been having a bad run with work etc (self employed).over the last 18 months or so ive seen by business shrink to almost nothing-it was never a great empire anyway,it was just me,selling the cars i liked,a few repairs and some recovery work-enjoying life as it covered my outgoings and bills for my family.
3 months or so ago after realising i had lost(wife redundant,cars not selling,still having to pay bills) half my money pot i decided to have one last throw of the dice,keep my unit on and try another venture alongside selling some cheaper cars-my ramp2rent idea.
sadly it hasnt generated the interest i (and everyone else around me)thought it would,so the money i invested into equipment and advertising etc has now also disappeared.im not talking huge amounts but enough to affect me,especially as the car sales has gone very up and down and the only cars selling seem to be small,clean ones with pas(the ones everyone trys to buy/sell!!!),hence them being hard to source,with small profits.
im now at a point where i have to decide wether to give up the unit and either try to get a job or work from home with less overheads(i have the space and understanding neighbours).
also influencing this decision is the fact i had an awful attack of some sort when driving on the m6 on monday where i couldnt breathe,focus or think straight.i managed to get the 2 miles or so home but ended up at a&e that night as i really thought i was dying.im waiting for the results of some tests now from my doctor as the hospital was stupidly busy and after a re-assuring scan on my heart etc they told me they couldnt see anything untoward i went home to see my gp the next day.i still feel funny,anxious and panicky at times so am trying to take it easy at mo and avoiding driving as much as i can.im not sure yet if it is stress related or not.

so as we speak today ive virtually made my mind up to sell my recovery truck,sell of my equipment,move out of the unit and cut my losses.i cant apply for jobs as im not sure what is wrong with my health at the mo,plus im 40 years old,so not masses of jobs out there for an old mechanic!
i think my health is now paramount and there are some other issues i feel i need to get sorted including things ive lived with and put up with for years,but im not getting any younger..
at the moment i feel like ive let myself down and my family down,but hopefully i can get myself back together,sort my shit out and things may get better.i know there are people in todays climate much worse off than i am at the mo but im just a bit low today and worried about what the future will bring health and wealth-wise.

 

bloody hell jay sad news but i hope everything sorts its self out for ya mate.

 

chin up fella, health is the most important thing

get yourself well , and do it from home

 

Stress...

You should take some time out.Maybe a holiday just to take it easy.

 

Sorry to read this Jay, i'm only a phone call away mate if you need a natter and to let off some steam.

I honestly thought the ramp2rent idea would have worked out for you

You've not let yourself or your family down at all mate, you've done your best to do a decent days work and put food on the table, damn sight more than a lot of people!

Now you need to make sure that you take care of yourself and them and perhaps shrink the business down in stages to keep the wolf from the door but not take away all forms of income.

Give me a bell if you want fella.

 

sadly no money in pot for a holiday..struggling to pay household bills/mortgage......my mrs has only just got another job since being made redundant earlier this year and is struggling to her finances back in order-just a shit time at the mo

 

I am going to say the same as Ray, has stress made you unwell ?

I do hope you are ok and manage to sort out your business

Steve

 

as above. Stress.... caused a mild panic attack by sounds of it


think as you said. best option is to sell up... scale down and work from home and maybe get part time job as well until things pick up.

Get well soon, and good luck in what ever decisions and choices you make.

Well done for trying to give things a go. not through lack of effort of imagination that things havent gone your way by sounds of it!

 

Jay....sorry to hear this fella but you are far from a "Let down"....

You have had the insight to see what COULD happen if you tried to keep your unit on ect ect......... Out goings more than incoming is NEVER going to work.

Trade from home fella...no costs and MUCH easier with more money to be made.

 

You suffered a panic attack caused by Stress, been there done that 30 years ago.
I once led on the bank on the side of the motorway thinking id had it, terrible feeling.
Dont let it get worse, heed this warning.

 

Hope everything works out for you fella, good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Knock it on the head mate, not worth it if its making you ill!!

Its not like you didnt give it your best shot as some people will always wonder what if, just that circumstances are against you with the current climate.

As Lee has said if you can scale down and trade from home and get a part time job until you know what you are doing I think that would be the right thing to do.

Good luck what ever you decide

 

thanks mate,really appreciate it.

i also thought the ramp2rent thing would slowly build up to something that was making money but due to finances i havent been able to advertise as much as i really wanted-but i have run an ad in 2 local free mags,one in a north-west classic american mag,done a local leaflet drop,sent offers to local garages,mobile mechanics and taxi firms and also run a 2 inch by 1 inch ad in the local paper( i had originally planned a half page ad but its just too much money-400 quid a week!).ive also got a website up and running and had recenlty bought a van to get stickered up(not done yet-as was waiting on sticker guy).i think if i could afford to run for a few more months(weather-dark nights etc) things would begin to pick up but i dont have the funds to do so.
for the few months ive been setting things up etc,ive still had to pay bills,car sales has been terrible(not helped by a couple of poor buys that cost me money!) and its just took its toll on my money to a point i think its making me ill.shutting shop will not make things better overnight but it will cut down my outgoings by some 800 or so quid a month,which takes a bit of pressure off.

 

Kin hell jay, sorry to hear this mate. as above, sounds like a panic attack, and also from what you have said, you may be suffering depression. defo keep going to the doctors and letting them know how your doing/feeling.

 

thanks for the words everyone,it means a lot. sounds silly but i feel i know a lot of people on here,even the ones i havent met in person.

im not one to give up,and wont.but i think i just have to look at the bigger picture.

 

jay take it easy mate , get out of the unit and trade from home you know you can do it

take care pal

 

As others have said your health is paramount jay,you've always come accross as a genuine fella and people who know/meet you speak highly of you although i've never met you myself.Its better to have tried than not at all regarding the ramp idea and please don't think you've let your family down, all you've done is is try to provide for your family.Chin up fella

 

Have you go any mates who could go into the ramp business with you, spread the costs and the stress a little? Seems such a shame to let it go after you've put so much effort in. Did you get much custom, if so, where did they hear about what you do? Could be worth targeting your ads better rather than scattering them about.

It may be too late, and your mind may be made up, but if you do carry on with it I'll happily put a plug in the mag for you, plus I'll have a word with the other seven car mags on my floor and persuade them to give it a mention too.

Can utterly understand your reasoning if you do pack it in, but from what you've said you've properly tried your best, so have definitely not let your family down!

 

No consolation m8 but half of the country is in the same sitiuation unfortunaitly
and getting worse for a lot of people house reclaimes etc etc
more vat 20% on its way aswell,-this will close the door for a lot of people etc etc what happened to this Ł48 pound an hour plus rate machanics have been getting not bad for a weeks work all told really-
garage near me f----g Ł60 per hour-Ł500 a day!!!!--bloody poles!!!!! Most people dont earn that in a week-
you want a bigger picture>>????????
8.30 in a morning there are people passing by my shop looking on the floor to see if any school kids have dropped any change!!!-then go in the bus stop across the road and sit for hours!!because they dont want to go home and turn a light on or make a cup of tea because that will give them an unwanted bill ----sad-sad and bloody sadder m8, there not all wasters like the goverment seem to think-a family of 4 sat on the bench near the shop the other day next to the chip shop (Ł1.30 a bag of chips) and had their dinner-1 bag between them!!-not everyone is on megga benefits.,they say the average person is two pay cheques away from poverty
i personally think its less as most people owe big time to banks etc and never get a chance of a cash job like us!(!people with fixed income,) -(there has been plenty of them over the years)
Hope to hear you in a different mood sooner than later-
you could get into banking!ŁŁŁŁŁŁŁ1000000 of pounds in bonuses again from the fucking tax payer again this christmas------aye ho thats it rant over till another day-----------CEEEEEEEEEEER UP

 

Such a shame mate

My mate was in the same boat earlier on in the year, he did Vehicle Recovery and went self employed, built it up with club contracts but the overheads have just gone up and up and up, the clubs (Green Flag etc) weren't providing enough work to cover it, so he sold the contracts to a larger local firm along with his trucks, pocketed the cash and kept the one truck he started out with to do private jobs.

It's awful to see all that hard work disappear though

 

Nice touch dan

 

sorry to hear this jay,theres not many traders left like yourself i.e good and honest!!
as said above mate trade from home ,cut your overheads and i honestly hope everything works out for you mate

 

Might sound a daft idea Jay, but could you try advertising the ramp2rent thing via some different routes?

Rather than the traditional newpapers/magazines - perhaps try joining all the local car forums within say an hours travel of Warrington - as you well know, car enthusiasts are always after doing their own mods and doing it on a ramp with someone experienced on hand has got to still be a niche in the market.

Also, could you put ads on ebay? I've noticed there are garages selling servicing packages etc.

Just airing a few ideas in case you choose to give it another month or so.

 

really sorry to hear this Jay.

don't think you have let anyone down as you have tried to give it ago,so stop thinking that way.

hope the problem turns out to be nothing and you find something else to earn you a few bob.

 

I spoke to you one night over the phone a couple of years back and you seemed a top bloke, so its really sad to hear things are going a bit wobbly for you.

My advice would be get some part time work in to help pays the bills and get some steady income, you can still sell a few motors on the side to boost this up but hopefully this will give you a bit more down time to relax and get things in order.

Everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment, you can't blame yourself for things being a struggle, infact you should be proud that you have had a go, and wisely looked at how things are going and where they are going and acted on it, rather than just wait until you are up to your neck in debt.

Nothing to say that you can't get back into your plans when things pick up a bit,.

Stress can really fook you over mentally and physically, so try where you can to chill out a bit, check your blood pressure etc and try and get a bit of light exercise, cycling etc to keep you healthy.

I hope things pick up fella, and really dont see it as a failure, but rather a well timed downsize until the trade is more lucrative, if more business had that forsight there would be far less go under.

 

Sorry to hear it mate. As said above, it's not through a lack of trying.

All the best for the future.

 

Thats sad news Jay, take some time out mate, best bet would be to lose the unit and sell off the ramp and truck etc and just work from home mate.

 

Very sorry to hear this pal, read alot of your posts / for sale adds over the years and you sound like a decent honest guy and hope things pick up for you.

 

At least your are wise enough to know when to think logically, i know a few people who have burried there head and got in massive debts with lenders trying to keep a failing business going.

Seeing as you have a massive database of customers who trust you, why not keep the van and go into mobile mechanicing or valeting?

Not massive overheads and keeps you going.

 

ive already said it above but thanks again for the kind,supportive words.

im also very grateful for the offer of the mention in the mag dan-very nice gesture.

with regards to the advertising strategy,my dad with his classic american car has been to loads of local car shows and spoke to loads of car clubs/owners and given a lot of leaflets out....impression gave seemed to be if it was in their town they would be interested.ive also got leaflets in some of the car spares shops that would do it.(one ive used for 15 years flatly refused to put a leaflet up....5 mins drive from my unit and used by dozens of d.i.y repairers).
im not 100% giving up yet but im not far off,may just loose the truck for now and just see if the weather/dark nights helps out.... may just be best to stop now though.im going to give it some serious thought over the weekend and see what comes up.i wanted my dad to come in on it originally with me as he was quiet with work(builder),but now dont want to drain his money if it isnt going to work-he may not want to anyway!!!!

i think my ideal fix now would be for me to find an average job giving a sensible wage and still sell some cars from home.........where i can switch off from work and have fun selling/owning cars again

just like it was 6 years ago!!!!!!

 

Fair play fella. Sounds like you've made a wise decision. If the situation changes, or work pics up my offer stands.

 

Chin up mate and don't let it get you down. Fight the future it will all work out.

 

Mate, I'm totally in the same boat. I know where you coming from, the feeling is not nice at all. Crisis and scrappage scheme have absolutely killed our business.

I also keep thinking about potential business ideas but usually I dismiss them very quickly.

If you do decide to soldier on, maybe we can arrange something together. Just as a hint: RS parts are scarce and expensive in mainland europe.

 

Is it worth trying to sell as a going-concern, rather than getting rid of assets etc? I'd imagine you'd get a better price given that you're an established brand, already have a premises, insurances, advertising arrangements, etc...

Chris

 

Hi fella,hope there's nothing more serious with you after the panic attack mate,I'm sure there won't be.

The most shocking thing I've read so far is rubinsbins post,he actually said something quite nice and supportive,he must be losing his touch!!!!

I was going to start by saying how sorry I am to hear your winding the business down but if you remember I answered on one of your previous threads about living costs that I too have my own business and have been struggling too,in fact I'm leaving my unit by next Thursday and do you know what?I can't fucking wait!!!were dropping back into recession again from what I can see,20% vat and banks that won't lend to you unless you earn Ł150k a year,absolutely every business I know is finding it hard right now.

From what I've seen on here,your prices are fair,your cars look well presented and your feedback from other forum members is exceptional,so I don't think for one minute you can blame yourself for any of this.

I had my reservations about ramp2rent and I did make them quite vocal but you gave it a try and it hasn't happened,again,id say it's Market forces rather than anything you've done directly.

Sell the ramp,any equipment you don't want and either go on the sick,or get yourself any sort of employment you can that your happy with,I wouldn't just do anything as you'll get pissed off but a nice relaxing job could be just the bill,after all,your workmates may need new cars that you can help them with.

Personally,I'd try and keep the truck,that way you can offer delivery on cars that you sell on eBay etc,it's worked very well for me lately,I've shifted everything I've had on there and haven't been fucked about once by anybody,the amount of timewasters seem to be dwindling on there now,I always advertise that I won't respond to emails and to phone or text only,it's been a good policy.

You know how to sell,how to buy and what peeps want so I'd say play to your strengths,that's what I'll be doing.

Good luck kid,and believe me the feeling of relief when you get out of it all will far overcome any fears you have of how to survive,that sides easy enough!!!

 

Wish you luck in your future, you seem a genuinly honest bloke

 

I dont know you personaly Jay but you come across as a decent guy, your car ad's have always seemed pretty honest, giving faults and an honest description of cars. I think the thing that has probably shocked you the most is finding out you're vulnerable, just like 99% of people. Like has already been said we're only two paychecks away from the gutter. I'd say knock the unit on the head, find a 9-5 that pays a wage with no stress and do a bit on the side. A mate of mine said exactly what you did, the only cars that are selling are the small cheapies, he's knocked his margins down to making a few hundred quid on a motor. He also reckons vans are a good seller atm.

whatever happens, chin up son. Your a savvy bloke and I reckon this is just a temporary blip.

 

Yeah, saw that. Had to double check it was really him!

 

Really sorry to hear about this Jay. I've seen the cars you've had up for sale and they've always looked like little crackers. It's so obvious how much of an enthusiast you are.

Like others have said I'm pretty sure what you've experienced is a panic attack. I've had them myself. Horrible and very scary but not physically harmful, basically stress related, and no wonder with the amount of pressure you must be under.

I've always wanted to be in the car game but I think it's obvious what a difficult game it is now to make any money. I'd love to stop doing what I do and get into cars full time but sadly I don't think it'll ever happen.

I wish you all the best whatever you decide is the next move mate.

 

Sad to read Jay.

Don't think you've let youself or family down mate, you've always been a hard worker, it's the current climate that has caused this not you.

Hope you get to the bottom of the health issues, give me a bell if you want a chat anytime mate.