The Project Pad

I am now in the automotive performance industry, which I am obsessed with.

A family friend runs a very successful shop here in CT and I have secured a multi-faceted job there doing sales/sourcing/marketing, service writing/customer service, and some mechanical technical work.

So basically I love my job.

I can't definitively say "yes" or "no" but consider carefully whether this is really your "dream job" in the long term. To use a rather lame metaphor, the shiny outside of the apple may conceal the worms that are inside.

My wife did something similar to what you're talking about - took a big pay cut (~30%) for a job that at first appeared fantastic. Several years and many broken promises later, she's not a happy camper. Not only does she not enjoy the job, but her salary (which serves as a negotiating starting point for the next job) is a lot lower than the number she had worked herself up to with great difficulty before. I don't think I worded that very well but you get the idea!

It would be fairly tempting.

Work is one of the biggest parts of your life time wise... seems like an easy choice to me. I'd just want to be awfully sure the job description is what you think and that you work well with the people at the shop.

If the -15% is not going to kill me, financially, I would most likely go for it.

I took a 50% pay cut to get a job that I felt better/safer doing and be with family/friends more. The commute is a big part of it... over time, that is a lot of time you get back in your life! My commute now is about 20 minutes. I love it! Not having the extra money sucks, but if the job is better then it's worth it.

I would.

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"When you love what you do, it's like you never worked a day in your life." So they say haha... I recently took a cut in pay to go to work at Maserati dealership. The caliber of cars I see and get to work on is well worth it for me. I dont make alot of money. You learn to adapt. If you want it, go get it. However if it may cause severe financial instability, then I say reconsider. Good luck in whatever route you may go

If it's a good shop that makes/sells good products, sky's the limit on what you can make as far as commission goes, especially if the shop does mail order stuff (so your paycheck isn't dictated by how fast the shop can move through work). Doing what you love can be a huge motivator, and with commission in play that means it pays too.

Sam

I just quit the most secure and well paying job I've ever had. Worked there for 3 years and had a 1-way commute of about 55 miles. And that is through Spokane btw (the most awful place to drive in the world). But I quit due to school and thinking I can make a decent living on my own through HPR. The commute is a huge part. It drains and fatigues you rather quickly and now you have less energy when you get home to take care of all the crap that needs to be done. What is 15%? $150,000? % means crap, its hard $$$ that means something. Less driving, less aggravation, less maintenance, etc etc etc. More time in your hands, plus enjoying the job more. But are you SURE this is what you want to do the rest of your life. Took me 5 years to finally figure out I need to finish my engineering degree and go be an engineer (after trying many other career paths I thought I would enjoy).

Well I met with the owner and he has known me since we were very young, he sees what I can bring and is willing to do what it takes (within reason) to get me on board at a starting point we both can work with.

I would be doing some mechanical work and selling parts so I would be getting commission from both, it might take a little bit to get in the full swing of things but I believe I can make up the difference or very close to it in commission. Plus he does regular reviews and raises so I would only be taking a step backwards for 6 months to a year or so.

Also, they focus on asain and german, I would be responsible for the German stuff and they do very little BMW, I feel like I can expand that business pretty easily and make quite a bit of money from it. I got a very good feeling from the job, he doesn;t turn over people quickly and told me point blank that if I want it the job is mine. I tld him I do want it but I have to make 100% sure that it is feasible financially. He told me there are things we can work out to keep me on my feet if it is an issue at first.

So, I think I may be gwtting into my dream job. He mentioned that your passion may not be your passion forever... but I replied with that has been one of the only constants in my life, I don't see it changing, ever.

Once I make a 100% decision I'll let you guys know the company, but I'll give an obvious hint for anyone that feels like googling, they are the northeast master distributor for APR.

Sounds like a no brainer, bust your ass and you'll be ahead in pay before you know it.

loxxrider wrote:I took a 50% pay cut to get a job that I felt better/safer doing and be with family/friends more. The commute is a big part of it... over time, that is a lot of time you get back in your life! My commute now is about 20 minutes. I love it! Not having the extra money sucks, but if the job is better then it's worth it.

Can't echo this enough, true.dat

Yup, I was thinking a bit more about it, I'll be spending at least 30 less minutes a day in the car commuting. 10-12 hours of less frustration per month, 6 days a year... That is worth something.

I have slept on it a few more times now and I am just unable to give up my current stability, lose almost 2 months of paid work-days off (24 vacation/13 holiday) AND take a fairly drastic pay cut...

if it were just one of those factors working against me, I would do it, but I just cant give that much up. I even thought about selling the 540i, pocketing a couple grand and dumping the 1.5 years left of payments... but getting rid of my car so I can work on others is just kinda dumb IMO. I know cars can come and go, but it just isn't a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it isn't 100% necessary...

Ah well... best laid plans...

Anyway you can leverage your current base to get him to raise either the leave/salary? Sounds like he wants you, just looks like there's room for negotiation.

He sent an email sweetening the deal a bit by offering a review/raise after 3 months instead of 6 and vacation will start accruing after 90 days also rather than 1 year... I asked a few questions and let him know my situation but didn't outright decline just yet.

If he comes back with even a little more money I may reconsider and take it...

Wouldn't you be able to cash out / use the 24 days of accrued PTO (of course depends on the way the policy is written and local laws)?

I'd say by him telling you "the job is yours," this gives you a fair bit of negotiation leverage against him. If he's willing to give you the raise in 3 months, then he should give you the $$ upfront, and then reconsider the regular performance assessments at the 6 or 12 month mark again.

Mcstiff wrote:Wouldn't you be able to cash out / use the 24 days of accrued PTO (of course depends on the way the policy is written and local laws)?

Unfortuantely it works out to 2 days per month and it doesn accumulate, use it or lose it. At this point I have already taken 4 days off so I woudlnt get anything, really.

jretal wrote:I'd say by him telling you "the job is yours," this gives you a fair bit of negotiation leverage against him. If he's willing to give you the raise in 3 months, then he should give you the $$ upfront, and then reconsider the regular performance assessments at the 6 or 12 month mark again.

Yeah. I will be declining. I just can't make the pay he is currently offering, work.

I may accept a counter offer if he makes one, but it is hard to argue with 37 paid days off between holidays and vacation, that is almost 2 months of no work... paid.

I just feel like if I take the job I will be working on a lot of peoples cars and have none for my own.

Well, I declined the offer, he came back even stronger and tweaked a few things to make it work for both of us, and I couldn't pass it up. It really says a lot about him and how much he appreciates what I bring to the table.

I'll be the new "German" guy at Excelerate Performance starting March 1st. I'm flying down to APR with them a week from today to spend the weekend at the APR yearly conference.

http://www.excelerateperformance.com

Super excited!

Cool. Punch Arin in the face! Welcome to the industry!

Nice!

Congrats!