The RM18 Bicycle Repair Left Only RM1.50: One Job Card Revealed the Real Profit

Mr Ravi has repaired bicycles in Ipoh for more than twenty years. Customers know him as the man who can fix a puncture quickly, adjust a noisy brake and bring an old bicycle back to life.

One rainy evening, a customer pushed in a bicycle with a flat rear tyre. Mr Ravi charged RM18, completed the repair and placed the cash in the drawer. It looked like a simple, profitable job.

That night, he tried something new. Instead of recording only the RM18 sale, he wrote down every part and every minute used for the repair.

The sale looked healthy until the full cost appeared

The job card showed the following:

• Patch and rubber solution: RM2.00
• Replacement valve: RM1.00
• Cleaning cloth and other small supplies: RM0.50
• Forty minutes of his time, valued at RM15 per hour: RM10.00
• Estimated shop overhead for the job: RM3.00

The real cost was RM16.50. From the RM18 fee, only RM1.50 remained.

The repair was not a loss, but the margin was too small to cover an unexpected mistake, a customer returning with the same problem or a part that needed replacing for free.

Mr Ravi realised that experience had made him fast at fixing bicycles, but habit had made him slow to review his prices.

Each service needs its own record

He started using a simple job card for every bicycle. It included the customer’s request, the service performed, parts used, time started, time completed and final amount charged.

After one week, the records showed a clear pattern. Puncture repairs brought many customers but produced very little profit. Brake adjustments were better when no new cable was needed. Gear servicing took longer, yet customers were willing to pay enough for the skill involved.

The numbers helped him make three changes. He increased the puncture repair fee slightly, created separate prices for patching and replacing an inner tube, and stopped giving small parts away without recording them.

He also kept common parts in labelled drawers and counted them weekly. Missing valves, cables and brake pads were no longer invisible expenses.

Try this for seven days

If you run a repair or service business, record these details for every job:

1. Write down the service and amount charged.
2. List every part and small supply used.
3. Record the start and finish time.
4. Add a fair amount for rent, electricity and equipment.
5. Compare the profit from different services at the end of the week.

A busy workshop can still earn too little when prices are based on habit. A clear job record shows which services deserve more time, a better price or a different process.