How I Started My Own Residential Appliance Repair & Service Business and…very Successful from the Start
Here’s how I did it:
After retiring from the military (Army 22 years) and not wanting to work for anyone else or get boring 9 to 5 job. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. So I began to look into Home Base Small Businesses with very low startup and that has low overhead (just me for now).
After owning a couple of over-the-road trucks and hiring drivers that were a constant pain. We (my wife and I) started having major problems with this business; from drivers stealing gas, fines, D.O.T, permits, insurance (extremely high on the East coast). We were losing sleep, always stressed (driver & truck issues), gas and… We decided ENOUGH was ENOUGH and sold the trucks. Whew… what a relief!
I still DID NOT want to go JOB HUNTING for a traditional 9 to 5 JOB! The TRUCKING Business left us in a financial bind and money was tight! We purchased a used dryer from a local guy for $60 and tested it behind his house in his little shop (he guaranteed the dryer). I brought the dryer home and it worked for 4 days! Before I forget this guy was over 70 years old, his wife has Alzheimer’s and a 38 year old daughter with down syndrome. He was caring for both of them and he told me that money was tight because of the medication he has to buy for his wife and daughter.
I really felt for the guy and did not want my money back, let’s just exchange the dryer and get another one. We did and I brought that one home… it worked 4 days (totally true). I called him and he COULD NOT believe it! He said, this has never happened before!
However, he said, if you don’t want your money back… just leave the dryer outside (I had to leave the house for a while) and he would bring me another one. Long story short, I did and he delivered another dryer and… you guessed it! It worked 4 days! I DIDN’T have the HEART to call the guy and felt that the LORD told me to repair the dryer (I know it didn’t make sense to put more money into a USED dryer, when I could purchase a NEW one). However, I was prompt to have it repaired.
I prayed and felt lead to call a local guy that had been in business for about 35 years (at the time). We started talking and he was looking for someone to train and help him with his Appliance Repair Business and I needed a job/income pretty bad!! That was the BIRTH of my Appliance Repair Business!
All because of a $60 dryer (that I still have and it works)! I have it as a second dryer on the garage purchased a new washer and dryer set for my wife as an Anniversary present almost 2 years ago. This is an AWESOME business… Period! It has provided a VERY lucrative INCOME for me and my family for 10 years and… I Love It!
Guys ANYONE can do this and I will Show You How!
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After learning what I could from the older appliance guy (he was old school and did not repair a lot of the new appliances). However, he did teach me some of the basics about appliances. I started looking for appliance repair training elsewhere, including books, appliance repair training schools, free appliance repair training, and online appliance repair training courses:
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Once you learn the basics from a simple and well-designed Appliance Repair Training Course (Cornerstone Appliance Training) and find free appliance training resources such as;
- YouTube Videos (search on “appliance repair training”)
- Repair Forums
- Free Online Service Manuals (a good free source is appliancejunk.com)
- Parts Sites (repairclinic.com has repair videos & partselect.com has DIY advice)
I have to insert a plug here for the Cornerstone Appliance Training Course – Our training is the closest thing you’ll ever get to hands-on training in an online course.
Our Appliance Training course is NOT only much more AFFORDABLE than the other online appliance training courses, it will bridge the gap between reading the book and actually taking service calls.
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How I put together my business tools:
- I built my appliance repair business web site using ProfitBuilder.com because they offer AWESOME WordPress themes. We offer a FREE 20 Page Appliance Repair Training Website that is Professionally Designed and Optimized for the Appliance Repair and Service Business.
- I got a pre-paid from Walmart is very economical for a startup business with one line.
- I had business cards and my invoices printed using a local mom and pop shop – they have great prices for full color, coated, two sided business cards, great customer service and they’re FAST!
- I had t-shirts made with a local shop and I went to a local thrift shop and found some really nice light weight jackets for $5 and put my logo & the name of my company on the front top left.
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I put together my appliance repair service tools and parts:
After working with and learning from my local mentor. I had most of the basic tools I needed to start and a couple of more to get started (multi-meter, voltage tester, etc…)
I purchased the basic minimum appliance repair parts inventory for washer and dryers mainly (pumps, couplers, fuses, motor couplers, etc…). You need just enough to get started and start making money.
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How I promoted my business:
- I got my appliance repair business website listed in free online directories; craigslist, backpage, kijiji, etc…
- I placed business cards in local restaurants, cleaners and local businesses that I frequent
- I let the local appliance parts stores know I was in business
- I placed ads in the local free paper (it generated a lot of leads)
- I signed up with inexpensive paid lead services
- We show you how to advertise your business for free or we can help (it’s up to you)
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I started taking calls:
After listen to my mentor take calls and listening to the questions he asked the customer.I created a Schedule Sheet (it’s in the Cornerstone Appliance Training Course) that made it easier to practically diagnose the appliance over the phone. You would know with about 80 to 90% certainty what part you need to repair the appliance before you arrive at the home I would also call my mentor personally (We offer telephone support in our course) if I had stumper calls, and he always answered the phone and helped me work through the problem. I can’t say enough about this – our live support was huge!!
I would use online appliance repair forums as additional technical resources
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I will show you how to make on average $300 – $500 a Day in a very short time
- I opened a free business checking account and started depositing my checks.
- I am currently taking 5-8 calls a day.
- How to Make $65,000 to $80,000 the First Year (if you apply yourself)