Hello! Im asking the wonderful community here for some advice.
Im curious, what do i need to do to be straight and legal?
(im in Quebec, Canada)
I just bought an old car shop, with a lot of tools and 2 car lifts. Its in good shape.
Ive been working on cars in my home garage for 12 years, so i can do just about anything on them.
Can i get a commercial license? What kind of license do i need? What about insurance? Do i get incorporated ? Whats the process? What do i need to do in order to be allowed to put up my big “OPEN” sign up in the window ?
I dont have a high school diploma or DEP diploma. I learned everything on my own (with the help of others)
Thanks!
in canada… its probably different…
in america…
Business license. which is a repair and sales license to sell parts and repairs. … it is also a tax license… in america… you need an account with the IRS …
a business banking account…
just in California… you need a license from the bureau of auto repair. BAR… to operate a repair shop…
this is how to write estimates in california…
https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/writeitright.pdf. good info almost anywhere…
you will need a EPA permit for your waste oils and waste coolants…
shop insurance… workmens compensation. perhaps life insurance that covers the remaining if anything happens…
in some locations you need a license for your air compressor tank…
you may also need licenses for your oxygen and acetylene tank
a flammable container approved box and a flammable rag bin with a lid…
you will want a computer with a point of sale program. and an inventory program…
you will need a printer to print receipts…
you will need a cell phone that you can take PDF images of every parts invoice coming in… any bill… that can be emailed to your shop billing email… not a email for anything else. if your images are dated… you can go in and sort the line numbers to where they go… to which repair invoice… stock… and how much the parts cost. you … that may be complex. as you may have different prices from different suppliers…
if your book keeper has access to that account it will make their life easier… be sure to have a second secure computer at home to keep those emails in…
IATN.net used to and probably still has a shop owners section… i have not visited that site in decades…
repair info source… since you are in canada… and models vary. i don’t know what to use… hopefully it is fully stocked with printed manuals … my printed manuals cover 1960 to 1998…
there is a bunch more…