In modern economic conditions, when starting your own business, it is important to evaluate your existing business idea according to the criterion of protection from the crisis. Due to the fact that the overall purchasing power of the population has decreased slightly in recent years, the demand for certain categories of goods and services is deferred. One of the most profitable solutions in the current situation would be to organize a service station as a business that can bring stable profits to its owner.

The number of cars is growing every year. In addition, the majority of the population today cannot afford to purchase a new vehicle and have it serviced at a dealership. The turnover of used cars in Russia in 2016 increased by 11% compared to the previous year, according to average statistical data from analytical agencies. This fact suggests that the demand for private car service services will be stable and, most likely, will grow. Let's look at how to create a profitable repair and maintenance business. car maintenance.

In order to calculate the effectiveness of any commercial project as accurately as possible, it is necessary to determine the basis on which the enterprise will operate in the future. Such a program must include all aspects of the production and economic activities of a car service center, the amount of costs for opening it and the projected financial results of its work.

What is needed to open a service station in 2016?

First of all, it is necessary to register a new business entity with the tax service. There are no restrictions on the choice of organizational and legal form for registering such an enterprise. Therefore, you have the right to decide for yourself. will cost a little more and may take longer than registering an individual entrepreneur.

The next step will be choosing the location of the future service station.

Advice: in order to ensure a constant influx of customers, try to choose areas near roads where transport can interrupt its route with a stop. A good solution would be to open a car service next to a gas station, parking lot or parking lot.

When you have finally decided on the location of the service station, you should begin to prepare all the paperwork necessary to open it.

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Documents required to open a car service center

To organize a car repair and maintenance business, you can purchase a plot of land and build a car service building on it, or rent ready-made premises.

The first option - organizing a car service center from scratch - will cost you much more, and at the same time you will have to obtain a lot of approvals and permits from the city administration and the architectural department.

If you prefer the rental option, then when concluding an agreement with the owner you should pay attention to some nuances:

• the service station premises should not be built without permission - check the Certificate of Ownership of the building, which should indicate the appropriate purpose of the building;
• the room must meet all sanitary and hygienic rules and regulations (level of lighting, ventilation, etc.);
• the height of the building (the floor on which repair work is planned) must be at least 3.5 m, since for the service station to fully function you will need to install a car lift;
• The area of ​​the building should be about 100 square meters. m - this is enough to install two car lifts.

Important! It is legally prohibited to organize a car service center in close proximity to residential buildings. The distance from the service station to the nearest house must be at least 50 m.

So, what documents are needed to open a service station? In addition to the Certificate of State Registration of Business (LLC or Individual Entrepreneur) and the premises rental agreement, you need to obtain:

• certificate from the SES;
• conclusion of the local fire inspection service.

In addition, when you start business, you need to submit a notification of the start of work (provision of services) to the territorial body of Rospotrebnadzor in the prescribed form.

Important! Previously, before opening a car service, an entrepreneur had to obtain a license to engage in this type of activity. Currently, a permitting document is not needed, which reduces the time and costs of starting a project.

Documents for opening a service station can be supplemented with Certificates of Compliance with current standards. Certification is voluntary and is carried out at the discretion of the business owner. Having certificates for the types of work performed gives you a competitive advantage; this generally improves the image of your service station.

How much will it cost to open a car service center?

The lion's share of the start-up capital will have to be spent on the purchase and installation of equipment for opening a service station. Today, technical equipment and tools for car repair are presented in a fairly wide range. Everything you need can be purchased directly from the manufacturer via the Internet.

The cost of the equipment will depend on which manufacturer you choose. The price range is very wide, and it is important to understand that the most expensive does not mean the highest quality.

Domestic equipment usually costs several times less than imported equipment. In any case, when purchasing, you should pay attention to the warranty periods, service conditions and the possibility of feedback from the manufacturer.

Approximate estimate for the purchase of equipment and tools for the service station:

• car lift – 150-300 thousand rubles;
• hydraulic press – 40 thousand rubles;
• oil change equipment – ​​35 thousand rubles;
• compressor – 30 thousand rubles;
• stand for cleaning parts – 10 thousand rubles;
• clamps, grips and repair chairs – 10 thousand rubles;
• tool sets – 50 thousand rubles;
• furniture for service stations (cabinets, racks, benches, etc.) – 40 thousand rubles.

In order to equip a standard car service, this will be enough.

In addition to the costs of technical equipment for a service station, mandatory expenses should include rent, payments to service personnel, the cost of outdoor advertising and taxes.

Important! One of the most optimal tax regimes for car service activities is a single tax on imputed income. So, in 2016, providing repair and maintenance services. car maintenance, pay 15% of their imputed income (its amount depends on the number of employees hired). The advantage of this tax system is that if the profitability of the business actually exceeds the basic profitability for calculating the tax, the amount of the mandatory payment remains unchanged.

If you add up all the necessary expenses, then the total amount for opening a service station designed for 2 lifts will be 1-1.2 million rubles. In addition, in the first year of operation, an entrepreneur will need a reserve capital reserve to cover monthly expenses in case the service is not immediately busy enough. Let's talk further about how much a car service earns and how quickly it can pay for itself.

How profitable is it to open a car service center?

When opening your own service station, you must understand that prices for services should not be at the same level as prices at car dealerships. It is advisable, even before opening a technical inspection and repair point, to collect information about the pricing policies of large competing companies and develop your own price list, taking into account the slight difference in the cost of services. This move will allow you to attract a large number of customers at the initial stage.

Particular attention should be paid to personnel selection, because as one of the Soviet politicians said: “Personnel decide everything.” Try to hire employees who have sufficient training, education and experience.

The list of standard car service services usually includes:

• oil change;
• engine and suspension repairs;
• gearbox repair;
• comprehensive maintenance, etc.

When such a service station is fully loaded, designed to simultaneously service two cars, provided that the enterprise operates in standard mode (7 days a week from 9.00 to 19.00), it can generate income of up to 780 thousand rubles. per month. This amount is calculated based on the average cost of a standard hour of 1.3 thousand rubles. – price for repairs of middle-class cars.

To see the amount of profit, you should subtract the amount of expenses from the amount of income and minus tax payments.

Let's calculate the possible amount of net profit for one calendar month. To do this, you need to determine the amount of expenses:

• rent – ​​100 thousand rubles. (at a price of 1000 rubles per 1 sq. m);
• salary – 240 thousand rubles. (based on 8 people with a 2/2 work schedule, 4 workers per shift);
• utility bills, cleaning, etc. – 30 thousand rubles.

If you add everything together, you get 370 thousand rubles. Don't forget to take into account taxes and insurance premiums. On average it will cost about 150 thousand rubles.

We calculate the net profit: 780 – 370 – 150 = 260 thousand rubles. This will be the potential profit for one month of work.

To calculate the payback of the project, it is necessary to divide the total amount of start-up capital spent on opening a service station (in our case, 1.2 million rubles) by the monthly profit. As a result, we get approximately 5 months. This will be the payback period for the business project we are considering.

You must understand that the indicated values ​​may vary depending on the region in which the car service is planned to open, the average cost of services, and most importantly, the flow of customers.

How to make an enterprise more efficient

In order for a car service to generate a guaranteed stable income, it is necessary to maintain constant communication with clients. This will help optimize the quality of work of the service station as a whole and identify additional customer needs, which, by addressing them, you can make your enterprise even more efficient and profitable.

For example, in early spring and late autumn there is an increased demand for tire service. Despite the fact that the average cost of special equipment is 70-80 thousand rubles, and the price of services varies from 800 to 1500 rubles. for servicing one car, it’s easy to calculate how much you can earn by opening a tire service at the service station.

We offer step-by-step instructions on how to open a car service center! Detailed calculations, real examples and useful tips.

Capital investments – 700,000 rubles.
Payback – 1−1.5 years.

The number of cars on the streets of our cities indicates that almost every family has their own car. And even despite the fact that men are still behind the wheel, few people now repair their car themselves, especially if the breakdown is serious.

This is why car service owners are thriving and there is nothing to indicate that the situation with this type of business will change dramatically.

If you are looking for a suitable niche for business, then you should definitely find out how to open a car service center from scratch.

When planning to open a new auto repair business, remember that decent funding is involved. If you don’t have enough starting capital, then you need to look for an investor.

How much does it actually cost to open a car repair shop and what else, besides money, is needed for this, you will learn from this article.

Advantages of opening your own car service center

It is no coincidence that this type of business seems so attractive. It really has many advantages that even novice entrepreneurs know about.

If you decide to open a car service, you can take advantage of the following advantages:

• This type of business is in great demand because the number of consumers of car service services is increasing every day.
• You will never lack customers, because the condition of our roads leaves much to be desired, which means that every driver, having ruined his car on the road, will come to you to repair it.
• Domestic buyers most often purchase used cars rather than new ones.
  And an old car, although in good condition, is constantly in need of repair.
• To own a car service center you do not need to have any special skills.
  You will still hire professionals to provide various repair services.
  You will only have to perform a leadership function.
• The money invested in a car service pays off quite quickly, because you can earn about 100 thousand rubles monthly with the right approach to business.
• Despite the fact that today there are a lot of car repair shops in any city, good specialists are always in great demand, so if you find them, you should try to keep them.
• Despite the high competition in this sector, you can create your own competitive advantages, which will help you stand out from other auto repair shops and form your own customer base.

What services can be provided by opening a car service?

It’s not enough to just want to open a car service center. You need to figure out exactly what exactly you want to do; simply put, find a niche in this type of business.

Most often, entrepreneurs invest in:

Specialized car services.

That is, you only repair a car of a certain brand or country of origin.
This type of car service can be very profitable, especially if some of the niches are not occupied in your city, but get ready for the fact that global car brands very carefully select official representatives, so you will have to try to meet their requirements.

Tire fittings.

Tire sealing, wheel alignment, wheel alignment, tire replacement - this is not the entire list of services provided by tire shops.
They never sit without work, because potholes on the roads are reliable suppliers of clientele.

Repair shops.

Their specialists fix any problems with the engine, chassis of the car and much more.

Electronics service station.

Auto body repair shop.

This includes straightening, welding, painting, etc.

The most profitable option is to have multidisciplinary specialists to provide as many services as possible.

If you cannot initially purchase so much equipment, then set yourself the goal of expanding the car service gradually, adding one or another service.

P.S. It would not be a bad idea to equip your car service with a car wash, which also brings good money, or an auto goods store.

Features of opening a car service center

Before you decide to open a car service center, you need to remember some of the features of this type of business so as not to regret your decision later.

In order for a car service to quickly generate income and recoup the initial investment, you need to:

1. Initially, decide on the list of services that your car repair business will provide.
   In accordance with it, you will look for specialists.
   If you want to grow your business as quickly as possible, then you should focus on the services most popular among car enthusiasts: tire fitting, body work, engine and chassis repairs.
2. Find a suitable premises to open your own car service center.
   This is not as easy to do as you might think at first glance, because this room must meet many requirements, which we will talk about later.
3. Purchase professional equipment that will withstand large volumes of work, but do not overpay for it in order to reduce the size of the start-up investment in the business.
4. Think over your pricing policy so as not to limit yourself to serving only the rich part of the population.
5. It is very important to find a good supplier of auto parts at reasonable prices.
   The number of people who want to have their car repaired by you will increase if you always have a supply of auto parts so that the client does not have to wait long for the parts to be ordered and delivered.

Of course, you first need to take care of a good premises, hiring qualified personnel, purchasing high-quality equipment, thinking through the pricing policy, etc., but there are nuances in opening a car service center that should also not be forgotten, although they do not seem so important at first: competitive benefits and advertising campaign.

Let's take an example from a successful entrepreneur of the year,

who independently achieved enormous results by opening his own car service:

Competitive advantages of car service

If you look closely, you will see that auto repair shops are located all over the place in every city. Competition in this sector is indeed extremely high, therefore, even before opening a service station, you need to take care of competitive advantages:

• It is convenient to locate your car service so that customers do not have to travel too far to get there.
• Develop a loyalty program for regular customers.
• Hire the best generalists who could solve any problem.
• Think over your pricing policy in such a way as to differentiate yourself favorably from competitors, but at the same time not incur losses in business.
• Constantly expand the range of services in order to gradually turn into a universal auto repair shop.
• Organize the service “Home visit of a technician” if the client cannot deliver his car to the service station.
• Have a sufficient supply of auto parts to quickly repair your car.
• Organize promotions and discount days to attract customers.

Car service advertising

A new business cannot do without advertising.

Car service is no exception to this rule. To attract customers to your service station, you need to advertise it. You can do this using:

• commercials on local radio and television;
• advertisements in places where car enthusiasts often visit: gas stations, car markets, etc.;
• social networks.

P.S...the most effective advertising for a business is to quickly and at an affordable price repair a car for a new client. And if the driver is extremely polite to the client, answers all his questions, and does not ridicule his ignorance of the car, then be sure that this driver will return to you more than once.

The main stages of opening a car service center

“The essence of business is not about compliance with formalities, seeking profit, practical results, making a profit, trying to sell, commercial play or anything else. Business is, first of all, something you care about.”
Richard Branson

As already mentioned, opening a car service center is not a cheap pleasure, therefore, if you do not have several million rubles freely available, then first you need to open a small workshop that provides a limited range of services.

Here you will find step-by-step instructions for opening a small car service center that will provide diagnostic, tire fitting and car repair services. He will work seven days a week to be able to serve as many clients as possible.

The starting capital required to open a car service center is at least 700,000 rubles.

In addition, take into account the presence of monthly car service costs, which cannot be avoided even if you try.

Car service registration

If you are not going to work semi-legally, and it is unrealistic to do this with such a noisy business as a car service, then you need to register your own enterprise. The best form is IP.

After completing all the documents, you must register with the tax service by selecting the form of taxation - UTII.

Fortunately for you, you do not need to obtain a license to provide this type of service, so all you have to do is settle the matter with the fire department and the sanitary and epidemiological station.

Room

Finding suitable premises is not too easy, so many businessmen wonder why not build a suitable building for their car service center.

This should not be done, since such a project will be expensive. It is better to look for a ready-made premises (with an area of ​​at least 200 square meters) to open a car service center that would meet all the standards:

• located no closer than 15 m from residential buildings and 50 m from schools and kindergartens;
• had sewerage, heating and water supply systems;
• was equipped with a bathroom and showers.

You need a separate room, because no one will allow you to open a car service center in a residential building.

Take care of parking so that customers waiting in line at the car service do not violate traffic rules. Better yet, equip your service station with a comfortable waiting room or cafeteria - again, this is an additional source of income.

You can either rent a suitable business premises or buy it. Focus on what funds you have at your disposal at the moment.

To begin with, you can get by with rent: get ready to pay 125,000-150,000 rubles per month.

Car service equipment

Of course, on the day you open your repair shop, you will not be able to equip it so that your specialists can provide each and every service unless you have an unlimited supply of cash.

To begin with, you can get by with a minimal set of equipment for a car repair workshop:

Car service staff

The success of your business directly depends on how good specialists you hire.

Ideally, you need to hire generalists who can easily replace each other. If you can’t do this, then you can hire a person with lower qualifications for tire fitting, and repair technicians with a higher qualification.

Since our car service will work seven days a week, we need two shifts of workers of 3 people each (2 foremen + 1 tire service worker), an accountant, 2 cashiers and 2 cleaners.

If you want to save money, you can take over the bookkeeping yourself.

The table of personnel costs looks like this:

	Quantity	Salary	Total (RUB)
		Total:	138,000 rub.
Auto repairmen	4	20 000	80 000
Tire workers	2	12 000	24 000
Cashier	2	10 000	20 000
Cleaning woman	2	7 000	14 000

If you hire a qualified lawyer who will help you with registering a car service center, and you yourself will search for suitable premises, hire staff and purchase equipment, you will be able to open a car service station no later than 4 months after the idea arises.

If you do everything yourself, then everything will drag on for six months, or even longer.

How much does it cost to open and maintain a car service center?

You should understand that you will have to invest large one-time sums in order for your car service to start working, but it won’t stop there.

There will also be mandatory expenses every month: rent of premises, consumables, employee salaries, taxes, etc.

Cost table for opening a car service center

Car service monthly expenses table

How much can you earn from a car service?

With a normally operating car service center with a wide client network, you can earn at least 500,000 rubles per month.

If you consider that your monthly expenses are 400,000 rubles, then your net profit is 100,000 rubles.

Agree, this is not bad!

In such situations, the initial investment of 700,000 rubles can be returned within 7 months. But you won’t be able to achieve such speeds right away.

For the first months, perhaps even up to six months, you will either work at a loss or have difficulty covering mandatory expenses. That is why, according to experts, the average payback period for a car service is 1-1.5 years.

It is within your power to shorten this period!

Download a ready-made car service business plan with quality guarantee.
Contents of the business plan:
1. Privacy
2. Summary
3. Project implementation stages
4. Characteristics of the object
5. Marketing plan
6. Technical and economic data of equipment
7. Financial plan
8. Risk assessment
9. Financial and economic justification for investments
10. Conclusions

Useful tips on where to start to open your own car service center from scratch:

watch a video with an expert

Now you understand how to open a car service center from scratch, how much money you need to spend to realize your dream and become the owner of a service station, what stages you need to follow in order to launch a startup as quickly as possible, etc.

As you can see, a car service is a profitable, quick-payback business, which even high competition in the market cannot prevent from bringing profit to its owner.

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For most novice entrepreneurs, opening a full-fledged car service center is an expensive undertaking, so they have to give preference to a more “compact” business.

In particular, the so-called mini-car services, designed to service several cars (with 2-3 stations), have gained great popularity. The most interesting thing is that the prospects of this market are once again emphasized by the incredible turnover, which amounts to more than 500 million dollars a year (and this is only in Moscow). What can we say about the benefits on a state scale?

Due to incorrect policies, many car services cease their activities after just a few years of operation; the profile of the business or its owner often changes. To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to plan all the steps in advance and know how and in what sequence to act.

Particular attention should be paid to choosing a location for a future car service. Practice shows that the most attractive land from a profit standpoint is land directly next to highways. If you can find such a point, then this is 70-80% success. It is very important that cars can move off the road without hindrance, and this may require additional signs, road surfaces, markings, and so on.

The minimum area of ​​a car service where only one car can be received is 20-25 square meters (but this is only the technical part). Premises should also be allocated for receiving people, storing spare parts, and so on.

If you organize a waiting room, then this is only a plus for business. An excellent option is to open a metal hangar, in which you can place everything you need without committing yourself to searching for the necessary premises.

No business can do without solving bureaucratic issues. For example, to open your own business in Moscow you will need a certificate giving the right to perform auto repair work. Several organizations deal with these issues - Rostest, NAMI, and so on. It is worth considering that the validity of such a certificate is limited - three years.

How to get documents to open your own car service?

• Firstly, all equipment must be brought into compliance with all technical requirements. The inspection is carried out by a representative of the selected organization, who personally visits the site.
• Secondly, the mini-car service personnel must have the appropriate qualifications (at least specialized secondary education).
• Thirdly, all equipment for car diagnostics must be taken to metrological services to undergo the appropriate check (in Moscow, Rostest deals with these issues).

Where can I get money to start my own business? This is exactly the problem that 95% of new entrepreneurs face! In the article, we revealed the most relevant ways to obtain start-up capital for an entrepreneur. We also recommend that you carefully study the results of our experiment in exchange earnings:

The more equipment a car service has and the larger the business, the more expensive it will cost to obtain a certificate. Most often, the costs are about 80-100 thousand rubles (this is far from the only expense item). It is also necessary to conclude agreements for the disposal of automobile waste, garbage removal, and so on.

Car service equipment

Many businessmen start their business by purchasing the necessary equipment. At the same time, it is important to decide in which direction the car service will work - engine repair, tin work, diagnostics. The volume of equipment purchased directly depends on this.

In addition, many masters work only with certain brands of cars, which limits the number of potential visitors. But don't despair. It is better to find your own specific activity, occupy a free niche and begin to provide truly high-quality services in a specific direction. In this case, you can always get regular customers.

Whatever the field of activity, it is difficult to do without high-quality diagnostic equipment. At a minimum, you will need a laptop with the appropriate software and a diagnostic stand.

The cost of such pleasure is from 10-12 thousand dollars. You will need a body repair stand at a car service center (from 7 thousand dollars) and a high-quality lift (from 3 thousand dollars).

Car service income

What kind of income can you expect? Practice shows that it is much more profitable to service foreign cars and it is on them that a newly created business should be targeted. Of course, domestic cars break down more often, but the cost of repairing a foreign car is several times higher. In addition, to increase revenue, you can provide tire fitting services, painting work, and so on.

To organize a tire service, you need to spend from 2 thousand dollars, but such a business will pay off very quickly.

Another popular car service business is the sale of consumables, spare parts and accessories for cars. To begin with, it could be a small store. Over time, the business can be expanded.

Thus, opening a mini-car service is a profitable and promising type of business.

Its main advantages are stability and practically guaranteed benefits. As proof, we can cite a lot of examples when people converted their own garage into a car repair shop and did not regret it one bit.

A person who knows the prices of even minor body repairs or has been forced to travel by public transport for several weeks due to long queues to see “his” master, realizes that a car repair shop can be a very profitable business.

As one acquaintance who worked at a service station for three years says: “It’s easy to open a workshop: you rent a garage, if you don’t intend to repair it yourself, you find a master. That's all."
Although this scheme seems simple and straightforward, and, from the point of view of many people, can and does work, the situation is a little more complicated.

Therefore, in this article we will look at what remains behind the scenes in that wonderful and understandable description, and also in slightly more complex descriptions. We’ll help you draw up a business plan for opening a car service center, and we’ll try to estimate how much it costs to open one from scratch.

Business plan: how to open your own car service center from scratch

The most important thing in any business that you undertake is passion. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a sincere love for car repair or money (the most effective option is a combination of the first and second). Without passion, it will not be easy to endure everything that life offers to a beginner.
And only then, having assessed your desire and readiness, proceed to a business plan. More information on how to compose it can be found in.

The first thing to think about is what services you will provide and where to get clients from. These are the little things that people get confused about when they say: “rent a garage and work.”

No, experienced specialists who know the level of their qualifications, with their own clients, may not think about this issue at first. For a while. Until they need to increase their turnover to purchase additional tools or equipment, and their regular visitors begin to disperse in search of other convenient places and quality services.

Even a professional who has an idea of ​​what and how much is needed for work will have to think about the convenience of the location of his auto repair shop, services, equipment and advertising.

Types of service stations

There are different criteria for classification.
For example, divide by type of services provided. Car washes, which are described in, also belong to the car servicing sector.

By purpose, car services are:

• Road. In addition to their location (next to large highways), their peculiarity is that they are designed for both freight and passenger vehicles.

• Urban. They are usually more highly specialized, and are planned taking into account the ease of servicing private vehicles.

Or they are divided by size.

• Small ones. They are usually very limited in the number of posts and the choice of services offered. Most often, basic procedures are performed here: general diagnostics, routine repairs, lubrication, battery charging, simple body work, etc.

• Average. These include services with a number of parking spaces of up to 34. They add in-depth diagnostics, car painting, body repair and restoration, and others to the previous list of works.

• Large ones. They already carry out full maintenance, including major repairs of individual components and mechanisms.

Another equally relevant division of service stations:

• Authorized, belonging to official dealers. These are medium or large car services. They are contacted for warranty repairs. In the case of imported cars, the warranty for all types of work is 1–2 years. At the end of the term, car owners usually go to other organizations, since prices in such service stations are 2–5 times higher.

• Unauthorized. They vary in size and purpose, providing a full range of services or specializing in a particular type of work.

• "Garage" Workshop for one or two people. Opening requires minimal costs. The disadvantage of such an enterprise is that it does not involve the use of sophisticated equipment or a significant increase in staff. Yes, this allows us to offer low prices, but it reduces the list of operations and – with the increasing complexity of automotive systems – the final quality of repairs. In addition, without accompanying trade, the income of such an enterprise is low.

What do you need to open a car service?

With a car service, you have to solve the same issues as with any other business:

• "What?" – this will determine what services you provide and what clients you count on.

• "Where?" – a question of choosing and preparing the premises.

• "How?" – this probably includes the level of documentation, the choice of equipment and the organization of space in your premises.

• "Who?" – staff.

What documents are needed to open a car service?

The only good news on this issue is that licensing in this area is voluntary.

To promise a client a guarantee and a license, you can go and collect the necessary papers, or you can do without it.

In order to work officially, without fear of fines and without hiding from anyone, you will need:

• Register as an LLC or individual entrepreneur.
• Register with tax and extra-budgetary funds.
• And get permission from GosFire Supervision and SES.

However, if you are starting on a grand scale and plan to build a building, the design of your car service center will have to be coordinated with the licensing authorities and the architectural department.

Opening a car service: choosing a premises

The premises can be rented or built from scratch.

In any case, the SES requirements will be the following:

• Your station cannot be located closer than 50 m from kindergartens and schools or 15 m from residential buildings.

• You cannot open service stations in residential buildings.

• The service station must be connected to water supply and sewerage and have adequate ventilation.

• The area of ​​the room is more than 5 square meters. m per employee.

• A shower and toilet must be installed on the premises.

But meeting the requirements of the SES of the territory is not enough, since its profitability will directly depend on the location of the car service center.

No one will go even to the best craftsmen and high-quality repairs in the wilderness, from where it takes three days to get out with dogs. Simply because in the event of a serious breakdown, the client will periodically have to leave you on his own.

The search task is simple; you will need to guess where it is more convenient to serve your target group. Or - if you are coming from a place - what exactly to offer so that people come to you.

But in any case, whatever place you choose, you need:

• So that the building can be seen from the roadway. Choosing a room in the back of a garage cooperative will reduce the flow of people by at least 30%. Simply because of the inconvenience of searching.

• Location close to transport interchanges. We have already mentioned “three days on dogs”. The location should be convenient for car owners. In the case of non-critical damage, all other things being equal, a person will prefer a service station near the house or where it is easy to leave.

• Consider the convenience of exiting the main road, possible redevelopment of the area and much more.

It is best to determine the degree of importance of each location feature on site based on the convenience and needs of clients.

Try to find a room without columns. Because of them, up to 25% of the usable area is lost.

Much depends on the layout of the premises, the proper organization of space, the organization of the work area and the area for visitors.

Necessary equipment for car service

The equipment directly depends on what exactly you have defined as your main area. The main activity of the service station is aimed at diagnostics, mechanics and body repairs and tire fitting.

Good income comes from related services and the sale of spare parts and car accessories.

You will need:

• Auto tools and straightening tools. A complete set of keys, screwdrivers and sockets will cost from 35 thousand rubles.

• Diagnostic devices. If you intend to service foreign cars, you will need a diagnostic scanner.

• Jacks, lifts, tilters, etc. These devices are used, among other things, when dismantling the gearbox, adjusting the wheel alignment and in other procedures. When choosing them, you should not save money, since you will lose more money if they break down and subsequent repairs.

• Tire fitting equipment. A profitable industry, especially considering the mandatory change of winter/summer tires.

• Lubrication and filling equipment, painting installations, cleaning installations.

• Auto chemicals and car accessories.

It is not enough just to purchase these instruments, apparatus and materials. You also need to arrange them correctly. Since the speed of operation, the throughput of the service, and therefore your future income directly depend on the ease of their use.

Staff

It all depends on the size of your business and working conditions.

• A station of 5 posts, working only on weekdays for 8 hours, requires 5 people.

• And if the service station works seven days a week and 12 hours a day, you already need 10. This option is more profitable since many people come for repairs before/after work or on weekends.

Typically the locksmith receives 40-45% of the cost of the work. But it is best to combine percentage and salary so as not to lose qualified employees during periods of decline in demand.

In addition, you will need someone to communicate with clients and an accountant to maintain financial records.

Advertising

Here are several techniques:

• Corporate identity and signboard.
• Handing out business cards in parking lots.
• Radio advertising.
• Advertisements in specialized magazines and newspapers.
• Internet promotion.

Car service as a business: profitability

Opening a car service center from scratch will require significant financial investments. A small service station that provides only a few of the most popular services will cost you no less than 2 million rubles.

Although, of course, the option of renting a garage will cost much less. But we talked about this and the income from it will be less.

But despite the high barrier to entry, a car service is a profitable enterprise, with a profitability of at least 20–50%. And its full payback period is 1-3 years

Car service is a relevant service for any city and town. No matter how many residents live in the town, some of them are car owners who need routine repairs and constant maintenance. Even the crisis could not reduce the demand for this service.

Opening a service station is not difficult, but many car enthusiasts continue to complain about the lack of good auto repair shops in Russian cities. How to open a car service center from scratch so that it can fully meet customer requirements? How to make good money from your entrepreneurial venture? More on all this later in the review.

How to choose a car service specialization

The first thing an entrepreneur who intends to create a car workshop needs to do is choose a specialization for the future business. The direction can be changed as you work, but you need to start with one thing.

To make it easier for you to navigate the variety of services, we offer an approximate list of current areas for car service:

1. repair and maintenance of: Russian, Japanese, European cars (list of specific brands and models), chassis, transmission (manual gearbox, automatic gearbox), engine and brake system;
2. quick diagnosis of problems;
3. electrician services;
4. body work;
5. oil change;
6. tire fitting and wheel balancing;
7. car tuning;
8. car restoration.

These are not all types of services and repair work with which you can enter the market. Today there is a demand for a narrow specialization of car services. Thus, a master who can quickly fix problems with the chassis of cars older than ten years is in greater demand than a workshop that offers the client everything at once.

Important! When choosing a specialization, it is not always advisable to focus on expensive cars. The cost of repair work for new models is high, but owners of expensive cars usually have them serviced at official car repair shops. In addition, not always even representatives of the automaker that produced the car can fix the problem that has arisen. A private mechanic in a garage will not be able to provide quality services to the owners of such cars.

Beginning auto repairmen should work with vehicles that are 10 years or more old. The following are presented as serious arguments.

1. Most cars are designed only for this service life, and after 10 years the first serious problems arise in all car components.
2. Owners of used cars are looking for an opportunity to save money on repairs, and they are not interested in expensive official services.
3. Just 10 years ago, the design of all car components was much simpler, and even a novice auto mechanic could master the basic principles of operation of certain components and systems of ten-year-old cars in a short period of time.
4. The market has a huge selection of spare parts and consumables at prices acceptable to customers.

Business registration and necessary documentation

When determining what is needed to open a car service center, an entrepreneur immediately remembers documenting the business. Moreover, most often at the stage of forming a work plan for opening a service station, he is in one of the following starting positions.

1. I have experience in repairing vehicles with my own hands and my own garage, but there is no start-up capital to register and actively promote the business.
2. There is a business idea for a certain specialization, profitable suppliers of spare parts, a small start-up capital, but there are no specialists and no premises.
3. There is start-up capital and business connections with good specialists who want to become partners in a future business.

These are three different starting positions, and in each case you need to approach organizing a workshop individually, taking into account the available resources. Let's consider the most successful solutions for each situation.

No money, but there is a desire to work and practical skills

This pattern of starting a business is typical for 80% of private garage small workshops. To organize such a workshop, you do not need to register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC and officially register your business activity.

The foreman must only have documents confirming his right to use or own the garage in which he works, and with this type of organization, the business owner does not have the right to hire assistants.

This is the best option for an independent entrepreneurial start. During the period of private work, the master forms start-up capital, which he invests in building, registering and promoting a full-fledged car service.

There is only money

This scheme is acceptable for investors who have money and interesting ideas, but do not have specialists who can provide high-quality and prompt services. Organizing a car service center from such starting positions is fundamentally different from the first option, since the initial task of the investor is to legally register the business, create working conditions and hire craftsmen.

At the same time, the process of opening a car service should be organized so that all of the listed tasks are solved simultaneously. This approach will save time and money.

Car service registration

No matter how the entrepreneur came to this stage of business development, the procedure for officially registering a car repair shop should follow the following scheme.

1. Choice of organizational and legal form (LLC or individual entrepreneur). The main criterion when choosing an OPF is the presence or absence of companions. If several entities (individuals or legal entities) take part in organizing a car repair shop, then it is necessary to register an LLC, and an independent undertaking can be registered as an individual entrepreneur.
2. Formation of a package of statutory documents for an LLC. At this stage, it is necessary to determine the name of the enterprise, legal address, share of participation in the enterprise of each co-founder, the size of the authorized capital and the procedure for managing the company (logos and trademarks can be developed later).
3. State registration. Documents are submitted to the Federal Tax Service at the place of registration (workshop address, address of one of the founders, address of an individual entrepreneur, rented office). At the same time, taxpayer registration is carried out.
4. A bank account is opened.
5. A lease agreement for a workshop premises or an agreement for the purchase of premises is drawn up.
6. Equipment is purchased, labor relations with personnel are formalized.

There is no need to obtain any additional permits or licenses to operate a car service center. Russian law provides for the possibility of voluntary certification of service stations. Only the owner of the workshop decides whether to undergo certification. The certificate may be needed for:

• increasing customer confidence in services (but people more often look at the result of work, rather than at additional certificates, diplomas and awards);
• opportunities to participate in government procurement (this is a serious argument in favor of obtaining a certificate).

A car service that serves only individuals may not purchase a cash register, which greatly simplifies business administration and document flow.

Basic organizational points

Opening a service station is easy and inexpensive, but official registration is not enough to attract customers. The following conditions must be met:

• convenient location and safe premises;
• reliable and multifunctional equipment;
• quality tool sets;
• competent and polite staff;
• effective business management system;
• regular promotion of car service in the local and regional market.

This is an approximate list of tasks that an entrepreneur should set at the start of a project and then regularly deal with them in the future.

Requirements for a place for a car service

Premises for a car service can be bought, built or rented. The most budget option is rent, the most expensive is construction.

Despite the fact that purchasing ready-made premises for a service station could be the optimal solution, it is difficult to find such premises. Only in rare cases do owners sell an established and profitable business, so it is not profitable to wait for success.

Those entrepreneurs who are members of a garage cooperative and want to convert the garage into a car service center will be able to work only if the cooperative allows them to allocate this garage as separate property and re-register the land plot for themselves. Otherwise, the business will be semi-legal, and for legal registration the workshop will still have to be moved to private land.

The premises of a small car service should include:

• two equipped places for receiving cars (pit, lift);
• administrator's office;
• warehouse;
• shower cabin and toilet.

The optimal area for a small auto repair shop is about 200 m2. There should be convenient access to the gate.

The height of the room must be at least 3.5 meters. This parameter will provide the ability to service small freight vehicles and minibuses in the workshop. Taking into account the reception of large machines, the workshop gates must also be equipped.

The room must be connected to electricity and water supply, have good ventilation and a heating system.

The cost of renting a finished space is about $3 per square meter. If an entrepreneur decides to rent a workshop, then 200 m2 will cost $600 per month.

To acquire ownership of such a car service, you will need about 100 thousand dollars. Construction and independent equipment cost about the same, but the disadvantage of this option is that construction will take at least a year, and during this entire period the master will only spend money without earning anything. For quick construction, you can use a factory-ready car service kit, which is a prefabricated metal frame with enclosing structures made of sandwich panels.

To be able to both earn money and engage in construction, some entrepreneurs buy out a small workshop (for example, a tire shop) and build it into a larger enterprise.

Car service equipment

Equipment and tools for car service are no less important than qualified specialists. The list of equipment largely depends on the specialization.

An indicative list of equipment that should be in every car service is as follows.

Name	Quantity	Unit cost	Total costs (including installation)
Total:			650 thousand rubles.
Lift	2 pcs.	150 thousand rubles.	200 thousand rubles.
Computer diagnostic systems for popular car brands	5 pcs.	20 thousand rubles.	100 thousand rubles.
Nozzle cleaning stand	1 piece	60 thousand rubles.
Compressor	1 piece	60 thousand rubles.
Installation for adjusting headlights	1 piece	30 thousand rubles.
Spark plug tester	1 piece	10 thousand rubles.
Welding machine	1 piece	70 thousand rubles.
A set of tools for every workplace	2 pcs.	60 thousand rubles.	120 thousand rubles.

Business plan for a workshop

Having an idea of ​​how much money will have to be invested in premises and equipment, you can begin planning business processes and pricing, which is best done as part of a business plan. This document can be used for profitability planning. As part of the business plan, the entrepreneur calculates the following parameters:

• distribution of initial capital;
• production costs;
• volume of purchases from third parties;
• the cost of each service and its profitability;
• required sales volume;
• planned income;
• ways of profit distribution.

The information listed will make it possible to determine the payback period for investments made at the start.

If you have the opportunity to order a professional business plan, take advantage of it. This service will cost approximately 20 thousand rubles, and you will receive a competent and detailed analysis for your future business. All that remains is to stick to this plan for several years.

Employees

For the successful operation of a small service station with 2 workplaces, two foremen and one or two apprentices will be required.

At the initial stage of business development, it seems to an entrepreneur that the more employees he has, the faster the business will run.

This is partly true, but the main organizational issue in managing a business at the start is minimizing production costs. Since wages are the main expense item, at the beginning of business development the master has no other choice but to save on employees. Therefore, the maximum staff is 3 permanent employees and one temporary employee who performs work only when necessary.

Employment agreements are concluded with permanent employees, and work agreements (GPC) are concluded with temporary employees. The law does not provide standard forms for these documents, so an entrepreneur can draw up his own documents after consulting with a lawyer.

If there is a need to organize round-the-clock reception of clients, then there must be a night worker. His salary is calculated taking into account the night bonus (20%).

The average salary of a mechanic in a car service center is 20 thousand rubles. — salary + percentage of work performed. Monthly salary is about 40 thousand rubles. An apprentice's salary cannot be higher than the minimum wage.

Not a single enterprise can do without a director. This official is responsible for the activities of the service station and ties together the entire organizational structure of the car service (masters report to the director, apprentices to the masters and director).

Thus, the approximate wage fund for a small service station is about 100 thousand rubles.

As for accounting and document flow, it is not profitable for small companies to maintain their own accounting department. The best solution is to order accounting services from consulting or outsourcing firms. The total cost of performing such work is 10 thousand rubles per month.

How can a service station save?

In addition to saving on employee salaries, a service station can save on the following operations:

• purchase spare parts in bulk, reducing their cost through well-thought-out logistics and minimizing costs for delivery, loading and unloading;
• provide services in a self-service format (rent a lift, pit, compressor, etc.);
• promote a certain brand through an auto parts service and receive discounts from the supplier.

These effective methods will not only reduce the cost of doing business, but also increase the revenue side of the budget. The latter can also be increased by providing household appliance repair services.

Advertising for car service

How to quickly promote a car service and attract customers? First of all, you should determine the target audience - people who use car service services in garages. You need to find your client and constantly attract his attention.

In large enterprises, the marketing service deals with the issue of how to attract customers. Small companies that cannot afford a full-time marketer order the services of an advertising agency professionally engaged in business promotion, or draw up a plan of promotions and events that allow them to effectively advertise a car service in the city and region.

• development of your own corporate identity (logo, corporate colors, uniform, etc. - everything that will allow you to stand out);
• developing an idea of ​​the social importance of the services being promoted (your business helps people solve certain problems, which improves their lives);
• development of advertising product layouts (texts, visual material, price lists, musical accompaniment, etc.);
• determining advertising promotion channels (radio, Internet, local television, social networks, face-to-face communication with potential clients, conducting master classes, etc.).

When deciding to actively promote a car service, an entrepreneur must understand that at the start he will have to invest at least 20% of the turnover in promotion, and then the percentage of advertising fees can be reduced.

Financial result and prospects

To open a small car service, an entrepreneur will need at least 15 thousand US dollars. Monthly maintenance of the enterprise costs at least 150 thousand rubles (excluding spare parts and consumables).

The average cost of service at a car service center (excluding spare parts) is about 3 thousand rubles. To earn 300 thousand rubles a month, an entrepreneur must service 4-5 cars daily.

With such turnover, the business will pay for itself in about a year, and then you can work exclusively on developing the service.