madmole
New member
I worked on commission and had to buy my own tools except for the big shop equipment. The boss was gone getting drunk all day so I wrote estimates, answered the phone and ordered parts. At that point I was doing 95% of the work and getting 50% of the profit, so I started my own shop (rented a building, put up a sign, and financed the big equipment from the snap on tool guy. The building had some space I renovated into living quarters and I built a shower in the basement where there was a drain, and I moved in to the shop to save money while in startup. It was smart because things were tight at first, but I made it and in 3 years was debt free, had a nice jet ski and my old roadrunner fully restored inside and out, and got a house and had a few grand in savings, a huge accomplishment for me. Good luck for whenever you make the move, nothing beats being self employed if you can handle the pressure.You did better than I have done so far. Fellow auto mechanic here, still working on what you have already done. Dream is to one day own a mechanic shop, Ill get there. Though I'm more on the engine side of things.