Garage Door Repair

The shortcut: Skip the residential lead-buying race and build your book around three commercial property managers who need quarterly preventive maintenance — they pay on terms, never haggle on a $300 spring, and refer their other buildings.

Industry: Home Services Investment level: Small — $5,000-$15,000 Time to launch: 3-6 weeks from truck-ready to first paid call Best for: Anyone with mechanical comfort, a working pickup or van, and the nerve to handle torsion springs (or train under someone who does). What you'll likely make: $2-4K/month by month 3, $5-8K/month by month 6, $8-12K/month by month 12 once a couple of property-management accounts are signed. Math is in Section 4.

Market Opportunity

Homeowners think a broken garage door is a DIY job because the parts are obvious — until they read the DASMA "Torsion Spring Terrorism" advisory and realize a single 7-foot spring stores enough wound energy to send the winding bar through a forearm. That's the whole pricing argument right there. People who've been hurt once, or who watched a YouTube video where someone got hurt, will pay $300 to never touch one again.

The math behind the demand is steady. Garage Door Replacement has ranked #1 on the Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report for years running, including 2025 per DASMA. A torsion spring is rated for roughly 10,000 cycles, which is 7-10 years for a typical household. Every door in the U.S. is on a clock. Your job is being the technician who picks up.

Two segments matter. Residential is your bread and butter — single-truck calls, $150-$450 ticket, paid on the spot. Commercial is the layer most solo techs ignore: HOAs, self-storage facilities, auto shops, fire stations, and apartment complexes that run rolling steel doors and need a real maintenance schedule. That's where the recurring money lives.

Launch With AI

Pro section. Garage door repair is a property-manager-PM-and-spring-pricing business — AI doesn't wind a 7-foot torsion spring or replace a UL 325-compliant photo eye. But the time you waste hand-typing the property manager cold-walk for quarterly PM contracts, drafting the UL 325 safety reverse documentation, and writing the door-hanger neighborhood pitch is exactly the time you should spend on one more PM walk-in or one more spring replacement. AI does the writing tail. You do the work that pays — Tuesday morning at 9am with winding bars + a $300 spring call.

The trap most first-year garage door techs fall into: they paste their service description into ChatGPT and ship the auto-generated "we're cheaper than the competition" copy. AI confidently writes "$99 garage door tune-ups" — which trains the customer that you're a Groupon shop and disqualifies you from every commercial PM contract. AI is for the writing tail (PM contract package, spring price anchor script, UL 325 documentation, door-hanger copy, 6/12-month follow-up SMS) — but every spring-winding decision, every "I refuse to leave a non-UL-325 opener in service" judgment, every property-damage incident response is yours.

Important up-front: AI cannot wind a torsion spring, identify the soft spot in a 25-year-old opener that's about to fail entrapment-protection, or have the conversation with the homeowner about why the $30 spring is a $300 install. It will also confidently miss the UL 325 federal-law trap (16 CFR Part 1211) — every residential automatic opener sold or installed must meet entrapment-protection standards or you're personally liable regardless of LLC status. You own every spring call, every UL 325 verification, every PM contract bid; AI scales the writing and the prospecting around them.

AI Tools You'll Use

Tool	Price	What it does
ChatGPT (free or Plus)	$0-$20/mo	PM cold-walk, spring price anchor, UL 325 invoice notes, follow-up SMS
Canva (free)	$0	PM contract sell-sheet, door hangers, yard signs, magnetic truck signage
Jobber Copilot (built into Jobber Core)	included $29/mo	Auto-summary of route days, COI auto-fill, 6/12-month follow-up automation
Google Business Profile + ChatGPT	free	Review replies, "spring failure season" weekly post, before/after IG cross-post
Loom AI (free)	$0	"Here's why your spring needs replacing" diagnostic videos for the homeowner who isn't home

The Workflow

Property manager + commercial PM contract package (ChatGPT + Canva, ~45 min one-time setup). One quarterly PM contract = $1,920-$2,880/year of recurring revenue + zero CAC. Paste:

"I'm a garage door repair tech in [city] with $1M GL insurance + commercial auto. I want 1-2 commercial PM (preventive maintenance) contracts by month 4 (each = 12-door self-storage / HOA / auto shop at $480-$720/visit × 4 visits/year = $1,920-$2,880/year + every actual repair on top). Build me the cold-walk package for 5 commercial properties/week: (a) the prospect list — self-storage facilities (Public Storage's local franchisees + Extra Space + independents — every facility has 12-50 rolling steel doors), HOAs with multi-unit garages (board secretary), auto shops (4-8 bay doors each), fire stations (insurance carrier requires PM documentation), apartment complexes with carports/garages (maintenance supervisor), (b) the in-person walk-in pitch I deliver Tuesday-Thursday between 10am-2pm with my COI: 'hi, I'm [name] from [my brand] — local garage door tech, brought you my one-page rate sheet + COI. Quarterly PM at $40/door × 12 doors = $480/visit, 4 visits/year, includes lubrication + balance + UL 325 safety reverse test + photo report per door. Any actual repairs (broken springs, openers) billed separately at standard rate. Want me to do a free baseline audit of one door + show you what the report looks like?,' (c) the leave-behind 1-pager (Canva: my UL 325 compliance commitment, my IDA CADT cred (or 'in progress'), my insurance proof, my $40/door PM pricing, my repair pricing tiers, my contact + Calendly), (d) the 5-day phone follow-up to the property manager ('hi, [my name] from [my brand], dropped by last week — wanted to confirm you got my rate sheet. Want me to do the free baseline audit this Tuesday?'), (e) the post-baseline conversion email ('Here's the baseline PM report on Door 4 at [property] — found 2 doors with non-UL-325 photo eyes (federal compliance issue), 3 doors with worn rollers, 1 spring at end-of-life. Bid for full quarterly PM on all 12 doors = $480/visit × 4 visits = $1,920/year + $X repair backlog. Reply Y to schedule'), (f) the absolute don'ts: NEVER offer below $40/door on PM (you bleed margin), NEVER skip the UL 325 audit in the report (it's the property manager's #1 risk-management question), NEVER promise zero failures (PM reduces failures, doesn't eliminate). Tone: confident neighbor + senior tech. Output paste-ready."

Walk in 5 commercial properties/week. One signed PM contract = $2K-$3K/year of recurring revenue + the full repair backlog from that property.
Spring price anchor script + per-call quote template (ChatGPT, ~20 min one-time setup). Underpricing the spring job is the #1 way new techs bleed margin. Paste:

"I'm a garage door tech. Build me the per-call quote anchor script + decision tree I run on every inbound spring/opener call: (a) the 5 phone-screen questions BEFORE quoting — 'is the door fully closed or stuck open? (closed = scheduled service, open = emergency 1.5x), how many springs are visible above the door? (1 single = $250-$350 / 2 dual = $400-$550 — quote dual when in doubt, refund if only 1 needs swap), what color is the wire on the spring? (DASMA color code identifies wire gauge → I order the right replacement before arrival), what year was the door installed? (pre-1993 = likely needs UL 325 opener upgrade too), do you have an active opener installed? (if yes, I run the UL 325 safety-reverse test included), (b) the price anchor script I deliver after the screen ('your single-spring replacement is $300 (parts + labor + 90-min on-site + UL 325 opener safety check), dual is $475 (both springs replaced same visit — recommend dual whenever the second spring is over 5 years old since they're a matched set), opener replacement is $475-$700 depending on brand (LiftMaster vs. Genie vs. Chamberlain) + the $295 UL 325-compliant opener cost passed through. Want to schedule for [next-available slot]?'), (c) the 'walk away' decision tree — anyone who wants the springs done for under $200 (cost-x-3 floor on parts + safety + insurance), anyone who refuses my UL 325 opener safety-reverse test (federal compliance trap I won't sign off on), anyone who insists I install their own springs (warranty + safety liability), anyone who wants a non-UL-325-compliant opener I'd be reinstalling (federal violation + personal liability), (d) the per-call follow-up email I auto-send post-completion ('here's your invoice + photos + UL 325 safety reverse documentation. Recommend annual tune-up at $150 — happy to add you to my reminder list for [month] next year'), (e) the absolute don'ts: NEVER quote on parts only (the price is for the safety + speed + UL 325 verification, not the steel), NEVER discount below $250 single-spring (you bleed margin), NEVER install a non-UL-325 opener (federal violation + personal liability that pierces LLC veil). Tone: confident senior tech + UL 325-aware. Output paste-ready as a 1-page laminated dashboard reference."

Use it on every inbound call. A $300 spring call vs. a $120 spring call = $180/call × 30 calls/month = $5,400/month of recovered margin.
UL 325 safety-reverse documentation template + invoice notes (ChatGPT + Canva, ~15 min one-time setup). UL 325 documentation is your federal-compliance shield. Paste:

"I'm a garage door tech. The single biggest legal trap is installing a non-UL-325-compliant opener — federal law 16 CFR Part 1211 requires every residential automatic opener sold or installed to meet UL 325 entrapment-protection standards. If I reinstall a 25-year-old opener that lacks photo-eye sensors and a kid gets hurt, I'm personally liable regardless of LLC status. Build me the UL 325 documentation template I include on every invoice + every commercial PM report: (a) the per-job UL 325 safety reverse test checklist I run on every visit involving an opener: photo-eye sensors aligned + functional (test by waving hand through beam → door reverses), force-reversal sensitivity (place 2x4 board flat on floor → door reverses on contact within 2 seconds), manual release functional (red cord pull releases trolley), opener model + manufacture year + UL listing # documented, (b) the per-invoice UL 325 documentation paragraph ('Per federal regulation 16 CFR Part 1211 + UL 325 standard, all photo-eye sensors verified aligned + functional, force-reversal sensitivity verified within 2 seconds of contact, manual release verified functional. Opener model [X], manufactured [Y], UL listing # [Z] verified compliant. Customer notified of any non-compliance findings + my refusal to leave a non-compliant opener in service'), (c) the per-PM-report UL 325 audit section I include in every commercial quarterly report (each door listed with UL 325 compliance status: compliant / non-compliant + why / replaced this visit), (d) the absolute don'ts: NEVER skip the safety-reverse test (federal violation if I don't verify), NEVER reinstall a pre-1993 opener (likely non-compliant — must be replaced), NEVER let the customer talk me out of the UL 325 documentation (it's my personal liability shield, not negotiable), (e) the 'I won't leave this opener in service' decline script ('Your opener doesn't meet UL 325 photo-eye + force-reversal standards — federal law 16 CFR Part 1211 requires this for every residential opener. I can't legally re-energize a non-compliant opener and walk away. Two options: (1) install a UL 325-compliant LiftMaster for $475 today, or (2) I disable the opener + recommend you contact a manufacturer-warrantied tech. Which works?'). Tone: senior tech + federal-compliance-aware. Output paste-ready Jobber invoice template + commercial PM report section + the in-home decline script."

One UL 325 violation that hurts a kid = your house, regardless of LLC. Document UL 325 on every job, every time.
Door-hanger + neighborhood targeting batch (ChatGPT + Canva, ~30 min/500 hangers). Door hangers are the entire residential top-of-funnel before LSA reviews ramp. Paste:

"I'm a garage door tech in [city]. Build me the door-hanger + targeting plan for 500 hangers I'll drop next 2 weekends: (a) the targeting — 3 neighborhoods in my metro with the densest single-family homes built 1990-2010 (springs hit end-of-life at 7-10 years × 2-3 cycles/day = 25-30 year homes are the sweet spot), prioritize neighborhoods with 2-car garages (2 springs/door = bigger ticket), skip apartment complexes + townhouses (different pitch), (b) the front-side copy — hero placeholder for a clear photo of a winding bar + spring (the 'this is dangerous, hire a pro' visual), big headline 'Garage door spring broken? $300 same-week,' my $1M-insurance line + IDA cred (or 'in progress'), my logo + phone, (c) the back-side copy — 4 bullets (UL 325 federal compliance check on every visit, same-week response (24-48 hour turnaround), $1M insurance + commercial auto, 90-day workmanship warranty) + a 'why now' line ('NEVER attempt spring replacement yourself — DASMA Torsion Spring Terrorism advisory: a single spring stores enough wound energy to send a winding bar through a forearm. Hire someone with insurance.') + my Google review QR code, (d) the trim spec (4.25 x 11 standard hanger size for Vistaprint), (e) the absolute don'ts: NEVER 'we're cheaper' (kills the safety-pro positioning), NEVER 'free estimate' (your time is the constraint — every estimate is a paid call), NEVER 'limited time' false urgency. Tone: confident neighbor + safety-pro. Output paste-ready Canva front + back design + the 3-neighborhood targeting brief."

Order 500 from Vistaprint (~$80). Walk Saturday afternoons. Convert at 1-2% — that's 5-10 calls + 3-5 close at $300 = $900-$1,500 from one Saturday.
6/12-month follow-up SMS + commercial PM renewal automation (Jobber Copilot + ChatGPT, ~15 min one-time setup). Recovery rate on follow-up SMS runs 15-25%. Paste:

"I'm a garage door tech with [N] residential customers + [N] commercial PM contracts. Build me the auto-follow-up package via Jobber: (a) the 6-month residential follow-up text ('hi [first name], it's been 6 months since your spring/opener service at [address] — want me to do a quick safety-reverse + balance check at your annual tune-up rate of $150? Slots Tuesday + Thursday this week'), (b) the 12-month residential follow-up text ('hi [first name], 1 year since your last service — DASMA recommends annual UL 325 safety check + lubrication. $150 includes a written report your insurance file may need. Reply Y to schedule'), (c) the 90-days-to-renewal commercial PM nudge ('hi [first name], [my brand]'s next quarterly PM at [property] is [date] — I'll arrive Tuesday at 9am with my [N]-door PM bag, deliver written reports + UL 325 audit + invoice Net-15. Reply Y to confirm or R to reschedule'), (d) the post-warranty residential follow-up text (90 days post-job — 'hi [first name], your 90-day workmanship warranty on the [date] spring replacement is up. Springs typically last 7-10 years from install date. Want me to add you to my 7-year reminder list?'), (e) the Google review reply for any 5-star review ('thanks [first name], glad the spring + UL 325 safety check went smoothly — the photo-eye sensor alignment is what most techs skip. Happy to help with any tune-up. Book here: [Calendly]'), (f) the absolute don'ts: NEVER auto-bill without written authorization, NEVER nudge more than 4x/year per customer (becomes spam), NEVER skip the 90-days-to-renewal commercial nudge (renewals fall through the cracks). Tone: warm friend + senior tech. Output paste-ready Jobber automation templates."

6/12-month follow-up SMS recovers 15-25% of past customers = $750-$1,500/year per 100 past customers.

Time Saved Per Week

Roughly 3-5 hours/week once your PM package, price anchor script, and UL 325 templates are built:

Property manager / commercial PM cold-walk: 1-time setup → reused on every walk-in
Spring price anchor script + decision tree: 1-time setup → reused on every call
UL 325 documentation template: 1-time setup → reused on every job
Door-hanger + targeting batch: 1-time setup → reused per print run
6/12-month follow-up SMS automation: 1-time setup → fires automatically

Trade that time for: 5 more property manager / commercial walk-ins, the IDA CADT cert prep (compounds into commercial-bid pricing power), and the Saturday-morning Nextdoor post in any neighborhood after a wind storm (drives emergency calls).

Total AI Stack Cost

Budget tier ($29/mo): Jobber Core ($29) + ChatGPT free + Canva free + Loom free + Google Business Profile. Right while you're under 5 active commercial accounts.
Full tier ($49/mo): Add ChatGPT Plus ($20). Worth it the day you sign commercial PM contract #1 — PM report quality + price anchor script discipline jumps materially with GPT-4.
Compare: A part-time bookkeeper for PM outreach + 6/12-month follow-ups + review replies runs $300-$600/month. The full AI stack is one-tenth that cost.

Cancel anything you don't open in a 7-day window. Skip Angi/HomeAdvisor — at $20-$100/lead, math doesn't work for $250-$400 tickets unless your close rate is exceptional.

Your First Win

30 minutes from now your spring price anchor script is laminated for the truck dashboard + your phone-screen questionnaire is built — every inbound call gets the 5-question filter starting Monday. Open ChatGPT (free tier works). Paste:

"I'm a garage door repair tech in [my city]. The single biggest profit leak in this trade is underpricing the spring job — new techs see $30 of parts + charge $120 because it 'feels honest.' Anchor at $250-$350 per single-spring call + $400-$550 dual without apologizing. The price is for the safety risk (DASMA's 'Torsion Spring Terrorism' advisory: a single spring stores enough wound energy to put a winding bar through a forearm), the speed (45-90 min for a trained tech), the UL 325 federal-compliance verification (16 CFR Part 1211 — every opener I touch must meet entrapment-protection standards), and my $1M insurance — NOT for the steel. Build me the 1-page laminated dashboard reference I use on every inbound call starting Monday: (a) the 5 phone-screen questions BEFORE quoting any spring/opener call: (1) 'Is the door fully closed or stuck open?' (closed = scheduled service, open = emergency 1.5x), (2) 'How many springs are visible above the door?' (1 single = $300 / 2 dual = $475 — recommend dual whenever the second spring is 5+ years old since they're a matched set), (3) 'What color is the wire on the spring?' (DASMA color code identifies wire gauge → I order the right replacement before arrival, no second trip), (4) 'What year was the door installed?' (pre-1993 = likely needs UL 325 opener upgrade too, factor into quote), (5) 'Do you have an active opener installed?' (if yes, I run the UL 325 safety-reverse test included — federal compliance check), (b) the price anchor script I deliver after the phone screen — '$300 single-spring replacement (parts + labor + 90-min on-site + UL 325 opener safety check), $475 dual (both springs replaced same visit), $475-$700 opener replacement depending on brand (LiftMaster $475 / Genie $525 / Chamberlain $475) + the UL 325-compliant opener cost passed through. Annual tune-up $150. Want to schedule for [next available slot]?,' (c) the 4 'walk away' triggers — anyone who wants springs under $200 (cost-x-3 floor on parts + safety + insurance), anyone who refuses my UL 325 safety-reverse test (federal compliance trap I won't sign off on), anyone who insists I install their own springs (warranty + safety liability), anyone who wants a non-UL-325-compliant opener I'd be reinstalling (federal violation + personal liability), (d) the in-home UL 325 documentation script ('I just verified your photo eyes are aligned + functional, force-reversal triggers in under 2 seconds, manual release works. This documentation goes on your invoice — keep it for your insurance file. If your opener ever fails entrapment-protection, that document is your insurance carrier's defense'), (e) the post-call follow-up email auto-fired from Jobber ('here's your invoice + UL 325 documentation + photos + the 6-month + 12-month tune-up reminders set on my calendar. Recommend annual at $150'), (f) the absolute don'ts: NEVER quote parts-only ('the price is for safety + speed + UL 325, not the steel'), NEVER discount below $250 single-spring (you bleed margin + train the customer that you're cheap), NEVER install a non-UL-325 opener (federal violation + personal liability that pierces the LLC veil), NEVER skip the safety-reverse test (federal compliance + your liability shield). Tone: confident senior tech + UL 325-aware + safety-pro. Output paste-ready as a 1-page laminated dashboard reference + a follow-up email template I auto-send via Jobber."

Print + laminate it Sunday afternoon. Use it on every inbound call starting Monday. $180 of recovered margin per call × 30 calls/month = $5,400/month of pure margin you weren't capturing — and the UL 325 documentation is your free legal defense if any opener you touch ever fails entrapment-protection in the future.

Product / Service Offering

Lead with three core services and resist scope creep for the first six months.

Spring replacement. This is the call you want. Most homes have one or two torsion springs above the door. Replacement is 45-90 minutes for a trained tech, parts cost $30-$80, and you bill $200-$400 per spring installed. Color-coded wire gauge per DASMA's spring ID standard makes ordering predictable.

Opener install and repair. LiftMaster, Genie, and Chamberlain dominate. Replacing a dead opener is a 2-hour job billed at $450-$700 plus the unit. Any opener you sell or install must meet UL 325 entrapment-protection requirements — that's federal law under 16 CFR Part 1211, not a recommendation.

Tune-ups and panel/roller/cable repair. $125-$175 for a full inspection (lubricate, balance, tighten, test safety reverse), and you'll land a follow-on repair on roughly 40% of those visits. This is also your foot-in-the-door for commercial accounts.

What you say no to: full door replacements your first year unless you have a helper. Custom carriage doors. Anything that needs scaffolding.

Revenue Model

Garage door work is a high-ticket, low-volume trade. Four to six calls a day at a $250 average ticket beats twelve $90 handyman jobs on every metric — windshield time, fuel, and your back.

Path	Calls/Month	Avg Ticket	Gross	Parts Cost	Net Before Overhead
First $1K month (8 residential calls)	8	$250	$2,000	$400	~$1,600
First $3K month (residential + 1 commercial)	18 + quarterly PM	$275	$5,200	$1,000	~$4,200
Steady-state month 12	35 + 3 commercial PM	$290	$11,000	$2,200	~$8,800

Commercial preventive maintenance is where the recurring revenue lives. A 12-door self-storage facility on a quarterly PM contract runs $480-$720 per visit, billed four times a year, and they call you for every actual repair on top. Three of those accounts is roughly $9,000 in baseline annual revenue before a single emergency call.

Startup Costs

You can be running for $5,000 if you have the truck. $15,000 buys you a real cushion.

Tools: $1,800-$3,500 — winding bars (the right ones, not Amazon counterfeits), a 28-volt impact, ladder, cable spool, levels, tension gauge, plus opener-programming remotes
Starter parts inventory: $1,200-$2,500 — six common spring sizes, two LiftMaster openers, rollers, cables, hinges, weather seal
Insurance: General liability $400-$800/year via Hiscox or Next Insurance, plus commercial auto rider on the truck
LLC + EIN: $35-$500 depending on state per LLC University. EIN is always free at IRS EIN Online — don't pay a third party
Truck wrap or magnets + yard signs: $400-$1,200
Phone, scheduling app, basic invoicing: $80-$150/month
Marketing reserve: $500-$2,000 for door hangers, Google Local Services Ads, and Nextdoor visibility

Skip the website on day one. Skip the call-answering service. You answer your own phone for the first 90 days because the way you answer it is the brand.

Legal & Formation

Business entity. Form an LLC, not a sole proprietorship. You're handling components that store hundreds of pounds of force inches above someone's car and kid. Personal-asset protection is non-negotiable. State filing fees run $35-$500 — see LLC University for your number. Get the EIN free at the IRS site and ignore any service charging $50-$300 to "register" it.

Licenses & sales tax. Garage door work sits in a weird regulatory pocket. Most states have no specialty license for residential repair, but Texas requires a licensed commercial door operator installer credential, and California's $1,000 contractor threshold pulls most multi-spring jobs into general contractor licensing territory. Check NASCLA and Contractors-License.org for your state. Labor on repairs is taxable in roughly half of states; parts are taxable almost everywhere — confirm with your state revenue department before your first invoice. Voluntary credentials worth pursuing once you're established: the IDA Certified Automatic Door Technician (CADT), which commercial property managers increasingly ask for.

Industry-specific risk. The single biggest legal trap in this trade is installing a non-compliant opener. Federal law (16 CFR Part 1211) requires every residential automatic opener sold or installed to meet UL 325 entrapment-protection standards. If you reinstall a 25-year-old opener that lacks photo-eye sensors and a kid gets hurt, you are personally liable regardless of LLC status. Second trap: torsion spring injuries to bystanders. Never work the door with anyone underneath it, ever, and document your safety walkthrough in your invoice notes.

Marketing & First Customers

Your first ten customers come from feet, not ads.

Walk a 200-home neighborhood with door hangers — $0.05-$0.15 per piece, expect a 1-2% callback. Put yard signs at every job site with permission. Get on Nextdoor and answer "anyone know a garage door guy?" posts within the hour; that single channel will outperform every paid ad your first six months.

For paid: Google Local Services Ads at $6-$30 per lead is the only paid channel I'd recommend on day one. Skip Angi — at $20-$100 per lead in this category and a 3-in-10 close rate, the math doesn't pencil. Yelp Ads at $300-$1,000/month is a coin flip; revisit at month six.

The commercial book is built differently. List every property management company, self-storage facility, auto shop, and HOA in a 20-mile radius. Walk in (don't email) with a one-page service sheet, business card, and a $25 Starbucks gift card for the office manager who actually books the work. You're aiming for one signed PM contract per month for the first six months.

First 90 Days

Week 1: File the LLC, get the EIN, bind general liability and commercial auto, open a business checking account.
Week 1-2: Buy your top six spring sizes, two LiftMaster openers, a winding bar set, and a tension gauge. Build the truck.
Week 2: Print 500 door hangers and 25 yard signs. Build a Google Business Profile and turn on Local Services Ads at a $300 weekly cap.
Week 3-4: Walk three neighborhoods of 200 homes each. Target: first paid call by day 21.
Week 4-6: Hit 8-12 residential calls per week. Track average ticket, close rate, and parts margin in a spreadsheet — not an app.
Week 6-8: Walk 20 commercial prospects. Goal: one signed quarterly preventive maintenance contract by week 8.
Week 8-10: Set up automatic 6-month and 12-month follow-up texts on every residential customer. Recovery rate on those reminders runs 15-25%.
Week 12: You should be at 25-35 calls/month, one commercial account, and clearing $3,000-$4,500 net. If you're not, the bottleneck is almost always inbound call answering — fix that first.

Common Pitfalls

Underpricing the spring job. New techs see $30 of parts and charge $120 because it feels honest. The fix: your price is for the safety risk and the speed, not the steel. Anchor at $250-$350 per single-spring call and don't apologize.

Skipping the safety reverse test. Federal UL 325 compliance requires a working photo-eye and force reversal on every residential opener. The fix: test it on every visit, document it in writing on the invoice, and refuse to leave a non-compliant opener in service.

Chasing residential leads on Angi and HomeAdvisor. At $20-$100 per lead with a sub-50% close rate, you'll burn $400 to make $300. The fix: kill paid lead-gen except Google LSA, and put that budget into door hangers, Nextdoor presence, and walking commercial properties.

Working alone above a closed door. Every torsion spring failure I've heard about happened to someone working solo with the door under tension. The fix: drop the door fully or use locking pliers on the track before you ever touch a winding bar, and tell your spouse where you'll be that morning.

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