Starting a shop for dealer or just custom shop

Everyone is raining on this poor guy's parade. I commend his entrepreneurial spirit. We need more people like this to solidify the marketplace. Now, I'm not blind to the economic realities that will have to be overcome and it's a very tough environment out there for motorsports in general, but given the right business plan, success can be achieved.

I suggest contacting the local small business administration office to help develop a business plan and conduct a little market research into the local marketplace for the types of sales and service to be offered. Is there much competition? Do you offer the right mix of product? Is there a demand for the product? Etc. Etc. You may or may not find the answers you are hoping for, but at least you'll be going into it with your eyes open. Good luck. And pick a good location.

You know what they say,
if you fail to plan.....

So, make a damn good plan and plans B and C for backup.

i'm still curious to know what dna would say if you asked them how much it'd cost to open a dealership. i first typed "a few million", but took that out as i figured that'd prompt howling. but i think it'd be pretty close to accurate when all is said and done. hoops to jump through cost money.

a non dealership shop is a much different thing.

belter said:

i'm still curious to know what dna would say if you asked them how much it'd cost to open a dealership. i first typed "a few million", but took that out as i figured that'd prompt howling. but i think it'd be pretty close to accurate when all is said and done. hoops to jump through cost money.

a non dealership shop is a much different thing.

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Back in 98 when I opened my Polaris dealership, we needed a $500,000 line of credit through Wells Fargo. You had to secure that with assets ( house, vehicles, cash in the bank, and anything else of value that they could confiscate if/when things turned bad). Your building had to be approved because they were after a certain look (no more conducting a business out of a shed/garage, etc). They interviewed us to see if we had what it took to represent them in the way they deemed fit. And if you didn’t order LOTS of product, you couldn’t compete with the bigger shops. Because, the more you buy the cheaper it is. We had some competition two hours away that could sell stuff cheaper due to their buying power. It’s not as easy as it looks. I sold my shop before shortly after opening it.


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