Complete career change, have you, would you, what would you ?

[Mr Moofo]

Without trying to teach you to suck eggs, you need to draw up a business plan.
As you say you have most of the tools already and can been pretty handy at spannering when needed.

However just a few pointers:-
1) Not all public punters are James or related to you. Sometimes they will be lovely, grateful and pleased with the work. Sometimes they will be arseholes, difficult, lying gits and not pay ...
(Having fallen out with ProTwins whilst parting with 1,100 GBP I can tell you all about that)
2) What's the market, what will people pay, what profit do you need to make to cover all overheads and pay yourself?
3) What are the overheads - and what is the 5 year plan with that?
4) What is the revenue stream - and the 5 year projection?
5) Who are the customers (and how much will they pay)
6) Who are the competition
7) What could go wrong - and how would you deal with it. Cash flow is always going to be the critical issue

I have just phoned up SouthDown Bikes for a full service on my e-bike. 150 quid ... Obviously, I don't know what will encompass but apparently bearings that need changing will be changed. That is only about 30 quid an hour!

There is a company who have juse set up here in Shoreham called Bike Boom
https://bikeboom.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOor ... 9YV0BxHrHA

Obviously not the same model as you because they have a physical unit - but is it worth talking to them? They are the usual Brightonesque type people and quite approachable. I realis eyoua re aim at higher end stuff - but they could maybe highlight pit falls?

There is always becomeing a porn star as a back up option!

[weeksy]

My 2p worth.

If it is going to happen in 2 years time, start the business now. You will be able to build up a client bank / brand awareness over the coming months and years which will make the transition to it being your main employment easier when the time is right.

You can always have a ‘full diary’ should demand increase beyond your capacity.

It may mean you feel like you are on the go 24/7 but it’ll be worth it in the end, and it won’t be as much of a bump when it comes to stopping one and transitioning to the next.

Only issue with that is an upcoming house move, so a little complex as we’ll be 70+ miles away

[weeksy]

1) Not all public punters are James or related to you. Sometimes they will be lovely, grateful and pleased with the work. Sometimes they will be arseholes, difficult, lying gits and not pay ...
(Having fallen out with ProTwins whilst parting with 1,100 GBP I can tell you all about that)
2) What's the market, what will people pay, what profit do you need to make to cover all overheads and pay yourself?
3) What are the overheads - and what is the 5 year plan with that?
4) What is the revenue stream - and the 5 year projection?
5) Who are the customers (and how much will they pay)
6) Who are the competition
7) What could go wrong - and how would you deal with it. Cash flow is always going to be the critical issue

I have just phoned up SouthDown Bikes for a full service on my e-bike. 150 quid ... Obviously, I don't know what will encompass but apparently bearings that need changing will be changed. That is only about 30 quid an hour!

1. Absolutely get that
2. Market, not sure but seems good. Profit needed, not a lot really.
3. Nothing apart from tools and heating the workshop
4. No clue really, but if it doesn't work i'll go drive Waitrose deliveries
5. FoD, loads and loads of cyclists... I think they'll pay £30ph
6. Several bike shops in the area, all seem packed with jobs if you try and book online for a slot.
7. I guess you break a component/frame and have to work out a plan. Not sure on that yet in terms of insurance/repair.

I'll be impressed if that covers bearing cost and i'll be curious to see how many hours..

As you've just seen in your post above, £150 for a full service, even if that's 50% profit and 1/2 a days work, that's £150 a day clearing... which is plenty.

[MingtheMerciless]

All my mates that work in the bicycle industry say it would be brilliant without the customers. The entitled obnoxious bellends they have to deal with is hilarious/horrific.

[weeksy]

All my mates that work in the bicycle industry say it would be brilliant without the customers. The entitled obnoxious bellends they have to deal with is hilarious/horrific.

and we're 2 of them

[weeksy]

Here's the list from Bikeboom

General Service £65

Is a more involved look at your bike. It will diagnose any problems and give advisories on any further work that needs to be done. Your gears will be properly indexed, brakes adjusted and everything tested for wear and movement. Your drivetrain is thoroughly cleaned wit Muc-Off environmental products. General service gives you great peace of mind to keep you rolling reliably.

Frame & forks checked dings, dents, cracks or misalignment
Visual assessment of wear on grips/bar tape
Visual assessment of wear on saddle
Headset checked opened, cleaned and lubricated
Bottom Bracket checked for free movement and adjusted if required
Allen bolts checked and tightened to correct torque
Hubs checked for play and free movement of all bearings
Lubrication of chain, mechs & cables with Muc-Off environmental lubricants
Brake and gear cables replaced if necessary at cost (we only use the best stainless steel slick coated cables @£5 per cable)
Brake pads replaced if necessary at cost. (we use organic pads for less squeal and better performance in our coastal setting from £10/pr disc pads, £5/pr v-pads)
Adjustment of brakes and checked for efficacy - hydraulic brake bleeding is extra at £20 per brake.
Works Service and custom builds £125

As with General service but includes a full strip clean and rebuild. Hydraulic brake bleed included.
If you have a frame + fork + wheels + parts we will put it all together for you
This is the service you are after if you require a whole new groupset fitted
Puncture Repair

Fit new tube £16
Fit new tube on wheel with hub gear or rear motor eBike or the rear wheel of a brompton or Dutch bike £20
Tubeless

Sealant + seating - £20 per wheel + valve (we can provide this or you can)
Replenish sealant £20 per wheel
Workshop labour is charged at £45 per hour - small jobs from £25 (20mins)

New Bike in a Box build £50

Have your new bike delivered to us to build properly and dispose of the enormous box for you. No need to take the day off work waiting for a delivery and no queuing at the tip to get rid of the cardboard and packaging. Collect at your convenience. Fitting of accessories included.

Wheel Building from £50 single £90 pair

We can lace, build, true any wheel you want. You can provide the parts or we can source them for you. Just need a spoke replaced? No problem. Need that wobble straightened? We can sort it out.

Guide price of Sram/Shimano chain and cassette - guide price, added to a service (prices may vary, more likely to be more as things always seem to be getting more expensive!)

7 speed chain + cassette from £30
8 speed chain + cassette from £35
9 speed chain + cassette from £45
10 speed chain + cassette from £65
11 speed chain + cassette from £85
12 speed chain + cassette from £100

So they're at £45ph and £25 for a 20 mins job... As i say, in my world without paying for premises or doing from the van as mobile.... That's a no-brainer really.

[Mr Moofo]

1) Not all public punters are James or related to you. Sometimes they will be lovely, grateful and pleased with the work.

I'll be impressed if that covers bearing cost and i'll be curious to see how many hours..

As you've just seen in your post above, £150 for a full service, even if that's 50% profit and 1/2 a days work, that's £150 a day clearing... which is plenty.

The 150 GBP doesn't include parts - so bearings will be extra (and I will probably do it myself, as Trek seem to use the shittiest bearings in the world with no grease )

So they're at £45ph and £25 for a 20 mins job... As i say, in my world without paying for premises or doing from the van as mobile.... That's a no-brainer really.

That gives you a start for the financial planning

[Big Red]

Having retired when I was 56 after running my own business for 32 years, If i was in your position I would be looking to get a stress free job for however many years you need to keep working for that pays enough for you to get by.
You will make more money on a regular basis with no stress filling shelves in a supermarket or doing delivery van/ driving work.
Having to charge friends from various race meets when you have been helping them out for free all this time will be frowned upon by a lot of them and they will not see it as being your main source of income.
Experience has taught me that a lot of so called friends use the friends excuse to get stuff done for free/very little payment.
When the free stuff is changed to paid work, they vanish and you wont hear from them.
Just my experience, but I would save yourself the stress. More than likely turn your hobby that you enjoy into a real chore you wish you hadn't ruined making it your bread and butter.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[wheelnut]

Don’t underestimate the costs of keeping a business going - they can add up surprisingly quickly.

Business structure- Ltd or sole trader. Sole trader will have some (small) tax advantages and prof fees and costs will be less. Ltd will give you protection in case of a liability issue.

Insurances - public indemnity and professional indemnity, plus emp liability if you go Ltd.

Mobile or premises based. Rent is expensive as is heating. Hopefully you can get somewhere business rates exempt. Mobile may be a better shout to keep costs low.

Vat - talk of the threshold lowering from the current 90k - if you’re supplying parts turnover can grow suprisingly fast - vat liability is on a rolling, not financial year so you can caught out quite easily. You will need to keep an eye on the budget

Don’t underestimate the time quoting jobs and keeping up with accounts. Get good software (quickbooks is good and cheap) and keep on top of stuff - it’s scary how quick it can get away from you.

[weeksy]

Just my experience, but I would save yourself the stress. More than likely turn your hobby that you enjoy into a real chore you wish you hadn't ruined making it your bread and butter.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

That is a concern for sure and potentially working in an LBS as a spanner monkey also appeals as i can just do the work 2-4 days and go home at the end of the day and forget it. I've considered that as part of the 'do i want to do bike stuff' type scenario.
Truth is, i'm in an enviable position that as far as me and @Couchy can work out, i don't actually have to do anything, however i'd go absolutely insane if i don't... But financially we'd be fine if i do or don't work.

[Skub]

I'd be the big boss of a bike forum and make squillions every day.

[weeksy]

I'd be the big boss of a bike forum and make squillions every day.

LOL sounds ace... i think i may about 1.2p a week from you lot

Looking around the internet an AA recovery driver seems to be earning the low to mid 30s.... maybe £33k a year, which in truth is better than some and arguably more entertaining than stacking shelves. Note, this is not a mobile repair guy, just a "turn up, hook it up and drag it away" type thing...I'm not really someone who gets tense or pressured when driving or stuck in traffic and as i'd be getting paid i'm not sure i'd care much either.

It's deffo something with merit.

[KungFooBob]

I always liked the idea for being a field engineer, fixing pooters or printers/copiers, driving around in my Toyota Corolla with a boot full of fuser units.

But they get paid fuck all.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If you don't need to work, do something you enjoy, but make sure it's financially viable and you're not going to be operating at a loss.

You're idea of being the Rod Harman of mountain biking doesn't sound like a bad idea, especially if you were going to be in the paddock anyway.

[cheb]

Good luck with whatever you choose.

I've chosen to reroute my life a couple of times, not career changing as I've never really had one. Both have been don't without much planning, and both seem to have worked well.

One of the best odd jobs I had was driving a mobile bank for RBS. It'd be Nat West in England. It suited me well, a zero hours contract and expenses paid off island travel when I wanted it. Easy work. reasonable well paid and zero stress.

[Taipan]

Never quite sure how I ended up doing what I do? I went from selling cars to taking photographs, sort of Arthur Daley to David Bailey! Never intentionally pursued anything, just been fortunate enough to get offered things. Pro rata I earn a lot less now than I did when I was in my 20s, but things always have a way of working out.

It seems like fortune has served you well, as you've enjoyed a sport with your Son as he's grown up and now its lead to a new profession for you. I'm certainly not one of life's planners, so bear that in mind, but if me were thee, i'd not overthink this. Just start trading and see where it goes. As you mentioned earlier, there is always money to be earned elsewhere, driving, stacking shelves etc, if you need to supplement the bike servicing until it gets off the ground.

WRT to the public, yes there are some almighty twats out there, but they need a job doing, and most don't like shopping around. You'll soon learn to steer the conversation and compliment them into giving you the work. E.G. Wow, you must have been pushing real hard as these head bearings are showing signs of your punishment. So, you get the job and s/he goes to the pub boasting of how his mechanic told him how hard he must have been pushing the bike to need new head bearing etc blah. As long as you make customers feel important, they'll keep coming back. Always say you'll fit them in rather than just book them in, that type of thing.

Good luck, although I suspect you wont need it.

Do a job you love and you'll never work another day in your life...

[weeksy]

It's all a bit of a waiting game at the moment anyway..... It could be next week or i could be sitting here in 18 months time counting the last days. That makes it all really tricky to do a lot of planning in there anyway.

But looking about and chatting to various people, i'm fairly hopeful that things have at least got some merit.

We're deep into a plan with the boy and as Pietin says, living the dream for/with him... So there's a bucket load to be very very happy about.

[Pirahna]

I've done the career change thing a couple of times, last time was in 2017 when 1200 of us were made redundant, I was 54 at the time. Like you, I was a long term IT techie. We knew it was coming and had plenty of time to prepare for it. One of my colleagues fancied being a cycle mechanic so did the Cytech courses, he still works in a bike shop.

I went down a different route and started my own gardening business. All was going well until covid when every customer I had phoned in the space of two days and cancelled me. They'd all be at home doing there own gardens. I then got a job as a home delivery driver for Tesco, great during lockdown as nothing was happening, a ball ache working evenings and weekends when there's other stuff to do. Wifey got made redundant in 2020 which is when she finally worked out we didn't need to work, that's when we sold up and left.

The moral of this is that being self employed can be a bit unpredictable, so have a backup plan.

https://www.cytech.training

[The Martian]

My career change was drastic but it was following a life changing event (sudden unplanned stop on a bike for those that don't know me) I did it because I wanted a stress free job and I simply couldn't do the previous work any more.

I actually have to work to earn money, it's graft every day it often hurts physically and it pays less than half of what I used to earn.. but I am much happier!

It's fairly consistent and rarely stressful, I mostly enjoy doing the work, I usually get to make people happy and I'm not set in a structure that an employer would set.

Knowing your application and attention to detail, I have no doubt you would make an excellent MTB mechanic and I wouldn't wonder that you would be choosing (rather than chasing) the work to do within a couple of years as your reputation grows.

[weeksy]

I've been reading up on things like AA and RAC and they've massively dropped off the potential list. Reviews from workers state the long rubbish hours, with day-shift and 28 hours into night shift for a week. 2 weekends a month working.

Moving up the list is Waitrose/Sains/Tesco delivery driver. The hours seem to suit me for example 7am-1pm, which i'd like actually. But also the lack of hassle, stress, just rock up, deliver, go home. Waitrose also gives 20% off which would make Mrs Weeksy very happy too lol

But that would also give me some money in and the flexibility/time to get the bike repair stuff running in the afternoon/evenings. So it would work well whilst building up some business/customers.

Certainly ticking the boxes