STARTUP BUDGET
Capital + runway
Pre-filled with a two-bay standard build. Equipment figures are per-bay placeholders — swap in real quotes as you get them.
| Block | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equipment and tooling | $118,000 |
| Lease deposit | $11,400 |
| Build-out, signage, licences, insurance | $25,900 |
| One-off subtotal | $155,300 |
| Monthly burn | $15,233 |
| Runway, 3 months | $45,700 |
Before the first repair order
Capital required ______
Capital needed
$201,000
Two numbers, not one
The one-off block is lifts, tooling, a scan platform, build-out, signage, the lease deposit, licences and the first insurance premium. The runway block is rent, payroll, software and insurance multiplied by however many months you expect to run below break-even. Published bands cover the first number — $70,000–$150,000 and up is the common one — and almost never the second.
What the equipment tiers assume
| Tier | Per bay | Shared tooling |
|---|---|---|
| Lean | Used two-post lift, jack, stands, basic air | Entry scan tool, press, torch set |
| Standard | New two-post lift, air, bench, waste handling | Mid scan platform, A/C machine, tyre changer and balancer |
| Full | Mixed two- and four-post, dedicated alignment bay | Two scan platforms, ADAS targets, alignment rack |
The per-bay figures in the sheet are placeholders in the right order of magnitude. Replace them with real quotes as they land — equipment is the one line where a phone call beats a published band every time.
What this sheet deliberately leaves out
Parts inventory, because a shop that orders per job carries almost none. Vehicle finance, because a service van is a separate decision. And the owner’s own draw, which is the number that actually determines whether the business is viable — run it once you have a door rate from the labor rate calculator and a realistic billed-hours figure from the efficiency calculator.
The order to do this in
Capital last, not first. Work out what you will charge, how many hours you can bill, and what those hours have to cover; then this sheet tells you what it costs to get to the first one. The startup guide walks the sequence, and insurance is the line most often underestimated in a first budget. Once the doors are open the question becomes volume: the shop break-even calculator turns that monthly burn into the cars a day you need.
PUBLISHED STARTUP BANDS
- Startup, common band
- $70,000–$150,000 and up
- Equipment, fully kitted
- $30,000–$125,000 for lifts, diagnostic machines and tools
- Garage liability
- $1,300–$2,500 a year
- All-in insurance average
- $107 a month, about $1,286 a year
- Technician median wage
- $50,620 a year (median, May 2025)
- Typical net margin
- 6–7% net