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For many female entrepreneurs, owning a business is part of the ultimate dream and a path to personal prosperity. If you are a mechanic or aspire to become a mechanic, realizing that dream may start with the idea of opening your own auto repair shop. Let’s go through a couple of tips to help you out!
1. Get certified
You don’t need ASE certification to repair your car, but without ASE certification, getting liability insurance or financing your new venture can be very difficult and expensive. ASE certification shows potential customers that you know what you’re doing. It gives car owners confidence and can be a very important marketing tool. A minimum of two years of work experience combined with academic experience is required to qualify for the certification exam.
2. Know the initial cost
Before you spend a dime to get your business up and running, you need to know your total expected start-up costs. Otherwise, you may run out of money before you get your first client. While it’s impossible to predict specific costs in advance, you can easily predict the most common and most expensive line items. According to recent stats, the total cost of equipment, insurance, and rent is about $68,000. Purchasing and modifying buildings can change this number significantly depending on construction costs. The decision to buy an existing dealer can also affect your bottom line.
3. To specialize or not
You can specialize in repairing a specific car make or repair type. If you specialize, you may gain a reputation as the best brake repair shop, but you lose a lot of other businesses. Before opening your business, you need to know the range of services you are going to offer. If you want to specialize, you’ll need to do some serious market research to make sure there’s enough demand to support your new shop. You’ll also need a prototype manufacturer for automotive parts to address any part needs that may arise.
4. Get legal advice
Opening a business is more than just finding a location and serving customers. You will need to obtain a business license, address liability insurance requirements, open an account to process payroll and tax returns, file articles of incorporation, and complete other presale steps. Lawyers are invaluable in this process as they help ensure that all checks out.
5. Appointing staff
For a very small store, you could do all the work yourself, but you might need at least one employee to handle calls and customers. If you have multiple lifts and want to maximize capacity, you will need an additional mechanic to assist with servicing vehicles. The hiring process should start at least one month before opening. You’ll need plenty of time to review references, find the best candidates, and negotiate compensation packages. If you have multiple lifts and want to maximize capacity, you will need to find people looking to become a mechanic to assist with servicing vehicles.
6. Get the word out on the streets
Finally, marketing is another important part of opening your shop. Be sure to schedule a grand opening so locals can come and tour your store. You can even advertise a special discounted first-day or week price just to get customers. You should also have a list of standard services, including prices and final shop rates so that you can assess your sales potential.
There you have it, a couple of tips to get you up and running!
7.Make your shop name memorable
Your business’ name will be the first thing that customers associate with its services or values, so take care in selecting it to reflect both. Aim for something that stands out among competitors while simultaneously helping position it within its market – use a business name generator if stuck for inspiration; additionally consider getting a professional logo or tagline designed to increase its impact even further.
