Not sure where else to post this, but here I am anyway. So A friend of mine has a business that outfits police and other emergency vehicles with lights, radios, etc... Well, we were talking the other night and I told him how he could easily expand his business into car audio - he's already got the storefront, workspace, tools, and basic electronics knowledge, so why not? There's no other competition in town (Jacksonville, IL pop. 20,000) for car audio so it'd more than likely be pretty profitable.
Well, he thought it was a great idea too, but he's too busy right now with his existing projects and customers that he wouldn't have the time to start up a new branch of his company..... so he said I could do it! He told me that he'd provide everything I needed to set up a car audio shop as long as I came up with a good business plan/model. I mean, what guy would pass up this kind of opportunity!? Well, there are several obstacles in my way here. First off, I was a communication major in college with no business background and second, I'm not MECP certified, nor to I have any professional experience dealing with car audio. Yes, I know how to do basic installs of HU's, amps, subs, speakers, etc. so I'm pretty sure I need to start doing some heavy duty research (probably including getting MECP certified).
I was just wondering what you all think about this whole thing. Any information about how your store is set up, how you got started, any suggestions as far as brands to go with, how much inventory to keep in stock, what types of services to offer starting out, best places to up my knowledge of the trade, anything and everything that might help me out here. Or if you think I'm just wasting my time, let me know about that too! Thanks.
Matt Gallas
I really hate to sound like a jerk but you're not thinking about doing this soon are you? I think its great that you want to and you have the drive, awesome for you, but it seems like you really are a newcomer to car audio and if you try to start up a business without putting in your time first, I think its a recipe for disaster. If you get a seasoned vet to help you run it than it might float, if not, you're sinkin bro. But, to answer your question, you can get a mecp study guide at
www.mecp.com and just spend ALL of your free time on this site and you'll surely learn alot. Spend some tie in a car, even if you have to do it for free, get your hands dirty.
Yeah, I kind of figured that would be the response that I would get. I mean, it's like starting a restaurant and only knowing how to make grilled cheese sandwiches. I do have a buddy that lives several hours away that is more than willing to be a consultant for me, but before I can get anything off the ground, I more than likely would have to put out an ad for some professional/experienced installers to see if they would want to hop aboard with the project. This isn't anything that's going to be starting very soon and if I'm serious about it, I definately will need to start doing more research and doing some other hands on stuff. Thanks for the input!
Get talking to local body shop and insurance companies for theft repairs. Buddy of mine owns a shop and that is most of his business. But like everyone else will tell you, don't do it soon. Actually go work for a custom shop first and then see how much you like it.