My business has been open for 4 years, so not nearly as much experience as many people here! But for me, small to medium jobs are where I make the most money. I'm getting really quick and efficient at those jobs, and they aren't taking up real estate in the shop for long.

The bigger jobs, like full interiors, are more rewarding. They are more of an artistic challenge, I love the process and creativity. But there's a lot more time in planning, consulting with the customer, etc. If there is any kind of delay, my main work bay is tied up.

The bigger jobs are while I love the business, but the smaller jobs are what make my business profitable. I usually take on a handful of complete interiors/large projects a year, and then fill in the rest of the time with small/medium jobs. It will all depend on your workspace, how big your team is, etc. I work by myself most of the time, with occasional part-time help and I find this works the best for me!

Ive definitely found the same thing. Definitely profit more on smaller turn-arounds but cant seem to pull myself away from wanting the bigger jobs. As a one man show currently I just cant see a good way to do both. I had one of my best friends working with me for about 5 years but recently decided to move on to different things. I'll be searching for a new employee soon, but until then I think I may have to focus on the smaller/med stuff to keep the jobs/shop rolling efficiently. I have 3 big bays but get once you one car torn apart and the place gets small quickly. Tough business to run efficiently but I love hearing how others are finding success with the organization end of things. Thank you for your reply!

We mostly do repairs/small jobs and convertible tops. Small jobs are great when things are busy but you will feel it when its not. Guys that do completes seem to be busy all the time but I am not sure if they are really profitable. I have a retail location so I need to turn cars over. I think if I had a big barn or something at my house I might think differently.

Yea I've definitely been in that spot before (anxious when the next round of jobs will come thru) but it does always seem to come back around. I would say partially our reputation as well as the scarcity of the trade leaving few options for customers. I also have a retail location with plenty of overhead so I need to be profitable no matter what. I think I mainly struggle with how unpredictable each side is, how many small jobs are coming in versus what surprises am I going to run into on this next large/custom job, not to mention the differences in job length making it next to impossible to schedule things efficiently. I'd probably be focused on larger customs if I had a barn too.

Thanks for the reply!

I have been restoring complete interiors for over 45 years. The key to working on long projects is to finish all of the removable pieces before the car rolls into the shop. This way you are not tying up valuable work space that can be used for one or two day projects.

After all the seats and trim panels are ready, have the customer bring the car in and install the top, carpet and the rest of the components. This keeps things moving and the long projects roll out in less than two weeks.

I used to do quick repairs and small jobs in the morning to keep the cash flow going and concentrate on the long term projects in the afternoon. Keeps a variety going and prevents burnout on working on the same project for 4 weeks straight.

We primarily focus on short- to medium length projects -- mostly repairs. In our market, that's where the most money is.

Sometimes we'll take on custom and long-term projects for friends and loyal customers. But if we can help it, we stick with the repairs.

But that's just what works for us. I wouldn't generalize and say that's a good strategy for every shop. It really depends on your market -- what customers want, how much money they have to spend, and what the competition looks like. You have to assess all that to figure out your best move.

I have been in the trade for over 43 years, and have found that small jobs is the best way to go. i do a lot of truck seats that only need a couple of side panels, i pick up the seats and return them the next day . No seat removals or storing . i have a very small shop at my home so low overhead.

from a business standpoint small is good,commercial accounts and city work pays the bills without a lot of retail hassle.been doing this since 1965 and learned long ago if your going to do custom work thats all you should do unless you have enough good help you can divide things into 2 departments. not easy for most of us.

I have mainly focused on full custom interiors and have recently realized it isn't worth it (especially in my area). The majority of my customers are on tight budgets and cannot afford full custom interiors. I have really hurt myself by lowering prices, and in the end, I make no money. You tell someone its going to be $8-12k for a full custom interior with premium leather, they about faint. People usually have no idea the amount of work/time it takes and skill sets needed. You need to be a competent carpenter, body work, metal fab and then a trimmer. Now that the economy is getting squeezed, people's projects are getting put on hold. I have had quite a few people call and have to cancel due to finances. I totally understand that as well. So, small jobs are king now. Even then, material costs skyrocketing are starting to make people balk at having work done.

hey zakk we must be in the same neighborhood carbon copy of my life. smart move

It really is sad that the majority of "car guys" that have spent decades learning about cars as a hobby, still have no idea how difficult interior work is on cars and the skill that is needed. They do an amateur job of installing one premade seat cover and say "Hey, why are you charging me so much money, you're job is really easy!"

true story with those mid value cars. seems most of there owners are doing something they really can't afford, or are just cheap to start with. if they do have the work done they are generally the biggest pains.