Mobile franchises. This diverse sector of franchising offers two things;
- A low initial investment
- Much needed products and services
When I first started in the consulting and brokering part of franchising, I was struck by the sheer number of different concepts available to prospective franchise owners. It seemed that there was a franchise for everything.
My role is one of matchmaking. I match would-be franchise owners with franchise opportunities that make sense for them based on lots of different criteria. {Mostly their criteria}
My first successful placement was a mobile dry-cleaning franchise called 1-800-DRY-CLEAN [1]. The couple I worked with wanted something that (1) had a fairly low investment, (2) did not require real estate, and (3) would not require a lot of employees.
This franchise offered those three things — plus offered a service that could help busy consumers with the one thing that they crave: convenience.
Today, more and more mobile franchise concepts are popping up, and I see this trend continuing. Let’s take a look at some of them.
- Cartridge On Wheels [2]– This franchise offers to “Feed your customers voracious appetite for printer supplies.” This is a Monday-Friday business, and your wrapped [3] van is your fully stocked mobile store.
- Kona Ice- Featuring the KEV, {Kona Entertainment Vehicle} that’s equipped with a BOSE sound system and specially created tropical music. This mobile franchise cruises the local carnival and little league circuits, dispensing frozen ice treats with a tropical twist.
- Furniture Medic [4]– Dents, dings, and scratches are repaired while you wait. Your mobile “technician” drives over to take care of your furniture repair needs. There’s over 300 of these franchises in the US, Canada, and Europe.
- The Grout Doctor- This franchise provides “Aftermarket care of tile installations.” This home-based opportunity requires no major inventory investment, and according to the website, is not a seasonal business.
- Canine Dimensions [5]– As a franchise owners, you’ll be training dogs in your clients homes. This franchise offers obedience training for puppies and adult dogs, as well as “behavior modification.”
- Weed Man [6]– You’ll be providing “Environmentally responsible fertilization, weed control and integrated pest management services. ” Some franchises offer only one-time income opportunities. Weed Man offers recurring revenue streams several times a year.
- Oil Butler International- This franchise comes to you, and does oil changes and windshield repair while you are at your office. They can also service small and even large fleets of vehicles of almost any business.
- WIN Home Inspection [7]– Even during down cycles in the housing market, transactions are taking place, and most consumers want a thorough home inspection before they sign on the dotted line. As a franchisee, you’ll even have an opportunity to receive training for add-on services like mold inspection, and water quality testing.
- Showhomes- Showhomes contracts with owners of vacant homes to fully furnish the homes, so that the homes can sell faster. Franchise owners can even contract with families looking for a temporary housing situation who will stay in these staged [8] homes. I wonder if they’re busy, now.
- ReNEW Softwash [9]– As a franchise owner, you’ll be using a proprietary low pressure exterior home cleaning technique that will remove things like algae, fungus, mildew and more. According to their website, there have been numerous damage complaints concerning the use of high-pressure exterior house cleaning, hence their soft touch technique could be the way to go.
When you are considering franchise ownership, some of the lower-cost opportunities like the ones above could be attractive. But a low cost of entry doesn’t necessarily equate to a quicker return on your money. Especially if the franchise you end up buying is a poor fit for your skill sets and future goals.
During almost every franchise seminar that I run, an attendee asks this question;
“Isn’t buying a franchise really like buying a job?”
My answer is always “It depends.”
Franchise selection comes down to finding one that is a fit for your personality traits, your professional skills, the investment amount you are comfortable with, what you would like your daily activities as a franchise owner to be like, and finally, your long-term goals.
If you would feel more comfortable investing $50k-$75k on a mobile franchise, in which you are the only one that is doing the work, and you are satisfied with that, then that is what you should be looking at. It could beat working in a corporate job, and it is your business.
On the other hand, if you have a bigger dream, and you only want to do the actual work during the beginning stage of your businesses start-up, make sure you look for a mobile franchise that can turn into something more substantial.
More substantial may mean investing in a mobile franchise that can grow into a multi-vehicle, multi-territory operation in which you are doing business development and business management activities, instead of doing the hands-on work.
Nowadays, consumers lives are harried. Finding a franchise business to own that allows you to bring a superior product or service to them, could just be a winner.
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About the Author: Joel Libava is President and Life Changer of Franchise Selection Specialists. He blogs at The Franchise King Blog [10].
