Thread: new to hot rodding

Tweet

My name is Matt Bainbridge, my dad and i have been working on old cars and pickups for a long time. Now we want to do it for a living. Do we need to get licensing or anything, or can we just start working?
Thanks for any info you have.

Hi Matt, good question. 1st u might wnt to check out zoning issues. Some homeowners are pretty anal about anything going on within 10 miles of their property. Then when u find a place that u can have dead cars and incomplete cars and its ok to work on cars there, u can start. But dont quit your day job until it costs u money to keep it. When folks are confident u will finish what u start, and that u wont make a bunch of excuses. U wont have to advertise, it will come to u. If boyd can stay in business how hard is it? Oh and did I mention about burning lots of midnite oil and no vacations, and putting all your profits back into the business? Its the American way.

Definatly check zoning. I folded my detail shop a few years ago and called the city to ask if I could do it in my garage and they said no. The issue with it was they didnt want cars filling my drive way. I would get a license and insurace. If you get caught with out the icense the fine is more than the cost to get it. And insurance just in case someone gets hurt on your property your covered. When your at your lawers office for the license ask about getting incorperated. That way if someone tries to sue your company they cant come after your personal assets, just the businesses. Get a folder started at a cpa also. Gotta pay the tax man for all the money your gonna make. If you can get away with doing it "on the side" thats great. Good to have cash the government wont know about.