How to Build the Best Garage Door Repair Company in Your Area
To get started, learn everything you can about how to repair various kinds of garage doors and run a small business. Then, purchase high-quality tools that produce great results and last for many decades. Once your business grows, carefully choose skilled employees to work with, and manage their schedule using home service software.
You won't be able to scale your business unless you advertise in your community and online. The more well-known you are, the more likely people will turn to you when they need a garage door repair. Because there are constant innovations in this industry, you need to attend workshops, read subject-specific journals, and try out new repair techniques regularly. That way, you stay up to date and don't risk losing customers to competitors.
Learn Everything You Can About Garage Doors
Repairing garage doors might sound simple, but it isn't anymore. Nowadays, many people no longer have the traditional mechanical doors made of wood or steel. Instead, they have electrical sliding ones that can be opened at the press of a button. These kinds of doors are more difficult to fix, and you'll need advanced knowledge and skills. To become a garage door technician, start by completing your high school degree or GED.
Some technicians go to college before starting work, but others do a certification course or work as an apprentice in a firm. Usually, it's best to gain experience in a bigger business before starting a small company. That way, you'll have all the necessary skills in place when you start to look for your own customers.
Learn Everything You Can About Opening a Small Business
Being a talented contractor is one of the prerequisites of opening a successful business, but it isn't the only one. 20% of small businesses fail in the first year, and 45% don't survive the five-year mark. Often, the owners are good at what they do, but they don't understand how to manage their company well.
Study how to run a successful business before setting out on your own. Some of the skills required include marketing, communication, teamwork, and team management. You'll also need basic accounting skills, so you can manage your budget effectively. Because starting a small business is multi-faceted and complex, many people either take a management course at a local community college or get a business mentor. This helps them when it's time to come up with a plan for their own company.
Use the Right Kinds of Tools
Always purchase high-quality tools to work on garages. Sometimes, the more expensive option is better because it will last much longer. However, this doesn't mean that you have to spend tens of thousands on setting up your business. Instead, look for second-hand tools sold by contractors who are either switching to a different field or retiring. The same goes for your company truck or van.
Aside from your equipment, you will need a program to help you manage the admin portion of the business. Home service software makes advertising easier, allows you to create quotes and invoices quickly, manages your schedule, allows for fast time billing, and makes it easier for you to manage your inventory.
Hire the Right Employees
When you've built up your business and attracted enough customers, the next step is to hire people to work for you. Your employees will have face-to-face contact with your customers, so it's important to choose people who are responsible, talented, and friendly, with no record of criminal behavior that could make them a danger to your customers by having access to their homes. Always conduct in-person interviews and check credentials before hiring them.
Once you have workers, you'll need to manage their schedules. Home service software allows you to view and edit everyone's day in one place. You can drag and drop tasks to each employee's schedule. Whenever there are changes, workers can let you know via the app on their phones or tablets. There is also a check-in, check-out system that makes it easy to see how many hours your workers spent on each project.
Focus on Marketing and Brand Awareness
Even if you're the best contractor in the area, it'll be hard for you to get new customers unless you put yourself out there. Most small businesses do well when they market offline and online. Put up posters in local shops, advertise in the newspaper, and hand out flyers to people who are likely to need your services.
To further increase your chances of success, create an intuitive and search-engine-optimized website and several social media channels for your business. These are easy to manage when you use home service software because you can automate posts and see your stats on an intuitive dashboard. There is also a review generator that distributes positive reviews to various sites where people might be looking for garage door repair services.
Stay Up to Date
Every year, manufacturers produce new types of garage doors. Your job will likely change significantly over time as you have to adapt to changing market conditions and products. For this reason, you have to take classes or read subject-specific journals regularly. If there is a contractors' association or group in your area, ask to join it so that you can exchange ideas with others in your field.
Building up the best garage door repair company in your area is achievable as long as you spend time learning the necessary skills, use the right kinds of tools, and work with talented individuals. If you need help with admin, marketing, and scheduling, get home service software. Call us at ServiceBox to find out more about our program and how it can make running your business easier.
