Make a Bicycle Repair Shop
Template:Stub Starting a small business is never easy. You need to write a business plan, organise your finances, assess the viability of your business, and obtain any licenses, permits, and insurance that is required. A bicycle repair shop is not too difficult to set up provided you understand bikes well and know just how to fix the things that can wrong.
Steps
- Purchase a bike manual that teaches you how to fix and repair different types of bicycles. Study it and practice. Push bikes are all essentially similar but there are many different types of suspension, gears, braking systems etc.
- Go to yard sales or flea markets; purchase an old bicycle and bicycle parts. Take them apart, and use the parts for customers' bikes in need of repair. Also, look into trade-in value of bikes. If a customer's bicycle is worth, say $50 (i.e department store brand), but the cost of the total repair may run $150, you run the risk of losing a sale. Instead, you may offer a trade-in value of the bike, minus the cost of parts to be replaced or whatever estimate you may have, and subtract from the cost of a bike in stock ready to go. That way, you would have sold a bike, essentially gained a bike that could be rebuilt and sold, or used for parts, which helps for inventory.
- Find a place to set up the shop. It doesn't have to be a rental property, but if you do choose this route, make sure the start-up costs are in line with your budget. The best time to build is near the end of the slow season, say January, which is either the height of summer or winter depending on where you live, that way you are slow enough to set up your shop the way you want, but fast enough to start to build a client base heading into the busy season. Consider locations in commercial areas with major retail such as supermarkets, main roads that shows your business, industrial areas close to highways and main roads. You can start the business by working out of your garage as well.
- Sell your services. Advertising is important. You can do this by placing advertisements in magazines and newspapers. Having business cards can be effective, and you could wait to build a client base that could warrant mass media, but word-of-mouth generally works efficiently, so remember to make your customers happy and more than satisfied with whatever products and services they may receive. Another good idea to get the word out about your new business might be to put up signs and flyers around your neighborhood.
- Schedule work hours and days. For instance, do you initially want to work only on weekends from 12-6 p.m. and gradually increase those days and hours as the business grows?
Tips
- Try do get jobs done at a manageable time period, so customers will come back.
- Make sure you do a good job, so customers will come back.
- Keep your customers comfortable by building a conversation, offering refreshments, or a space to lounge, if possible. The key is to have a welcoming atmosphere to heighten the experience.
- Use the five senses to help people feel welcome. For example, put on some good music in the background. An appealing visual layout of the shop will also help contribute to a positive atmosphere.
- Go to your local bike shop or order products from a catalog, like tires, tubes, and other accessories.
- Make sure you have a manual always with you during repair. Most manuals are also available as digital versions, i.e. you can easily save them on your mobile phone.
Warnings
- Always have a first aid kit nearby, just in case of injury.
Things You'll Need
- Tools that are listed in your manual
- Manual
- First aid kit
- Bicycle lubricant (not WD-40)
