CVT Authority
Action Plan

LOCATION + LEGAL

• Sign shop/lot lease — need physical address with zoning for auto repair AND auto sales (verify both with city/county before signing). Minimum: 2-bay garage + small lot for 10-15 cars + small office. Budget: $1,500-$3,500/mo depending on market
• Form LLC — file with state, get certificate of formation
• Get EIN from IRS (same day, online)
• Apply for sales tax permit (state comptroller, 1-2 weeks)
• Apply for dealer license — requires: LLC docs, lease/proof of location, zoning approval, surety bond ($25K-$50K bond, costs $250-$1,250 premium), photos of lot/signage. Submit Day 1 of Week 2 at the latest. Clock starts now: 30-90 day wait begins
• Apply for finance license if required in your state (check — some states require separate license for BHPH/lease-to-own)
• Open business bank account — get a business checking account that supports ACH, wire transfers, and high transaction volume. You will need a separate trust/escrow account later for financed vehicle payments. For now, checking + savings is enough
• Engage attorney ($1K-$2K) — review: lease-to-own contract template, buyer's guide/as-is disclosure, mechanic partnership/operating agreement, shop liability waivers
• Bind insurance — garage keepers liability, general liability, dealer bond, lot coverage. Cannot operate without this. Get quotes Week 1, bind by end of Week 2

MECHANIC PARTNERSHIP + ACCOUNTING

• Formalize mechanic partnership — if your mechanic is a partner, execute an operating agreement defining: equity split or compensation structure (flat rate per job? hourly? profit share?), roles and responsibilities, decision authority, buyout terms. If employee, draft offer letter with pay structure and non-compete
• Set up bookkeeping from Day 1 — QuickBooks Online or Wave (free). Create chart of accounts: repair revenue, parts COGS, vehicle sales revenue, vehicle COGS, financing income, insurance expense, rent, payroll. Track every dollar from the start. Reconcile weekly. Hire a bookkeeper ($300-$500/mo) or do it yourself, but do NOT wait until Month 3
• Set up payroll — Gusto or similar. Even if it is just you and the mechanic, run payroll properly from Day 1. Misclassifying a partner as a 1099 contractor when they work set hours at your shop is an audit risk
• Get a business credit card — separate from personal. All parts, tools, and operating expenses go here. Builds business credit from Day 1

TRACK A — REPAIR SHOP (REVENUE FROM WEEK 3)

• Week 3: Shop setup — install lifts, organize tooling, set up CVT-specific equipment (flush machine, diagnostic scanner, torque wrenches). Order ATSG manuals + ATRA membership. Set up the shop so it looks professional from Day 1
• Week 3-4: Begin mechanic training — start the 60-day CVT specialist training program from Section 8 of the business plan. Week 1-2 of training: Jatco CVT architecture, failure mode identification, valve body teardown and rebuild on a bench unit
• Week 3: Launch repair marketing — Facebook business page goes live. First posts: "We just opened. We specialize in Nissan/Jatco CVT transmissions. Free CVT health scan this month." Post in local Facebook groups, Nextdoor, Google Business Profile
• Week 4-5: First repair customers — target 5-10 repair jobs in the first 3 weeks. CVT fluid changes ($150-$250), diagnostics ($100-$150), valve body rebuilds ($800-$1,500). This is cash flow AND training reps for the mechanic
• Week 5-8: Build content library — photograph and video every repair. "Here is what the inside of a failed Nissan Rogue CVT looks like." "Here is the #1 failure point in a 2013 Altima transmission." This content becomes your marketing engine AND your authority proof
• Week 5-8: Refine SOPs — every repair becomes a documented procedure. Intake checklist, diagnostic steps, parts used, labor time, outcome. This builds the knowledge base and training system for future mechanics

TRACK B — DEALER PIPELINE (NO LICENSE NEEDED YET)

• Week 3-4: Set up DMS + CRM — Frazer DMS or Wayne Reaves. Selly CRM. Configure before you need them so you are not scrambling when the license arrives
• Week 3-4: Open wholesale parts accounts — Transtar, Sonnax, Rostra, Nissan dealer wholesale. Order initial parts inventory: Sonnax valve body kits, step motors, CVT fluid (cases), bearing kits, filters, gaskets
• Week 4-5: Register on auction platforms — Copart, IAAI, OPENLANE, ACV Auctions. Most require dealer license to BUY, but you can register, get approved, and be ready to bid the day your license arrives. Some allow registration with "license pending" status
• Week 4-5: Order GPS devices — 10 units. Test installation on a shop vehicle or your personal car. Verify tracking platform works, test geofencing, confirm starter-interrupt function
• Week 5-6: Build website — simple site on VPS. Pages: Home, CVT Repair Services, Vehicles For Sale (coming soon), About/Why We Are Different, Contact/Book Appointment. SEO target: "[your city] CVT transmission repair"
• Week 5-6: Set up listing platforms — Facebook Marketplace profile, Craigslist account, CarGurus dealer account (pending license), AutoTrader (pending license). Configure Craigslist automation tool
• Week 7-8: Build Facebook ad campaigns (do not launch yet) — create Campaign 1 (CVT problem owners), Campaign 2 (car buyers), Campaign 3 (buy cars from owners). Have creative, targeting, and landing pages ready. Launch Campaign 1 for repairs immediately. Hold Campaign 2 until dealer license arrives
• Week 6-8: Scout inventory sources — attend auctions as observer (most allow this without a license). Browse Copart/IAAI online to understand pricing. Identify Facebook Marketplace sellers with CVT-problem cars. Build a list of 10-20 target vehicles so you can buy fast when licensed

FIRST 2 WEEKS AFTER LICENSE

• Day 1: Source first 3-5 cars — hit the auction platforms you already registered on. Buy from your pre-scouted list. Target: Nissan Rogues, Altimas, Sentras with known CVT issues, priced $2,000-$5,000 at auction
• Day 1: Activate dealer accounts — upload license to Copart, IAAI, OPENLANE, ACV. Activate CarGurus and AutoTrader dealer profiles
• Day 2-14: Run intake protocol on each car — full diagnostic, document every issue, photograph everything, create repair plan. This is the process you already refined on 5+ customer repair jobs
• Day 2-14: Begin retrofits — valve body rebuild, fluid flush, step motor replacement, bearing check on each unit. Target: 1 car completed every 3-4 days with one mechanic
• Day 7: List first completed car — all platforms simultaneously. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist (automated), CarGurus, your website. Include full diagnostic report and repair documentation as the sales differentiator

WEEKS 3-4 AFTER LICENSE

• Launch all Facebook campaigns — Campaign 1 (CVT repair customers, already running), Campaign 2 (car buyers, new), Campaign 3 (buy cars from owners, new). Budget: $500-$1,000/mo total to start
• Process first in-house financed sale — lease-to-own or BHPH. Install GPS before delivery. Collect down payment ($500-$1,000). Set up payment schedule in DMS. Document everything
• Continue repair operations — do not neglect the repair side. This is steady cash flow that does not depend on selling a car. Target: 8-12 repair jobs per month alongside car sales
• Start weekly educational content rhythm — "CVT failure of the week" post, before/after repair videos, customer testimonials. Post consistently every Tuesday and Thursday minimum
• Set up escrow/trust accounting — if doing in-house financing, consult your attorney and accountant about whether your state requires a separate trust account for customer payments. Set this up BEFORE the first financed payment is due

MONTH 3-4: OPTIMIZE + PROVE THE MODEL

• Target: 4-6 cars sold/month + 15-20 repairs/month
• Analyze which acquisition channels produce the best margin cars (auction vs. Facebook vs. owner-direct buys)
• Analyze which sales channels produce the fastest sales (Marketplace vs. Craigslist vs. CarGurus)
• Optimize ad spend — kill underperforming campaigns, double down on winners
• Build lease-to-own portfolio — target 8-12 active financed vehicles generating $2,400-$3,600/mo in recurring payments
• Quarterly tax payment — if you did not set this up, you owe estimated quarterly taxes. Your bookkeeper should have this calendared
• Review insurance coverage — now that you have real inventory and financed vehicles on the road, verify your coverage matches your actual exposure

MONTH 5-6: SCALE

• Hire second mechanic — use the training system you built. The first mechanic is now your trainer/lead tech. Second mechanic doubles shop throughput
• Expand vehicle coverage — add Honda CVT models (HR-V, Civic with CVT) and Mitsubishi (Outlander, Lancer) to your buy list. Same Jatco platform, similar failure modes, already in your knowledge base
• Add paid advertising platforms — Google Ads (search: "CVT transmission repair near me", "used Nissan Rogue for sale [city]"). Budget: $500-$1,000/mo on top of Facebook spend
• Build referral program — offer existing customers $200 referral bonus for every buyer they send who completes a purchase. Offer repair customers 10% off next service for referrals
• Evaluate lot expansion — if you are consistently selling 6+ cars/month and lot space is the constraint, look for a larger lot or a second display location
• Begin documenting for replication — every SOP, every process, every training module. This is the foundation for opening a second location or licensing the model to other shops