The Chemist Who Chose a Smarter Formulaš”
Tweet Ā· Nov 25, 2025
THE ECONOMICS OF A SMOG TEST BUSINESS
Ray, the owner is 61 with a PhD in chemistryā¦. What??
I knew the answer before I asked it, but I had to anyway:
Ray, why didnāt you do anything with chemistry?
āBecause I make more money here and itās easy.ā
==Profit==: $30k/ mo ā> thatās $360k / year
==Start up==: Ray said at the most 40-45k and youād be good. Itās all in the equipment.
Back when he started you had to buy it all. Now you can lease it and the smog equipment company takes care of the maintenance as part of the deal.
==Biggest expense==: The rent. All area dependent
Ray is in an industrial part of the city at the end of an alley not visible from the street.
He runs zero ads and averages 35 vehicles a day.
If he were to hire a technician, the going rate in CA is about $1700 a week.
Instead Ray does it himself.
Sure itās a job, but heās saving several thousand a month⦠worth it?
Meā Ray, when you retire, are you going to sell this?
Rayā Iām not ever going to retire, itās too easy.