Dreaming of Running Your Own Custom Car Shop? Take the First Step with Refinishing Prep Training
If you absolutely love cars and you want to work with people who feel the same way as you do, then you can’t do much better than opening a custom car shop. Custom car shops, especially those focused on niche services like custom paint jobs for classic cars, tend to attract dedicated auto enthusiasts. If that work environment sounds like paradise to you, read on to discover what steps you need to take to get your own custom car shop off the ground.
Decide What Kind of Custom Car Shop You Would Like to Run
Not all custom car shops are the same, and the type you decide to open will determine what kind of business you attract. For example, you could focus on a niche segment of the market, such as doing custom car work on vintage and luxury vehicles. If you are going to pursue this path, you will need to be at the top of your game and also located in a large city, where you can find enough vintage and luxury car owners to make your business plan profitable. Alternatively, you could focus on refinishing cars for the general public, in which case you are more likely to attract a broader number of clients.
Sign Up for Refinishing Prep Training to Give You a Head Start
If you’re going to pursue your dream of customizing cars with amazing paint jobs, you have to start out by getting the proper training. In British Columbia, refinishing prep technicians need to be certified. Certification requires completing a set number of work hours along with the successful completion of an assessment and examination. Once certified, you can begin your apprenticeship. When you complete automotive painting courses at a high-quality automotive school, you can apply with the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to have those courses applied as credit towards your first level of apprenticeship.
Build a Name for Yourself in Somebody Else’s Auto Painting Shop and Online
After you are done your refinishing prep training, you’ll need to build a following of loyal customers, especially if you want to do more specialized custom car work. That can be hard to do when you are first starting out. Investing a lot of money to open up your own custom car shop before you have a customer base is risky. One way to minimize risk is by leasing space out of another auto shop. This will allow you to save on expenses early on.
Are you interested in auto painting careers?
Contact Automotive Training Centres (ATC) to learn about our programs.
