Running your own auto shop can be a challenging venture, even if you’re already experienced with cars. It’s one thing to know how to do work on them, but doing this as a full-blown business is a completely different story and requires an extra set of skills.
Becoming a good entrepreneur takes time and effort, and it’s something that you should approach with a lot of patience. There are also some bases that are important to cover early on, because putting them off for later is going to complicate things significantly for you.
Get in Touch with Suppliers Early on
The work you’ll be doing on cars is only part of the equation. You must also ensure that you have a steady stream of suppliers to work with, and that can be more difficult to secure than you might expect. The market is full of companies that you can contact for this, but not all of them are going to be equally competent, especially if you have more specialized needs that may be more difficult to cover. You have to ensure that you have your supply chains sorted out before even starting, because otherwise you may easily find yourself in a situation where you are in critical need of something and your entire work is bottlenecked by it.
Sort Out all Legal and Accounting Issues Before Starting
Another couple of important points to consider are the legal and accounting fronts. You’ll want to make absolutely sure that everything is sorted out there before moving forward with your work, because one small hiccup can sometimes jeopardise your entire business. There are many tiny details that you may find more challenging to work out if you aren’t properly prepared for them. If you don’t know how to get covered with motor trade insurance, for example, that can set you back a lot in case of an accident. A partner like Quotezone is indispensable in navigating this market, and they can help you find the right company for the job.
Workplace Safety
On the topic of insurance, make sure that you’re providing a safe and reliable environment for your workers to do their job in. This can sometimes require a significant investment on top of what you’re already putting into the shop, but it’s something that you can’t skip either. It’s the responsible thing to do when you have people working for you and depending on you for a safe environment. Even if you’re the only one working in the shop right now, this is something you should definitely not ignore or put off until the last moment.
Special Insurance for Your Employees
That brings us to the point of the extra insurance policies that may be required if your workers are expected to operate in more hazardous conditions. This can vary from one repair shop to another, and it’s something that may not be required if your situation is more traditional and without any specialized work being done. But as soon as this changes, you’ll need to be right on top of it, and ensure that all your employees are adequately covered in case they suffer a workplace accident.
Planning Ahead for Growth
One of the problems related to running an auto repair shop is the need for physical expansion. This is not exactly the kind of business where you can just outsource everything to third parties and keep your operations confined to one tiny office. If you want to grow, you’re going to need to expand your physical presence sooner or later. This can be a very dangerous process for any kind of business, and it’s something that you should plan ahead for very carefully. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you’re suddenly limited by your physical room and have no viable way to expand.
Staying Relevant in the Current Market
The auto market is changing fast, and you need to be aware of the new trends on the horizon if you want to stay relevant in this situation. One of the biggest changes coming up is the planned ban on all fossil fuel cars by 2030. The country is rapidly moving towards the adoption of electric vehicles, and this is going to affect you as well if you perform any services on that market. Make sure you start familiarizing yourself with what the field has to offer from early on, and start learning the fundamentals if you don’t already have them under your belt.
You must also prepare to deal with a very dynamic market that’s going to go through some significant changes in the next few years. It can be hard to adapt to the new situation, even for more experienced mechanics who’ve had an active presence on the market, and looking at things through a new perspective is something that can definitely help.
