Started my own business... Doing automotive wiring

[dnchevyman]

Im tired of working my butt off for 15/hr while the shop im working at is making 90/hr, so ive started my own gig. I have a talent and a skill that is valuable to a lot of people. So i went and got my tax and business license this week. Many of you know i worked for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck team making the wire harnesses and installing everything electrical. Im good at what i do and i enjoy doing it. named my business "Copperhead Wiring". copperhead was a nickname given to me by the shop foreman at the truck team, so i decided to use it.

I do everything from hooking up gauges and ignition systems, hid light systems for off road vehicles, engine harnesses, all the way up to complete wire harnesses made from scratch, custom fuse panels. anything that can be wired to a car, truck, racecar, i do. I also do all the work at the customers location, weather it be across town; or cross country, they pay for the plane ticket and arrange room and board. That way they dont have to haul the vehicle to a shop. Im depending on word of mouth to get my name spread around, and currently i'm talking to a few NHRA teams about wiring thier cars for free and in turn they put a small decal on thier car and trailor. Ive already done several offroad buggies and trucks and local circle track guys cars for basically free. so im trying hard to get a name for myself.

At first i never thought there was a market for someone to just wire up cars, but lately ive realized i was wrong, one of the offroad guys just paid a guy 12,000 to wire up his offroad truck, and the guy flaked out on him, and now he's waiting for the guy to come back and finish up. becuase he already paid the guy in full. derrr!!!

A majority of people out there can hook stuff up, but they use cheapo parts and hack stuff together, then are plagued with electrical gremlins for eternity. and my stuff speaks for itself, its clean, top quality parts, very reliable, tech inspectors are impressed, and other people are jealous that thier cars look like crap.

After seeing a lot of guys drop out of competition due to electrical problems, these are the guys that usually say they cant afford to pay someone to wire thier stuff correctly, my comeback is, if youre going for a championship, and trying to win a cash prize at every race, how can they not afford to have a good wire job on thier car??

So everyone wish me luck, and tell your freinds.

[Beegs]

Good luck with your new endeavor! Hope it all works out for you.

[camcojb]

It's great to make your living doing something you love. Good luck.


Jody

[Steve1968LS2]

I suck at wiring.. you coming out to SoCal anytime soon?? lol

My wiring works but looks like spaghetti..

[rockdogz]

Sounds great, good luck!
Do you have any pics of your installs to show off your work?

[dnchevyman]

you pay for gas and ill be in socal in about 3 hours. no problems there! I am in the proccess of setting up a website with a photo gallery to show off my work. itll take a little bit, so bear with me.

[zbugger]

Good luck with the business. That's the same specialty that I've been doing lately. One thing I can't stand is bad wiring. I hope all goes well for you. :thumbsup:

[RaceMan]

I've done abit of wiring myself , mostly racecars too. I'm ok at it but not great you can tell when someone is really good things just look right!!.
Any way just the other day my father had problems with his 55 chevy ,he could't get it going,I looked under the dash and could't believe the mess BAD!!
I could do it but dont really have the time or desire , so if you book some jobs out in the east let me know how much it might cost.
good luck :thumbsup:

[Steve1968LS2]

Good luck with the business. That's the same specialty that I've been doing lately. One thing I can't stand is bad wiring. I hope all goes well for you. :thumbsup:

Hmm.. wanna come down and work on Penny? I can offer beer and track time :)

[fletcherscustoms]

Wanna come GA? Gonna need a 69 Camaro completly wired. Speartech harness, AAW harness, LS2 engine, and lots of other odds and ends.

[Stuart Adams]

Good luck.

[Ummgawa]

What Stu said. Big time.

[dnchevyman]

boilermaker, you buy the plane ticket and provide room and board, ill come fix you up.

[zbugger]

Wanna come GA? Gonna need a 69 Camaro completly wired. Speartech harness, AAW harness, LS2 engine, and lots of other odds and ends.
I just finished a '68 with almost exactly that setup. Only difference was an LS1. Even wire up the covan's dash.

[fatlife]

I just finished a '68 with almost exactly that setup. Only difference was an LS1. Even wire up the covan's dash.
and here it is
http://home.mebtel.net/~ejrussell/alfa%20rats%20nest%20of%20wires.jpg

:D

[zbugger]

Yeah, don't you wish, Cody.

[R67Chevelle]

Im tired of working my butt off for 15/hr while the shop im working at is making 90/hr, so ive started my own gig. I have a talent and a skill that is valuable to a lot of people. So i went and got my tax and business license this week. Many of you know i worked for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck team making the wire harnesses and installing everything electrical. Im good at what i do and i enjoy doing it. named my business "Copperhead Wiring". copperhead was a nickname given to me by the shop foreman at the truck team, so i decided to use it.

I do everything from hooking up gauges and ignition systems, hid light systems for off road vehicles, engine harnesses, all the way up to complete wire harnesses made from scratch, custom fuse panels. anything that can be wired to a car, truck, racecar, i do. I also do all the work at the customers location, weather it be across town; or cross country, they pay for the plane ticket and arrange room and board. That way they dont have to haul the vehicle to a shop. Im depending on word of mouth to get my name spread around, and currently i'm talking to a few NHRA teams about wiring thier cars for free and in turn they put a small decal on thier car and trailor. Ive already done several offroad buggies and trucks and local circle track guys cars for basically free. so im trying hard to get a name for myself.

At first i never thought there was a market for someone to just wire up cars, but lately ive realized i was wrong, one of the offroad guys just paid a guy 12,000 to wire up his offroad truck, and the guy flaked out on him, and now he's waiting for the guy to come back and finish up. becuase he already paid the guy in full. derrr!!!

A majority of people out there can hook stuff up, but they use cheapo parts and hack stuff together, then are plagued with electrical gremlins for eternity. and my stuff speaks for itself, its clean, top quality parts, very reliable, tech inspectors are impressed, and other people are jealous that thier cars look like crap.

After seeing a lot of guys drop out of competition due to electrical problems, these are the guys that usually say they cant afford to pay someone to wire thier stuff correctly, my comeback is, if youre going for a championship, and trying to win a cash prize at every race, how can they not afford to have a good wire job on thier car??

So everyone wish me luck, and tell your freinds.


Thank you JESUS... I am going to need the wiring re-done on my 67 chevelle around February and I live in Henderson.... :unibrow:

I have been searching for some one trustworthy out here... Your my kind of guy and on my favorite forum :thumbsup: ... I will definately need you cause I hate wiring... email me you info so I can keep u in my contact book and I have quite a few people out here I can refer you... this is great news and I did not have to go through hell to find the right shop... :bow:

Blessings

[Speedster]

Best of Luck in your new entrepreneurial venture.

[fletcherscustoms]

What kind of hourly rate do you charge or is by the job?

[dnchevyman]

its by the job, the way i am pricing is to try and be a little cheaper than the shops in town. 99% of the shops are charging at least 70-99 per hour, so im going off of that and try to stay a little cheaper than big shops.

[bret]

its by the job, the way i am pricing is to try and be a little cheaper than the shops in town. 99% of the shops are charging at least 70-99 per hour, so im going off of that and try to stay a little cheaper than big shops.

Free [and probably worth it] advice...

1. don't be cheaper, be better. You coming to the customer is worth at least a 25% premium. Just think of the other work that can continue on the car while you are wiring. This will be priceless to the guy who is a week from a major debut deadline...
2. be careful about who you give your time away to for "promotional purposes". Unlike someone who builds parts to sell, all you have to sell is your time and there is only 24 hours of it each day.
3. don't underestimate your real expenses...food, travel, misc parts...they add up quick

I think you have an EXCELLENT niche here,,,now if I can find a travelling interior guy...

GOOD LUCK...and keep us posted. Love to follow success stories! :thumbsup:

[AAW]

I, personally, think you chose a brilliant profession.
(although I may be a little biased) :_paranoid

Best of luck in your new endeavor.

[Bill Howell]

Free [and probably worth it] advice...

1. don't be cheaper, be better. You coming to the customer is worth at least a 25% premium. Just think of the other work that can continue on the car while you are wiring. This will be priceless to the guy who is a week from a major debut deadline...
2. be careful about who you give your time away to for "promotional purposes". Unlike someone who builds parts to sell, all you have to sell is your time and there is only 24 hours of it each day.
3. don't underestimate your real expenses...food, travel, misc parts...they add up quick

I think you have an EXCELLENT niche here,,,now if I can find a travelling interior guy...

GOOD LUCK...and keep us posted. Love to follow success stories! :thumbsup:


I was thinking the same thing Bret as I read thru the thread. Service is much more important that being cheapest. Never strive to be cheap, strive to be the best. :thumbsup:

[Teetoe_Jones]

Dan- Check your phone messages.

Tyler