According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 5.8 million vehicle crashes across the United States in 2008. While some of those vehicles were damaged beyond repair, many were taken to auto body shops to be fixed. That statistic presents a huge opportunity if you have experience with auto body repair. Capitalize on that opportunity by opening a backyard auto body repair shop.
Instructions
1. Check zoning regulations. Contact your city or county zoning department to determine if your neighborhood is approved for both commercial and residential zoning. If a residential-only zoning code is in effect, operating a business out of your backyard may lead to fines from the city and an immediate shut down of your business. Seek out a shop or building in a commercial space to lease, if you can't operate a business out of your backyard.
2. Register your business. Apply for a business license with your city or county, and register your business on the federal level by completing a form to obtain a federal tax identification number from the Internal Revenue Service. Fill out the forms from your state and local government to collect and pay sales tax on the service you provide if sales tax is in effect in your area.
3. Prepare your backyard shop. Make sure that you have access to bring vehicles in and out of your backyard through a fence or an alley. Consider using your garage or constructing an extra building to serve as your shop. This is beneficial in the winter months, when the need for auto body services picks up because of crashes caused by snow and ice. An indoor space also gives you an area to paint vehicles without wind or dirt from the outdoors causing problems. Arrange a storage shed, tool box or cabinets that can be locked to store tools and supplies.
4. Acquire the equipment you need. Purchase the tools you need to repair the body of damaged vehicles. Common tools include a sander, polisher, dent puller and paint spray guns. Buy safety gear, as well, including a respirator and goggles for when you paint vehicles.
5. Advertise your business. Use radio, television and newspaper advertising to promote your auto body shop to the public. Network with local towing companies and encourage them to refer owners of vehicles involved in a crash to your shop. Get to know insurance agents in your community. Become an approved repair shop under their policies, and ask the agents to refer their clients when a vehicle body needs repair.
6. Expand as needed. As your business grows, consider moving to a commercial space that allows you to work on multiple vehicles at one time. Hire additional staff to meet the growing demands of customers.
Tags: auto body, your business, your backyard, auto body repair, body repair
