Battery Reconditioning Business Guide

Starting a Battery Reconditioning Business

Do you plan to start your own business? Do you know that selling reconditioned batteries can be a lucrative business? Do you want to know how to do it right? There is a lot of innovation going on in battery technology which makes battery reconditioning an exciting business. Not many people know a battery can be revived when it dies. There are thousands of batteries that are thrown into landfills each year which means there is a lot of money in the landfills too.

Batteries are used in a variety of appliances in addition to automobiles. These are used in aero planes, campers, vehicles, boats, golf carts, trucks, water sports equipment as well as various other types of motorized equipment. The most common type of battery used in cars is the lead acid battery and it is going to be there for a long time which means people need to learn how to take care of exhausted lead acid batteries. The best way to deal with flat lead acid batteries is to recondition the old batteries to bring them back to their glory days.

One other thing you should know is that many lead acid batteries are thrown away prematurely even though you can still use them for many cycles. One of the main reasons people tend to throw away old batteries is that the batteries do not remain as efficient as when they were new. Other people throw away batteries as they do not want to take any risk when the battery dies for the first time. They prefer buying a new battery.

The usual service life of a battery is around 5 years, but it can be stretched to more than 10 years. However, most people are satisfied with a 5-year service life and prefer buying a new one if they notice any signs of deterioration such as when battery doesn't charge well. Many car owners who prematurely dump their batteries is usually due to a chemical process known as a sulfation. In this article, we are going to define a step-by-step method to help you get into this business before a lot of people discover these secrets.

Step 1 – The Reconditioning Process

Firstly, the business owner needs to have complete knowledge and awareness of the whole process. You will be able to choose the right tools and machines required for the job only when you know the job well. Without knowing the whole process, you might not be prepared fully and your business venture will fail to take off. To start a business, you do not require a certification or a college degree.

Even if you are completely unaware of the inner workings of a battery and how to go about restoring them, it's possible for you to completely understand the process and start a battery reconditioning business of your own. Therefore, you should practice how to recondition a dead battery a few times on your own before starting your own business. Practicing will allow you to overcome any new problems.

Step 2 – Business Plan

Having a business plan is important as you should be aware of the goals of your business. You need to also have an excellent understanding of the market as well as the financial aspects related to the market. Solid strategies are essential to understand the direction where your business is heading. It’s as simple as creating a map to reach your goals from the starting point. Having a business plan in place will keep you focused and allow you to work hard to achieve your goals and to take your business to the next level.

Step 3 – Choosing the Right Business Location

Location of your business is extremely important as you want to choose a location that is frequently visited by your potential customers as well as workmen. If you choose the right location, there won't be any problems with availability of raw materials, transportation as well as other basic facilities needed for running a business such as electricity and water among other things. Make sure the rent or the cost of location is affordable/reasonable for a new business. If you rent a building with too high rent, you will be forced to charge a lot more to your customers which means you will have fewer customers over the period.

Step 4 – Buy the Right Tools

You will need the right tools to succeed in this business and like all other businesses, you will need to make a small investment in the beginning to get started. In the battery reconditioning business, you do not need a college degree or any kind of certification to get started but it is essential to know about the right tools to use in this business in order to be successful. Thankfully, most of the tools you need for this business are readily available at home. Some of the tools you will need in this business include terminal screwdrivers, cleaning materials, safety equipment such as goggles, gloves, buckets, jugs, funnels, battery trickle chargers, battery additives, load testers, digital multi-meter, battery analyzers, drills as well as hydro meters and others.

Step 5 – Everything Should Be Legal

Whenever you start a new business, you need to make sure that all the documents are in place to follow the local and federal regulations. Having all the documentation in place not only keeps you safe from trouble with the authorities but also gives confidence to your clients that they are working with a legal business. You will also be able to bid for particular jobs that require a business to be legally incorporated or fulfil other such conditions.

In case you are not aware of the documents required for starting a business, get in touch with others in the same business, especially people in your area to know more about the business and legal requirements. You also have the option of going to the City Hall in your location to find out all the documents you need for starting your own business.

Some of the documents you will need for legally running a battery recycling or reconditioning business include business license, business permit, employer identification number, federal tax identification number, employment offer, insurance policy, business plan, certificate of incorporation and operating agreement for LLCs among others.

Step 6 – Financing the Business

When you start a business, you need to invest money in it and the amount of money you invest has a huge impact on the chances of success in terms of achieving your desired goals and objectives. The need for capital is determined by the scale of the business you want to run but most entrepreneurs do not find it easy to source capital. Therefore, every budding entrepreneur needs to have a business plan which can be shown to external investors in order to convince them to invest in your business. You have several financing options available to start your own battery recycling or reconditioning business. Some of these options include applying for a loan from a commercial bank, getting a business partner and splitting the start-up capital, getting a soft loan from your friends and family members, or generating the capital required for your business from your own savings as well as sale of property.

Step 7 – Promoting the Business

You need to promote your business online as well as off-line. For off-line promotion, get in touch with your local newspaper for advertisements. Invest some money in outdoor advertising too. Get in touch with other vehicle service providers such as service stations or tire stores for business tie-ups. Build your own website and make sure it has a blog. On the blog, share information on how battery reconditioning can help people save money. Don't forget to use the social media to let more people know about your business.