what to expect

[queenmc]

Hi Guys I'm new to the forum and the biz in general. I'm in the process of getting my dba and should have it shortly. not quite sure what to do beyond that!! i'm working a 9-5 right now and not sure what to expect initially. i would ideally like to quit my job and just do this but am unsure of the amount of time it will take to get be up, running and replacing just netting 6-8k per month? any input would be great. i'm in the la area and plan on doing corporate runs mainly

[Steve W.]

Hey Queen welcome to the forum!

If you have not ran across it here is a listing of the general order to do things in:
Starting In CA (http://limos.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1896007732/m/2021077384)

Then follow dave M. 's Link in that message to some more good info.

I will assume you actually meant what you said when you said "netting" 6-8 K a month and to answer that all I can say is it will take a long time and a lot of effort as that will require more than one vehicle and quite a few employees. If that is the plan you already have great!

If you already have a 9-5 that is getting you 6K a month then I would say stick with that as getting 6K a month in the limo business in Los angeles will be considerably more than a 9-5 adventure.

I wish you luck though!

What's your plan? You have some niches already in mind? corporate customers lined up? ways to differenciate your company? IF you have not already start developing a business plan to help you with these questions and it will guide most of your decision making.

[Karl]

Sounds good. First, how about a little more about you… Your background in business; in the transportation and service industry; in the corporate environment.

Have you ever owned or operated a small business? It would be great to hear why you believe this is a path you feel you would like to pursue. And when you say la area, is that L.A. as in Los Angeles or LA as in Louisiana?

Please don’t be put off by these questions. Take them on… I already think you are better off than many who’ve come before you.

[queenmc]

Originally posted by Karl:
Sounds good. First, how about a little more about you… Your background in business; in the transportation and service industry; in the corporate environment.

Have you ever owned or operated a small business? It would be great to hear why you believe this is a path you feel you would like to pursue. And when you say la area, is that L.A. as in Los Angeles or LA as in Louisiana?

Please don’t be put off by these questions. Take them on… I already think you are better off than many who’ve come before you.
Hi Karl,
I'm in the los angeles area and have never owned/operated a biz before. As far as transportation is concerned, I drove for ups back east?. i've worked in a corporate environment and pretty much all of my experience has had me dealing with customers. i believe i have a niche market and have some potential clients. i'm figuring maybe 12 trips a week ($75) to start (is that too aggressive)?? with one car and just me driving for now. i don't have a 9-5 that pays that good but i would just much rather be self-employed (even if it did) i have a tentative business plan but am coming up empty with the market-analysis portion.
i have been taking this one step at a time as per suggested in the forum. i'm working with an insurance agent who is pretty much holding my hand through the puc process. i'll then need a website developed and possible TF #. i want this to be my vehicle to multiple streams of income. i'm thinking i will probably get some farm-outs as well?? what do you guys think? i do have some capitol to carry me but i don't want to leave my job too prematurely.

what i really want is to be realistic!!

[First Class Limos]

You didnt say what kind of vehicle (s) you will have. But being a brand new company with no clients, and not being able to be in the phone books til next years cycle ($500-$1000-$2000 a month) plus either no website or a brand new website that doesn't rank on the search engines, how do you plan on getting enough business to do 12 runs a week?

Also even if you were to do 12 runs a week at $75 each thats only $3600 per month which is 50% short of your goal of 6-8k, then you have to figure in gas, vehicle payment, insurance, etc. I don't think a brand new company with 1 vehicle will be able to start off doing 12 runs a week, where will the business come from?

[queenmc]

Originally posted by Steve W.:
Hey Queen welcome to the forum!

If you have not ran across it here is a listing of the general order to do things in:
Starting In CA (http://limos.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1896007732/m/2021077384)

Then follow dave M. 's Link in that message to some more good info.

I will assume you actually meant what you said when you said "netting" 6-8 K a month and to answer that all I can say is it will take a long time and a lot of effort as that will require more than one vehicle and quite a few employees. If that is the plan you already have great!

If you already have a 9-5 that is getting you 6K a month then I would say stick with that as getting 6K a month in the limo business in Los angeles will be considerably more than a 9-5 adventure.

I wish you luck though!

What's your plan? You have some niches already in mind? corporate customers lined up? ways to differenciate your company? IF you have not already start developing a business plan to help you with these questions and it will guide most of your decision making.

Thank you for your welcome and input!!! I addressed your questions in my response to Karl.
thanks again!

[InTheLeftLane]

Ahhh - the sweet smell of an entrepreneur is in the air of these posts! I love it!

If I were to start my entrepreneurial career all over again, I would hope and pray someone hand me a copy of "The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It" by Michael Gerber.

This is the book that has launched thousands of millions of small businesses and sold over 3M copies in 16 countries. I know Michael and his insight in the book is legendary - it sits on my desk often.

The second book I would hope someone would hand me is "Purple Cow" by Seth Godin. This is a great book on raising yourself above the crowd with your marketing.

Lastly, as a new company, your use of Internet technology for marketing should be based around social media - specifically what tactics / tools will work best for a transportation company is what I am looking at now; stay tuned and I'll share what I learn.

I wish you the very best Queen - striking out to build a business is admireable.