How to Start An Appliance Repair Business

Do you have an interest in fixing machines or finding the root cause of their issues? If so, then you should try starting an appliance repair business. Household appliances help make our hectic lives much easier. We rely on home appliances a lot, be it the washing machine, dishwasher, cloth dryers, or gas stoves. However, at times these appliances break down and need repair.

An appliance repair business allows you to showcase your creativity and problem-solving skills besides you being your own boss. Typically, appliance repair services are offered in the owner’s home since transporting household appliances may be challenging. 

Appliance repair businesses help homeowners save a lot of money since they do not have to buy a new appliance. In this post, we share a mini-guide on how to start an appliance repair business to help you get started.

Considerations when starting an appliance repair business

When starting an appliance repair business, it is essential for you to position your business as the appliance repair company of choice for your clients. To achieve this, some of the critical things you need to do include;

• Conduct research

The first thing that you need to do is to carry out extensive market research. This is critical as it will provide you with important and factual information including identifying market segmentation, understanding competitor positions, coming up with a business plan, and developing pitch books. 

Good research should cover key trends of the industry that impact the growth of appliance repair businesses with reference to the competitive arena and key regions. It should highlight for you the challenges that the industry faces along with the growth opportunities available that will be able to support business development in both existing and untapped markets.

• Evaluate costs

Business startup costs are not cheap. Thus you need to figure out how you are going to afford the costs associated with starting your own appliance repair business. The cost will partially depend on the business model that you settle for. Most appliance repair businesses travel from home to home to offer services thus the need for a truck to hold tools and supplies and in some cases, transport appliances. 

Other common startup costs include diagnostic tools, repair tools, and equipment, inventory of repair parts, storage to organize supplies, and relevant license fees.

• Identify your target market

Identify your target market depending on your business’ focus. You may decide to focus on a particular type of appliance such as repairing kitchen appliances or specialize in repairs for a particular brand. Knowing your target market will help you offer better services due to knowledge of the shared characteristics of your customers. 

 

A customer with a malfunction appliance from a particular brand will most likely seek assistance from an appliance repair company that specializes in that particular brand rather than a general appliance repair company.

• Arrange the finances 

You need to arrange for finances in advance as starting operations with a cash-crunch is a disaster and may sound the death knell of your business even before it starts. You can opt to take a business loan or start saving now and wait until you have enough to start your own business. You can even ask friends and family for contributions or look for a business partner to finance your business.

No matter which way you do it, ensure to find funding for the business startup’s initial costs until the business can fund itself. Have a cash flow plan to help you manage cash. Get liability and vehicle insurances to protect the owners in case the repair job causes more damage to the appliance. This also spares the business from paying compensation to your employee who may suffer an accident when on the job.

• Get necessary licenses

To ensure that your appliance repair business is compliant with state and federal business laws, get the necessary licenses. Your legal responsibilities as well as tax obligations will be influenced by the structure and location of your business. Get business insurance to protect you from unexpected costs caused by accidents, lawsuits, and natural disasters.

• Acquire relevant skills, tools, and employees

When a company is new and does not have customer testimonials, it may prove challenging to assure prospective customers of quality service delivery. It is therefore important for you to hire qualified and experienced staff who can win customer confidence. Establish a basic payroll structure that will assist you in the hiring process and management of employees, with a general understanding of state and federal labor laws.

Procure the right tools of the trade that are of good quality to help enhance service delivery in a safe manner. Investing in the latest tools and technology helps deliver a competitive advantage for new business by impressing customers, which is vital for a start-up appliance repair business.

Final word

Appliance repair businesses generally visit commercial and residential properties, conduct an inspection, estimate repair costs, and later perform the required repairs. An appliance repair business can be very successful if started on the right foot. Proper planning will help you set up to run smoothly and efficiently in addition to staying legally compliant to ultimately discover a competitive advantage in your industry. 

An appliance repair business is a great choice if you are mechanically inclined to fix appliances such as freezers, air conditioning machines, and refrigerators with good returns where your day to day operations have been ironed out and your business grows and expands.