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Business Model · Automotive

The Auto Glass Repair Company

A specialized, mobile automotive trade where the bay is often a van and utilization is the profit. A rock-chip repair is near-pure margin; a windshield replacement carries heavy glass and now demands an ADAS camera recalibration the insurer pays for. Here is how an auto-glass shop actually pencils, why recalibration is the new profit center, and why glass sourcing decides the margin.

15 min experienceInteractive economicsBuilt from BLS & Census data
01

The Snapshot

Is this worth your attention?

$400k-$1.5M
Typical annual revenue
3-bay / mobile shop · repair + replace + ADAS
8-22%
Owner cash margin
share of revenue
~$22/hr
Median glazier wage
$46,080/yr (2024)
$60k-$120k
Cost to start
van, glass tools, ADAS gear, working capital
Medium
Day-to-day difficulty
scheduling, installs, ADAS, claims
Low-Med
Absentee potential
systemized with a lead installer

A fit if you...

  • Can learn a specialized, safety-critical install-and-calibrate trade
  • Want an essential automotive service with insurance-backed demand
  • Will push ADAS recalibration and build insurance direct-billing
  • Can run scheduling, mobile routing, and the claim paperwork

Probably not if you...

  • Want a passive, absentee investment from day one
  • Dislike precise, safety-critical work and recalibration steps
  • Are unwilling to learn glass handling and ADAS calibration
  • Have no appetite for insurance billing and claim management
02

Step Inside the Layout

A live look at one tool inside

This is the actual 3D floor from the full model - drag to explore it. Inside, you configure the space yourself and watch the economics move with every choice.

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This is just the surface

The full model is the complete, interactive deep-dive, and every business here is built to the same standard: a live economics simulator you tune to your own numbers, an interactive 3D walkthrough, a location scorecard, an owner-fit assessment, buy-versus-build guidance, and the full breakdown of how it makes money and what quietly kills margin.