Are you utilizing past experiences to achieve your life goals, dream and ambitions. Here’s a little story of how my profession helped me see life from a different angle.
Hey, I'm a Celeb!!
I started my Pinstriping career in the 70’s and had no expectations of the long and winding roads this unique and obscure trade would take me on. Since the beginning, my business has not been without struggle. It has been difficult to earn a living, support a family and do 99% of it alone. I’ve endured many rough patches to reach success.
I had no idea what my future would be but I worked until I figure it all out. Well, not all of it but you have to fake it as you go. I learned what it took to succeed in this unusual business and through the years it has taught me many things about life, business, people and culture.
My first car show was in 1981. I tried to be a professional pinstriper for a few years now but wasn’t making headway when it came to getting loyal customers. Sure, there was the occasional $20 dollar job that took me an hour or more to do but serious money wasn’t happening.
Each day I would get in my junker, which I mostly ran on fumes, and go to body shops, race tracks, car dealers and other places trying to get business. I was desperate to establish a clientele. I never realized I was looking down the wrong alley.
I didn’t have a customer base, or anything else for that matter, to help me build a reputation other than what I did around town. Still I kept up the pace day in and day out not really understanding what would happen or if I would make this thing work.
I had no idea what I was supposed to do to make a business work much less something very specialized as this. You know how the pros tell you to keep banging away and sooner or later you’ll hit a target? Well something did happen for that very reason.
One day I was in the auto parts store and saw this flyer on the bulletin board for local car show. It got me to thinking about a guy who was a professional Pinstriper in Houston. I remember he made big money at the Autorama.
As a kid, I watched him stripe cars and get paid a lot of money to paint lines. That amazed me since my Dad did some striping but never really made any money with it. Dad had told me how this guy made millions striping. I remember seeing VW’s all over Houston with his handiwork. That was a good canvas for striping.
I had known this man since I was a child. He and my Dad go way back to the late 50’s when they had a custom shop together which I don’t think had any success. He knew me too. I figured if he can do stripe at car shows, I can too.
So I grabbed that flyer and I called the show promoter using my in-laws’ phone since we could not afford one. He told me they never had a Pinstriper but why not. He said to come early Saturday morning and they would get me set up.
I had no idea what was going to happen. I just knew that we were about to get kicked out of the roach infested apartment we lived in. Not only that the wife was carrying our first child. And of course there wasn’t much in the way food either.
So Saturday came and I got my stuff ready and went to the show with the wife in tow. They gave me a spot between two other vendors. It was tight but was accessible to get vehicles in for striping. I set up my gear which wasn’t much but a sign, a few pictures of my striping and business cards. Oh. I had one other thing going; hope.
I sat there for a while doing nothing. I thought this may be a bad idea but I was there for the duration. So I waited until a brave person with a black’57 Chevy asked me how much to stripe his car. “$20 bucks” I said. A normal stripe job back then was around $100 from the more experienced professionals.
I charged a low price because I remember the advice that professional striper gave me about getting business at car shows. He said that if you want to get attention to what you’re doing, stripe a few free or cheap. He always had a couple of demo vehicles at the shows to get attention.
So I did that ‘57 Chevy and it looked good. He was happy and I made sure to tell the owner that he got the introductory price. Tell your friends that I charge $50 if they ask.
So I stayed busy through the weekend and by Sunday afternoon I had made $340 bucks.
That car show was the first of over one thousand I’ve done throughout the U.S since. I’ve done shows with as many as 15,000 cars and others with only 5. There were a few where no cars showed up at all due to bad weather. There were some real disappointments too. Imagine driving for 10 hours and it rains or snows or freezes the whole time you there.
I remember doing a show in Ruidoso N.M. in 2000. This was always a very good one day show where I stayed real busy and had fun too. The weather was nice on Friday but the day of the show on Saturday, the temp went down to 36.
Paint does funny things in the cold. The wifey stayed in the Truck with heat. It was uncomfortable but I still made $900 bucks freezing my buns off and laughing with everyone else about it all. I couldn’t count all the hot cocoa cups sitting on my table when I packed up. Events like that have happened more than once.
I’ve done huge shows but some of the smaller 100 car shows made more than the biggies. Not sure why but it happens. Maybe there wasn’t so much confusion and all eyes were on me.
Car shows have been good to us financially, for building a clientele and the experiences were wonderful and at the same time frustrating. Each show is different with a variety of people, and the worst part is the promoter’s attitude can suck.
I’ve had promoter try to tell me how I should do things. My first few years it was okay because I didn’t know any better but after several years of knowing what works and what doesn’t, I learned how to position myself and where I should be set up for the most attention, I felt that I knew better. Most of the time that worked out okay.
Normal vendors can set up anywhere because all they deal with is foot traffic. Pinstriping is different. I must make sure the cars can get to me, there’s enough room for an audience and I get the most exposure. I knew how to work it. It was a marketing strategy too.
About 75% of the car shows I did made money. Some made nothing. Regardless of what happened, good or bad, I never quit. I wanted to quit believe me. After several years of dealing with idiots and egotistical Gearheads you get burned out. I never quit. I just went on to the next show. I kept going because I knew that you cannot give up because you get beat down.
Car shows have taught me some valuable lessons about life and business.
They taught me this; you can never tell what people’s attitude and moods will be. Each car show has its own atmosphere and type of car owner. I learned too that people are fickle. One person promises he will come back and let you stripe his car but you never see him a gain.
And then you have the guy who tells you about his six-figure vehicle and you’re thinking, “yeah, right?” You doubt him because he’s wearing a wrinkled white button down, black double-knit pants and white socks. “Yeah, sure, buddy.”
Then you look up and he drives up in a $400,000 Monarch Coach gets out and tells you to make it look good. On top of that he pays you $400 in $1 dollar bills! This particular customer owned 5 car washes. The DARE cops were parked right there. Real cool seeing their puzzled faces when I exited that motor home with all those $1 dollar bills in hand.
I became a celebrity
When I do a show there’s a large audience watching me apply my art to cool rides. People love to watch something they don’t see often. That’s what I do. I have an ego, yes! Not as big as it once was, but I haven’t forgot how to get one.
During my first ten years or so of car shows I practically puked my guts out for all the nervousness and stress. Will I make money? Will there be enough cars? Will people like what I do? I worried plenty. Lost lot’s of sleep days before. It took years before the worry went away. I got to the point financially where I did not care what happened. I was there to enjoy the show, the cars and make new friends.
Normally when I do a show, after the first or second car, my confidence level raises. My mental attitude played a big part in that confidence. Eventually I got the mindset that I’m the only one here with this God-given talent so why worry about it. People love me and it’s a cool job with many perks. I get to draw designs and lines all over people’s high dollar passion and they give me money in return.
Through the past 30+ years of doing car shows, I’ve learned a valuable lesson in psychology while dealing with tens of thousands of humans; their attitude changes fast. They idolize me at one show and the next they don’t even acknowledge I’m there. That bothered me for years but got over it with time.
Persistence and determination, when understood how they work, have more positive benefits than not. Just because I went to a show, spent money on rooming, fuel, food, materials, etc., that didn’t mean I would come out ahead financially. It took serious determination before I knew the game and how to play it.
A few years into the car show scene, I figured out there would be times when I would NOT make money, or at least cover my expenses. I had to accept the fact that it happens. So I made my mind up before every show that I would only make a few bucks, break even, maybe, and settle for that. That has happened many times.
Those experiences gave me the power to live through being broke, stressed and frustrated. I did not know back then that these were lessons every business owner, every human on earth has to endure to live the life they want. It takes time and total belief in you.
Reality of Going Big
My biggest show was in 1989 at the Street Rod Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. This was for pre-1948 vehicles only. Hot rods, street rods and cool rides all in one place. Talk about heaven. The first big show we went to as family was 1988 in Louisville, Ky. We had fun, made a few bucks and traveled for a week after. Good family time.
For the show in Columbus, I sent in the $350 entry fee months earlier so I was committed. I left home in central Texas on a Monday, got there on Tuesday evening and went to work on Wednesday hustlin’ stripes. The opening for the main gig wasn’t until Thursday but I was there on Wednesday morning setting up my booth and checking out the situation.
To my surprise there were no less than 10 other stripers from all over the USA. We were all lined-up against the fence next to the main road. Man, I never knew there would be so many stripers, not counting the guys who roam around looking for work. That did not matter to me because I was ready to lay down lines on hot rods.
I knew that in order to get one step ahead of everyone else my survival instinct needed to kick in. I wasn’t waiting till the gates opened Thursday morning to start making money. I got to hustle some outside biz.
I had been visiting with the other pinstripers sorta getting the feel for what they were doing and how much they were charging when I spotted a couple of cool later model rides cruising the road next to where I was set up. I strolled out to where they were, waved ‘em down and hustled ‘em. I have no fear when it comes to making money.
I learned that little trick in Houston back in the day when I did billboards for Hi-Lo auto parts. I’d be slingin’ sign paint on a sign and when I saw a cool ride driving into the parking lot, I would shout down at them, “hey, you want some bad ass lines on that car” or something close. If they had a spark of interest, I would climb down and play the game. In many cases I had them, their family, friends and enemies lining up for stripes.
I pulled the same stunt in Ohio and it worked. The first car I did was a classic Olds convertible for $60. I think it was a 1966 model. I laid down some custom lines and they told friends. Before the day was over I had made gas money, hotel rent and some extra. The other stripers were freaking.
I made money that week but not enough to justify being away from home that long. I think I did about $2000. Good money back then but not good enough for such a long drive and the mental and physical beating. Still, a good experience.
Since then I’ve worked a few other biggies mainly in and around Texas. Got to the point where I hated large venues because too much was going on and mass confusion. I had a clientele at home so why go through all the hell of big shows if nothing else but an ego trip.
During some shows I wondered if I was there just as a celebrity or a recording device listening to all the long boring stories about a car and what they did to get it on the road. That got old but I know how they have invested many hours, lots of money and all their heart into these beautiful rides and if I at least sympathize with them, I’ll benefit. I have and I’m very fortunate to serve my fellow car guys.
I’ve been put on a pedestal at many shows. When I’m there performing my Pinstriping, many onlookers gather to get a closer look at what I’m doing. People are amazed at that I can take a tiny brush and paint lines and they pay me well too. I’ve learned how to put on a show in front an audience and that has been a great life experience.
Going to car shows has had a huge impact on how I do business and the way I deal with customers. I’m nice but I never believe anyone until they pull that car into my booth and hand me money. Same goes for my coaching and consulting biz. If you want to play on my emotions, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
The car show routine benefitted me in other ways. The money has been good. Some shows I’ve done over $2k in one day working alone or with a helper. Other shows I’ve averaged just a few hundred but the after effects made up for any losses.
Passing out business cards has its benefits. You may have 1000 cards and by the time the weekend is over they are gone. That does not mean 1000 people will call me. I learned that soon enough. I might get 5 or 10 with a few turning into dollars.
I might do a few cars at a show and then next week or even a year later someone calls telling me they got my card at a show and want to get some stripes. Persistence pays even if nothing is moving at the moment.
After I set up my website in 2005, my business took off. Not so much for striping but the views. I would attend a show and the next week my website eyeball rate would go crazy. I made enough money to pay for the website for ten years on the first job the website got me. And it has been number one on Google and Yahoo many times.
What I learned doing Car Shows
Here’s where my life of learning at car shows has helped…you gotta grab the tiger before he runs away. They taught me how to work and that you have to keep on going if you want success. Cannot let the BS inhibit your goals.
Your chances for success improve drastically just by showing up and doing something, anything. There were many 4am mornings when I got up to drive 175 miles one way down to Houston to stripe cars all day in the heat. I did that for 20 years. I could have stayed home when the weather was nasty or I knew we were going to have another 110 degree Texas summer day burning my fingers to the bone. I wanted to stay in bed all cozy with the wife but I got out there and hustled my game. There were lots of trips when I had to turn right around and go back home because of the weather. I persisted
Same with the car shows. I always showed up for my next gig and put up with all the crap that goes with traveling for business. I did what mattered and it made me what I am.
As I stated in earlier postings, I had to learn at a young age how to hustle for what I needed and wanted. That characteristic spilled over into my adult life. It was a valuable tool that got me through many rough times in life and business.
Life lesson; No matter what you do in life, take the significant lessons and experiences and put them to work for you. They will provide knowledge w=for decision making and teach you how to get through hard times without quitting like 99% of the normals do. Learn to make failure work in your favor. There will be mind numbing stress when you want to quit but if you take my story and think about what I say you’ll tell yourself that no matter what a crappy life deals I’m going to make it come out like a rose in a weed patch. You can endure what lies ahead. -Mikey
