What's needed to get started

[mdat]

Ok, I'm planning to do mobile repairs, tent sales, etc (no set location) to start.

What steps do I need to take and in what order? Here is what I have...Please provide feedback on anything I miss or have wrong.

1. Decide on name of company, get business license, file with State and local govt if applicable, follow all federal laws for
2. Purchase kit and supplies to do repairs.
3. Open business checking account, get business cards, keep business expenses, assets, revenues separate from personal.
4. Get general liability insurance. How much coverage do the insurance companies and Safelite, Lynk, etc require??
5. Complete required paperwork for Safelite, Lynk, Harmon, etc to be registered and approved in their system.
6. Decide what third party company, if any, I will use for insurance billing, what level of service I want them to provide (eg. ACT offers different services at different prices), and what software, if any, I will use.

What else?

***I know I left off marketing, etc. At what point in the process should I place orders for any marketing material, banners, signs, flyers, brochures, etc? I know this is subjective, but looking for opinions.

****Where are some good places to buy tents and material needed for tent sales and what size tent do you recommend...10x10, 10x15, or other? I saw a pic somewhere of a tent where most of the car fit under the tent in the shade, but can't find that pic now.

****At what point would you recommend contacting potential tent locations to which places are willing to work with me and lease me space? Should I wait until I have everything in place, so I can get their commitment upon agreement or inquire before I'm set up so I have an idea of who will work with me?

My plan is to do tent sales to get immediate income. I'll then pick a couple of days a week (slow days) to call on business clients to acquire their business. At some point, I'll have the tent sales, plus business accounts. I will also use signs, flyers, etc to try to get some call in business from individual customers.


How dose this sound??

[Frank EU]

mdat; it all sounds pretty useless to me. Nowhere in this wonderfull plan of yours is one word about you being capabale of doing repairs in the first place. Have you been doing windshield repair before and are you experienced enough? If not; where in your plan is step number ONE; the technical training? Let's do that first and than worry and deal with the other bits and pieces. They all become absolutely useless if you cannot even perform a proper repair.

[mdat]

mdat; it all sounds pretty useless to me. Nowhere in this wonderfull plan of yours is one word about you being capabale of doing repairs in the first place. Have you been doing windshield repair before and are you experienced enough? If not; where in your plan is step number ONE; the technical training? Let's do that first and than worry and deal with the other bits and pieces. They all become absolutely useless if you cannot even perform a proper repair.

I know that. I have done a few and have somebody who will let me train with him while he is doing it. I understand that's #1.

Yes, that will be #1. After that, what do you say to my post?

[t4k]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan. There are a lot of businesses started with out this much planning. You will find many more things a long the way that you will need to do differently but that will come from experience and everyone's experiences are different. I have been in the W/S repair business for over 10 years and I change my ways of thinking as the circumstances change. Now, you just need to jump in with both feet and give it a go and learn from your mistakes.

[Clarity Glass]

before you purchase a tent/canopy take the time to see if it is legal by city/county codes to do so.

[mdat]

before you purchase a tent/canopy take the time to see if it is legal by city/county codes to do so.

I know you can have tent sales, but need to find out about a license or permit.
After thinking about this part, I plan to contact decision makers at my target sites early on, so I know what I can expect once I get it going.

[mdat]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan. There are a lot of businesses started with out this much planning. You will find many more things a long the way that you will need to do differently but that will come from experience and everyone's experiences are different. I have been in the W/S repair business for over 10 years and I change my ways of thinking as the circumstances change. Now, you just need to jump in with both feet and give it a go and learn from your mistakes.

Yep. I'm fortunate that I know someone who will train me. He isn't worried about competition because he has a sweet agreement with a full service carwash. He shows up and the cars are there and keep on coming. He is an independent contractor for the owner of the glass company. The owner had deals with all the car washes worth doing in my area. There are a few more busy car washes, but those hire their own employees to do repairs and don't pay them much. I'd like to do this type of deal but the car washes are taken.

This is what brought me to tent sales as a means to get the cash flow coming immediately while I work on winning over commercial accounts.

[lordstanley13]

Yes, First and foremost, Training is Manditory. There are alot of people out there that get in this business just to make money and not take pride in their work. Those are the here today, gone tomorrow technicians that give the ones that do good work a bad name. Not saying you are one of them, but before jumping into something, you need to be comfortable with all angles of every situation you will be faced with on every job, from the simplest bullseye, to a complexed crack. The steps to take, from drilling to filling.

You could probably add a practice windshield and stand in your list as well, and sit at home and beat that winshield up every night and then repair it.

As for your tent locations, you need to call the city you are thinking about setting up in, and pay for their license (If applicable). ALot of cities around here will not let you set up a tent location, and the ones that do, charge you an arm and leg, then you have to go about working out a deal with the actual owner of that lot also.

[mrchips]

Congrats on your new business. You have found the right forum to learn from the pros. There are plenty of them here. Pay attention to what they say and like the rest of us, always be open to learn new things.

After you are set up, find a mentor or someone you know (or go meet someone) who is successful in the business and watch and copy what they do. No need to learn everything (some things you'll have to learn on your own) new.

Set goals and be persistent. It's a great business!

[Brennan29]

Hey mdat, Congrads on the new biz. A few of the of the more exp. guys in forum have mentioned the importance of getting good at rapairs before getting out there and doing work for customers. Coming from someone that has a few year exp. in WS repairs, and had allmost NO training at all when first I started, I would say those guys are absolutly right, BUT this job is kind of all about on the job training. EVERY repair is diferant, and EVERY WS is diferant. One thing I can tell you for sure is that, a WS that is out of the car/truck on a practice stand will repair much deferant then a WS that is still installed. I would definately say get the best possable training you can find, but the only way you will get really good at WS repair is by doing it in the feild, out there in the elements, weather, rain, heat, and nasty customers that expect you the give them the "moon and the stars". I Myself can do a very nice high quality repair but I will also be the first one to admit that I dont know everything and even with my years of exp. I am still open the tips and training from anyone that does what I do, weather they have 20 years or 2 years. Just keep and open mind and try not to ever get stuck in one way of doing things because glass itself in a very funny thing and pretty much has a mind of its own... Good Luck.