Business Plan

https://garagesociety.club/plan

Password is GarageSociety2025!

Build the car you have been dreaming about

The Garage Society is a 18,750-square-foot home for Southern California car people to learn, build, and bring their own projects to life—alongside the tools, guidance, and crew that make “someday” possible

Not a traditional shop. Not a car club. A place to get your hands dirty, build it right, and hear your own engine fire

Why We Built This

A clubhouse to help you build everything bumper to bumper, wiring, suspension, brakes, engines, steering, to get the car of your dreams with the reward that you did it with friends both old and new

Everybody has a car they keep thinking about: the project in the driveway, the classic that has been sitting too long, the build they promised themselves they would finally start when they had the space, tools, time, and someone to show them how. Too often, that car becomes a “someday” story. A home garage is too small. The tools are too expensive. Traditional shops are booked out, costly, and built around handing your car over—not learning how to make it yours.The Garage Society exists to change that. We are creating a place where people can bring their own project, learn real skills, use professional-grade equipment, and build alongside a community that understands why the first start matters.We are not here to take the joy of building away. We are here to give more people the chance to earn it.

Built by People Who Know What It Feels Like to Be Stuck

Co-founder Clark Hogan did not set out to build a garage collective. He was trying to save his own dream car.After paying shops twice to rebuild the engine in his 1968 Ford Torino Cobra Jet, he got the same result: months of waiting, thousands of dollars spent, and a car that came back worse than before. He nearly sold it.Instead, he learned. He watched teardown videos, bought the tools, studied the manual, and built the motor himself. When it fired for the first time, he had something no shop receipt could give him: the pride of knowing every bolt, bearing, and clearance was his work.“I built The Garage Society so nobody else has to choose between trusting a stranger with their dream car and giving up on it entirely.”

1. Martin Marinov | Co-Founder, Master Builder & Facility Lead (pictured with Ed Iskenderian)
2. Founder of Custom Performance Racing Engines (CPR) with 20+ years of championship-level engine building and dyno calibration. Profiled by National Geographic, Hot Rod, and Engine Builder Magazine.

The Problem: The Disappearing American Garage

Car enthusiast culture is experiencing an unprecedented resurgence, but everyday builders and collectors face severe friction:

1. Real Estate Constraints: Skyrocketing urban commercial rents, equipment costs, and strict residential HOA rules have made private project garages virtually unattainable.
2. The Capital Barrier: Outfitting a serious fabrication space with commercial 2-post lifts, TIG/MIG welding setups, digital balancers, and dyno cells demands hundreds of thousands of dollars in upfront CapEx.
3. The Broken Service Model: Traditional restoration and performance shops charge $150–$250+/hour with multi-month project backlogs, while DIY builders face steep learning curves without accessible, qualified guidance.

The Place Where “Someday” Turns Into a First Start

A dream car needs more than motivation. It needs room to work, the right tools, and someone nearby who can help when the next step is unfamiliar.The Garage Society’s Compton facility is built to give members that kind of access. Professional lifts, CNC machining, wholesale parts discounts, welding and fabrication capability, and engine and chassis dynos give builders a path from first teardown to final tuning—without requiring each person to buy, store, and master an entire professional shop alone. The equipment is not the product. What it makes possible is the product: more capable builders, more completed projects, and more people who can say they built their car themselves.

No great build happens alone.

Every builder reaches a point where ten minutes of the right person’s advice can save ten hours of frustration. The Garage Society is designed to make that help easier to find—and to reward the members who share what they know.Our member-to-member skill exchange lets experienced builders teach, troubleshoot, and assist while newer members get practical help when they need it. The result is not just a better shop experience. It is a community where knowledge stays in motion and more projects keep moving forward.

We call that system Torque: an internal unit members can earn by contributing their skills and use to access specialized help and tools. Proficiency marks and peer reputation help create clear safety standards and recognize members who consistently do excellent work. Think of it like Starbucks points or frequent flyer miles, but for an enthusiast workshop.

A Membership That Keeps Builders Building

The Garage Society is designed to become part of a member’s life, not a place they visit once. Membership creates a home base for weekly progress, classes turn curiosity into confidence, and shared services give members reasons to keep coming back as their builds evolve.The model is powered by recurring memberships, education, facility access, services, and parts. More importantly, each revenue stream is tied to a moment when a member is moving their project forward.

We are building more than a shop.

We are building a place where a project that has been sitting for years gets its first real weekend of progress. Where a person who has only watched from the sidelines learns to weld, tune, fabricate, and build with confidence. Where a stranger at the next bay becomes the person who helps make a first start happen.For members, that is the chance to build the car of their dreams. For investors, it is the chance to help create the home base for a new generation of hands-on car culture.

Offering Terms & Use of Proceeds

1. Instrument: Crowd SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity)
2. Valuation Cap: $6,000,000
3. Raise Target: $250,000 – $1,235,000

Capital Deployment Strategy:

1. Operating reserve (50%): Rent, insurance, staffing and utilities.
2. Facility Readiness (20%): Cleanup, paint, HVAC and physical organization
3. Equipment Commissioning and safety (16%): Rigging, calibration, guards, inspections, training and contingency
4. Member Acquisition (10%): Launch, partnerships, events, etc
5. Legal entities and accounting (4%): Incorporation, agreements, reporting, etc.

FAQ:

What am I investing in?

You are investing through the Post-Money SAFE displayed in Wefunder’s Investment Terms section. A SAFE is an early-stage security that may convert into equity under the agreement’s specified future events. It is not a membership, a prepaid service package, or a loan with interest or a maturity date.

What terms apply to this investment?

The Wefunder investment contract and the terms displayed on Wefunder control. The current draft terms are a Post-Money SAFE issued by The Garage Society LLC with a $6,000,000 valuation cap, a 20% discount, and a $100 minimum investment. Review the contract, risk disclosures, and all offering materials on Wefunder before investing.

How does the $6,000,000 valuation cap work?

The valuation cap is the maximum valuation used to calculate the SAFE’s conversion price in a future qualifying equity financing, subject to the agreement’s exact mechanics. The 20% discount may also apply in the circumstances described by the SAFE. The contract determines the applicable conversion price and outcome; neither term guarantees a particular ownership percentage or investment return.

Can you tell me exactly what percentage of the company I will own?

Not today. A SAFE does not establish a final ownership percentage at the time of investment. The eventual outcome depends on the SAFE’s conversion provisions, the capitalization of the company at conversion, and the terms and size of a future financing or liquidity event.

Why a $6,000,000 valuation cap?

Management believes the cap reflects the intended value of an 18,750-square-foot Compton launch facility, the planned managed-workspace model, the technical capability present on site, and the potential for recurring memberships and ancillary services. It is a negotiated financing term, not a third-party valuation, asset appraisal, or guarantee of enterprise value.

What is the fundraising target?

The campaign has a $100,000 minimum goal and a $500,000 maximum raise. At the maximum, the planned allocation is $250,000 for operating reserve, $100,000 for facility readiness, $80,000 for commissioning, safety, and contingency, $50,000 for member acquisition, and $20,000 for legal, entity, and accounting work.

What happens if the campaign raises the minimum but not the maximum?

Management would prioritize the immediate facility-readiness and safety gates, launch-critical documentation, and a focused founding-member acquisition program. Operating reserve and longer-lead commissioning work would be staged to the capital available. The exact mechanics for reaching the minimum and closing the offering are governed by Wefunder and the offering documents.

Is the business already generating the revenue shown in the campaign?

No. The Company is pre-revenue. The $841,000 figure is management’s illustrative stabilized annual capacity for the Compton facility, not booked, contracted, or guaranteed revenue. The model includes $531,000 from memberships, $110,000 from classes and certifications, $100,000 from paid services and B2B technical work, $80,000 from wholesale-parts sales, and $20,000 from initial on-site storage.

When will the facility be open to members?

The company infrastructure, business banking, member platform, and launch facility are in place. Exterior work has been completed, while interior and backyard cleanup, member-lounge improvements, an eyewash station, restroom renovation, HVAC work, organization, labeling, and SOP placement remain within the readiness scope. The current target for that scope is September 15, 2026; access dates depend on completion of applicable safety, staffing, insurance, scheduling, and operating requirements.

Is the equipment acquisition complete?

Professional automotive, machining, fabrication, and testing capability is physically present on site. Equipment available to members must be inspected, organized, calibrated, documented, maintained, insured, and commissioned as applicable. Do not treat the campaign as a representation that every asset transfer, commissioning step, or access protocol is complete.

Do I need to live in Los Angeles to invest?

No. Facility use and certain investor perks are most practical for Los Angeles-area supporters, but the investment itself is separate from membership. Eligibility to invest is determined by Wefunder and the offering’s governing rules.

Do perks change my investment terms or buy equity?

No. Investor perks are separate, non-security benefits. They do not change the SAFE’s economics, ownership rights, conversion mechanics, or governance. The current perk schedule is described on Wefunder and is subject to the stated thresholds and program terms.

Can I apply my investment toward a membership?

No. A SAFE investment and membership fees are separate. Any membership or wholesale-parts-access benefit is a campaign perk, not a credit against the investment amount or an alternative to the SAFE.

When will I receive a return on my investment?

There is no guaranteed return or timeline. A SAFE may convert according to its contract, and investors may realize value only through a future financing, sale, other liquidity event, or other outcome specified in the agreement. Early-stage investing is high risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment.

What are the principal risks?

Key risks include paid member acquisition and retention, safety and insurance, equipment and bay utilization, staffing, maintenance, and execution of classes, services, parts, and storage revenue streams. Prospective investors should review the full Wefunder risk disclosures and offering documents, not rely on this FAQ alone.

What's the minimum investment? $100.