seeking help on starting a shop

i've been doing installs for couple of years now and i think i'm pretty good at it. when i started this no one taught me, i saw my friend did it twice and i learned from it. after seeing it done twice, i went and installed a viper 591 into my 2001 audi a4. took me a long time but i did it and it worked great. from there on i've been installing for family and friends. from cheap to expensive cars; old to new cars, i did it all. now i think i want a little shop for myself. can you shop owners out there give me some suggestions on how to start a shop? how can i get products for my shop? which company will let me sell there products even if it's just a little place. i know i probably can't get DEI procuts. i heard that there are pretty picky selecting where there products go. thanks..

I think the next step for you would be to work at an established shop for at least a year.  You need to know a little bit more about the overall business side of it first.  Things like when are busy times and for what type of products.  How to manage working on multiple cars and helping customers at the sales level.  Although I've know a bunch of awesome installers, very few were capable of having their own shop do to the fact that installers tend to shy away from the sales floor.  Most of them would rather install all day, one car after another, rather than jump on a sales floor mid install and help people. 

Getting experience doing both, sales and install would better prepare you for owning and operating your own store.   The other end of this is operational you would gain experience on things like productivity, expenses, brands and product lines, operational task that keep the day to day operations going, inventory control, as well as the experience when it comes to breaking a car......it happens, just part of the business....

Just because your hung like an elephant does it mean you should be in porn.......

Just because your a great installer, does it mean that you should own a shop........

thanks for the advice mobileworks. i was thinking of doing what you said, but just want to know a little for now. thanks...