Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/303876
42 | I nsIgh t • M a y 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m W ith up to 40 people coming into Appleton's Cousineau Auto Parts in Appleton each day, owner Bill Cousineau felt he had a captive audience. ose customers would need someone to install those parts and repair their vehicles, so a few months ago, Cousineau opened service garage. e first-of-its-kind venture in northeast Wisconsin offers customers service bay rentals and tools to repair their own vehicles. ey also can enlist trained help if they'd like a little help on their projects. "We're at the beginning of this (venture), and I'm really excited," says Cousineau, third-generation owner of the 55-year-old auto parts business. "is is a blue-collar area with lots of do-it-yourselfers." One such do-it-yourselfer is Jared Frisby of neenah, the self-described "guy with the fast trucks." he has been modifying trucks for years, and he was looking for a garage that was renting a bay, especially in this year's sub-zero winter. "e convenience of having a li and a heated space is huge," says Frisby, who was service garage's first customer. In addition to the size of the workspace, he says he appreciated the customer service and the "extremely laidback atmosphere." "Our unique selling position is auto repairs at half the cost. Everybody Service Garage offers auto repair alternative to DIY fixer-uppers Space and time in focus { s m a l l b u s i n e s s } B y S h a r o n Ve r b e t e n S h a r o n V e r b e t e n loves the idea, but it takes time (to build a business and a clientele)," says Cousineau, noting that the business has made a small profit already in the past two months and has seen many repeat customers. he'd like to see revenue doubled by next year and see all seven service bays filled as oen as possible. service garage is now a perfect complement to the auto parts business, but Cousineau would like it to be self-sustaining. "I want it (the service business) to cover some of the overhead here." An innovative concept While the service garage concept is new to northeast Wisconsin, Cousineau studied similar businesses in Milwaukee, Minnesota and Washington state. And when a similar service company in Minnesota decided to end its business, Cousineau purchased its business plan and some equipment. "(e owner) was very open with me," says Cousineau, noting that the owner advised him of the potential pitfalls of such a business. One major concern was liability insurance, due to the fact that customers could incur injuries on site while doing their own work, which could make the venture cost prohibitive. But Cousineau, who also owns Wally's U-Pull-It auto parts salvage yard in Oshkosh, already had insurance that required only an additional rider for service garage. service garage is located in part of the 24,000-square-foot building Cousineau owns at 2225 W. nordale Drive in Appleton; he cleared out half of his auto parts warehouse to accommodate the garage area – which features seven service bays with lis, as well as the tools, diagnostic equipment, AsE-certified technicians, a full-time experienced service writer and repair database needed to assist. ey also offer discounts and prompt delivery on new parts from local auto parts stores. he estimates his start-up costs at $75,000, which he financed on his own. Other similar businesses tend to operate with 70 percent of the business as full-service help and 30 percent do- it-yourself. But Cousineau says, "I don't A technician works on a vehicle at Service Garage in Appleton.