How to Start a Garage Door Installation and Repair Business

Garage door installation and repair businesses specialize in new garage door installations and replacement and/or repairs of existing systems.

Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.

Northwest ($29 + State Fees)

DIY: How to Start an LLC

Start a garage door installation and repair business by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business
  2. Form your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business
  7. Get Garage Door Installation and Repair Business Insurance
  8. Define your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business Brand
  9. Create your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your garage door installation and repair business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Garage Door Installation and Repair Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state’s business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability

It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a garage door installation and repair business?

Start up costs can be relatively low, with most businesses needing between $4,000 and $8,500 to get started. Much of the materials are stored in a retail warehouse until they are shipped to the consumer or to your business site before an installation takes place. This allows a start-up to avoid renting or building their own storage facility.

Other costs can include:

  • Carpentry and power tools, including a circular saw, drills, sawzall, hand tools, tape measures, and levels.
  • Reliable transportation. A full size truck or panel van will work well. You may consider commercial vehicle insurance, as well.
  • Insurance, business license, and possibly a contractor’s license. Check with local and state offices to see what levels of certification you need to begin operations.
  • If you open a brick and mortar location or rent a storage facility, these would also be costs to consider.

What are the ongoing expenses for a garage door installation and repair business?

Most ongoing expenses are related to repairing or replacing tools used in the installation process. Circular saws, jigsaws, and drills are common power tools a garage door tech would need to replace. Other costs include care and maintenance of commercial vehicles or the rental costs for an office location or storage facility, if your business uses either of these.

Who is the target market?

Ideally, you are looking to attract and capture residential customers who are looking to repair, replace, or install a garage door system. If you are working as a sub-contractor for a residential housing business, you might shift some of your attention to making sure you continue to capture the attention and continued partnership of the builders.

How does a garage door installation and repair business make money?

Garage door companies make their money from the sale, installation, and repair of garage doors and their mechanical systems.

Approximately 2/3 of the homes in the U.S. have a garage door, and over 70% of those homes are over 20 years old, offering numerous opportunities for installations and repairs. Fortunately for customers and businesses owners alike, garage door installation or replacement is relatively inexpensive, compared to other household upkeep, such as roofing or windows, which can be three to five times as expensive to fix. Garage doors are often one of the most likely residential capitol repairs or upgrades to take place.

How much can you charge customers?

Most installation costs are built around the garage door and hardware pricing, plus labor costs. Door and hardware pricing will vary, depending on style and materials, but most installations will remain relatively similar. Garage doors cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000, with the labor averaging about $500 for five hours of work.

How much profit can a garage door installation and repair business make?

Annually, a garage door business can average $150,000-200,000 in profits. In years one through five, many business owners invest much of these profits back into the company to continue a positive growth pattern.

How can you make your business more profitable?

As mentioned above, offering maintenance services on doors and equipment may generate more revenue. It is also an excellent method for maintaining positive customer relations. Other options for increasing profitability would be the renovation or reclamation of older or antique garage doors. Older doors, which were specially made or need replacement wood or hardware may preserve the value of a historic home more than replacing with a new door.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your garage door installation and repair business is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.

This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.

In practice, this means that if your garage door installation and repair business were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.

More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.

FORM YOUR LLC

Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a garage door installation and repair business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Labor Safety Requirements

Since the installation of garage doors can involve tools and machinery, it is important to abide by labor safety requirements which can be found here.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.

Find out what types of insurance your Garage Door Installation and Repair Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Garage Door Installation and Repair Business.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a garage door installation and repair business

Advertise as much as possible and with as many free or low cost forms as possible. Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are excellent tools for spreading your business name and generating customer interest. A business website can also be a relatively inexpensive tool for fielding questions, taking orders, and managing customer word of mouth.

In addition, align yourself with other industry professionals and related businesses and services. Cross pollination of related businesses, such as pressure washing and driveway refinishing or door and window businesses can greatly increase your market reach.

How to keep customers coming back

Maintain a high level of professionalism and always treat customers fairly and respectfully. If there is ever a problem, strive to remedy the problem quickly and completely. As mentioned before, word of mouth is one of the best forms of free customer advertising and a positive reputation will take your business a long way. Additionally, look to offer customers certain special incentives to maintain good relations. Preventative maintenance on moving parts, such as oiling the drive chain and checking or replacing rubber seals may be an inexpensive service which really wins over your customers.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPressWIXWeeblySquarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

Those individuals with experience in residential and commercial construction, retail sales of garage doors, or any combination of these attributes will find themselves at an advantage in this industry. Additionally, physical strength and agility are important, as well as the ability to talk to customers in a professional and personable manner.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a garage door installation and repair business?

On most days, you and your team will be out in the field performing installations, or repairs and replacements of parts or whole garage door systems. An additional amount of time will be spent marketing and promoting your business, as well as following up on customer leads or checking status and customer satisfaction of completed installations and repairs.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful garage door installation and repair business?

Experience in residential construction is always helpful. A solid understanding of sound construction principals will ensure greater success of installs and working around existing construction when repairing or replacing existing systems. Retail sales of garage door systems would also give an entrepreneur in this field a greater advantage through virtue of understanding the products on the market and some of the industry “secrets” involving garage door systems. Retail sales also increase the likelihood of developing positive customer interactions and communication techniques.

What is the growth potential for a garage door installation and repair business?

With the housing market on the rise as of late, the garage door business is sure to follow. Equally, the garage door industry is slightly underperforming, compared to other residential improvements, such as windows or roofing. This means there is greater potential for growth without fear of stifling competition within the industry.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a garage door installation and repair business?

One of the first steps to creating a competitive niche in this market is to understand your competition and the levels of saturation in your area. Then, create a business model or plan which takes into account your research, overhead costs, potential for growth, and potential industry partnerships or sub-contractual work. Also, make it a point to include yourself in seminars or training courses within the industry. Becoming well known and trusted within your industry will return great dividends, not only financially but strategically among your peers.

How and when to build a team

Initially, a garage door business may only need two or three employees to work on installations. As the business grows, an office manager can be an invaluable addition. And, as the business prospers and grows, additional field techs can be brought on to serve as initial inspectors and estimators and later installers.

Useful Links

Real World Examples