I have returned - and am stressed!!!!

Marktheman

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Hello people,

Maybe you'll remember me or maybe not. I joined this forum in February of this year after purchasing my Mercedes SL500 but then life got busy and I completely forgot about this forum.

Anyway, I'm back again and hope to stay this time.

Since I've been gone I've got married, had a holiday and started up a new business.

The marriage is to a beautiful girl who is pregnant with our first child - due Christmas Eve - lets hope it comes on time and provides an excuse to get out of her mothers roast Turkey (a good vet could have brought it back to life last year) :lol:

The holiday was a short break to America which was well earned and enjoyed.

The only bad (for now) part of the updates is the new business. It is a garage which came up for sale when the owner died and I - in a moment of madness - made an offer and ended up owning it. It was/is stuck in the 1970s (both aesthetically and equipment wise) so I've spend the last couple of months trying to bring it into the 21st Century whilst running the business at the same time. Things are showing no signs of getting easier but at least they can't get any worse!!

Anyway, throughout it all I still have my Merc in the garage and that makes life worth living.

My plans of getting an old Mercedes for a summer restoration project haven't come to fruition, with not having any spare time and money being a bit tight, as there isn't much money left over at the end of the month after paying the mortgage on the house & the business, my wife's car payments and the money spent refurbishing the business.

Right, I've prattled on enough (and I'm only on my first lager!) so I'll head outside for a smoke and maybe put another coat of creosote on the shed (the wood looks like it was bare for years but I think I've managed to save it.)
 
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Marktheman

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Mercedes 500 SEC I should have said, not SL. You know you're stressed when you can't even get the model of your car right :lol:
 

dizzy lizzy

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You have been a busy boy....good luck with the business and congratulations on the forthcoming addition to your family.
 

television

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We have a petrol station where I live and closed for years, some one bought it for a song and rebuilt it all, within 6 years it now has 9 pumps a post office and shop, an amazing turn around
 

100%Bitch

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Mercedes 500 SEC I should have said, not SL. You know you're stressed when you can't even get the model of your car right :lol:

It's even better finding it in a car park (or trying to). :lol:
 

michaelr1946

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It would be great to get periodic reports from yourself , on the progress of the garage business as it grows , ( and it will! ) , so don't forget the bulletins for the folks here , you might even get some advice from time to time ,and there's nothing wrong in that !!.
Cheers
Mike R .
 

w124nut

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Be honest with your customers and give value for money and that way your reputation will grow as will your customer base.

Good luck.
 
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Marktheman

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Thank you for the replies - yes I'll definitely keep you posted.

Once all the work is done on the building everything should be fine as I'm getting enough customers to make profits, but of course all the profits are going on the refurbishment so I'm working for nothing essentially.

All will work out well in the end, either that or I'll end up in an early grave!
 
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Marktheman

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It's even better finding it in a car park (or trying to). :lol:
Oh don't get me started on that. I'm OK with that kind of thing as I seem to have a good memory on where I park the car. My wife on the other hand does not and a few weeks ago she actually called me out because "the car wasn't unlocking". Off I went to Tescos to see what could possibly be wrong with a 2013 Vauxhall Corsa with less than 1,000 miles on the clock. As I walked over she was still standing there puzzled as to why the remote wouldn't unlock the car. Turns out that WAS NOT HER CAR :roll:

That woman, god only knows how she manages to feed herself.
 

Warrior

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In my old home village there is a little old original petrol station, largely unchanged since it was opened just after WW2, its in a real time warp, I know the owner quite well having grown up with him in the village, he grew up with the business and took over from his dad in the 1970's and still runs to the old rules, closing for lunch 12-1, half day Wednesday etc.

Its an attended service (they come out and serve you) and its still got the old ding ding rubber tube across the entrance to announce your arrival as you drive in, and they'll even dip your oil and wipe your screen for you while they fill you up.

I still pass through a couple of times a year and often pop in to say hello to Steve the owner, he reckons he still does a healthy trade, obviously he cant compete on price with Morrison's down the road, but he offers something a supermarket filling station cant, a good old fashioned personal service, no congestion around the pumps and no taking your life in your hands to dodge the speeding vans and taxi's blasting away from their pit stop as you try to get across the forecourt to the kiosk to join the 10 others in the payment queue etc.

Increasingly people appreciate being able to sit in the car and be served the old fashioned way, particularly those smartly dressed ladies and gents who don't want to arrive at a lunch or meeting with clothes and hands smelling of diesel, and the elderly who sometimes struggle with getting in and out of the car and fiddling with fuel caps etc.

So I think the old retro filling stations might be the way to go in future and maybe a good business opportunity for the original poster with his place.
 
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Marktheman

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I agree the old filling stations are nice and I do use them when I'm around one (I NEVER buy fuel at a supermarket) but unfortunately my garage has never had a filling station there, just a small forecourt for selling cars (which could be converted I suppose).

Thing is, so many small filling stations have closed down around here recently that I'd be mad to build one which would be dearer than Tescos and wouldn't gain much trade.
 

davidsw

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You think you are busy and have no spare money.......just wait 'till the baby's born !!! Only joking ,you'll love it .Best wishes on all aspects of your life and business.
 

GAD Tuning LTD

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Hello and welcome to the forum, and good luck with your new business!!!

Regards

The GAD Team
 

grober

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The key is leverage. Try in some small way to offer something unique that rivals can't. Small filling stations used to usefully supplement their income from the shop attached. This was so successful that the big boys suddenly copied it " en mass" There's hardly a big name brand petrol station that hasn't got an "open all hours" mini shopping mall attached nowadays. Alternative fuel LPG supply or conversions might be worth looking at? Whatever it is has to be unique to your area though.
 

rapide

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welcome back

yes welcome back and all the very best with your family and the new venture , sorry about the turkey! hope this years is better!
 
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Marktheman

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You think you are busy and have no spare money.......just wait 'till the baby's born !!! Only joking ,you'll love it .Best wishes on all aspects of your life and business.
I know! At least I have until Christmas to get the garage all sorted and running steadily before the baby comes, and then I'll maybe shorten the working hours from 9-6.30 to 9-5 or consider taking on another mechanic. I'm not too keen on this idea though as I can do the work myself and don't like the idea of having to pay somebody to do something I could be doing - even if it does save me time.

I'm crossing each bridge as it comes just now, and luckily the parenthood one is a few miles away.
 
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Marktheman

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yes welcome back and all the very best with your family and the new venture , sorry about the turkey! hope this years is better!
Lets hope so - she's cooking Pork this year :shock:
 

davidsw

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Beef may be better , not so bad rare !
 
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