Creating a NICHE or not

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MJ Detailing

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Market niche: created by identifying needs or wants that are not being addressed by competitors, and by offering products that satisfy them.

[FONT=Source Sans Pro, sans-serif]I trust your judgement Autogeek family so please have patience while I explain my vision or lack thereof.

I was a mechanic for about 10 years. I was factory trained by Nissan and then eventually started working on Honda's and Acura's. After some time, I got burned out on turning wrenches so I started looking for something more challenging but still automotive related. I always loved detailing and after watching Mike Phillips perform his magic, I have been hooked. I opened my own place and I did very well. It was part time but I was making very good money.

I just recently bought a tire shop. One bay, nothing fancy. Business is booming and I am looking to expand but I am trying to create a niche, something special. Right now, I will put tires on any car. Yep, you call me and I will pretty much find the tires to fit your car. Now, I am looking to blaze my own trail and create something unique.

My first thought was to change my business into an Autospa. How will I compete against the others around me? There are a lot of AutoSpa's and 5 dollar car washes, it could be a daunting task and a headache, next idea. Turning wrenches? No! So I came up with this.

I am taking this concept from dealerships. How about I start a car club? The car club idea is based off of what dealerships have done for years, they focus on one car manufacturer and they become good at what they do. Can that work for me? Lets just say I specialize in Honda Cars, that means Honda and Acuras of course. I will provide tire service, detailing and other services. Some will say I am limiting myself and some will say dumb idea all together. What do you think? Just asking, I have not made any decisions yet




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MJ Detailing said:
Market niche: created by identifying
needs or wants that are not being
addressed by competitors, and by
offering products that satisfy them.

just recently bought a tire shop.. One bay,
nothing fancy. Business is booming and I
am looking to expand but I am trying to
create a niche, something special.

Right now, I will put tires on any car.
Yep, you call me and I will pretty much
find the tires to fit your car.

Now, I am looking to blaze my own
trail and create something unique.
Click to expand...
Since you already have a tire shop:
Here's a suggestion on how to put
your name up in neon, out there in
niche-product/(service)-land:

•Find a way to *successfully* mount
the following run-flat tires on all of the
various C7 Corvettes' OEM wheels:
-MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport
-MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2

(especially) in sizes:
-P285/30ZR19
-P335/25ZR20


Note:
*successfully* includes, but is
not limited to: In a timely manner,
without any damages to wheels, etc.



Bob
 
Bob -

Not familiar with those particular wheels but big wheels - rubber are mounted all the time.
Granted there is a certain level of operator skill, those fancy pancy tire mount machines with the all rubber lever/press arms sure make it a helluva lot damange free

It's expensive to own....


I know of one shop. They have zero - mechanical skills, from a auto repair/diag standpoint. Well , maybe some weekend warrior wrenching skills learned along the way. All they do is alignments and tires/wheels. They bang it out in timely fashion and have hundreds of positive reviews on yelp, which IMO yelp is great from a marketing stainpoint.....free word of mouth.

I doubt this alignment shop even has a ~A~ torch for those pesky nuts....and they must bang out each appt timely for their fancy alignment rack....
 
I work for a decent size tire chain in Michigan and one of the most important thing to us is "tire time" pretty much how long it takes to bang out a set of 4 tires our particular store does a set of 4 in roughly 27 minutes, pretty good time is it just you doing the tire work?


Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app
 
AGO doesn't allow edits....to add to the my previous reply, said shop is using the highest end Hunter rack and GSP balancer/mount machines. Said machines are not cheap..
 
MJ Detailing said:
Market niche: created by identifying needs or wants that are not being addressed by competitors, and by offering products that satisfy them.

[FONT=Source Sans Pro, sans-serif]I trust your judgement Autogeek family so please have patience while I explain my vision or lack thereof.

I was a mechanic for about 10 years. I was factory trained by Nissan and then eventually started working on Honda's and Acura's. After some time, I got burned out on turning wrenches so I started looking for something more challenging but still automotive related. I always loved detailing and after watching Mike Phillips perform his magic, I have been hooked. I opened my own place and I did very well. It was part time but I was making very good money.

I just recently bought a tire shop. One bay, nothing fancy. Business is booming and I am looking to expand but I am trying to create a niche, something special. Right now, I will put tires on any car. Yep, you call me and I will pretty much find the tires to fit your car. Now, I am looking to blaze my own trail and create something unique.

My first thought was to change my business into an Autospa. How will I compete against the others around me? There are a lot of AutoSpa's and 5 dollar car washes, it could be a daunting task and a headache, next idea. Turning wrenches? No! So I came up with this.

I am taking this concept from dealerships. How about I start a car club? The car club idea is based off of what dealerships have done for years, they focus on one car manufacturer and they become good at what they do. Can that work for me? Lets just say I specialize in Honda Cars, that means Honda and Acuras of course. I will provide tire service, detailing and other services. Some will say I am limiting myself and some will say dumb idea all together. What do you think? Just asking, I have not made any decisions yet




[/FONT]
Click to expand...

Not sure how successful that would be but I can tell you my self employed dealer friend pretty much sells only Toyotas with other cars sprinkled in here and there, I have gotten pretty good at detailing 2003-06 Camrys and Corollas. He makes a pretty good living doing just certain types of cars and I make pretty good money detailing them for him.
 
FUNX650 said:
Since you already have a tire shop:
Here's a suggestion on how to put
your name up in neon, out there in
niche-product/(service)-land:

•Find a way to *successfully* mount
the following run-flat tires on all of the
various C7 Corvettes' OEM wheels:
-MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport
-MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2

(especially) in sizes:
-P285/30ZR19
-P335/25ZR20


Note:
*successfully* includes, but is
not limited to: In a timely manner,
without any damages to wheels, etc.

Bob
Click to expand...


Bob, if you "need a guy" to mount the above, PM me. I have a good friend who has been doing this for decades. He's part of our local racing group and services many of us on a regular basis. C7's are very common for him. I texted him the above and he said they won't be an issue at all. They do mobile work in the Columbus area too. Their shop is over by Rickenbacker AFB if you go to them.

Won't be cheap to do. They are a PIA since they are so wide/low profile and run Flats. He said the only thing worse would be some reverse mount wheels.
 
My opinion, since you asked:

You obviously like cars. You're obviously doing well enough to think about expansion. Why not expand with what you already know? Maybe another bay or two? I know you said you don't want to bend wrenches, but with quite a bit of specialty experience, you already have a niche. Focus on the growth of what you already do (Tires) and add maintenance. If it goes well, you'll be able to pay someone to bend wrenches so you don't have to!

Does your area have the demographics that could support the niche you are describing? It sounds like the bottom end of the market is pretty saturated. Are you willing to make a hobby you enjoy (detailing) become a job like being a mechanic did?
 
How about starting off small with some basic up sells? Wheel and tire coatings, glass coatings during rainy season, headlight restoration...
 
FWIW....I was quoted $254 by a large local tire retailer, to mount four 20" Goodyear run flats onto a spare set of 2017 Camaro rims....WITHOUT beating up those rims.

Otherwise for the standard $60 per pair, the Shop wouldn't guarantee to NOT beat them up.

I finally found a small shop that did mount them cleanly and I gladly paid the $125 they asked for.

There's a niche for You.
 
If you have the mechanical skills, insurance, and proper tools......

A place where you can get oil changed, tires, wiper blades, filters, the basic stuff and a detail at the same time.....hells yea? Now time would be an issue possibly...or perhaps budget?

Offer say an a la carte menu?

Wash
Wash + wax (add clay treatment for say $)
Wash + wax + basic interior (vacuum, quick wipe down, windows)
Wash + wax + more in depth interior (above plus say clean center console, clean floor mats, protectant)
- headlight restoration
- spot scratch repair
 
My point exactly. They have carved out a specific niche and they are probably doing well. They are known as specialists
 
dcjredline said:
Not sure how successful that would be but I can tell you my self employed dealer friend pretty much sells only Toyotas with other cars sprinkled in here and there, I have gotten pretty good at detailing 2003-06 Camrys and Corollas. He makes a pretty good living doing just certain types of cars and I make pretty good money detailing them for him.
Click to expand...

So true. I bet he known for Toyotas or the Toyota guy. He has definitely developed a niche
 
Use to do wholesale work for a guy that would only buy boxsters and jettas out of his one bedroom apt condo.He would sell about 15 of those a month and strong all year round.He would buy them on Tuesday from Manheim auction and sell them that following week.He was a good buyer and knew his market on those 2 car lines.So do what you want make it work life is short my friend.
 
GSKR said:
Use to do wholesale work for a guy that would only buy boxsters and jettas out of his one bedroom apt condo.He would sell about 15 of those a month and strong all year round.He would buy them on Tuesday from Manheim auction and sell them that following week.He was a good buyer and knew his market on those 2 car lines.So do what you want make it work life is short my friend.
Click to expand...

Thats what I mean. Specialize and become an expert. I just want to do what no one else has done
 
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