How to Start Your Own Windscreen Repair Franchise

If you’re a car lover who’d also love to be their own boss and branch out into business ownership, why not consider running a windscreen repair franchise? As a franchisee in the thriving automotive sector, you could enjoy a profitable and dynamic career at a lower level of risk, with franchisor support always on hand.

There are many different franchise opportunities available in the UK’s automotive industry, especially in the growing car repair sector. If you’d like to ensure a speedy return on your investment and a fast rise to profitability, a windshield repair franchise is a solid option. Essential repair services enjoy a long-lasting and steady level of customer demand.

Plus, car repair services are increasing in popularity as sustainability becomes a bigger customer priority, with many choosing repair over replacement where they can. If you’re interested in combining an exciting career with a very viable sector of investment, here’s how to start your own windscreen repair franchise.

What does a windscreen repair franchise do?

A windscreen repair franchise comes, generally speaking, in one of two forms. The first form is a series of garage locations where customers can go to get their windscreens repaired. Often, this type of franchise is a more general car repair franchise, offering a wider range of services alongside fixing chips and cracks in windscreens. 

The second form is a series of franchisees running mobile windscreen repair businesses, travelling with their tools to the locations of customers within their operational territory. There are pros and cons to both ways of doing business, and generally speaking, a van-based operation will require a more affordable investment amount. 

Why should you start a windshield repair business?

The level of demand for windscreen services is closely linked to the number of cars and other vehicles on the road. According to government figures, there are now around 38.0 million vehicles in the UK, 31 million or so of which are cars. With so many vehicles being used there is a large and steady demand for repair or replacement of broken glass. 
– Sectors Donut

Beyond the high level of demand, which increases year-on-year with the number of cars and vehicles on the road, there are plenty of advantages to starting a windshield repair business using the franchise model, including:

• The chance to enjoy varied and exciting working days
• The opportunity to benefit from a wide range of franchisor support and training
• The ability to grow over time, in terms of both investment size and methods used
• The opportunity to be your own boss and work flexible hours that work for you
• The chance to help many customers each day

How to start a windscreen repair franchise

To start your windscreen repair franchise on the right foot and to ensure that, in time, you can become a thriving windscreen repair specialist, make sure you’ve covered each of these three steps.

1. Find opportunities that are a financial fit

There are many things to consider when you’re narrowing down opportunities and looking for the right franchise for you. The most important of these criteria? Your financial situation. Even if a franchise is otherwise perfect for you, the investment amount could be make or break. If you over-invest, you could be setting yourself up for failure.

The average cost of starting a franchise in 2018 was £23,200 [British Franchise Association], but as you can imagine, this figure differs greatly depending on the sector, the franchise, the brand name and other considerations. Don’t forget to think about ongoing fees and royalties, too. To give you a better idea of what to expect in the windscreen repair sector, here are a couple of examples:

• Screen Rescue - To become a Screen Rescue franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £19,750, with a total investment cost of £35,000 and an operating fee charged at 10%.
• Optic-Kleer - To become an Optic-Kleer franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £15,000, with an operating fee charged at 17.5%.

2. Do your due diligence

Due diligence is your incredibly important next step once you’ve decided which company you want to invest your money with. Due diligence is the process by which you fully assess the company and the opportunity, coming at things from a financial and an operational standpoint. Ask crucial questions (getting answers from more than one source) like:

• How do existing franchisees feel about the franchise?
• What training will you receive?
• What ongoing support will be available to you?
• What’s the average time to profit?
• What is the franchise’s financial situation, and has everything been fully disclosed?
• What’s the franchisor’s track record, and are there past successes to point to?

When you do your due diligence, you end up able to sign the franchise agreement with full confidence that you’re getting what you think you’re getting from the contract, rather than being sold a dream that can’t realistically be lived up to by the company.

3. Invest in the training and keep on developing your skills

As you’re onboarded, you’ll receive plenty of training in everything from windscreen repair to marketing your franchise business. Any good franchisor will keep on offering you training and development opportunities, even years down the line, keeping your skills sharp and your working practices up to date. It’s important that you seize these opportunities when they come, as developments will keep arriving in the car repair sector.

Professional development and continual learning is more important than ever in being successful and achieving career goals. Technologies and best practices are evolving and progressing in every industry, making it crucial for both new and experienced professionals to continue developing their skills and honing their knowledge. 
– Trevor Antley, WebCE

4. Start running your own business in the car repair sector today

If you’d love to start running your own windscreen repair franchise, and this article has left you even more convinced of that fact, it’s time to browse available franchise opportunities and make your choice. For more information on managing the transition between your current career and your new career in franchising, stay on Point Franchise and find out how to successfully make a career change with a windscreen repair franchise.