Billing for custom work

any profit is good profit. but y dont you look around to see what others are charging? if they are charging materials plus a 30 an hour shop rate just better them so you get buisness and still make a profit.

around here shop rates are insane so getting into the game could be golden here

i feel bad for you guys! how do you pay your over head while charging under 40$? i have to get 50-60$ an hour atleast plus a little on the equipment. i use to want to be nice and give people a fair shake. but i have a family and house and the bills keep coming. plus 50 an hour is really fair. but the labor rate will definitly vary depending where you are and your population #'s.

and remember when you give people a break they exspect it all the time and so do there friends. and you can bet these are the first to come back when there is the smallest of smallest of a problem and bitch or give an attiude to boot.

don't get me wrong there are the people that really do appricate the little extra's and breaks you may give. then you may get yourself a tip or real faithful customers . but they are far inbetween.

for the question... like a few others have said call around to other shops and get some quotes on the jobs you ask about. then go from there. thats what i did when i first started. then when you build up your customers and repor. then you will need to get what your worth. it will come in time. but remember you need to eat. and keeping a shop open is not easy. good luck on the new travels on the experince train.

What I have found is for custom work try to find out what it's going to cost the shop first. Cost out what it would take to build a set-up and then you will have a start point. For example I started by building a fiberglass box for two tens, then figured out how much it cost me in supplies. then added on the amp rack (cost of supplies) then wiring.

Now that you have the cost of the supplies, add that to the time it took to complete the job. (I use a simple method of time recording. Get a log book and sign in when you start and sign out when your done.) With all the hours totaled up on your "practice system" You can now look at having an estimate cost on that set up.

As an extra you now also have a box and amp rack to put on display for customers to see what they can get for the money. I have found this to be profitable for me. Just keep in mind that it does cost the shop money up front for the supplies and your time, so budget your time wisely. Also if you can keep logs on each of the cars you do it makes a great reference guide in case something happens, or if another customer want to know step by step why it costs so much, and makes great training guide for new employees.

I hope this helps, It's rough out there and any edge you can get puts you ahead.