Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Home-Based Business - Auto Paint Touch-Up Professional

  • Start-up cost: RM500-RM1,000
  • Potential earnings: RM15,00-RM25,000
  • Typical fees: RM30-RM50 per job
  • Advertising: Memberships and active participation at car enthusiast events, direct mail, flyers, referrals from dealers and auto repair stores, radio spots, classified ad in auto sales section of newspaper
  • Qualifications: Some experience with auto paint work, sales skills
  • Equipment needed: Inventory of popular paint colors, sander, brush.
  • Home business potential: Yes
  • Staff required: No
  • Handicapped opportunity: No
  • Hidden costs: Inventory and disposal of used chemicals
  • Lowdown: It’s not the big things that drive us crazy, sometimes, it’s the dings in our car doors and the chips off the hood. For an entirely new paint job, or the replacement of a crumpled fender, plenty of sources are available in most communities. But how can people keep those little scratches and chips from slowly ruining the appearance and resale value of their cars? That’s where your service comes in. You can fix the small stuff, which is important nowadays just to keep a car’s body panel warranty in effect. Your business meets the need for a smaller, less expensive way to maintain the smooth surface that your customers’ vehicles had when new.
  • Start-Up: Costs are low (about RM500 for materials); your skill in doing neat-looking paint touch-ups is your main product. On a part-time basis alone you could earn in excess of RM15,000.
  • Bottom-Line Advice: Can you find a way to combine customers? Would it work to fix the scratches in every car in the parking garage or lot of a huge company? Can you be an add-in to the work of a local detailer, car wash, or used car lot? You decide—and market yourself accordingly, perhaps offering group discounts.