Your Universal Remote Control Center
RemoteCentral.com
Custom Installers' Lounge Forum - View Post
Previous section Next section Previous page Next page Up level
Up level
The following page was printed from RemoteCentral.com:

Login:
Pass:
 
 

Page 1 of 4
Topic:
Should we be in this for money or are we like artist and put on the best work possible
This thread has 49 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 19:27
brucewayne
Advanced Member
Joined:
Posts:
March 2006
895
Should you focus on money or put out amazing systems. I can sell small systems and do hang and bangs. And make a good living do it. But is this an art? where we should convince the client to get a full blown automation system ? You can walk in to any house sell six sonos and In wall speakers spend a few day there. Collect a check and move on . Or sell them a full blown system and be married to the job.

If selling sonos and small systems was less stress and more money should we do it because better business model ?

Or do we use are expertise and give the client an all in one solution instead of changing apps on your iPad its all in one app and completely automated?

Sorry to go all jerry McGuire on you guys but I wanted to know the rc community felt.
brucewayne
Post 2 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 19:34
Mac Burks (39)
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2007
17,515
None of us gets out of bed in the morning to satisfy a need to create great works of art. You do it to put money in the bank.

Sell your clients what they want to buy. Some will want speaker selectors and the CCTV system they got at costco. Some will want to spend 6 figures in their vacation house. If you choose to do hang and bangs or if you choose the full blown automation and entertainment systems...then you should be willing to put your best foot forward every time. I say that to those in our industry and those preparing hot dogs. You are at work and being paid so do your best or your clients will find someone else to give their money to.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
Post 3 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 19:52
Rob Grabon
Founding Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2001
1,392
I do it for a living because I enjoy what I do.

It's not art. I know how to take a bunch of boxes and make them work together to provide entertainment for others. How close to live entertainment and how easy it is to use affects the cost.

Everyone's perception of live is different. For some a $200 Sonos is amazing compared to their crummy devices speakers. For others, they crave the goosebumps that require spending serious cash. For both I have enriched their lives.
Technology is cheap, Time is expensive.
Post 4 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 20:24
Fins
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
June 2007
11,627
Unless you like sleeping in a cardboard box and eating out of the dumpster behind Olive Garden, we do this for the money. If you enjoy what you do, even better.

Do you enjoy doing a hang and bang, pop in a sonos and some speakers, getting a check and not being bothered with after hours phone calls saying "this thing doesn't work"? Or do you enjoy changing the way people live by opening them up to the luxuries of automation, and they then wondering how they lived without being able to shut down their home at night and lock it up from the bed, but at the same time adding more complexity to your own life?
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

Post 5 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 20:42
tweeterguy
Loyal Member
Joined:
Posts:
June 2005
7,713
I do it for the love and admiration of all the sexy ladies that "get" what we do...and the hotties that work in our industry;





said no one ever.
Post 6 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 20:42
juliejacobson
CE Pro Magazine
Joined:
Posts:
April 2003
3,032
And don't forget: You MUST think about money if you want to keep the business going ... and to retire some day. And by retire I mean either paying yourself well enough for all those years, or building a business that someone will want to buy some day.

I've seen many a dealer that "loved" their job for the first 30 years, but had to go on working at it long after the joy wore off.
"CEPro: your website sucks!" - Fins
www.cepro.com
[Link: twitter.com]
Post 7 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 20:55
Trunk-Slammer -Supreme
Loyal Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2003
7,454
I only got into this biz because I wanted to see how fast I could turn a million into nothing.



Turns out, it doesn't take all that long.... ;-)
Post 8 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 21:07
Mr. Stanley
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
January 2006
16,954
I've done both... Big arsed Integrated systems working closely with the architect(s) and interior designers, to install the most killer stealth type installs, and done the hang and bangs.

Personally, I get more satisfaction out of the simple jobs that are one-day deals, the customers are down to earth, thrilled and smiling as they pay their bill.

I rarely got a chance to meet the "other" high-end owners, just their "owner represenatives". Not very satisfying for me, but that is just me. More often than not we had to sign non disclosure forms and pretend like we didn't know who the damn client was... Total BS (imo).

I even get a thrill out of repairing some old dude's 45 year old speakers for a few bucks, and see him light up when he sees how I refinished his cabinets, and re did the grilles, refoamed the woofers and crank them up for him. I've actually had guys get misty eyed with joy! Never happened with $400,000.00 S*V*NT systems!!! Can't put a price on that.

Sorry to rant

My customers LOVE Sonos. My clients with the six and seven figure jobs, usually were never really happy. I'll let the other guys deal with those jobs that kept me awake at night! No thanks.

When I was younger, I felt what I did for a living defined who I was as a person... Now I just do this sh*t to cover my beer fund, and pay Netflix on time!

I define myself nowadays by whom I have for friends, and my love of family and friends... not what I do or material things that I possess. It always kills me when I run into some guy I worked with years ago, and they slip in the question..."So, what are you driving these days?" I always hated that question. Judge me by my car... yeah, right! Cool. 8>)
I have a great son, brother and GF. Thats all I need. Hell even the ex wife and I are still friends, as is her new husband.

Last edited by Mr. Stanley on March 26, 2015 21:31.
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."
Frank Lloyd Wright
Post 9 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 21:10
highfigh
Loyal Member
Joined:
Posts:
September 2004
8,311
On March 26, 2015 at 20:55, Trunk-Slammer -Supreme said...
I only got into this biz because I wanted to see how fast I could turn a million into nothing.

Turns out, it doesn't take all that long.... ;-)

You could have been a boat dealer- the joke in the marine industry is:

Q- How do you make a small fortune?
A- Start with a large one.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 10 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 21:15
Fins
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
June 2007
11,627
On March 26, 2015 at 21:10, highfigh said...
You could have been a boat dealer- the joke in the marine industry is:

Q- How do you make a small fortune?
A- Start with a large one.

I once heard Felix Sabates in an interview say the same thing about owning a NASCAR team. Now he owns Trinity Yachts. Which, he bought only because they went bankrupt in the middle of building a yacht he had ordered and he wanted it finished.
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

Post 11 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 21:17
highfigh
Loyal Member
Joined:
Posts:
September 2004
8,311
We can be as artistic as we want, but we need to want to do it that way.

For me, doing the same thing day after day, system after system, TV after TV- it's too much like factory work and I did that once. I could have made more money working in a factory, but I'd have become so bored I probably would have wandered into traffic and been hit by a car. On purpose.

I'm a fan of technology but not of useless gadgets. I'm a huge fan of manufacturing things so they work well, for a long time, without having to deal with a lot of BS hence, much of my frustration. I just downloaded the Sling app to my Roku and I'm watching the Badgers play UNC without cable/satellite or U-Verse, so I'm pretty happy at the moment. I'll build things for my clients, refinish wood cases on equipment, build speaker stands and other things just to make it different from what other people have. Some of them like custom furniture and other items and I don't really know of anyone else in this area who does that for theirs.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 12 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 22:04
juliejacobson
CE Pro Magazine
Joined:
Posts:
April 2003
3,032
On March 26, 2015 at 20:42, tweeterguy said...
I do it for the love and admiration of all the sexy ladies that "get" what we do...and the hotties that work in our industry;

said no one ever.

You are in big trouble mister.
"CEPro: your website sucks!" - Fins
www.cepro.com
[Link: twitter.com]
Post 13 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 22:43
Mac Burks (39)
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2007
17,515
On March 26, 2015 at 21:07, Mr. Stanley said...
I define myself nowadays by whom I have for friends, and my love of family and friends... not what I do or material things that I possess. It always kills me when I run into some guy I worked with years ago, and they slip in the question..."So, what are you driving these days?" I always hated that question. Judge me by my car... yeah, right! Cool. 8>)

I am only 40 years old so i don't have half the number of years on the planet as you but i can honestly say i have never been asked what kind of car i was driving or what brand of watch i had on or how much i spent on a hair cut etc. Seattle must be a big ego driven materialistic nightmare.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
Post 14 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 23:11
goldenzrule
Loyal Member
Joined:
Posts:
July 2007
8,470
On March 26, 2015 at 20:42, tweeterguy said...
I do it for the love and admiration of all the sexy ladies that "get" what we do...and the hotties that work in our industry;

said no one ever.

I think Brendon might have said that.
Post 15 made on Thursday March 26, 2015 at 23:12
Audiophiliac
Super Member
Joined:
Posts:
August 2006
3,309
I will do "art"....if the client wants to pay for it. I am not going to do it for free. My favorite jobs are the ones done for great people. The $ amount has nothing to do with it. I have a handful of clients I actually enjoy being around. The rest are just means to an end really. My kids need to eat. I do what I do for that. I am all about spending 100 hours perfectly lacing up the fancy racks that win awards. But only if someone is all about paying me for the 100 hours of work to do it. I am more of a form follows function person. But I also get a bit OCD with some things.

This job has its ups and downs like anything else. Lots of quirky things you do not see in many other industries. People tend to get in....for life. It is tough to imagine doing something else after nearly 15 years. Winning the lottery might be the ticket out.....seemed to work out alright for Matt.
"When I eat, it is the food that is scared." - Ron Swanson
Find in this thread:
Page 1 of 4


Jump to


Protected Feature Before you can reply to a message...
You must first register for a Remote Central user account - it's fast and free! Or, if you already have an account, please login now.

Please read the following: Unsolicited commercial advertisements are absolutely not permitted on this forum. Other private buy & sell messages should be posted to our Marketplace. For information on how to advertise your service or product click here. Remote Central reserves the right to remove or modify any post that is deemed inappropriate.

Hosting Services by ipHouse