Mobile Mechanic Business Plan, Section by Section
A bank, a partner or just you at the kitchen table needs the same seven answers. Here they are, with a worked example of the one number that matters most: how many jobs a week it takes to break even.
Free plan, not a trial. No card. We look at every new shop ourselves and switch it on, usually the same day.
The Seven Sections of the Plan
Summary
One paragraph. Who you are, where you work, what you fix, and what you charge.
Services
The jobs you will do in a driveway, and the ones you will send to a shop.
Service area
The towns you cover and the farthest you will drive for one job.
Customers
Who calls you. Drivers stuck at home or work, used car buyers, small fleets.
Prices
Your call out fee, your labor rate and your parts markup.
Monthly costs
Everything you pay every month whether you work or not.
Break even
How many jobs a week cover the costs. Everything after that is pay.
Break Even, Worked Out With Sample Numbers
These are sample numbers to show the math, not a promise of what you will earn. Put your own in. The method is what matters.
| Line | Sample number | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fixed costs | $2,000 | Vehicle, insurance, phone, software, fuel. Use your own |
| Average labor per job | $200 | About an hour and a half at a sample rate of $135 |
| Parts margin per job | $40 | Your markup on parts, after what you paid |
| Earned per job | $240 | Labor plus parts margin |
| Jobs a month to break even | About 9 | $2,000 divided by $240 |
| Jobs a week to break even | About 2 | Nine jobs over four weeks |
Sample figures only. Labor rates for mobile work in Southern California ran about $100 to $150 an hour in our own published prices for August 2026.
Write Your Prices Down Before You Need Them
The plan should say what you charge to show up, what an hour costs and how you mark up parts. Decide them once, at a table, not in a driveway with a customer watching.
Our pricing guide shows what we charge and how to work out your own.
Put the Plan Where You Work
A plan in a drawer does nothing. Put your labor rate and markup into the software you quote from, so every quote follows the plan without you thinking about it. In Shop Desk you set the labor rate once and the markup bands once, and every quote prices from them.
Questions About the Business Plan
What should a mobile mechanic business plan include?
How many jobs a week does a mobile mechanic need?
Do I need a business plan to get a loan?
Where do I put my prices once the plan is done?
More for Mobile Mechanics
- Mobile Mechanic SoftwareRun the van from your phone
- How to Start a Mobile Mechanic BusinessThe order to do it in
- How Much to Charge as a Mobile MechanicOur real prices, and the math
- Free Mobile Mechanic Invoice TemplateFill it in, print it, done
- Auto Repair Invoice SoftwareFor small and mobile shops
- Best Apps for Mobile MechanicsWhat earns a spot on your phone
- Auto Repair Shop SoftwareFree to start, built in our own shop
Ask a Mechanic Who Uses It
Not ready to sign up? Tell us how your shop runs and what your software gets wrong today. One of us will call you back, and we will tell you straight if Shop Desk is not the right fit.
- A person reads it, usually the same day
- No sales sequence and no drip emails
- We run our own shop on this software
Rather email? Write to hello@yourshopdesk.com