $1,200 off the price, maybe you keep 25% of it.  The customer saves money either way.

I have thought a lot about pricing, and have come to the conclusion that I would rather simply price my service at an hourly rate.  This way, the customer can buy as little or as much of my service as they would desire, and it ensures that I do not get caught up in a long drawn out situation where they can't make a decision, or end up buying nothing, and I don't make anything in the end.  My strategy would be to provide an estimate upfront based upon what the customer is looking for, however clearly indicate that is only an estimate, and that the final cost may vary based upon my actual time (sort of like an attorney).  This ensures that the customer receives everything they pay for, and conversely, I am paid fairly for my time.

Also, if I either assist with or perform purchase negotiations, I am not planning  on providing any 'lowest price guarantee', or any of that other nonsense that will generally cost extensive amounts of time, and can lead to bitter situations.  My plan is to help get a really good price based upon market demand, typically within a few hundred dollars of the absolute best deals.  However, my real benefit will be in providing advice on dealer services, such as warranties, protections packages, insurances, etc., as this is where the real money is made.

If you let us know the type of business you are considering, I'm sure we would be able to help you find resources.

What I am thinking about doing is providing a service whereby I help people with all things automotive. This could range anywhere from providing help with automotive purchasing or leasing, sale of a current vehicle, or assistance with servicing, including providing pick up and delivery.

...
So there you have it......thoughts?

I think it is a great idea. I'm sure you've thought a lot about this, but my first thoughts go to single women and widows. (And I know that there are lots of women who feel very comfortable with car buying and repairs, but I also know there are a lot that would just as soon outsource this to a trusted person). I suspect if you get a few happy customers, the world will spread quickly. Keep us updated!!

Funny you mention this, as I can imagine this may end up being my largest audience.  One of my main selling points is that in hiring me, I will be the ONE person in the entire auto industry who will be constantly looking out for their best interest at all times.  I have nothing to upsell, and quite the contrary, I am most successful if I am able to save them some money.

I also plan to target folks who are disinterested in the any of this process, and those who are simply just to busy to make time in their schedule for automotive issues.

I am actually thinking that servicing portion may be of the greatest interest, as most often, people do not understand what needs to be done and why.  I will clearly explain this to them, and assist with prioritization of needs.  Also, since having work done is usually a real pain to schedule, I could even pick up their car at their home/office, and have it serviced for them.

...and market and promote it as being a high-end care concierge service.

Yep!  I have thought a lot about this also.  That said, I plan to charge what I feel the service is worth, and not just what I would be willing to work for, as these are 2 entirely different figures.

I think the real beauty of performing this type of work after FIRE is that I will have no stress to obtain work, and that I can completely control my schedule, working as much or as little as I wish.  The only reason that I have not started this business today, is that I am still working a full time job, and I am not interested in working any more hours (lacking ambition?).  Also, if I can hold out five more years at my current job (which I  do not mind), I will receive quite a few more benefits for retiring at age 55 than I would today.

 

SwordGuy

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2017, 12:22:34 PM »
Find a problem that people have, that you can solve with a product or a service.

If you create the solution to people's problems, everything else will fall into place.

If you create the solution to enough people's problems - and they have the money and willingness to pay for it at a profitable price point - everything else can be made to work out.  Otherwise it surely won't.




SeattleCPA

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2017, 06:42:27 PM »
I have thought a lot about pricing, and have come to the conclusion that I would rather simply price my service at an hourly rate.

It is really hard to succeed in a service business if you price by the hour. You will probably ramp up revenues quickly... but you will likely create a sweatshop situation...

http://evergreensmallbusiness.com/hourly-billing-prroblems-destroy-profits/

Axecleaver

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2017, 09:01:02 AM »
I think it's a great business idea.

Put some more thought into the pricing. I think a lot of people would have a hard time with hourly, because they don't really know how long solving their problem will take. That's why they're getting help to deal with it. But, you do. Charge a fixed fee based on the hours you'll need - add 25% to manage your risk, but be mindful of the value proposition you're proposing. Consider a money-back guarantee, you'll make a lot more sales.

You should also write a business plan. Go to www.score.org for templates. They will teach you to ask yourself questions about the business that you didn't know you had.

You could also provide advice on buying used - knowing what to look for to discover lemons. I'm thinking of simple stuff, like checking the spark plugs to diagnose engine problems, and tire wear patterns for undisclosed frame damage. I would buy that service.

Be careful on insurance - I believe you need to be registered in your state as a producer if you advise people on their insurance options.

Really interested in following along as you get this thing off the ground.

maizefolk

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2017, 09:27:02 AM »
I agree with Axecleaver about the issues with an hourly rate. People generally are going to want to know "how much will it cost me to solve my problem" and even if you give them an estimate -- "generally it takes 6-10 hours to complete a car purchase and I charge $100/hour" -- many folks will assume that actually means it might be up to 12 hours because they don't want to be unpleasantly surprised.

The risk you run is that only customers will be people who think your service is worth at least $1,200 (12 * $100/hour) because that's what they think they may have to pay after engaging your services, but you'll end up charging some of them $600 or $700 because you're only billing for your actual hours. This gives you some of the downsides of high prices without the advantages.

Rightflyer

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #14 on: March 05, 2017, 09:39:42 AM »
No, no, no. Do not charge hourly.
Don't even use your hourly level of effort as basis for a fixed fee.
Formulas based on "hourly this plus x% of that etc etc" are just more convoluted hourly pricing methods. Banish any thoughts of hourly anything from your head forever.

Price your service based on the value to your client only.

For a resource... Alan Weiss's books covers this in great detail.

SwordGuy

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2017, 10:02:19 AM »
OP - based on what you said, this won't be a problem for you.

But I've seen it happen, so I'll tell the story.

Fellow in my mom's last neighborhood retired with a good sized nest egg.  He then put that nest egg into starting a business, which failed.  And then the nest egg was gone.  He's in his late 60s or early 70s doing handyman jobs to make ends meet.

For those who start a business, make sure failure cannot include destroying your finances for good.

daschtick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #16 on: March 06, 2017, 05:59:26 PM »
It is really hard to succeed in a service business if you price by the hour. You will probably ramp up revenues quickly... but you will likely create a sweatshop situation...

http://evergreensmallbusiness.com/hourly-billing-prroblems-destroy-profits/

Put some more thought into the pricing. I think a lot of people would have a hard time with hourly, because they don't really know how long solving their problem will take.

I agree with Axecleaver about the issues with an hourly rate. People generally are going to want to know "how much will it cost me to solve my problem" and even if you give them an estimate -- "generally it takes 6-10 hours to complete a car purchase and I charge $100/hour" -- many folks will assume that actually means it might be up to 12 hours because they don't want to be unpleasantly surprised.

No, no, no. Do not charge hourly.
Don't even use your hourly level of effort as basis for a fixed fee.
Formulas based on "hourly this plus x% of that etc etc" are just more convoluted hourly pricing methods. Banish any thoughts of hourly anything from your head forever.

WOW - Definitely a common theme! 

After more research into pricing, I agree, and I greatly appreciate the feedback from all of you.  I will be the first to admit that I do not know much about starting a small business, so having this forum available to bounce my ideas off of is extremely helpful.

That said, do you think it is a better idea to offer a price list for services, or to provide pricing only upon request?  I am now leaning toward the idea of providing menu pricing for typical services upfront, with the ability to quote for customized services.  Does this seem like a reasonable solution?  Or is there another method I should consider?

swick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #17 on: March 06, 2017, 06:07:49 PM »


That said, do you think it is a better idea to offer a price list for services, or to provide pricing only upon request?  I am now leaning toward the idea of providing menu pricing for typical services upfront, with the ability to quote for customized services.  Does this seem like a reasonable solution?  Or is there another method I should consider?

Yes to a price list for a couple of reasons. People are busy, if you expect them to ask you for quotes for everything, not only will it take up a lot of your time, most people won't bother. Especially if people don't know what all your services are, or, as you are probably dealing with a segment of people who don't know too much about cars, they won't know what to ask you, or may feel stupid asking.

You could have your basic services at a specific price point, based on how long it will take you, any overhead etc and you can also offer custom quotes for special cases.

As part of a "concierge" service there will be special cases, and you want your customers to feel valued and taken care of and the individual more labour intensive things cost more.  For bigger projects, you should be offering a set price plus % commission. So say you are doing the negotiating a used car plus getting cars checked out etc. You should offer the basic price, plus a % of whatever you save them  (difference between listed price and what you get it for)


electriceagle

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2017, 11:49:38 PM »


That said, do you think it is a better idea to offer a price list for services, or to provide pricing only upon request?  I am now leaning toward the idea of providing menu pricing for typical services upfront, with the ability to quote for customized services.  Does this seem like a reasonable solution?  Or is there another method I should consider?

Yes to a price list for a couple of reasons. People are busy, if you expect them to ask you for quotes for everything, not only will it take up a lot of your time, most people won't bother. Especially if people don't know what all your services are, or, as you are probably dealing with a segment of people who don't know too much about cars, they won't know what to ask you, or may feel stupid asking.

Ditto this. When I am looking for a service, I go to people who put their price on the internet first. It minimizes BS and helps me to identify people who want to get things done.

I only ask for quotes if I need customization, or if I am deeply dissatisfied with the visible options.

Also, ditto on the "no hourly rate". An hourly rate adds uncertainty for your customers, as it requires them to guess at whether your service is worth the money, and add a margin for error.

Axecleaver

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2017, 02:28:13 PM »
Definitely menu pricing, with an option to "call us if you'd like something you don't see here." Keep it simple. You should not need to explain anything on your service list, your web page should have the basic menu of services, the price, and a brief description below to explain what they get for that price.

swick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #20 on: March 07, 2017, 05:11:02 PM »
Definitely menu pricing, with an option to "call us if you'd like something you don't see here." Keep it simple. You should not need to explain anything on your service list, your web page should have the basic menu of services, the price, and a brief description below to explain what they get for that price.

Perhaps not on your service list, but if your target market is women and others who may not be knowledgeable about cars and what is involved in the buying, selling, maintaining. You will need some sort of way of educating them. At least giving them enough education to cut down on the basic questions and empower them enough to know that they need help.

wanderin1

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #21 on: March 10, 2017, 02:14:07 PM »
This is a great business idea. One issue you need to consider: liability. You’ll need to always use a  client contract and make sure it carefully limits your liability. Remember, when someone sues, they don’t simply sue the party that’s most responsible. They sue whomever is legally vulnerable and has deep pockets. What happens, for example, if you expertly advise a client on their purchase of a used car, and a week into ownership they get into a fatality accident due to a problem that their family thinks you should have identified?  I don’t say this to discourage—but rather to encourage you to really put time, effort, thought and money into getting a well executed contract.



daschtick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #22 on: March 10, 2017, 03:31:52 PM »
It is interesting that you mention that, as liability is probably my greatest concern with this whole idea.  I would be devastated if my net worth somehow became erased due to some freak issue occurring while working a 'hobby job'.  I have read about the differences between sole proprietor and LLC's, and for my little business, it seems that an LLC is way overkill, not to mention a ridiculous amount of effort.  That said, I am not quite sure who to contact to discuss this.  For now, I think it is best not to involve my personal insurance, however, I really do not have a good source to help guide me through this.  Does anyone else have any ideas here?

swick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #23 on: March 10, 2017, 03:56:17 PM »
It is interesting that you mention that, as liability is probably my greatest concern with this whole idea.  I would be devastated if my net worth somehow became erased due to some freak issue occurring while working a 'hobby job'.  I have read about the differences between sole proprietor and LLC's, and for my little business, it seems that an LLC is way overkill, not to mention a ridiculous amount of effort.  That said, I am not quite sure who to contact to discuss this.  For now, I think it is best not to involve my personal insurance, however, I really do not have a good source to help guide me through this.  Does anyone else have any ideas here?

My understanding (I'm CDN so doesn't apply) is that it isn't that hard to create an LLC (any business accountant should be able to walk you through the steps) I would NOT be operating as a sole proprietor. Any small business network in your community should have resources to help you figure out the legal structure you would need. Most of them offer coaching, mentorship, and classes for free/cheap.

Axecleaver

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #24 on: March 10, 2017, 05:07:45 PM »
An LLC doesn't protect you if you commit gross negligence. You really need to buy E&O or professional liability insurance for that. That's probably a better route for you in this instance if you're worried about liability - get lots of quotes and find an agent you can explain the business to. When I got professional liability quotes for my business, I got two really high quotes (3-5k a year) before I found an agency that understood my business is pretty low risk.

daschtick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #25 on: March 10, 2017, 06:32:47 PM »
This is great information, as I have never heard of E and O insurance. I'll have to investigate this further as the time nears.  Thanks for your feedback!

wanderin1

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #26 on: March 10, 2017, 07:07:34 PM »
I’ve started, run and sold several businesses, including one that was a service business with a relatively low fee to high liability ratio like the one you’d have here. There are lots of things in addition to a good contract that you can do to limit your liability:

Form of business. As OP and Swick note, this is key for protecting assets. Remember that in the US, the specific ins-and-outs of a business form like an LLC can vary some from state to state. So OP, be sure to get local advice. 

Professional liability insurance. I’ve always gotten this via a professional association for my industry. I did a quick google search and it’s not clear that there’s a professional association for what you’re proposing. (maybe you should start one??) Axe’s post is right about the process. This will definitely be a research project.

Client selection. I found that I pretty quickly learned how to spot clients who would likely go bananas if a problem occurred, and I developed a standard excuse to turn them down. You’ll figure this out too. It goes a long way toward ensuring that if there is a problem, cool heads will prevail for a positive solution.

Work practice checklists and double-checks. Actual checklists and double check procedures to ensure accuracy.

Client communication reiterating liability limits. For example, when you’re talking with a client and they make a decision, you remind them you’ve given your best advice and that the decision is ultimately theirs. Then you follow up in writing—such as email--to confirm your understanding of their decision and reinforce liability limits. If you do it right, it will feel honest and empowering to the client.

Final thought--find a couple of people in parts of the country pretty far from yours who seem to be successfully doing what you want to do—then call them up and find out if they’ll talk to you abo liability and other issues. Tell them exactly why you’re calling and what you hope for from them. I’ve done this myself for each of my businesses. It’s always worked and I’ve even developed very fruitful business relationships.



 

Axecleaver

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #27 on: March 10, 2017, 08:27:35 PM »
E&O is errors and omissions insurance. Usually folks like real estate agents or insurance producers get this, but it's just a specialized form of professional liability insurance. I think (but not 100% sure) that you would ask for professional liability insurance.

daschtick

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Re: Starting a Small Business After RE
« Reply #28 on: March 10, 2017, 08:30:48 PM »
More excellent advice!

Form of Business  I agree that I need to seek some local advice on this topic.  I have found a state run small business website, and I plan to ask a lot of questions also.  Between this and the liability insurance question, once I have these 2 items sorted, I can handle the rest.  However, I fully acknowledge that I am not business savvy, which is why I am really appreciating the feedback!

Professional liability insurance  This is another area where I get a bit stuck.  My initial thought was to run my idea past a few local independent agents to get their thoughts.  I agree that this will probably be the most time consuming part of establishing this business. Any other ideas?

Client selection.  I have already considered this, and I will definitely not be afraid to indicate to a potential client that I may not be what they are looking for, as the last thing I want to do is turn what is supposed to be fun, into a job. :-)  At the very least, I may work a 'pain in the ass' fee into the quote in order to price myself out of contention, or at least be ridiculously compensated.

Work practice checklists and double-checks.  I have actually established these already.  Some items include photos of the client's car from all sides and interior, documentation of existing condition. photos of plates, registration, and owner insurance info, verification of owner identity, and operation of all safety equipment. 

Client communication reiterating liability limits.Yes!  My advice will be just a guide used to help the client make informed choices, and all decisions will be ultimately up to them.  Also, outside of potentially delivering some paperwork, my plan is to remain fully isolated from the actual financial transactions, as I not only want the client to feel in complete control, I also want no part of it, as honestly, there is no value in it for me.  My primary message will be that unlike everyone else in the auto industry who is looking to profit based upon commissioned sales goals, my goal instead will be to simply look out for the best interest of my clients.  I cannot only help them to save money by informing them to make better choices about the goods and services they choose, but I can also do things that many others cannot or will not do, such as assist with vehicle selections across multiple manufacturers (both new or pre-owned), provide on site demonstrations, advise on disposition of current vehicle, or simply take an existing car in to be serviced.  Think Automotive Concierge.

Interviewing others doing similar work  I actually have a few other businesses identified for this particular reason.  However, most of these are focused only on the purchasing aspect, and are mostly concerned about obtaining a lowest price.  I haven't found many independent people offering services for existing cars, such as taking them for appraisals, assistance with selling, or just running cars for servicing.  Honestly, I think that this may end up being the majority of my business, as there is really no one currently in this space outside of a few luxury dealers.