Starting a piano repair business can be done from your home or you can rent a shop, but make plans and consider your options before beginning.
Most of what you need when repairing pianos are small items, such as strings, keys, tuners, and peddles, although from time to time you might be required to order some larger pieces. If your shop will be at home, you'll probably need to set up a storage area, a small work area for assembling and maybe a desk with phone. Take an ad out in some area newspapers and in the local phone book to let others know you're in business. Inform the Chamber of Commerce of your new business, since people often call this organization when inquiring about local business. If you don't have the room at home, or you'd simply prefer a real shop, you can rent or lease a building, but the overhead will, of course, take away considerably from your income. Take into consideration that you'll not only be paying rent, but also the utilities. And, in many towns, businesses are charged more than residences for such things as phones and electricity.
Although it might seem far-fetched, you can also set up your piano repair shop online. On your website, list the town and state where you are located and state the amount of miles you are willing to travel to do repairs, and what types of repairs and services you offer. Also state how much you charge per mile and any base fee. Potential customers can then email you and discuss what the piano problem is before you decide to take the job. For this, it might be a good idea to have a fax machine so that you can send a contract, and they can then return a signed copy. You could spend a lot of money traveling, only to find out the customer won't pay the tab. If possible, try to schedule more than one repair job during a trip, to make it more profitable and to save wear and tear on you and your vehicle.
If you decide to go full-force into the piano repair business, find a location which is suitable and preferably has a large display window. There's nothing like a beautiful piano in a window to get the attention of someone who loves pianos. You could also benefit from selling other piano-related items such as sheet music or metronomes. No matter which avenue you decide to pursue when it comes to your piano repair business, take the time to plan how you will go about starting your business, what hours you'll be working, what you think the initial investment will be, general supplies you need to keep on hand, and so forth. Since piano repair persons aren't exactly a dime a dozen, you should do just fine in your new venture.
