I agree with Cy though, undercapitalization is probably more of a problem. If you aren’t equipped to do the work you hope to get (or can’t go out and get it) then you end up sort of hoping you don’t get the work that you can’t yet handle, if you catch my drift. Sometimes you have to take the leap, not recklessly but with a goal in mind. Education in this trade also falls under the capitalization heading when it comes to this particular discussion. It costs to go to these conventions and seminars, regional and national, it costs to gain the experience that you can ultimately take out on the road but the information you gain no doubt helps you take on the projects you didn’t feel equipped to before. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ken & Pat Gerler Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 1:31 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] pay as you go David, I agree, BUT, if someone doesn't want to "go out on a limb", the "cheapest" student hammer and minimum tools, tuning aurally, doesn't take much. Yes, to equip a shop "right", you could easily get $10,000.00 without batting an eye! Ken Gerler kenneth.gerler at prodigy.net ----- Original Message ----- From: David Love <mailto:davidlovepianos at comcast.net> To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 3:05 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] pay as you go I think you underestimate the costs of starting a shop or even just tuning. Setting up a shop can get quite expensive assuming you even have the space already when you figure the cost of all the hand and power tools, dust collection, installing adequate lighting, clamps, jigs, cauls, etc. Just looking around my own shop at the equipment I need and use it adds up fast. Better to do it while money is cheap (like now). Even tuning and minor repairs can add up. If you decided to buy an ETD for, say $1000 - $1500, quality tuning hammer various other specialty tools for the small repairs, it still adds up to something considerable. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ken & Pat Gerler Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 7:49 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] pay as you go Have you ever heard of "Small Business Loans". In our "service" business, "hopefully", you do not need a lot of "capital" to get started. Maybe a couple of thousand if you are wanting to do extensive shop work. But for just tuning and minor repair, you should be able to start with under $1,000.00 dollars. And if you start by tuning pianos at a dealer, a minimum "kit" should be under $500.00. Ken Gerler -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20091109/5ed3af2a/attachment.htm>
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