Vendor Spotlight is on Upholstery by Greg. One of the up and coming upholstery guys in the business. We sat down and interview him about his business.
ST: Tell us your name and company?
GD: Greg Dias – Upholstery By Greg
ST: When did you decide to get into the business?
GD: I decided to start my own business a couple years ago.
ST: Tell us more about your company? History/ history behind the name.
GD: I started my business because I wanted to do all custom work. My regular full-time job is still doing interior work, but it’s all repairs and restoration type of work. There’s no real history behind the name. I had a couple ideas and asked some from friends what they thought was better and went with it.
ST: What were some of the struggles you had in the beginning?
GD: I’d say the biggest struggle was and still is getting customers to let me do the job. They think because I’m not a big-name shop, I can’t do the work. Even though I could go work for most any shop.
ST: What were some of the wins you had that you knew it was going to work?
GD: Still trying to find that one really big win that helps the shop take off so I can do it full time.
ST: What do you do to stand out from your competitors?
GD: I just always try and turn out the best work I can. I let the work speak for itself.
ST: Do you attend shows and if so, about how many a year?
GD: I do, but not as a vendor. Not nearly as many as I would like to.
ST: Do you have or have/ had a custom vehicle? If so, give us an overview of what you own/ have owned.
GD: I used to have a bagged 00 Ranger. It was featured in Mini Truckin’ mag when it was first built, long before I owned it. I’ve also had a 97 Ranger, 99 S-10 and an 00 S-10, but none of those ever got finished. I’m currently building a bagged 03 Tacoma for my girlfriend. Once that’s done I’ve got a 91 Ranger I want to build.
ST: Where can we buy your product?
GD: I don’t sell any products as of now. But I have a few things in the works.
ST: What is the future for your business?
GD: I’m hoping to take it to a full time thing instead of part time
ST: What advice you would give to anyone wanting to start a business.
GD: Have a plan! Start it as part time until you have enough money saved to survive for a year without getting a paycheck and you can still live. Have at least a 6 month to a year waiting list of customers that want to get work done by you.
ST: What do you think about the current and future state of the industry?
GD: On my side of the industry it’s booming right now. There is more work than the shops can handle. But unfortunately there are not enough young guys getting into it so the future doesn’t look good. Once all the older guys start retiring we don’t have people to replace them. Shops are closing left and right because they can’t find any help.
ST: Thank you for the interview and do you have any last parting words for our readers?
GD: If you’re interested in any form of interior work, go after it. Find a local shop and go talk to them. A lot of shops will hire someone with very little experience and teach you. That’s how I got started.
