Are you about starting a windshield repair business? If YES, here is a complete sample windshield repair business plan template and feasibility report you can use for FREE.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a windshield repair business. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample windshield repair business marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for windshield repair businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.
A windshield repair business is one very easy business to start up because you could get hands-on training or an online training if you have no skills whatsoever. Also, the amount needed to start the business is quite negligible as compared to the profits you will make when running this business even before the end of your first year of operation.
Car owners and insurance companies love to patronize windshield repair shop owners as it saves them lots of time and cost as compared to the other alternative of entirely replacing the windshield of the vehicle. Even if you may not likely be running this business yourself, you can hire professionals who understand the business to help you run the business, while you sit back and make your profit.
Starting any business whatsoever requires that you gain insight from someone who understands the business and is considered an expert, which is why it is mighty important that you seek the services of a business consultant. You would need to give your business concept to the business consultant who would look through it and determine if you are likely to succeed in the business or not.
Asides from this, the business consultant would also offer you tips and strategies that you can use to not only thrive but compete against your competitors as well. The importance of a business consultant is such that he would most unlikely be biased when presenting facts about your business to you.
Even though it might seem that you are running a small business, having a business plan is something that you must have.
Writing a business plan might not be an easy thing to do, but you have two options available; hiring a business plan writer to write one for you or going online to download a free business plan template that you can use as an aid to write yours. Below therefore is one of such; a sample windshield repair business plan template for you.
The windshield repair business is one that consists of windshield repairs and windshield replacement services depending on how big the problem is.
The windshield repair service is usually preferred by customers because it helps them save money, time and other problems that are usually associated with windshield replacement such as rust, leaking or even paint damage. Also, the windshield business can be regarded as a very environmentally friendly business.
The auto windshield repairs business according to IBISWorld, is regarded as a $4 billion revenue generating business with an annual growth pegged at 1.6% from the period of 2011 to 2015. There are about 16,500 windshield repair businesses in the united states of America that has seen to the employment of more than 39,000 people. Even though revenue is expected to grow from 2016 to 2022, there is no known rate on how it is expected to grow.
The auto windshield repairs business service industry has a low capital intensity level, which is quite similar to other service industries which are majorly labor intensive.
The windshield repairs business is one that relies heavily on labour and less on mechanization, which is a good and bad thing. However, even though capital intensity for this business has been low, there has been an increase over the period of 2006 to 2011, which has seen a slight increase as regards capital investment.
This industry is one that has experienced a mixed revenue growth caused by conflicting trends that has seen mixed demands for industry operators. This is because even as the economy slowly recovered, more customers preferred to buy new vehicles that had improved safety that would decrease the likelihood of a crash, therefore allowing operators in the industry earn less than they usually should.
According to research estimates, there are more than 200 million cars registered in the United States of America alone, which would mean that every 1 in 10 windshields receive repairable damage each year often due to circumstances than cannot be controlled. The average repair rate is usually between $50 and $55, which makes it a billion dollar revenue generating industry.
The number one insurance claim in the United States of America is the windshield. Up to 30% of auto insurance claims in the United States of America are windshields with edge cracks accounting for close to 70 percent of these claims. 10 percent of windshield repairs and replacements are usually from a short crack, while 53 percent are usually from a long crack.
The insurance industry pays windshield manufacturers to adjust and process a windshield claim. The insurance industry has to pay for ten stone break repairs such as stars and bull’s-eyes to prevent one windshield replacement.
The windshield repair service industry which has existed for more than 3 decades has never been hit by a lawsuit regarding windshield repairs because the technology that repair cracks and passed the federal tests has been on the market since 1990.
Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc is a standard and leading windshield repairs business that has been established to perform quality repairs for the automobile windshields of our various customers here in Anchorage – Alaska.
Our intention to generate revenue in order to maximize profit and also compete favorably against other windshield repair businesses here in Anchorage – Alaska and even in the neighboring states, has led us into offering additional services such as windshield repair kits, windshield replacement services, consultancy and advisory services and training in an aim for us to be able to achieve our intended goals.
Our vision is to ensure that we offer our various customers here in Anchorage – Alaska quality windshield repair services. We intend to ensure that we remain the preferred company for our various clients in two years of starting our business.
In order for us to achieve our intended vision, we intend to ensure that we build a solid business structure that will see us employing trained professionals to handle all the various roles and responsibilities.
We understand how valuable our customers are to us and so we have adopted customer policies that will ensure we offer excellent services. All our employees for instance, not only understand these policies but positively projects them at all times to all our customers, leading us to have a high retention rate of customers.
Because we intend to build a solid business structure, we have put in place plans and processes that will allow us to recruit competent and capable professionals that not only have the necessary experience but are fully committed to seeing that we achieve all our goals and objectives.
We intend to ensure that our employees are well paid and have better welfare and incentive packages better than that of their colleagues in similar start-ups such as ours. We also ensure that our employees receive necessary trainings as at when due to not only enhance their skills but also improve productivity for our windshield repair company.
Finally, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tom Brady has more than 15 years technical and managerial experience in this industry. He has all it takes to ensure that our windshield repair business is able to attain all its desired goals and objectives.
Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc is a windshield repairs business that has been established to perform quality repairs for the automobile windshields of our various customers here in Anchorage – Alaska.
However, because we intend to create multiple sources of income, we will be offering additional services such as windshield replacements, sale of windshield repair kits, trainings and even consultancy services in order to boost our bottom line and increase the sustainability of our business.
We therefore would be making as much profit as is legally permissible in the United States of America. Therefore the services we intend to offer at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc are;
Our Business Structure
Having a solid business structure is one sure way of ensuring that we are able to run our business as smoothly as we can in order to attain our goals and objectives. In building our business structure here at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc, we have put in place plans, processes and structures that we ensure that we get it right from the beginning.
In this regard, we will not mind going the extra mile to ensure that we source for and hire only the best employees and professionals to handle all the responsibilities that we would assign them at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc. Our employees are competent and dedicated and not only understand our vision but will work hard to ensure that we are able to attain our visions and objectives.
Due to the fact that we would not be offering a conventional windshield repair service because of the additional services we would be offering, we would be hiring more employees than a traditional windshield repairs business. The extra employees we intend to employ will handle the new responsibilities that would spring up from the new positions that would be created.
Below therefore is the business structure that we intend to build at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc;
Chief Executive Officer
Administrative Manager
Human Resources Manager
Accountant/Cashier
Marketing Team
Inventory and Logistics Manager
Windshield Repairs Supervisor
Front Desk Officer
Cleaner
Driver
Due to our aim of ensuring that we build a business that is standard and has a solid structure, we engaged the services of a reputable consulting firm here in Anchorage – Alaska to look through our business concept and determine how likely we were to make it in this industry and also compete against our competitors favorably.
The business consulting firm having looked through our business concept used a popular analytical method that focused on our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to determine if the positives would be higher than the negatives.
Therefore the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc is;
There are several strengths to our advantage, and they are the fact that in addition to our windshield repair business, we are offering other services like sale of windshield repair kits, windshield replacement kits, training services and consultancy services.
These additional services have allowed us to generate more revenue for our business. We also have a solid business structure which has seen us hire professional and highly trained employees to handle all the tasks and responsibilities on behalf of the company.
We have an excellent customer culture that helps us attend to our clients’ every need. Our chief executive officer, Mr. Tom Brady also has all the necessary experience that is likely to make us succeed in this business.
There are several weaknesses that we are likely to face during the course of running this business. The weaknesses are that we do not have the human resources to be everywhere to repair the windshields of clients. Also, we are not yet a recognized company and might not likely get a lot of calls just yet from our potential target market.
There are several opportunities that are available to us in the auto repair service industry and they are the fact that customers who want to save money would always want their windshields fixed, which means that we are likely to have more customers. Also, there are other revenue generating parts we can tap into to make more money for our business.
Every business is likely to face threats and our windshield repair business is no different. The threats that we are likely to face stem from a stable economy where consumers prefer to buy new cars instead of having to repair or even replace their windshields.
Another threat that we are likely to face is from the arrival of competitors offering same business as we do but giving lower prices. Even though every business is likely to face threats, we have come up with strategies that will allow us combat any threat that is likely to crop up.
The demand for windshield repair is growing as this is regarded as a $1 billion industry and as such is a lucrative business for an entrepreneur to go into. The reason for the growth of this industry is that insurance companies and car owners prefer to patronize this business due to the amount of money and time it saves them. Entrepreneurs running this business are making it big because not only are they working for themselves but the start-up costs is usually very low even after getting the kits and the profit is more than encouraging.
Getting the necessary tools to run this business isn’t cumbersome as most of the popular tools and necessities are usually contained in one kit. These windshield repair kits have many kinds and are usually offered by companies who consider themselves quite experienced in the business.
Trainings are also being offered for those who have no idea about the technicality regarding the windshield repairs but see it as a business they would love to go into. Most companies now offer online trainings and a windshield repairs certification course. Most entrepreneurs who own windshield repair businesses rely on using a software that can enter orders as fast as possible, can invoice customers and insurance companies and is also accessible from anywhere.
Even though we can rightly deduce who our target market would be, we still intend to conduct a market survey that will help us fully realize who we would be dealing with. The market survey we intend to conduct from our location here in Anchorage – Alaska would allow us to fully identify what it is our customers want from us.
The market survey would also help our customers realize what to expect from us from the services we intend to be offering them. Therefore, the result of our research will see us offering our products and services to the following group of people;
Our competitive advantage
Our vision is to run a windshield repairs business that will be of high standard and also offer quality services to all our clients through our core and additional service. We intend to become the preferred brand that all our customers will call whenever they run into windshield troubles.
However to achieve our dream of being the most popular and most preferred brand in the industry, we have come up with several strategies that would allow us have a competitive advantage and stand out. Our first competitive advantage is the fact that we would be offering additional services to our windshield repair business such as sale of windshield repair kits, windshield replacement service, training and consultancy services.
We are offering our various customers quality service that will be handled by highly trained professionals, so that we will be able to meet the expectations of our clients. We have built a solid business structure that has seen us hiring professionals and highly capable employees, who are willing and committed to seeing that we are able to attain all our goals and objectives.
Finally, we have the best pay and welfare structure for our employees as their pay is better than what employees in similar start-ups such as ours are earning. We believe this will be the best way of making sure they are motivated to seeing us achieve our goals and objectives.
Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc is a windshield repair business that just like any other business has been established to generate as much revenue as possible and also maximize profit in the services cum automobile industry here in the United States of America, and we intend to ensure that we go all the way to achieve that.
Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc will therefore generate income by offering the following services to our customers;
Almost everyone drives an automobile that sometimes need repairs, replacement or has other services done, which leaves them no choice in demanding for the services of a windshield repairer for their automobiles.
Anchorage – Alaska might be a cold place to do business but it is also a lucrative area as well and we are well positioned to penetrate the market. This has therefore led us to be casually optimistic about our chances of not only generating enough revenue to hit our first milestone but also maximizing our profit even within the first year of business.
However, our optimism stemmed from the fact that we took a critical look at the industry in order to determine our sales forecast. The sales projections we obtained was based on certain assumptions and reliable data gathered from similar start-ups such as ours and even established businesses as well here in Anchorage – Alaska.
Below therefore are the sales projections for Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc that we conducted based on several assumptions and reliable data;
N.B: It should be carefully noted that the above sales projections were based entirely on assumptions and reliable data obtained from the industry during the defined time period. Some assumptions used were the non-arrival of competitors which would cause competition and also less stringent rules in the industry. Should there be a change whatsoever in these assumptions, it would cause an increase or decrease in the sales projected figures.
Marketing is one very important tool for us here at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc because not only will it enable us generate revenue for our business, but it will allow us to also increase awareness for our business. We have therefore decided to conduct a market survey that will allow us understand our target market and use this to identify what marketing strategies would be very effective for them so that we do not waste resources unnecessarily when marketing our windshield repairs business here in Anchorage – Alaska.
Our location has proven to be very important in this market survey as it has us positioned in such a way as to allow us penetrate the market effectively. The market survey we have conducted will also allow us to structure our business in such a way as to attract clients, while also allowing us to compete favorably against other windshield repair businesses here in Anchorage – Alaska.
We will be engaging the services of a marketing consultant who has a thorough knowledge of the market as well as the environment we are located in to help us create marketing strategies that would generate the needed revenue that would grow and boost our business. It is intended that the marketing strategies would also allow us gain a large share of the target market here in Anchorage – Alaska.
We intend to ensure that our marketing team is empowered to ensure that we attain our corporate goals and objectives. They are also empowered to modify and delete marketing strategies that are deemed to be ineffective and will not allow us attain our goals and objectives.
Our marketing team will also employ unconventional marketing mode in ensuring we get a large share of our target market. The marketing and sales strategies that we therefore intend to adopt for Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc are;
Publicity and advertising is a means of getting customers to become aware of your business, while also generating revenue from the awareness. The importance of publicity cannot be over-emphasized as most new businesses have lost a lot of prospects because they did not put much effort into advertising their business. Another thing that publicity achieves is that it allows the business stand out, communicate its image positively to the target market and also favorably compete against its competitors.
Because we intend to ensure that all our publicity strategies are effective, we have therefore engaged the services of a renowned and experienced publicity and advertising firm here in Anchorage – Alaska to help us draft effective publicity strategies that would enable us be able to attract a large share of the market.
Therefore the platforms we intend to use at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc in publicizing and advertising our business are;
This business is an easy one that would not require us to sweat out the rates we would charge our customers. Most of what we would need to effect repairs on the windshield of our clients is usually negligible but since we would have to factor in costs of fuel, advertising, office supplies and what our competitors are charging for the same jobs. Therefore, the rates by which our customers would be charged would be one that is very affordable.
However, because we would not be able to lower our rates any further when charging our customers, in order to increase awareness for our business and attract more customers to patronize our services, we would offer other little services in addition to our core service.
The additional services we would offer as an incentive to our various customers would not in any way affect our gross earnings, as the charges for these additional services would be absorbed by the initial charge.
Due to the fact that we intend to offer additional services that would allow us have more customers, we have come up with several payment options that would suit our various customers and their different preferences. Therefore, we at Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc have come up with the various payment options.
Therefore the payment options that we intend to make available to all our clients are;
It should be noted that the above payment options were ones that were carefully chosen by us to be of great convenience to not only our customers but our businesses as well. The payment platforms will allow us to run our business as smoothly as possible.
Even though a windshield repair business is not such a difficult business to start-up, there are certain essentials that would be required for any entrepreneur expecting to start this business if one expects the business to run smoothly.
Therefore the bulk of the capital as regarding this business would be spent on; purchasing a vehicle, getting start-up inventory, leasing a facility for use especially if you do not intend working from home and also paying the salaries of employees and utility bills for a defined period of time.
Therefore the key areas that we intend to spend our start-up capital on are;
From the above breakdown, we would need the sum of $117,500 if we intend to run a standard and successful windshield repair business here in Anchorage – Alaska here in the United States of America. The above amount will pay for the salaries of our employees and utility bills for at least three months. It will also cater for the leasing of a facility, purchasing of a fairly used vehicle as well as getting the necessary tools to help start the business.
Generating Funding/Startup Capital for Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc Business
Tom Brady’s Windshield Repairers Inc is a windshield repair business that is owned and run by Mr. Tom Brady and his family. Mr. Brady does not intend or the business to be a very large one and so he is not willing to take on any external investors, when sourcing for his start-up capital.
The areas where we therefore intend to source for our start-up capital from are;
N.B: We have been able to generate the sum of $50,000 from our personal savings. The soft loan from family members and friends amounted to $17,500. After approaching the SBA and filling out several forms and also submitting our business plan in order to show our seriousness, we were finally given the sum of $50,000, with which to start our windshield business here in Anchorage – Alaska.
Because we do not intend to run a business that is without any future whatsoever, we have carefully looked at the factors that will ensure that we are able to sustain our windshield repairs business as long as we want and even expand in future if we please.
The factors that we know would make us achieve our sustainability and expansion strategies are; retaining the loyalty of our clients, re-investing back into our business, engaging in publicity, and also building a solid business structure.
Due to the fact that we intend to run additional services to support our core service, we would be hiring more employees than a conventional windshield repairs business. Our employees will be allowed to undergo trainings as we would watch industry trends and ensure that their skills are boosted when necessary so as to improve productivity for our business and also allow us use the best means and technology possible to be able to deliver to our clients. We will ensure that our employees are well paid and that they have the best welfare and incentive packages across similar start-ups such as ours in this industry.
Check List/Milestone
