Garage Door Company

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Executive Summary

Reliable Garage Door Service is a garage door company serving homeowners, landlords and small businesses in our city and the nearby suburbs. We repair broken springs, cables, openers and panels, and we install new garage doors and openers. A garage door that will not open is a daily problem, and one with a broken spring can be dangerous. Many homeowners wait days for a repair, are quoted a high price for a simple part or are told they need a whole new door when they do not. We will win customers by answering fast, fixing it right the first time and giving honest choices. Here is what our numbers show. We expect sales of about $158,200 in Year 1, growing to about $633,700 by Year 5 as we add technicians and win more installation work. We expect a profit of about $13,300 in Year 1, growing to about $141,500 by Year 5. We need $46,000 in total. That covers $27,700 in startup costs (a used service van, tools, opening parts and openers, license fees, insurance and advertising) and a cash cushion of about three months of bills. I am putting in $12,000 of my own money, and I am asking for $34,000. The startup costs include a used service van stocked with common parts. I am Aisha Reyes, the owner. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Reliable Garage Door Service will be a limited liability company (LLC) in Iowa, owned by Aisha Reyes. We will work from my home, with the van parked in my driveway and parts stored in my garage. What we believe. Show up fast, fix what is broken, give honest choices and prices and always work safely. What we offer:
- Broken spring and cable repair. - Opener repair and replacement. - Off-track doors, panels and rollers. - New garage door installation. - Maintenance tune-ups and safety checks. Licenses and insurance. Garage door rules vary by state and city. Some require a contractor or specialty license, and new door installations may need a permit. Our state requires a contractor license for jobs over $1,000, so I will get my license before taking larger installations. We will carry general liability and commercial auto insurance, and workers' compensation once we hire. Only trained technicians work on springs, which store dangerous energy. Where things stand today. I have worked for a garage door company for four years, I own hand tools, and I have repaired doors for friends and neighbors.

Problem & Opportunity

Homeowners near us want a garage door that works, and a repair company they can trust. 1. Slow response. A stuck door can trap a car or leave a home unsecured, but many companies take days. 2. High prices. Some companies charge far more than the part costs, or push a full replacement. 3. Dangerous springs. Do-it-yourself spring repairs cause serious injuries every year. 4. Poor installs. A badly balanced door wears out quickly and can be unsafe. How we know people want this. Five neighbors asked me to fix their doors last year, and a property manager said she needs a fast, reliable company for 30 units.

Products & Services

What we sell. 1. Repair service calls. A visit to fix a spring, cable, opener, roller or track. Our plan assumes an average of about $165 per call in Year 1, rising to about $185 by Year 5. Parts and direct costs run about $45 per call. We expect about 550 calls in Year 1 (about 11 a week), growing to about 1,899 calls a year by Year 5. 2. Door and opener installations. New garage doors and openers, with removal and haul-away of the old. Our plan assumes an average of about $1,350 per installation in Year 1, rising to about $1,510. Doors and openers cost about $720 per installation. We expect about 50 installations in Year 1, growing to about 187. Our prices. Spring repair from $180. Opener replacement from $400. New door installed from $1,200. How it works for the customer:
1. A call answered quickly, and a rough price on the phone. 2. A time window, and a text when the technician is on the way. 3. A clear explanation and a written price before any larger work. 4. A safe, balanced door, a test of the safety sensors and a warranty on our work. Gross margin, explained. "Gross margin" is the share of each sale left after paying for materials and direct job costs. Our plan shows about 62% in Year 1. That money pays the owner and crew, vehicle costs, insurance and other bills.

Market Analysis

Who will hire us:
- Homeowners with a stuck, noisy or broken garage door. - Homeowners replacing an old door or opener. - Landlords, property managers and homeowner associations. - Small businesses with roll-up and sectional doors. Where we will work. A service area close enough to reach customers fast, starting with our city and the nearby suburbs, within 25 minutes of my home. Fast response is our edge. Season. Garage door repairs happen all year, with spikes in very cold or hot weather. We use slower weeks for installations and maintenance tune-ups. Our plan is careful on purpose. About 11 repair calls a week in Year 1 is a pace the owner can handle well, working alone at first.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices customers have:
1. Larger garage door companies. Metro Garage Doors (a made-up name) charges about $200 for a spring repair; known for being fast, but pushes new doors. 2. Handymen. Cheaper, but sometimes not trained to work on springs safely. 3. Doing it yourself. A broken spring is one of the most dangerous home repairs. How we will win customers: fast response, fair prices, safe work, a stocked van so we can finish in one visit and a warranty on our work.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How people will find us. - A free Google business listing with reviews, and a simple website with a phone number that gets answered. - Asking every happy customer for a review. - Magnets and door hangers in the neighborhoods we serve. - Relationships with property managers, real estate agents and homeowner associations. - Paid ads for emergency searches like "garage door repair near me."

Marketing budget. About $5,000 a year. The van lettering, business cards and website are paid for from startup costs.

The first 90 days. Days 1 to 30: stock the van, get insurance and licenses and set up online booking. Days 31 to 60: market to neighborhoods and property managers. Days 61 to 90: fill the weekly schedule and ask each customer for a review.

Operations Plan

How the business runs day to day. Calls and jobs. Customers call or book online, and the owner schedules each visit by area and urgency. In Year 1 the owner works alone and handles repairs and small installs. We add one technician in Year 2 and grow to three technicians by Year 5. The van is stocked with common parts, so most repairs are finished in one visit. Equipment. About $16,000 to start: used service van with shelving; hand and power tool sets; ladders and door lift equipment; torsion spring winding bars and specialty tools; tablet and card reader; safety gear. We set aside about $2,000 to $3,000 a year for repairs and replacements. Upkeep. Tools and the van restocked every night, parts counted weekly and the van serviced on schedule. Safety. Only trained technicians work on springs, using proper winding bars and eye protection. Doors are secured before work, and safety sensors and auto-reverse are tested on every opener. Running costs in Year 1: parts and door and opener inventory about $10,000, vehicle and equipment maintenance about $6,000, marketing about $5,000. Scheduling and billing. A simple scheduling and invoicing app on my phone, with customers billed by card at the end of each visit.

Risks and how we plan for them:
- Spring and cable injuries. We follow written safety steps and never take shortcuts on high-tension parts.
- Parts availability. We stock common springs, openers and rollers and use two suppliers.
- Weekend and emergency calls. We set clear after-hours pricing and rotate on-call time.
- Warranty claims. We use quality parts and give a written labor warranty.
- Competition from big box installers. We win on fast repair and local service.

Management & Organization

Who runs the business. Aisha Reyes, owner. As owner I will do repairs and installations, quote jobs, schedule, order parts and handle the money side of the business. I plan to pay myself $52,000 a year in salary in Year 1. Crew. Installation and repair technicians at about $42,000 a year each (or part-time pay): none in Year 1, one in Year 2, one in Year 3, two in Year 4 and three in Year 5. People who will help us: a bookkeeper or tax preparer, an insurance agent, and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Marcus Patel serves as a key volunteer advisor.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them. - Before starting: register the business, get insurance, buy the van, tools and parts, and set up the phone and website. Target start: March 2027. - First year: complete about 550 repair calls and 50 installations, for about $158,200 in sales. - Year 2: add our first technician, about $251,400 in sales, and a profit of about $24,500. - Years 3 to 5: grow to three installation and repair technicians and about $633,700 in sales by Year 5. Growth depends on hiring good people and winning the work, so treat the later years as goals, not promises. What we check every week: calls answered, repairs finished in one visit, return visits, parts costs, and cash in the bank.

What the plan's numbers say. Year 1: sales about $158,200, profit about $13,300; Year 2: sales about $251,400, profit about $24,500; Year 3: sales about $369,000, profit about $80,600; Year 4: sales about $493,200, profit about $107,100; Year 5: sales about $633,700, profit about $141,500. The lowest year-end cash is about $37,700.

How we will keep score. Every month we compare real sales to the plan, check the cash in the bank, review the direct cost of each job or product, and look at what customers say. If sales are behind plan for two months in a row, we slow spending and delay hiring until the numbers catch up.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total needed: $46,000. This number comes from the Funding Need Calculator in this plan. It adds up: - Startup costs of $27,700, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section (about $16,000 for the van, tools, ladders and specialty gear, $5,000 for opening springs, cables, rollers and openers, $800 for a business license and contractor registration, $3,200 for the first insurance payments, $700 for business setup and bookkeeping software, and $2,000 for van lettering, business cards and a website). - A cash cushion of about $18,300: the deepest cash dip in the early months plus about three months of bills, so slow weeks do not put the business at risk. Lenders call this "working capital." - Together that comes to about $46,000 (rounded up to the nearest $500), which is the total we are planning for. Where the money comes from: - My own money: $12,000. - Amount requested: $34,000. Kind of funding we are looking for: an SBA microloan through a local community lender. How we will pay it back. We expect a profit of about $13,300 in Year 1, growing to about $141,500 by Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank every year of the plan. The loan is planned at 13% interest over 6 years, the top of the usual range for SBA microloans, so payments of about $683 a month are already included in our cash flow. What we are offering the lender: our van and tools as collateral and my personal guarantee A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan: - Phase 1: start with repairs on evenings and weekends using your own vehicle and tools, while keeping your current job. Startup can be under $2,000. - Phase 2: once you have more calls than you can handle part-time, buy the service van and stock parts and follow this plan. To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match. All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

What if sales are slower? We also tested a cautious case where sales come in 20 percent lower every year. In that case the plan shows a loss of about $4,600 in Year 1, a profit of about $44,000 in Year 3 and the lowest year-end cash is about $37,700, so the business still has money in the bank every year.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume (one page is fine) and any licenses or certificates. - A personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form). - Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov). - Proof of insurance, or a quote. - Quotes for the equipment and vehicle. - Your price list and a sample written estimate. - Photos of past work and references, if you have them. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue. The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Repair Service Calls: about $165 per call in Year 1, rising to $185; about $45 per call in direct costs; about 550 calls in Year 1, growing to 1,899. - Door & Opener Installations: about $1,350 per installation in Year 1, rising to $1,510; about $720 per installation in direct costs; about 50 installations in Year 1, growing to 187. - Owner salary: $52,000 a year. Crew: $42,000 a year each, from none in Year 1 to three in Year 5. - Other yearly costs in Year 1: parts and door and opener inventory about $10,000, vehicle and equipment maintenance about $6,000, marketing about $5,000. - Tax rate: 21%. - Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Plain words used in this plan:
- Torsion spring: the large spring that lifts the door.
- Opener: the motor that opens and closes the door.
- Service call: a visit to diagnose and fix a problem.
- Labor warranty: a promise to fix problems caused by our work.
- General liability insurance: coverage for damage or injury caused by our work.

Startup Costs