Windshield Repair Forum

Greetings forum members! You can call me Blayze for short and it's nice to meet all of you. I have immersed myself in reading posts here for the last few days hoping to find information and/or answers to feed my need to conquer my ignorance in the area of starting up a WSR business.

I started off searching, then wound up seeing that it was easier and buried treasure to be found in all posts. My main focus is the business development section, but find that there is some gems in other sections as well.

I can see the yellow brick road in the distance, but I think my glasses may be dirty because I can't see how to get from point A (wanting to start a business) to point B (the path that leads me down the road to making that happen) Said point B, the yellow brick road. ;)

I found tidbits of great information, but not a link or direct answer. I even ran into a couple of questions that had a familiar sound as they were almost like my own questions, but alas, they weren't answered. So here, I am... from being the reader, to now, the poster. Please help if you can and know you will be most appreciated even if you can't tell me much. However *dark clouds appear* please do NOT tell me to search the boards. I am crosseyed from all the reading and yes, I might of overlooked a few, but do know I did give a good effort in trying to find answers!

Okay here we go:

I do know how to do WSR. I have access to tools. I am leaning towards making my business a SP and not an LLC. I want to do work with insurance companies. I don't understand how LYNX, Safelite (SGS) and all that works. I can't get information I need from their sites. I am getting an EIN instead of using my social. I have an area to solicit and all the inspiration to market my business to the best of my ability. Inspiration I say in that I have Multiple Sclerosis and a small part of the profit will be donated to finding a cure. I will do cash/check transactions, and after reading this site, possibly do credit as well. Insurance is mainly where I want to hit though. Customers with full coverage that are (not State Farm lol) going to go through their company for the repair with me. And blah blah blah......

*snicker* okay, actually, the previous paragraphs boil down to this.... how the hell do I get insurance companies to work with me? Can I just call said company (I have a list) and work it with them that way individually or do I have to get on a network like Lynx and whatnot. I want to solicit customers that do have full coverage.

As you can tell I talk a lot and tell the creation of the world from day 1 before I get to my point ;) (see *snicker* part for said point) lol Please believe me that I have done a lot of research on network sites and this forum and google and I think my keyboard is on fire from typing so much, so I am off for now. (you may exhale now) heh

Thanks in advance for any help you can give, and for at least taking the time to read. That is what I have been doing and even though I am lost, I am thankful for each of the posts I read, helpful or not, as they invoked a sense of community. And of that community, I am happy to be a part of now.

~Blayze~

I am sorry I cannot answer your questions as the USA insurance market is different from ours, what I would like to ask is why the private market only, that sure is missing a huge sector. I seldom do an insurance job unless pestered but I stay extremely busy.

I read your post over carefully and it appears that you are at the beginning. You say you know how to do WSR and "have access" to tools. This implies that you don't own any. If that's correct, then "we" need to start with the basics.

You also imply that you haven't gotten your business trade mark registered or any licenses.
Obviously, you need to decide between a sole proprietorship or an LLC.

Then you need to determine your market focus, that is , what segment of the business are you interested in? As Screenman mentioned, there is a great deal of business in commercial fleets.

Are you physically limited relative to your MS? This may be a factor if you have difficulty servicing big trucks. Also can you stand and walk a lot?

Then you need to purchase general liability insurance, the networks require it., and even if you only do cash work, it makes good business sense to be covered.

There is plenty of evidence that doing cash work only, and staying off the insurance networks, can work well for some people. Those that do simply provide their customers with an extra copy of the invoice and let them go about getting reimbursed from their insurance company. That way, you've been paid and don't have to deal with the paperwork.

It might be that you can determine your abilities and gain insight into your market if you start out cash and credit card. Just get out and start knocking doors, business and industrial parks during the day, and residential neighborhoods in the late afternoon, especially Saturdays, up until dark. Introduce yourself with a card or flyer with chip pictures on it and say, "I just wanted to see if you have any rock chips like this on your windshield that you would like to have repaired".

Then, if you choose, begin the process of registering with the networks. Lynx, Safelite Solution, Harmon Solutions and a few smaller ones.
There are numerous factors involved here which are a bit complex and take a few weeks to accomplish.

Final note, waiting to get registered with the insurance networks shouldn't prevent you from getting started selling.

Thank you both for the replies! I really appreciate them. I have a way to focus better now on getting started. I didn't realize how much "not at the start" I am, and that I have to backtrack and start from the beginning. I knew the guidance from the forums would be great. Looks like I can formulate a plan and go from there.

Once again, thank you. This looks like it will be the beginning of a journey that will be both fun yet challenging. I was so lost and the tips were great.

Take care and repair!! (Rhymes... I am such a geek lol)

~Blayze~

Cash is always King but the ability to take insurance will add $ to your total You can sign up with the networks but many wont take you until you have been in buisness a year. There are several companies out there who will do all your billing they do charge a fee but my opinion is its well worth it. If you choose to try it on your own one way is to call the number on the back of thier insrance card but dont do it until you have started the repair that way they cant try to two stp them to one of thier preffered repair facilitys. The owners of this forum are great people and open to answering just about any question you can imagine give em a call

Starblayze wrote:Greetings forum members! You can call me Blayze for short and it's nice to meet all of you. I have immersed myself in reading posts here for the last few days hoping to find information and/or answers to feed my need to conquer my ignorance in the area of starting up a WSR business.

I started off searching, then wound up seeing that it was easier and buried treasure to be found in all posts. My main focus is the business development section, but find that there is some gems in other sections as well.

I can see the yellow brick road in the distance, but I think my glasses may be dirty because I can't see how to get from point A (wanting to start a business) to point B (the path that leads me down the road to making that happen) Said point B, the yellow brick road.

I found tidbits of great information, but not a link or direct answer. I even ran into a couple of questions that had a familiar sound as they were almost like my own questions, but alas, they weren't answered. So here, I am... from being the reader, to now, the poster. Please help if you can and know you will be most appreciated even if you can't tell me much. However *dark clouds appear* please do NOT tell me to search the boards. I am crosseyed from all the reading and yes, I might of overlooked a few, but do know I did give a good effort in trying to find answers!

Okay here we go:

I do know how to do WSR. I have access to tools. I am leaning towards making my business a SP and not an LLC. I want to do work with insurance companies. I don't understand how LYNX, Safelite (SGS) and all that works. I can't get information I need from their sites. I am getting an EIN instead of using my social. I have an area to solicit and all the inspiration to market my business to the best of my ability. Inspiration I say in that I have Multiple Sclerosis and a small part of the profit will be donated to finding a cure. I will do cash/check transactions, and after reading this site, possibly do credit as well. Insurance is mainly where I want to hit though. Customers with full coverage that are (not State Farm lol) going to go through their company for the repair with me. And blah blah blah......

*snicker* okay, actually, the previous paragraphs boil down to this.... how the hell do I get insurance companies to work with me? Can I just call said company (I have a list) and work it with them that way individually or do I have to get on a network like Lynx and whatnot. I want to solicit customers that do have full coverage.

As you can tell I talk a lot and tell the creation of the world from day 1 before I get to my point (see *snicker* part for said point) lol Please believe me that I have done a lot of research on network sites and this forum and google and I think my keyboard is on fire from typing so much, so I am off for now. (you may exhale now) heh

Thanks in advance for any help you can give, and for at least taking the time to read. That is what I have been doing and even though I am lost, I am thankful for each of the posts I read, helpful or not, as they invoked a sense of community. And of that community, I am happy to be a part of now.

~Blayze~

Hey man just to make it easy get 500,000 dollars in general liability business insurance then call ACT and they will set you up on the networks