Website Help

zmcgovern45 said:
If you are primarily mobile, chances are you drive a vehicle large enough to carry a good amount of supplies. Usually these types of vehicles are not very fuel efficient. You need to factor in the cost of fuel as part of your expenses which ultimately make that estimated $20/hr much less overtime if it cost you $10+ in fuel for each trip. You need to closely monitor and track your mileage, fuel costs, etc etc for tax purposes. All of that can be written off as a business expense, thus lowering your required taxes. If that vehicle is also primarily used for business, you may be able to write off things such as insurance, and the payments (if any) that you need to make on the vehicle...... I am no expert, so please do your own research or consult a professional before making such assumptions on your tax forms.

Spring and Summer weather should definitely bring more business.
Click to expand...

Well since I'm just starting out I only have a 2wd mazda pickup which helps a lot with fuel efficiency, but as my business grows I'm gonna need more supplies which requires a bigger vehicle, but with the amount of supplies I have it works for now. And I write off everything that I goes through my business. Anything I buy for business or with my business name on it..I actually owned a repair shop for 5 years with my dad so I'm pretty familiar with the way things (mostly) work.

zmcgovern45 said:
I still think you have much more room to increase your margins, but that is up to you. Also, I would highly suggest that you only post those prices as an "estimate" to your customers.

I post my services followed by a starting price.

For example,


From that estimate, you can gather that I charge around $35/hour. These starting prices are based on estimated time required for a small vehicle (ie a 2 person coupe, a bmw Z3 for example) in average condition. I then increase prices based upon size of vehicle and overall condition of vehicle because these factors ultimately affect the amount of time it takes to complete a job. I try to only provide an estimate once I have been able to see the car, so I really know what I am dealing with. This maintains a fair price for each customer and makes sure you don't get screwed when you tell someone it'll be $300 to remove the swirls from their paint and then they bring you a completely trashed vehicle and say "here is your $300, let me know when you've got all the swirls out like you promised!" and then 40 hours later you are only finished with the hood.... that's an exaggeration, obviously, but hopefully you see where I am coming from.

Just some more food for thought!
Click to expand...

And good point, granted I'm not offering paint correction services yet (just hand polishing at the most for now till i get insurance) I still need to not put a final price on my services when I know I could eventually get screwed at some point. I have prices listed for each Car & SUV/Pickup, but half of how the price is determined is by the extent of the condition. I'll definitely keep it in mind !
This business is much different from auto repair.lol
 
Ya I got burned on interior job one time not seeing it first lost my ass on the job. Thats why I don't quote interior work till I see the car and I put price starts at:$$$
 
That's exactly the way I need to be running my business, I have a level 3 interior job on Monday so I'm going to bid that one without selling myself short.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top