starting new skate(baking) business...need help

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Gotta have a background to sharpen high-end figure. Not that it really matters, but it does to them.

Sorry, but the first sentence is true and the second sentence is not. Having the background matters when you are sharpening John Wilson Gold Seal blades that sell for $600 a pair. If you don't understand completely what you are doing when sharpening high end figure steel, you won't last a minute in the business. Gold Seal blades and Tuuk blades are galaxies apart in the sharpening universe. Follow that high end figure blade sharpening up with a good 10-15 minutes of hand finished sharpening with bullet stones and you better know what you are doing or you will be bleeding all over the white figure boots. It matters to the elite figure skaters in my shop who does their skates. Your reputation in sharpening high end figure skates is everything.

I think you misunderstood my point.

What I am trying to say is that I've have seen guys with a "reputation" and not be good at it, but since they have a reputation, they still get the clientele.

There's a guy down here who is considered the best in the area, yet he's not, but since he has that reputation, he's still getting the business.

[Chadd 916]

Gotta have a background to sharpen high-end figure. Not that it really matters, but it does to them.

Sorry, but the first sentence is true and the second sentence is not. Having the background matters when you are sharpening John Wilson Gold Seal blades that sell for $600 a pair. If you don't understand completely what you are doing when sharpening high end figure steel, you won't last a minute in the business. Gold Seal blades and Tuuk blades are galaxies apart in the sharpening universe. Follow that high end figure blade sharpening up with a good 10-15 minutes of hand finished sharpening with bullet stones and you better know what you are doing or you will be bleeding all over the white figure boots. It matters to the elite figure skaters in my shop who does their skates. Your reputation in sharpening high end figure skates is everything.

I think you misunderstood my point.

What I am trying to say is that I've have seen guys with a "reputation" and not be good at it, but since they have a reputation, they still get the clientele.

There's a guy down here who is considered the best in the area, yet he's not, but since he has that reputation, he's still getting the business.

I've seen the same in my area as well. There is one old guy that charges $25 or more for figure sharpening and does a decent job. The problem is that he tells them what they should use and doesn't listen to them when they tell him about the problems they have. We picked up nearly half the business at the rink because I would listen to them and give them what they wanted/needed as opposed to telling them to adapt. Some of the instructors and parents actually threatened us if we continued to offer sharpening services to figure skaters.

[DarkStar50 679]

I think the point needs to be clarified that our clientele is probably different from your experiences in Florida or central Pennsylvania. My partner works with many Olympic figure skaters, including gold medalists.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

And I know that. Same thing happened in MI. I'm totally not knocking Jim and what he does - I know he's damn good. I'm just saying how it is with the non-Olympic skaters.

Both stores that I worked at in MI had company policies in which they refused to sharpen anything higher than what they sold, which was at the $150 price point.

I remember going against that for one woman whose son I sharpened hockey skates for. She was floored when her daughter came back and said that my $5 job was better than the $25 she was paying at the figure skating club.

A couple of months ago the figure skating director asked me to mount some boots. I told her to ask my friend to do it. She's like "Well, he recommended you over him." Because I told her no she was doubting my skill. I gave in and mounted them and she told me they were absolutely perfect and I then told her why I don't put it out there that I can sharpen and mount.

How's Boca? I'm not good enough for Bauer.