Business Startup Instructions
How to Start a Garage Door Repair Business
If you are planning on starting a garage door repair business, start by researching the competition and thinking through the business.
Wondering how to start a garage door repair business? We take you step-by-step from start to success.
Business Outlook for Garage Door Repair Startups
Garage doors are ubiquitous features of the suburban and rural landscapes. They are so woven into the fabric of daily life that most consumers take functional and secure garage doors for granted -- at least until their doors fail to operate. As urban dwellers continue to migrate suburbs and exurbs across the nation, the demand for garage door repair services shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Garage door repair businesses provide speedy time sensitive repair and replacement services for garage door openers as well as the doors themselves. In a pinch, residential homeowners look for a reputable local provider they can count on to deliver repair services as quickly as possible. As a result, local visibility should be a major part of your startup's marketing plan.
Key Service Offerings for New Garage Door Repair Companies
The garage door repair and installation industry offers a slate of service offerings to homeowners. Although your startup should always be looking for ways to improve customer service, it's just as important to make sure your business offers the right mix of services to your customers.
Profitable garage door repair businesses have certified technicians capable of performing inspections, garage door opener repairs/installations, spring replacements, roller & track repair, and complete door replacements. Same day service is typical, but premium rates apply to emergency, after-hour repair calls.
Advertising Tips for Garage Door Repair Startups
Garage door repair isn't a routine purchase for most consumers. So your startup needs to position itself to be readily available to consumers who aren't necessarily familiar with the garage door repair marketplace. The best way to accomplish this is by advertising your startup in traditional and online business directories that target local consumers.
Yellow page listings are baseline advertising opportunities for new garage door repair companies. But you'll also need to make sure your business is accessible via the Internet through a SEO optimized website and listings in local online business directories.
Once you have acquired a customer, make sure to affix a sticker with your business's name, logo and contact information to their garage door and opener. Despite it's simplicity, a consistent sticker campaign can be an incubator for customer loyalty and will raise your brand's visibility for future repair or replacement projects.
Business Plans 101 for Garage Door Repair Business Startups
As an aspiring garage door repair business owner, you've invested time and effort in the creation of your initial business plan. But your business plan won't be finished until you've included material about your industry.
Industry analyses are standard chapters in garage door repair company business plans and are often required by lenders or investors. Industry analyses are critical for contextualizing your startup within an industry setting.
To succeed, you'll need to be careful to avoid common industry analysis mistakes and to accurately represent your startup in an industry context.
Take a Look at Competitors
Prior to launching a garage door repair business within your community, it's a good idea to see what the competition looks like. Use the link below to find competitors near you. Just enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of garage door repair businesses in your community.
How tough is the competition in the market you are considering? If the competition is too tough, you may need to think about starting the business in a different area or even start a completely different business instead.
Studying the Market
If you are interested in starting a garage door repair business, be sure to have a conversation with someone who is in the business. It's very unlikely that the local competition will talk to you. What's in it for them?
Fortunately, somebody who runs a garage door repair business in another town can be a great learning resource for you, provided that you won't be directly competing with them. In that case, the business owner may be more than happy to discuss the industry with you. It can take a while to find an entrepreneur who is willing to talk, but it's well worth the effort.
How does one go about finding an entrepreneur who is running a garage door repair business outside of your area who is willing to talk?
Here's how we would do it. Try the useful link below and key in a random city/state or zipcode.
Entrepreneurial Alternatives for Garage Door Repair Businesses
Some entrepreneurs buy existing garage door repair businesses, while others plunge headfirst into a garage door repair business startup. There are a lot of benefits of buying a garage door repair business.
The current economic climate is a buyer's market � if you have enough capital to start a garage door repair business, you should have no problem financing the purchase of a garage door repair business that has a solid earnings history and a workable business model.
Franchising May Be a Better Way to Go
Recognize that your chances of becoming a successful entrepreneur increase if you become a franchisee rather than going it alone.
As part of your process in starting a garage door repair business, you should investigate whether franchising might increase your chances of success.
The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.
More Advice for Startups
These additional resources regarding starting a business may be of interest to you.
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