kars

Bolt On....still. Great support.

Uniform companies suck! I have used 2 major company's rip my lips off. Poor service, constant rate increases etc.. 3 year contracts, iron clad in their favor. I finally just bought all of my employees uniforms and rags. I give the employees their uniforms and they are responsible for washing them. Zero problems. Everybody shows up dressed for work in clean cloths. I throw the rags away when they are done. I cut my uniform costs by 60-70%.

I have used AutoVitals and Bolt On. Bolt on is miles ahead of AV in my opinion. Bolt On is much more intuitive and easier to implement, especially if you use Mitchell.

$80 for maintenance.$105 General. $115 for Euro. $121 if customer supplies the parts. Peoria Az.

https://snapfinance.com/ I just got set up with these guys. No real credit check (they do not do a hard pull on their credit report, good if they do not want an inquiry). You need to have a checking account and at least $1000 a month income. They claim about an 80% approval rate. 12 month loan with 100 days same as cash. $39 application fee if approved. The down side is up to 98% interest if you don't pay it off in 100 days. They also take 4% of the ticket. Basically you need to make sure your customer can pay it off in 100 days and they make arrangements with Snap to do so. It's just another option available.

Try cutting way back on your discounts first. There is no reason to give away work. $80 sounds more than reasonable. I would start with the friends and family. If they are really friends and family they should be coming to you regardless.

Worldpac has R134a on sale for $99 currently. I get $12.99 a lb. Same price the customer can buy it from Autozone.

As I understand it. Yes they must punch in and out. 2 reasons. 1) Workmans comp. 2) As of this year you have to start paying sick pay. You need to keep track of their hours worked as sick pay is accrued over the hours they work. You do not have to pay them overtime for flat rate. You must make sure they make at least minimum wage ($10 per hour). This would be subject to overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week (another reason for them to punch in and out). You probably need to see if ADP offers HR services. In most cases it is money well spent.

Very interesting. I like the approach. Good luck.

I can recommend ASA.

Take the time now to get some auto management training. Do it now or it's not going to happen. This was the biggest mistake I made. I started out the same way you did, same plan, no debt, only employee etc.. If you do not know what numbers you need and how to get them it will be a long and painful road. There are a number of different companies out there that will help you (read, take your money). Do your due diligence in researching them and choose the one that fits you best. I would advise partnering with a parts distributor, NAPA etc.. You will be able to offer nationwide warranties as well as many other perks. When the shop is running try to join ASA or some similar group. They will offer training and some mentorship in most cases. You know about the hard assets you need, tools and equipment. You may know how to repair vehicles. What you probably don't know is how to run a profitable shop (5 years later and I am just starting to get a handle on it).

What would Jefferson say about this? #1 Air Transportation Taxes (just look at how much you were charged the last time you flew) #2 Biodiesel Fuel Taxes #3 Building Permit Taxes #4 Business Registration Fees #5 Capital Gains Taxes #6 Cigarette Taxes #7 Court Fines (indirect taxes) #8 Disposal Fees #9 Dog License Taxes #10 Drivers License Fees (another form of taxation) #11 Employer Health Insurance Mandate Tax #12 Employer Medicare Taxes #13 Employer Social Security Taxes #14 Environmental Fees #15 Estate Taxes #16 Excise Taxes On Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans #17 Federal Corporate Taxes #18 Federal Income Taxes #19 Federal Unemployment Taxes #20 Fishing License Taxes #21 Flush Taxes (yes, this actually exists in some areas) #22 Food And Beverage License Fees #23 Franchise Business Taxes #24 Garbage Taxes #25 Gasoline Taxes #26 Gift Taxes #27 Gun Ownership Permits #28 Hazardous Material Disposal Fees #29 Highway Access Fees #30 Hotel Taxes (these are becoming quite large in some areas) #31 Hunting License Taxes #32 Import Taxes #33 Individual Health Insurance Mandate Taxes #34 Inheritance Taxes #35 Insect Control Hazardous Materials Licenses #36 Inspection Fees #37 Insurance Premium Taxes #38 Interstate User Diesel Fuel Taxes #39 Inventory Taxes #40 IRA Early Withdrawal Taxes #41 IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax) #42 IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) #43 Library Taxes #44 License Plate Fees #45 Liquor Taxes #46 Local Corporate Taxes #47 Local Income Taxes #48 Local School Taxes #49 Local Unemployment Taxes #50 Luxury Taxes #51 Marriage License Taxes #52 Medicare Taxes #53 Medicare Tax Surcharge On High Earning Americans Under Obamacare #54 Obamacare Individual Mandate Excise Tax (if you don't buy "qualifying" health insurance under Obamacare you will have to pay an additional tax) #55 Obamacare Surtax On Investment Income (a new 3.8% surtax on investment income) #56 Parking Meters #57 Passport Fees #58 Professional Licenses And Fees (another form of taxation) #59 Property Taxes #60 Real Estate Taxes #61 Recreational Vehicle Taxes #62 Registration Fees For New Businesses #63 Toll Booth Taxes #64 Sales Taxes #65 Self-Employment Taxes #66 Sewer & Water Taxes #67 School Taxes #68 Septic Permit Taxes #69 Service Charge Taxes #70 Social Security Taxes #71 Special Assessments For Road Repairs Or Construction #72 Sports Stadium Taxes #73 State Corporate Taxes #74 State Income Taxes #75 State Park Entrance Fees #76 State Unemployment Taxes (SUTA) #77 Tanning Taxes (a new Obamacare tax on tanning services) #78 Telephone 911 Service Taxes #79 Telephone Federal Excise Taxes #80 Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Taxes #81 Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Taxes #82 Telephone State And Local Taxes #83 Telephone Universal Access Taxes #84 The Alternative Minimum Tax #85 Tire Recycling Fees #86 Tire Taxes #87 Tolls (another form of taxation) #88 Traffic Fines (indirect taxation) #89 Use Taxes (Out of state purchases, etc.) #90 Utility Taxes #91 Vehicle Registration Taxes #92 Waste Management Taxes #93 Water Rights Fees #94 Watercraft Registration & Licensing Fees #95 Well Permit Fees #96 Workers Compensation Taxes #97 Zoning Permit Fees 1 - The U.S. tax code is now 3.8 million words long. If you took all of William Shakespeare's works and collected them together, the entire collection would only be about 900,000 words long. 2 - According to the National Taxpayers Union, U.S. taxpayers spend more than 7.6 billion hours complying with federal tax requirements. Imagine what our society would look like if all that time was spent on more economically profitable activities. 3 - 75 years ago, the instructions for Form 1040 were two pages long. Today, they are 189 pages long. 4 - There have been 4,428 changes to the tax code over the last decade. It is incredibly costly to change tax software, tax manuals and tax instruction booklets for all of those changes. 5 - According to the National Taxpayers Union, the IRS currently has 1,999 different publications, forms, and instruction sheets that you can download from the IRS website. 6 - Our tax system has become so complicated that it is almost impossible to file your taxes correctly. For example, back in 1998 Money Magazine had 46 different tax professionals complete a tax return for a hypothetical household. All 46 of them came up with a different result. 7 - In 2009, PC World had five of the most popular tax preparation software websites prepare a tax return for a hypothetical household. All five of them came up with a different result. 8 - The IRS spends $2.45 for every $100 that it collects in taxes. 9 - According to The Tax Foundation, the average American has to work until April 17th just to pay federal, state, and local taxes. Back in 1900, "Tax Freedom Day" came on January 22nd. 10 - When the U.S. government first implemented a personal income tax back in 1913, the vast majority of the population paid a rate of just 1 percent, and the highest marginal tax rate was just 7 percent.

I never charge more than dealer list. Same goes with aftermarket parts. It's the whole perception thing. I mean really, why should anyone go to an independent when they are charging more than the dealer? The only advantage we offer in most cases over the dealer is price. it's not worth it to me to take a chance losing a customer over a few percentage points. Dealer parts are only about 15-20 percent of my parts sales. It's just not worth it to me.

If I have any idea there is a chance the customer will not or can not pay, I get at least all of the parts up front. If the repairs are 1/2 the book value of the car or more I have a serious conversation with the customer up front ( yes, I book a lot of vehicles before making repairs). I weigh all the pro's and cons of repairing the vehicle with the customer before they make a decision on the repair. I feel it is my job to be a trusted and unbiased advisor to them on all things vehicle related (and then some). People really seem to appreciate this. In other words......no, I have not had this problem.

If I have any idea there is a chance the customer will not pay, I get at least all of the parts up front. If the repairs are 1/2 the book value of the car or more I have a serious conversation with the customer up front ( yes, I book a lot of vehicles before making repairs). I weigh all the pro's and cons of repairing the vehicle with the customer before they make a decision on the repair. I feel it is my job to be a trusted and unbiased advisor to them on all things vehicle related (and then some). People really seem to appreciate this.

Time to do some shopping. Even your old price seems high. I pay about $5400 for garage keepers and workmans comp. (4400 sf)

I have a few. They are good to keep in your trunk or glove box in case of emergency. I don't think I would use one for day to day operation. Best to go with a full size for the shop.

Yes....had to go with OEM.

Time to expand the shop, or build or buy a bigger one. EZ.

Close when payed.

Ditto. Bring a check or credit card at time of pick up.

2016 has been total crap for me. Over the past 4 years I have averaged 30-40 percent growth every year. I invested everything in growing the shop, adding help etc.. figuring on a another 20-30 percent growth this year. Pretty much doubled my expenses trying to outfit for the growth. So far all I can do is match last years numbers which nets me about a 3k per month loss. I'm going for some Vin Waterhouse training this week. Hopefully it will help me with getting my numbers right.

My 2 cents. Get an accountant. Get one that has at least 2 other shops. I have gone through 3 accountants in the past year. They just don't get what I need. None of them has ever done accounting for auto repair. Ask around to some other shops and see if they can recommend someone.