It took many hours and nearly two years to take the hundreds of photographs included in the text and write the program. (By the way, I am still repairing about 1000 appliances per year.) During that time, jobs were carefully analyzed and every tool and technique used was noted. All normal and unusual customer situations and events were recorded daily on a small tape recorder and later transferred to and edited on Microsoft Word. This information was supplemented with interviews of expert mechanics, old employees, suppliers and all their recollections and mine from the last 30 years. During that compilation period, I constantly reflected on what would be truly valuable, necessary and useful to an aspiring entrant in the appliance repair business.

My original goal of sixteen manuals evolved into a complete package with 26 manuals, tools and parts. See our new Storefront for full details. The total package now includes:

1. Eleven technical manuals covering all major appliances.
2. A set of five business manuals that together make a complete own-your-own-business program. This set takes away all the fear and guesswork about starting, marketing and running the "business" side of your business.
3. Start-up Business Supply Catalog
4. A complete advertising kit
5. Master Marketing Guide Book
6. Master Bulk Mail Guide
7. New Employers Tax Guide
8. Microwave Parts Guide
9. Raker parts reference
10. Flat Rate Guide
11. Parts Inventory Guide Book
12. A set of fast moving parts providing a start-up inventory. The parts selected are ones essential to any efficient operation that aims to minimize return trips. The parts kit is large enough, when pricing guidelines are followed, to produce three times the cost of the program.
13. Special appliance tools, including a pocket thermometer and 39 piece tool kit; items that would not normally be in a household toolbox.
14. Free consultation on technical and business problems.
    

15.  Our web site is a complete and comprehensive source of major appliance repair information. The site includes complete diagnostic tools and flow charts for quick, accurate analysis of specific appliance problems. You can also purchase my entire program over the web or just request my information kit. The manuals included in my program are based on 30 years experience and 30,000 service calls. They include hundreds of on-the-job photographs and describe real life situations, not idealistic laboratory ones. In spite of the fact that I hold a B.E.S. in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, the manuals are practical not technical. (Stephen Hawkings isn't the only one who can write a technical book without formulas.) The manuals are based on techniques that have been proven effective in training dozens of technicians over many years and are used daily by me and other appliance professionals. Appliance technicians are not design engineers; rather, we come in after the design mistakes are made and then correct the errors and weak spots. The manuals concentrate on understanding designs, recognizing failure patterns and quick replacement techniques.

    As the site grows, all of the manuals - including photographs and frequent up-dates - will eventually be put on-line for down loading on an as-needed basis by those that are involved in the program. This information is be equally useful to do-it-yourselfers and appliance professionals. In the mean time, many diagnostics and flow charts are already on-line and are very useful in many situations.

    For more info, see our DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM,
    or the complete list of manuals and materials in our Storefront

    2. This site also provides complete information on entering the appliance repair business, whether it be to provide a second income, a way of leveraging out of a Dilbert, 9-5 cubicle job, or the beginning a totally new career.

    As a graduate engineer, I have always had the option of performing a technical job within a corporation. In fact, for a few years I worked as an engineer for both Proctor and Gamble and the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. But the corporate life is not for me. Instead, in the last 30 years, I've invested a lot of sweat equity (and I must admit some college training) and started several successful business. Without a doubt, the appliance repair business has been the best. Why? It is one of the few fields left that is not overrun with regulations. It still has the flavor of the old wild west; there is little if any licensing and almost no governmental interference. For the competent, it is very high paying ($50.00- $70.00 per hour), and offers the freedom of self-employment. It requires little start-up capital, can be operated from home, and is relatively clean and hazard free (I was in the environmental business too). And the part I like most of all - it is never boring. Customers are always interesting and repairs offer a tremendous variety of interesting and challenging problems.

    If you can't get out of bed early and are not willing to work steadily and hard, surf on. The appliance repair business is neither a get rich scheme nor a free lunch, but it does offer a stable career with an income of $50,000- $100,000 per year for an intelligent hard worker. A higher income is possible, if you decide to expand your company into a multiple truck operation. And, in case you are wondering, all this can be done ethically, treating customers fairly, while building friendships and a strong repeat business.

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