This is what it really costs to start a mobile RV repair business. 

Hi! Hello! My name is Emily. I'm a certified mobile RV repair tech based in Las Vegas and this is my second year in business. So if you're considering going to the NRVTA this year and trying to figure out what running this business gonna cost you, let's break it down starting with education.

Education

Education is one of the categories that can vary the most. You could go to the NRVTA and spend over 10 grand and get fully certified, call yourself a certified tech, and then really know your stuff. You could also go the online route. The RVTI has an online program that costs $600 and you can also get certified through them. That certification obviously means something a little different than the one with the NRVTA. I think there's also a program out in Florida. You could also decide not to get official training and just use either your industry experience or just sort of wing it and figure it out as you go. All of those are viable options and are gonna have a pretty wide ranging cost. 

Honestly the education side of things for me was the most expensive upfront costs to starting my business but I'm not gonna be including it in the full totals just because it does vary so widely. And technically you could start a business without it, but wanted to be upfront from the start.

$0 - $600 - $10,000+

Business License

The next category is a business license. You really should, if you are starting a business, get at least an LLC. It is relatively easy. Here in Nevada you’ll use a website called Silverflume that walks you through the whole process to get a business license. (make sure to go the the .gov site, the .com site is a scam). In Nevada that cost me $440. 

That business license means 1. I can have business expenses and business taxes which is very useful, but also the LL in LLC stands for limited liability. And the C stands for corporation. What that means is if somebody hated the work that I did and they got so pissed off that they decided that they wanted to sue me they could only sue RV Repair Woman. And the only things that would be up for grabs in them suing me would be things related to my company. So they can't come for things like my house and my retirement fund. They can only come for money that is tied up in the business. And sort of covers your butt. That is $440 worth of being able to sleep at night and worth it for me and definitely something you want if you are going to legally run a business where you're at. 

Pro tip: So another thing to note about LLC’s - the state that you file your LLC in does not need to be the state that you live in. I would do more research on it if I were you. A lot of people file their LLC in Nevada anyway because we don't have state taxes. And I live in Nevada so there were extra benefits to me filing here, but you don't necessarily have to file in the state that you live in. Just something to look into if you're trying to figure out the tax implications of starting your business.

$440

Propane Certification

Editing Emily here one thing that I totally forgot about when I was filming was your propane certification. This is going to vary from state to state. Some states you do not need a certification at all. Some of them have this very in depth process. Like you have to go take a class in order to get a certification. Here in Nevada you just had to take a test that was open book.

Pro tip: if you're looking to get this certification in Nevada it is open book.Those books cost like $80 a piece or something wild like that. I called and confirmed in advance to be sure, so be sure to do that, but I took the test with the books on my iPad. You can see the books online for free but in order to print them or get hard copies, that's when you have to pay money. So I called ask and confirmed and I took the test with the books up on my iPad and that was totally acceptable.

The cost to get that certification was a $70 application fee and then I wanna say $130 license fee. And that license fee is annual. What that certification gets you is you can crack propane line. Basically you can connect and disconnect propane lines. Without that certification legally you are not supposed to connect and disconnect propane lines in an RV. Do a bunch of people get away with not having this cert? yes. Is it illegal? also yes. just telling you the facts. So in total almost $200 to get this additional cert in order to legally work on propane systems. FUN TIMES.

$200

Business Insurance

The next cover your butt thing that we need to pay for is insurance. Now I use the insurance company that the NRVTA recommended. I don't remember its name off the top of my head it's called this. 

Obviously you could shop around. For me it costs $700 a year in order to insure my little RV repair business. I can pay more if I end up doing large solar jobs or if I become an inspector. Those are two things that are gonna bump up the rate, but right now just as an RV tech going out there fixing water heaters and fridges and acs - $700 a year. And I did have to pay that all at once, there wasn't really a monthly option. So just know when you go to call them you're gonna need to have a chunk of change waiting in the bank. 

I could obviously call around for other options and I just honestly haven't. When you're starting a business there are so many decisions you need to make and so much research you have to do. It was just so nice when at school they were like here use this company. They know what you're doing they understand what a mobile RV tech is. I didn't have to go call people and explain what it is I do. It was just easy. And honestly when you're starting a business something easy just sounds great.

$700

Tools

The next must have in order to start an RV business is tools. This is another category that can range drastically. You might already own a bunch of tools and have to spend $0. I personally a couple years prior to going to the NRVTA had paired down on tools a lot. So I had to start almost from scratch. Which was okay, but you also need to strike the balance between getting what you need and not going out and just buying a bunch of stuff you don't. So I've narrowed it down to the bare bones what is the fewest number and least expensive amount of tools that you could have in your vehicle to be ready for that first call to come through. And I've narrowed it down to this.

 

$14.50

You're gonna want the Klein 11 and 1. Its a super great multi tool. It just has what you need. Works really well in RVs and has got me out of so so many binds. Right now on Amazon its $14.50 (but there are definitely sales for. cheaper at times.) And honestly I have bought multiple of these and just put them in my tool bag, in my toolbox, in my truck, in my Kia, in my house. Anywhere where I could possibly want to do anything there is a Klein 11 in 1 nearby. I just I love that tool so much.

 

$130

The next must have tool is a good multimeter. I recommend the Klein CL800. That is the recommended multimeter for the NRVTA. It's the one I know the most about and the one I use every day. Right now on Amazon it costs just under 130 bucks and worth every penny. It has all the tests you need for an RV without all the extra fluff you don’t. I have dropped this thing so many times cause I'm such a clutsy person and it still just keeps on trucking and working and getting me good readings. So highly recommend. Its a must have multimeter.

Then there's a whole chunk of tools that you can get for a pretty decent price at Harbor Freight.

 


$3.99

You're gonna want a good set of needle nose pliers.

 

$19.99

You’ll want a good set of both SAE and metric wrenches. Harbor Freight has this 22 piece set and it has got me through pretty much every call that I've had so far. In the beginning I was a little on the fence of whether or not I would need the metric wrenches and yes they do come up from time to time, so it is good to have both the standard and the metric wrenches.

 

$9.99

You're also going to need a pair of wire strippers…

 

$5.99

…and a pair of wire crimpers.

 

$17.99

And then you absolutely need to have some way to carry these tools. When I first started my business and went way too long with just having tools and parts just swimming around in the back of my car just trying to make it work. Believe me it is worth it to have some kind of organization, even when you're starting out. You think “oh I can get by without it”… NO. So worth it to have it, even if it's just this really simple tool bag box moment from Harbor Freight

 
 

Trade Stack

I personally recommend the craftsman tradestack. I’ve got it right now on my truck and it's super lightweight and easy to use. I'm currently having to transfer it between my truck and my car, as one vehicle works in the other doesn't. And it moves very easily. But at the very least get like a cheap tool bag or something to hold these tools.

 

$62.97

You're then going to need a manometer. For those of you that don't know, a manometer is how we test your propane system for leaks and you're going to need one if you're going to crack any propane line.

 

$95.99

And then finally you're going to at the very least need some kind of ladder so you can get onto the roof of Rvs. I originally have been using a brand that I found on Amazon that cost me around $150. I have since bought two of them, so I can have another one for when I need a helper. Mine is the Bivita brand… something like that. They are no longer sold on Amazon. I absolutely love this ladder, I use it all the time, it's been very durable and reliable for me, but it's no longer sold on Amazon. Which is really sad. So the next closest thing I could find was this brand of ladder for just under $100. I cannot speak to the build quality, but I will say I have this type of ladder this telescoping ladder and I absolutely love it. It fits in my very small Kia Soul. It fits on the truck obviously. It is a little heavier than your standard aluminum ladder, but because it's so much smaller that weight is so much easier to move. I highly recommend this type of ladder, I just can't speak to this ladders build quality because I haven't used it

And that is the bare bones what you need for tools. Obviously you can get more. I have a whole video where I walk through all of the tools I have just in my tool bag. And I have extras on top of that. I have my drill, and my impact driver, PEX tool, vice scripts… all kinds of things. You could go spend an assload on tools if you want, but if you are sitting here going - Emily I just dropped a whole bunch of coin going to the nrvta and now I'm trying to load up my truck with exactly what I need and nothing more because I don't wanna have to spend an extra cent. I totally get it. This is the very bare bones basics of what you need, at least in my opinion, to get your business up off the ground.

I'm gonna have another video that's going to talk about the tools that I wish that I had bought sooner, but I obviously ran my business without a lot of those things for months before I purchased them. So these tools that I talked about right now are the ones that I use every day, all the time, could not live without.

Tool Total - $361.38

Website

Next startup cost is a website. You can totally set up a website 100% for free using Google. You may still need to buy a domain name. I think I got RVRepairWoman.com for like $20 a year. It's not expensive. But having a really strong online presence was important to me. I wanted a really good looking website. I've been complimented on my website. I've gotten many customers who come to me saying I went and saw all the other people and then when I saw your website I knew you were the person I wanted. One of my big goals for 2024 is to expand my website to get some more digital products up here. You know… an easy course for people to follow and things like that. And it started with having a really strong website.

So I run my website through Square Space and that cost me $276 a year, because I have sort of the upgraded membership. I know their basic one is a little bit cheaper than that but that is what I pay.

Editing Emily's back - Even though I did pay that $276 up front, when I start totaling up the startup costs I'm gonna just count 16 bucks since that's the lowest Squarespace plan. And if you wanna pay month to month you can. So if you're just trying to bear bones it, we need to get through this first month - $16 and you can have a website. #notsponsored Just talking through what I did.

You totally can get by starting a business not having a website or any web presence. My parents business is in a place where all of their business is through word of mouth. I don't think anyone actually goes to their website. But if you are in a city, in a place where there are other people doing this type of work, your website is what is going to make you stand out. Your website is going to be how people find you and I recommend that that website look good.

$36

Vehicle Signage

The next startup cost for me was some basic signage for my vehicle. When I started I ran the whole thing out of a Kia Soul. Which is a vehicle necessarily scream RV repair and so I did feel the need to put a sticker or something on it that said “RV Repair Woman” just so it was clear when I pulled up who I was and what I was there for. I found a really cool print company in town. They are this veteran and female owned signage business. They're super dope and I got a sticker for the back of my car I think for right around $40.

 
 

I don't necessarily get a ton of calls from people seeing my number on my car, but it has definitely helped when I'm pulling up to places and them knowing why I'm there. And so me that was unnecessary $40 to spend. You, especially if you drive a truck, may be able to get away with not putting any signage on it at all. It was just was necessary for me, 1. already being a female and so not necessarily being what people first think of when they think RV repair tech and 2. driving a vehicle that also doesn't necessarily scream RV repair. I needed something that literally just said “this woman is going to fix your RV.”

$40

Merchant Services

You need to have a way to take people's money. You could decide that you only take cash and check. I don't recommend it. I recommend having a credit card reader of some sort. I use Square. If you set up an account through Square they will send you a card reader that attaches to your phone, completely for free. They do have other card readers that are like $50. I just use my phone that allows me to swipe cards. When people do have contactless cards I can do it straight through my phone without a reader, which was super awesome. And that's how I take people's money. I take cash, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, and any credit card. The only type of payment I don't take is check, unless I'm dealing with a business where their location is locked in the amount that they're paying me is well over a grand. But for the day to day you know couple hundred bucks people, I don't take check because I just don't want there to be any chance that check could bounce and then I don't get paid.

$0

Gas

I'm going to include $50 for gas cause if we are talking about bare bones, what you're gonna need to get to your first call, you’ll need gas in the truck to get you there. So let's put $50 worth of gas into the truck so we can get to the call and back.

$50

Parts

And then also you're going to want to have a business bank account with at least $500 in it that is just sitting there waiting for the first round of parts. That way you're not having to madly move around money when you need to order a fridge circuit board. Yes you can take a down payment from the customer. It is still gonna take time for that money to make it out of your merchant services into your bank account and into an account that you can spend money from. So you're gonna have to spend some of your money and then pay yourself back with that deposit that the customer gave you. I hope that makes sense. So let's make sure we have at least $500 sitting there waiting for you to have to buy a part.

$500

Total

So that is it. That is the bare bones what it takes to start up an RV repair business. This is making a couple of assumptions. This is assuming that you already have a vehicle that you can use to drive around. As I've stated a couple times. It does not need to be a truck. I started my whole business with a Kia Soul and I ran my business out of a Kia Soul for months before I bought a used truck. And even right now that used truck refuses to start cause it's raining outside and for some reason it doesn't like the rain. So I'm back in the Kia until it dries up enough that we can figure out what's wrong with the truck.

This is also assuming that you have a cellphone.

Pro Tip: Just a total side note, I still do not have a work phone. I run everything off of the same phone that I had before I had a business. I do not give out my personal number. I use Google Voice. So I created a business number using that, again totally for free, and the calls will just get forwarded to my personal phone. So that's how you get a business line for free. You got this.

If we were to add up all of those expenses, again not counting education because that one is a variable and you technically don't have to have it if you don't want to (I highly recommend you do) your grand total is going to come out to this.

$2307.38

This is what it takes to start an RV repair business. And it is a good chunk of change to have to have day 1, before you have ever even shown up and fixed an RV. But if you can make it to the first call, this is such a fulfilling business to have and way of life. There's a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I’m going through my second year and I’m so glad that I did it. If you are considering going to the NRVTA soon and considering starting up your own RV repair business let me know in the comments. I would love to find more of you and connect with all of you guys. This is a weird little niche business that we're all working in and wow do you get some stories real quick.

And if you already have your own RV repair business also let me know in the comments. I will take tips and tricks from anyone. I'm just flying by the seat of my pants and making it work every day. This has been RV Repair Woman. You got this.