Struggling business help

I

iron man

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hi guys
my dad would probably kill me if he found out i was doing this but anyway.
my dad is in a partnership with a friend of his. they own an engineering company in the Durban area close to the harbor. what they mainly specialize in is machining parts for breakdowns and such(fabrication). now i suppose struggling would be a little bit of an exaggeration but things aren't going all that great considering they've been open for close on 15 years.

the big problem is there isn't an over abundance of work there and many months they have difficulty covering costs. then after that they'll have a great month but all the profit goes to covering their previous losses.

i'm currently studying in Pretoria and i know the financial strain I'm putting on my parents is not helping the situation. my question for you guys is whether there are [any good resources(books, web sources etc.) i could give my dad to read or go through that could help him find ways to do business better. preferably something you've used or heard good reviews from because there is a mass of rubbish out there too. it seems there business has extremely quiet months and i'd like to offer him resources that could help him do something with that time.

its sucks for me because whenever i speak with him and ask how business is doing its never really positive which makes me feel guilty for costing the so much. please could you guys offer some advice. i'd really appreciate your help

thank you:)
 
No idea about books and stuff.
I know my dad's company started out that way, he used the quiet times to find more potential clients as well as develop new product ranges and make sample batches.
He is doing great now :)
 
If you can fit a toilet, you can also mix cement to lay bricks. In other words suggest he find something that can run parallel to his existing business.
Example: Garden service + pest control + cleaning company.
 
Not that i know his position but he needs to clearly find something within his line of work that he can do to supplement the work they currently get! Try find a service they can offer with the tools and skills they currently have! During the quiet times he needs to go and get his name out there!
 
Maybe the first thing you can do is to start paying your own way? I'm sure that would take quite a bit of strain off of him.
 
cpu. said:
If you can fit a toilet, you can also mix cement to lay bricks. In other words suggest he find something that can run parallel to his existing business.
Example: Garden service + pest control + cleaning company.
Click to expand...

If he is manufacturing parts for the marine industry, maybe look into other industries that need parts manufactured? Offer custom made/ prototyping services?

I am not sure that any book would give the solution to the problem, I can only recommend thinking outside the box and trying out other markets to supplement current work.
 
To answer your question directly, "E-Myth: revisited" is a great book, although with your dad being in business for 15 years, he might have found out what the entrpreneur myth is, but still a good read anyway.
 
thanks for the response guys. really apreciate it. will bring these point ups when i see him in the vacation. thanks for the advice. cheeers :)
 
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