u/ColoradoCyclist

Burt Reynolds.
Danny Trejo.
Ray Liotta.
Luis Guzman.
Gary Busey.
Dennis Hopper.

So many recognizable voices!!

Ugh, I don't know where else to go. I operate a small business and I need a printer, scanner, copier, that can print color and up to 11x17. That's the hard part... I tried buying a refurbished Xerox for $2000 and the machine was bricked and nobody could make it work... it's been a nightmare.

Please, help.

^(help)

I am feeling a big nostalgic regarding Afterlife and Lizard Lounge right now. I would love to hear other peoples stories and memories of these places.

I remember snippets of my experience at afterlife. I can't believe that place was legally even open for as long as it was. I was 17 and really into PLUR, had the bracelets and everything. The music is such a blur. I have a distinct memory of a chick showing my group of friends her vag... the red room... the light shows... so many kids on drugs. I was a good kid and never tried any of the drugs. I was prescribed adderall and would take an extra one late at night and that felt naughty to me lol

My best memories from Lizard Lounge was going to see Armin Van Buuren and Mord Fustang. My dad came with me and my friends to Armin since he was a fan too and the bouncer stamped my hand so I could drink even though I was 18. I had a couple red bull vodkas for the first time. Also, had my first cigarette out in the smoking area after getting a little drunk.

I miss the freedom and lack of cell phones everywhere. You could let loose and have fun without worrying about someone recording you and sharing it to the internet without your consent.

Ohhhh. random edit. I won a meet and greet with Tiesto and he signed my iPhone lol. I don't remember which venue it was though.

https://preview.redd.it/sy3kzxtyhr8h1.jpg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=563b55e0727294cd6cc455d2dced381d8ed682d3

Hey everyone! I am back again for my 3rd update. Lots has happened and I am on my way to owning 4 mechanic shops plus a couple other smaller endeavors.

I’ve been lurker here for a while and I feel like I’m totally out of place here. It seems focused on internet startups and such but I wanted to share my story anyways.

• In 2015, I started a scratch ($0 book of business) insurance agency with Allstate. I grew my book of business from $0 to $1.5m in 4 years. Over this time I had 2-3 employees and would revenue about 30k a month with a net profit of about 100k per year. I sold the business in 2019 for 200k, moved to Colorado and bought myself a house.
  • I absolutely loathe the insurance industry now and I do not recommend going to work in the industry. It's getting worse and worse as inflation and repair costs rise and companies find more and more ways to fuck over their clients and agents. The worst part is that you have to beg your friends and family for their business and I really hated that.
• In late 2019, I bought 10 cars and rented them through Turo. Everything was going well(ish) and I was making about $400-500 in profit per month per car with no employees. I do not recommend going into this business. People will wreck and trash your vehicles and unless you're okay being a janitor and mechanic, it's just not worth it. If you have to rely on a detailer and a mechanic shop, they are going to chew through a percentage of your profits. I was able to do this myself and it was EXHUASTING.
  • Unfortunately, Covid happened and this shuttered my business. I am so upset I didn't wait like 6 months longer before selling my assets. I would've been able to recoup a lot more money with how the used car market sky rocketed. I sold the cars and filed bankruptcy. Anyways, it took me a while to reset and have funds to start another business so I got desperate...
• In late 2020, I started an OF page with 3 other ladies and the money was way more than I would've imagined. I did all the marketing, communication, directing, filming, research, editing, and I was the sole male actor. Our peak income in the business was 12k a month and this lasted about 18 months until we all burned out.
  • It is honestly fun in the beginning but eventually it does just turn into work and most the "clients" are pretty digusting at times so this does eventually attribute to burn out. I did this with my ex-wife, her co-worker, and our GF. It also did not help our relationship. There's a long story about this entire endeavor and I am happy to answer any questions. Our content is still out there somewhere and I will not be sharing it.
• In 2022, I took a regular job for a year to think of my next moves. I worked as a sales manager for a small hotel startup. I was also interested in learning how the operation of a boutique hotel works. It was cool but the overhead in that business is way too high and it fluctuates too much with the economy. This company didn't seem to break into profit at any point and I am not entirely sure it ever will without sweeping changes.
• Late in 2023, I started looking for businesses for sale online and found a small 2-bay mechanic shop with an owner who wanted to retire and sell. He was very picky about who he would sell to so I ended up working for him for about 6 months so I could learn the business and earn his trust. I was able to convince him to sell me the business on a 100% owner carry loan. The business used to average 50-60k a month in revenue with 55% profit margin. I grew this to 70k-80k with 58% GP however the shop is too small and this is the cap due to the size of the shop.
  • This shop has an amazing location in a cool part of town. I pride myself on being incredibly transparent and honest. The old owner used to do everything on paper, from scheduling to inspections. Now we use a robust CRM system that gives us digital vehicle inspections, scheduling, VoiP, texting, and have become significantly more efficient in every aspect of the business. Our website and google presence has grown significantly. We are sitting at 4.9 stars with nearly 300 reviews.
• In March of 2024, I opened a second location from scratch about 10 minutes from my main location which took us from 2-bays to 8-bays. We are now doing 110k-150k per month with a 60% profit margin and a net of 15-20%. I grew the business from 2 employees to 6 plus me. I set this shop up as a ball-and-chain since my original location is completely handicapped by its size and we would avoid taking on bigger jobs as to not tie up one of the two bays for too long. Over the last year the new location has started to establish its own clientelle as well as doing all the overflow and heavy line work for the primary shop. I have a couple of fleet contracts now and I am looking to expand this further. I bought in to some state of the art tech (an Autel ADAS Alignment Machine) which was very pricey.
  • We specialize in engine and transmission replacements, alignments, and can work on just about anything. Now with the two locations, our turn around time has significantly improved. We used to have appointments set out up to two weeks, now it's always within 3 days.
• UPDATE - NOW - I am currently in the process of acquiring two more locations! This is going to double my revenue and net profit. There's a lot of improvements I can make which should hopefully bring the net up within the year. I have also partnered with a collision shop and I am working on acquiring a flatbed tow truck so I can offer full inclusive service.
  • I am using an SBA loan to acquire these shops which has been easier to get than expected.
• I have a 7 week newborn baby girl and I am more motivated than ever to own a successful enterprise.

I posted this last year but made some updates and edits with additional information. Anyways, AMA!!

I own a mechanic shop. I’ve owned over 35 cars. I’ve driven cars with 700+hp.

This is the most fun I’ve ever had in a car. Period.

My little girl is 2 weeks old and her weigh in and length today was 22.5” and 8lbs 11oz. Her height was the 99.89% percentile!

I own a business here in the Springs, it's been around for 30 years. We usually have some slow days here and there but the last week was incredibly slow and our future appointments have gone *POOF*. I have never seen it this slow. We are in OCC and it seems like everyone has ceased spending. I am kind of freaking out right now. I employ 7 people and I have reserves but this is just... crazy to me.

Anyone else here feeling the same?