At a livable wage, I am mostly industry agnostic. The problem is some industries have trouble supporting a livable wage at the number of hours I want to work. Even minimum wage can be livable if you work enough hours. If I could choose between selling motorcycles and selling hinges for even money/effort, I'd rather be around bikes.
EDIT:
To the point of LC and EX, I'd rather make 10x the hourly livable wage and work 10% of the time. If I could make 10x selling lumber or software that I care nothing about, that's a better path imo. An unstable employer as a career needs to pay enough to compensate for the instability imo. At even money, I pick the stable employer.
Another issue with powersports is many of their peak busy times are the peak times I want to be enjoying my toys and not doing tons of overtime. Your better off with a field that doesn't align with the seasons that matter to you (eg software sales probably slow down in summer).
What sustains my love of motorcycling is that I approach it on my terms, not the terms of an employer or organization that dictates what I do, when to do it and how to do it. And not being able to pay rent or put food on the table if I didn't do it exactly that way? That's pressure I don't need in my life.
I'd never mix my hobby with work, or try to make a living from it. Quickest way to kill your passion.
Also, there are much better ways for me to make money than to be in the powersports industry. I have way more marketable skills in more lucrative industries. Why kill yourself for a livable wage when you can make more money, much faster doing something else and then be able to spend that money doing your hobby exactly the way you want to?
My idea of a livable wage probably differs from that which anyone running a business thinks.
"Livable" and "sustenance" aren't the same.
So... No.
I can't see myself working for anyone in any business... 'Can't afford me.
I’ve worked at dealerships before and highly enjoyed it. But the bean counters replaced the car / motor heads in running the business and it’s a live and die by the numbers game.
No better way to kill enjoyment of your hobby by being paid to deal with it day to day.
All things being equal, I’d choose to be around bikes instead of something else, but @GreyGhost makes a good point….the busy time is at the same time as you want to enjoy your own bike.
Interesting replies. Many aspects somewhat align with my conversations. Volatility in the market would be my biggest concern. Personally at this point in my life I look for an enjoyable work environment equal to rate of pay. Figuring I’ll be dead in 15-20 years I want to enjoy them. But no matter the age being out of work sucks and sucks really bad when you’re older and grayer..
I imagine the motorsports biz is a grind too.
I bet the only thing worse than working in a shop/dealership is owning the shop/dealership.
With all the online shopping available to people for EVERYTHING I wonder how/where a brick and mortar place makes the lion's share of their revenue... It's gotta be service/repair...
I can't recall the last time I bought anything bike related from a b&m shop...
My latest helmet came from Italy for hundreds less than anywhere in North America.
Even when snow machine sales were good the motorsport industry in Canada was too seasonal for solid reliable income.
Don't even want to imagine how lean it is now.
Not disputing any replies. But I often wonder if no passion, how did these businesses ever get started? How would any of us enjoy this pastime without some sort of business in place? Order motorcycles through Amazon?
I enjoy motorcycles but if they all disappeared tomorrow my day would be fine.
But thinking out loud I have to be interested in what I sell, I enjoy the technical details, technology etc. nice to see someone enjoy their purchase kinda thing.
I’ve lived and breathed motorcycles my whole life but would never work in that industry.There’s better money in the building trades.I’ve only known 1 guy that made a decent living at it. He owned Oshawa Cycle Salvage and worked his butt off with his wife and really built that business. He got the land and building relatively cheap years ago, sold it maybe ten years ago and was able to retire in his early fifties.
And yet, I've worked in the motorcycle industry for most of the last 15 years... including being full time self-employed in it now... but I think there's a big difference between working in the motorcycle industry, and working for yourself in the motorcycle biz...
I'm very happy to work in the motorcycle biz... for myself... so I can take a month off every season, despite it being the busy time of year, and prioritize my own happiness.
I feel like if I needed something to do to stay "useful" I could be that worker at HD that strolls around giving advice on what to buy and how to install it. In the same way I'd work the parts counter at a bike shop but I also don't have much of a filter so I'd probably get fired within a month.
It takes a special person to work in retail, ANY retail.
Like anything else, there are good days but from my experience there are too many days that are at worst; soul-crushing. I can't imagine what it would be like now, as my retail experience ended about 10 years ago.
The impact of those bad days is cumulative, or at least it was for me. Thirty-odd years of it was enough.
It's worse when you own it than if you work in it. When you own it, you own it 24/7 and feel/worry about it 24/7. Whether it's the customers who haggle over everything for entertainment/sport, the ones who believe they know more than you do and are driven to show you in the most rude or humiliating manner possible, the ones who are trying to rip you off with fake returns etc., or the ones who just want to vent their spleen on somebody because their dog ****** on their leg that morning.
I can't imagine trying to deal with that with something as subjective, complex, impractical and discretionary as motorcycles or accessories.
There's too many people who view rude and obnoxious as a favored lifestyle nowadays.
Not disputing any replies. But I often wonder if no passion, how did these businesses ever get started? How would any of us enjoy this pastime without some sort of business in place? Order motorcycles through Amazon?
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
