Very logical, you're quick on the draw tonight.

LOL!!

OK, business is done lets have some fun. First, for you all that are doing about 30 to 50k a month on home automation, really not who I want to talk to anyway. You dont know what it takes to do 100k a month, so how about you go back to business 101 is your little hick towns.

As for McNasty, ok, first I will NEVER listen to someone that calls himself McNasty. Probably spends all of his time on forums and porn sites. Good luck "big dawg" You might be a "baller" one day. So how about a bit of advice. Lets stay off the forums and porn sites and take up a hobby or learn more about your profession, because anyone that spends their time on forums probably doesnt do any business. If you need some pointers on business let me know.

And Thon, let me ask you a good question. WHY the HELL would I be on a forum asking for advice and blow smoke up your ass? Dont you think that I want to give you every bit of truthfull information to get the best answer from you as possible? Think on that one. Try reading "How to win friends" one more time.

Tim, Tim, Tim,

You are by far the best poster we've had since NDBEER. You seem to be serious, so let me point out the irony. You claim to be breaking into the business and are poised to kick all our butts, and in the same post ask us how to do it. That's just plain funny.

WHOAAAA....

HERE WE GO!!!

YOU STILL HAVE NOT EXPLAINED YOUR DEFINITION OF AUTOMATION...AND CLEARLY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT REALLY IS!

Most TRUE home automation jobs are 30-60K PER JOB, and MOST of the PROS here are averaging, I would venture to guess, 3-5 of these MAJOR PROJECTS, per month...so if my ROOKIE, SMALL TOWN (Denver, only about 4 million people in a 30 mile radius) HICK math is correct, that would mean between 90-150K PER MONTH on the low end, and 180-300K A MONTH on the high end..there are several here that are clearing more than that, in a small hick town!

avdude

Just out of curiosity.. and I wanted to add to the laugh-in... Tim "shows" something right? any ideas what that might be?

McNasty...I always KNEW you were really Larry Flint, masquerading as a veteran...errr...umm veteran INSTALLER, in MA...

I dont want to kick any ones ass. Dont need to. Just here to get some good information and have a little fun with you forum junkees.

Tim,

I might be considered a "baller" by your standards evan though I am in a "hick town". I do $300,000 to $800,000 a month in automation systems. I have an extensive background in this industry. when you say "automation" what do you mean by that? It can be as simple as turning on 1 light when your security system is disarmed, or it can open you blinds, raise your lights, lower your plasma from your cieling, turn on your favorite radio station and start a pot of coffee when your alarm wakes you up. I agree with the other guys when they ask what you are going to do with this system. Every brand has its own strengths and weaknesses.

If you are working with a builder then you should be able to set up packages at differant price points to SELL to customers. I would suggest that you first hire a qualified technician (preferably licensed) to help you head this project up. Having the right man for the job is half the battle

-

This message was edited by QQQ on 04/07/04 15:44.

Is Timshows the reincarnation of ILOVE BOSE... absent since Avdude told him to piss off?

I am going to set up a ridiculous alter-ego someday too... just to get laughs... you gotta wonder when no e-mail is provided... means you can anonymously f--k with people.

Tim,
If you are real then you are what we rail about here. You're probably a Sparky who's been doing electrical for major builders... and done a good job of it, hence the continued relationship. Builder is too cheap to hire someone in the know because he's obviously into serious "production" (deduced from the sheer number of houses), so he goes to Sparky with all the latest buzzwords "structured wiring""home theater"... and now "home automation... gee Sparky, I even saw me a magazine... a whole damn magazine about nothin but Home Automation". We gave up on production builders long ago because they want everything for nothing and want nothing but the quick and easy and most of all... love the ability to write one check... to Sparky.

Our jealousy shows here. We've spent years acquiring the knowledge to do this and our portion gets given away daily by Sparkies who are wiring them "home THEETERS" in family rooms with five 18 gauge wires in the ceiling and a phone wire to the back of the room for a sub... or taking the time to put up an OnQ panel but wire-nutting 20 phone lines together and leaving a Radio Shack 8 way splitter hanging unmounted for cable. Anyone whos been around here for a while has seen me bitch ad-infinitum about this crap because I just can't understand why when you are building a brand new house... you just can't seem to realize that there IS A F-----G DIFFERENCE! Do you hire the roofer to do your tile work? Do you hire the hardwood floor guy to plumb it?

Tim, I guess what is so f----g funny to all of us is that you are obviously a newbie who is about to jump in way over his head without the ability to swim...something we all do once in a while. Only you are openly admitting to not knowing how to swim and asking the swimmers around you to expalin how to swim in hopes that either you will magically know how to swim or that one of us will pull your choking ass out of the water when you go under.

If you are for real than we can expect a builder in Florida to soon be advertising a bunch of houses as having "Home Automation". Said builder will most likely get his butt sued off by a few computer savvy clients who realize that the wiring package doesn't include s--t because inherently, it can't. Take ten people off the street and line em up. Are they all wearing the same shoes clothes and hairstyles? No? well there you have it. While you can generally guess on structured wiring and a production builder's version of home THEETER... home automation is deeply personal and can't be sold until you meet with an end user. AND THERE IS NO F-----G WAY IN HELL THAT YOU OR ANYBODY THAT DOESN'T DRIVE UP IN A FLYING SAUCER CAN DO THREE OF THESE SYSTEMS A DAY.

My recommendation for your prewire is a lot of Smurf Tube and the knowledge to back off on what you advertise the house is capable of.

My 4 cents (too long winded to only be 2 cents)

Damn Tim, You asked for it now you got it, gun's blazing..100,000.00 a month as a brand new company?? All us hicks in Bama can't compete with that???Whoo I know for a fact as a Birmingham business owner myself and my competitors, at least 2 others, gross at least 1.2 to 1.5 mill a year..on average..To do that most of us have store fronts of at least 3000 feet to 5000( our store )...3 to 5 vans..and an average of 6 to 8 installers with a combined experience level of 50 to 75 years on board..on top of certified or damn close to it at least 1 full time Crestron, AMX, or elan programmer..along with at least 2 to 3 office personel..and 2 or more full time operaters who also act as owners and sales reps...You will need start up capitol of at least 500,000.00...and it will depending on your effiency rating cost about 500,000.00 a year to run a company that grosses at least a million a year...Please any owners feel I am off base at all please inform me....Since you know so damn much Timothy care to elaborate on your wonderful business plan???I cut you slack yesterday but it's on now...


THXRick

he'll back later Rick...he's not a forum junkie...

he's too busy writing a business plan and making 100K per month installing automation systems for ADT...

he doesn't have time for us back country hicks!

avdude

I am a very small time installer. I am no where near as knowledgeable as some experts here (who you have insulted by not being up front and honest).I have never fitted a Creston system etc .What I do is install basic home cinema equipment and plasmas and projectors and programme the odd pronto or two. I have nice, happy customers its not just about turnover and profit.
If a job is beyond my abilities I tell the customer up front.
Timshows you can quote who’s got the biggest turnover till your turn blue it won’t impress me. So what if yours is bigger than mine, I make mine more satisfied!

You say in your quote that you install home theatre equipment .How can you NOT know about basic home automation?
You must have a very blinkered experience of installing home theatre equipment if you don’t know the basics of what Crestron AMX etc can do.
Before I would ask VERY general questions like your initial enquiry I would do some research. A few searches on this very site would have got you a wealth of knowledge.
From the very same people having a go at you!
My worry is you are trying to run before you walk .How well are you installing Home theatre equipment? You’ll do ANYTHING computer related? (The RAF has some helicopters they want fixing software doesn’t work.. joke)


So you want to have a off the peg, rather than a tailored system, one size fits all approach.
At the level you’re talking about(both cost and time) as a customer I would want a system designed for ME, wouldn’t you want a system designed just for you for your needs?
avdude is spot on in his assessment i too think your a alarm guy with ideas ..nothing wrong in that but you need to do a lot of hard work first.


This message was edited by wolf359 on 04/07/04 14:15.