Thread: Some Input Needed Please

all done chris !

pity you are so far away, but you never know i might be calling you yet

hope all goes well for the course and venture mate.

jc

Done
Good luck

Survey done.

Hope it all works out for you Chris. Speaking from experience, it's very satisfying starting your own small business and making products that are'nt generally available.

Cheers, Murray

Hi chris,
Sorry to spoil your party but your questions appear to me as though you are trying to convince yourself that custom made parts are an essential item in the 4wd market.

i.e. 1. Do you prefer a Custom made product that will do what You want or
An off the shelf item that is a not quite what You want ?

Did you consider an answer - "an off the shelf product that suits my needs" ?

I know you will understand that mass production is more financially viable to both the maker and consumer and custom made products mean "ker ching".

Don't rely on a quick survey to determine the viability of your business. Develop a clear business plan with realistic running costs i.e. premises and utilities, materials, labour, custom versus mass production pricing etc etc

In an ideal world we would all love custom made quality products, made by our trusted local supplier . . . .but at the end of the day it will all come down to the $$$ people are prepared to spend.
The custom parts market you are trying to enter is niche and for you to survive I would suggest diversification into other elements of the fabrication industry.



Good luck.

Ian

Thanks for the reply this is the type of feed back I am after as this way I get a real feel for market trends and like you said what I am about to do is a niche market and costs to have this sort of work done is up there

As I posted in the first post I am doing a micro business management course I am only half way through the second week and this survey is the first one I have done there will be more and my training goes on for another 12 weeks and then if all goes to plan I will also get 12 months assistance in the way of mentoring and help from the business center here in newcastle

Also as in my first post I will be doing other fabrication work so I am not relying on one or 2 markets there are plenty of avenues I can work into and I have been in the fab game for over 20 years to know were to chase the work if need be

Originally Posted by lokka

Also as in my first post I will be doing other fabrication work so I am not relying on one or 2 markets there are plenty of avenues I can work into and I have been in the fab game for over 20 years to know were to chase the work if need be

Sounds to me like you are on the right track - work out what you want to do, know how to do it well, then fill your pipeline with work from wherever you can.

4wd may be a part of this pipeline, it could be small or it could be all of your work, but ignoring any segment before you have a full pipeline is a risk.

Good luck with your venture and keep pounding those avenues!

Done deal Good luck with your venture

Done. Pm sent.