Suresh

Customers often tell me what's wrong with their vehicle before I even ask. I can usually identify the problem after driving the vehicle once, but the customer usually tells me what they think the problem is before I have a chance to say anything. However, the customer doesn't always know what the problem is. In those cases, I have to drive the vehicle, search for the issue, and then explain it to the customer.

Customers make completely online payment. I have no other payment methods other than cash and UPI. I don't have any sales register. In my shop, nothing is sold, only repairs are done. I buy everything from another place. I have to buy parts for different vehicles. I buy these parts daily and pay for them online. Customers pay online to me and I pay online for the parts. I don't keep any account to track my profits. I don't pay attention to that. I have an idea, it's around 1000 or 1500 which I earn. Everything is on my phone.

I got the idea to open this shop When I was working in my previous garage. I thought that how long will I work on salary; it will be beneficial if I work for myself; so I started this.

I like my work; to repair vehicles. I like to work on engines. Engine repairs. There are many parts in engine. If I say engine, it means all the parts.

When I reach my shop in the morning, the first thing I have to do is clean the whole shop. I do it alone. After cleaning, I start my work. Any customer who comes, I have to attend to their vehicle. Some days, I have to wait for customers, and on other days, customers have to wait for me. After cleaning the shop, I start working on vehicles that were left from the previous day. I always have pending work. If there are no pending tasks, then I have to wait for work. I have to wait for customers. Sometimes, I have to wait for a full day. If I don't have any work for the entire day, I return home empty-handed. This happens 2 or 3 days in a week. During those days, I just keep sitting; there's not much I can do.

No, I don't actively try to attract customers to my shop. Instead, customers come to me after hearing about my work. They travel from far away to find me based on what they've heard about my experience. People learn about my shop through referrals. For example, if you get your vehicle repaired and then tell someone else about it, and that person tells someone else, and so on, the word spreads. I haven't done any marketing, and I haven't specifically informed anyone in my neighborhood about my shop. I simply trust in the quality of my work. I strive to treat my customers in a friendly manner.

I treat customers in a friendly manner and talk nicely to them. Nothing else. I don't advise unnecessary repairs to my customers to earn more. Customers come because they trust me and will spread the word to other people too. If I work well at a low cost, customers will definitely come to my shop. That's how I build trust with my customers.

My customers find out about my shop through me. I am not from Bangalore; I am from Kanakapur. I moved here when I was young because my parents moved here. I have many relatives there, so they come to me from there. In Kanakapur and Harohalli, there are no repair facilities available. For any lathe work, they have to come to Bangalore. Customers come to me because I do good work. I charge 5000 for work that others charge 10000 for. Since they have to come to Bangalore anyway, they come to me.

I purchase these parts from a nearby store called M S Automobiles, which is located on the main road. It is owned by a friend of mine. I suggested him to open a spare parts shop, and after taking advice from me and other mechanics about the necessary parts, he decided to stock them in his shop. He thoroughly inquired about the required parts from all the mechanics in this and nearby areas before stocking them.

No, there is no discount. I offer discounts to my customers. I inform them about the price; if the customer is interested, I lower the price by Rs.100 or Rs.200 if it's not a lot of work.

Whatever customers I have are regular. They become regular customers because I do a good job and there is trust. There are many regular customers. One of them is standing here right now. He has many customers at his home. I go to his home, spend time there, eat and drink. He has become more of a friend than a customer. When he comes to my shop, he is a customer, or else he is a friend.

It's my way of talking that brings customers to the shop repeatedly. If I don't talk nicely and do a good job, customers won't come back to me. If I do a good job and send back a satisfied customer, they will spread the word and bring more customers. I talk politely and deal with customer tensions with a smile. If I vent my tensions to my customers, they will run away.

If a customer doesn’t like my services then I do the job again. If he doesn’t like the service he will go to some other place.

No I dont keep in touch with my customers. I talk only if I meet them somewhere; I don’t keep in touch with customers. Whatever work is there, customer is customer.

During government holidays, the workload increases because customers leave their bikes for repairs for the whole day.

I manage work alone. I request 2 or 3 days for repairs. If the customer wants, they can leave their vehicle, or they can take it away.

Yes, there are many customers who bargain for the price in my shop. I have to explain to them the amount of work I have done and why I need the stated price. Some customers agree to it, while others don't. In some cases, customers bargain and pay what they want, and in those situations, I have to bear a loss. For example, the vehicle I am currently working on, I am incurring a loss. I had provided an estimate to the customer, but there were additional expenses that exceeded the estimate. However, I can't tell this to the customer because he left his vehicle here based on trust. If I were to inform him that I have spent more, he might question the fact that I initially quoted a lower price. I could explain the situation, but that would risk losing his trust in me. In such cases, I can't do much except accept the loss and focus on earning profit from the next vehicle. It's important to prioritize trust over immediate gains and losses. If I incur a loss in one vehicle, I can make a profit from another. Trust is more important than just having customers; I want to establish trust with everyone I interact with.

No, I don't buy anything online. If I don't find what I need here, I go to J C Road. However, this rarely happens. There are many parts shops over there, and you can buy from any of them. Sometimes, you have to visit multiple shops to find a specific part.

No, only after I open a vehicle, I come to know which part has gone bad, and then I buy it. If I can get it nearby, it takes half an hour or one hour. If I can't find it nearby, it can take up to a week. I ask the nearby shop to get it, and they ask another person, and so on. This process takes 4-5 days to a week. During this time, the vehicle remains with me.

I use a 2-wheeler to get the spare parts. There is no expense in going to and fro on a 2-wheeler. If I ask the customer to buy the part himself, he refuses and says that he trusts me and asks me to get the part myself.

When I go to buy parts, my shop always remains open. Only during the half-hour lunch time, my shop is closed. There is a CCTV camera, so I don't feel afraid. The CCTV is not mine; the owner of my shop has installed it. I don't have someone to sit there when I have to go.

If the customer has to wait, they can call me at the contact number provided, in case I am not present at the shop.

No. I know what I can get at the nearby shop. I call him and ask for availability. He asks me to send a photo of the part on WhatsApp, and then he tells me if it's available after seeing the message. Every vehicle doesn't have the same parts. For example, the Activa has 4 models. If I ask him about Activa parts, he asks for the part photo on WhatsApp. For JC Road, I have to carry the old part along. No, I don't have any contact over JC Road. There are many shops there, so I have to search there.

You can tell just by looking whether the part is good; whether it is of good quality. No, there are genuine parts, original parts available. There are copies available too; but you can tell by looking. I use genuine parts if the customer is ready to pay. If it's a bargaining customer I use copied parts. I tell the customer beforehand whether I will use original or copied part and repair will be done under the customers’ budget.

No, the customer doesn't pay upfront. I have to buy parts from my own pocket, and the customer pays later. I can't ask a regular customer for advance payment. If it's a new customer, I ask for advance payment. If I get a defective part, it can be exchanged. If I don't open the packaging, it can be easily exchanged, but not if the packaging is opened. Products from JC Road cannot be exchanged. I have many items lying from there. They have boards outside that say 'no replacement'. Yes, I have bought the parts, but now I have to wait to fit it in another vehicle. The part will not go to waste; it will be used sooner or later. There will be no loss, but I will have to wait. No parts go to waste in my shop.

I get a 5% discount on genuine/original parts from vendors. For copies, the pricing is different. There is an MRP, but we are told a different price. I get a 10 to 15% discount for copies. I only buy what is needed for a vehicle, I don't buy more. Every vehicle requires different types of spare parts, so if I stock them, I will have to wait, and the stock may go to waste.

No, I don't keep any accounts of the payments made for vendors. I remember the purchases made only in my mind. To repair a vehicle, I have to remember how much I had to spend and how much I earned. I don't maintain any accounts.

No, I don't want to change anything about accounts, but I do want to make changes to my business. I want to start offering washing services and install a hydraulic machine to facilitate that. I believe it's important to keep up with the trend of using machines for washing instead of doing it manually. To implement this plan, I will need to invest some money. I may consider getting a loan to fund these changes, but I haven't explored that option yet. I plan to do so within the next 1 to 2 years, once my daughter completes her second degree and gets a job. If I have some money left after that, I will seriously consider expanding my business by getting a bigger shop and investing in the hydraulic machine for two-wheeler washing.

I am thinking about hiring someone for help. There is no help right now. I feel tired now. I want to hire someone now because it's not manageable anymore. The workload has increased. I have 2-3 vehicles per day, and I can't handle it alone. I can't send the customers back. If I delay their work by one or two days, they will go to some other shop. They need their vehicle urgently, but if I don't repair it the same day, they will go to some other shop. If I hire help, together we can repair 2-3 vehicles in a day.

Somebody who is keen to learn will not be bothered about the salary. Whether he is interested in learning or not, you can tell at that time only. Just day before yesterday a boy came and asked for 300 Rs daily. He doesn’t know anything and even before he has started work he is asking about salary. When I started working I didn’t get even a single penny, I worked for free.

If there is any doubt, Google is always there; I will search there. I search on YouTube. Earlier before Google I have to use my brains. You have to do a job repeatedly till the problem is solved.

I trust PhonePe more than Gpay because money never gets stuck there. In Gpay, money gets stuck for as long as 3 days sometimes. Many times, my money has been stuck on Gpay for 3 days, and I can't do anything about it. I have to wait for 3 days and after that, the money will either come to me or be returned to the customer. If the customer doesn't have cash, they can send the payment directly to me through PhonePe or Gpay before the repair is done. I started offering these online payment options to meet the needs of my customers.

I don’t lend money but sometimes for the work I do people pay later, even after a week.

I don't take any advance payment from customers. If they don't have money, I do their work based on trust and ask them to pay later. I pay from my own pocket and complete their job.

I don’t lend money to customers. Only to regular customers who I know will pay. To trustworthy customers I provide credit. If it's somebody else who says they don’t have money, I return their vehicle.

Online payment is also there with my vendor but I don’t take credit from them. Everything is to be bought after payment only.

In the future, I don't want to take a loan. I want to invest my own money. If I have the capacity to pay back a loan, I can consider it. I know whether I can pay back or not, but I will have to consider my earnings. If I earn 100 and take a loan for 500, it will be difficult for me to pay it back.

I keep separate accounts for my home, shop, and personal expenses so that I can manage them effectively. If I earn Rs. 1000 per day, I allocate Rs. 300 for my shop and separate amounts for my personal and home expenses. This helps me maintain a clear financial record. The Rs. 300 includes the shop's rent and utilities, amounting to Rs. 9000 per month.

Yes, it's become easy after PhonePe and GPay has come. Every morning, I learn how much I earned the previous day. Some people pay cash, but now I can see how much I have earned and how much money is going to my account. I have to remember daily who paid cash and who paid online.

I mean if there is some app like this it will be easier for me. If every account can be maintained; whatever work I have done, parts I bought, what I spent and what I earn; complete account will be at one place.

When I want to look at some vehicle’s photo or some part’s photo I can search on Google.

My business has been uploaded online on Google Business, which is why my shop is appearing here.

I check about vehicles only on youtube. Which vehicle can have a certain problem; I search for that. I search through Voice message on youtube; I don’t know how to read and write. I search In Hindi. I can speak on YouTube using voice recording and search “How to do Activa bore fitting” and it will show the whole thing. The search results are also In Hindi. I have to search in Hindi only. Yes the videos are also in Hindi. I can see everything there; which part is to be fitted where. I use Google for watching matches, for photos and pictures.

I know Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, but it understands better in Hindi. If I speak in Kannada, it will say something and I will understand something else. In Hindi you understand at once.

No, I use my phone language in English. Yes, I can understand English. I can't speak in English, but I can understand. I can read Hinglish; I don’t know how to read Hindi. I can read English and Kannada. Besides these I can't read any language; I can converse in Tamil and Telugu.

I don’t have any free time to download new apps. Yes, I have downloaded apps many times before. I downloaded the app but didn’t know what to do with it. Often I deleted the app then reinstalled; sometimes I asked someone for help. I always have doubts about how to add my photo, how to add my name and contact number; I asked all these things.

The online payment ones were because of the government. I didn’t want them. If the customer is not carrying cash and wants to make online payments, I started using these apps. The government only made online payments.

Before that I used Paytm. Earlier money used to remain in Paytm wallet; if I transferred it to my account some amount was deducted. That’s why I stopped using Paytm and started using these.

This Gpay and PhonePe is good; now I can call the customer and that I need payment for their vehicle repair and request them to send it; it's easier; otherwise customer will have to wait when I ask him to come and pay. They are at their jobs and can't come till evening. Over phone they make online payment.

If it's necessary I keep in touch with customers on phone; if customer has left his vehicle for repair then I keep in touch.

No I dont talk to customers unnecessarily . if I am doing his job and it's necessary then only I will talk to him. If I open a vehicle and there is some part that has gone bad, I click a photo and send it on WhatsApp; I tell them that this part has gone bad and needs replacement. After seeing the message, they call me back.

I keep customers numbers written in my diary. On Truecaller, you can see who you have called; you can send WhatsApp message from Truecaller also. There is no need of saving name/contacts. Earlier I used to write contacts in diary, but in Truecaller every information is visible; you can see their name and you can send WhatsApp message from there.

I don’t buy things for my business. If I book something and receive something else, it will have to be returned. That will be problematic; the customer will have to wait for 2-3 days. I wont buy it even if I get it at a cheaper price as vehicle is very necessary for a customer. if I commit that I have to deliver a vehicle in the evening after repairing; that means I have to give it in evening itself. They too leave their vehicle after taking out time.

I started this business because I just thought that how long will I work for somebody else. If I am working in a company then I will have to work in the company. It feels good; it's not interesting to go and work for somebody else.

This place used to be a garage earlier too. He couldn’t run it properly so I took it. It's been a garage since 30-40 years; only owners are being changed. Yes; I am here since last 10 years. I mean I am the only one here since last 10 years.

I don’t talk to anybody related to business or some advice; I just search on Google and YouTube. It's better than asking anybody; you can search immediately on YouTube and Google.

Where is time to listen to songs? I have to take out time after 10 at home.

If it's busy season and there are more vehicles then then It falls short on space. There is a basement. it belongs to some other person, I ask for his permission to use it. I have to ask for permission always even for 1 or 2 bikes. It's completely safe; there is no problem ever.

I will see later. First I have to expand my business then take these decisions later one by one. I told you, I want to make my shop bigger; I want to buy a hydraulic. I mean I want to make it like a small showroom.

Right now there is more work compared to 3 years before, more benefits/ profits. if there is more work, there is more money. Things have changed a lot in 3-5 years. At that time work was lesser; it's more now. Business is doing well. As the shop keeps getting older, the number of customers increases.

I keep some money saved ; you have to do so. Many customers called me during that time for repairs. But I didn’t have space so I couldn’t do anything. After COVID that time was given for to open shop till 5 PM; I opened shop then.

I have kept separate bank accounts. I save in my wife’s saving account; this account is for my business.

I can't do anything; if I train someone and they run away. If I teach him a little; he will go to some other place for higher salary. Our time is gone when we were ready to work for free, but nobody does that now. I will have to pay salary whether he works or not, I will have to pay him 200 to 300 daily. Daily 200 to 300.