A Foolproof Guide to Buying a Mobile Franchise

Bringing your business TO the people is a game-changer.

While it used to be just food trucks, now many different franchises are catching on to the concept and adding a van-based or mobile option to their business models. Pet care, auto care, bicycle repair, and more are just some of the franchise concepts going mobile.

If you’ve decided you want a van-based or mobile franchise, you’re certainly not alone. Here’s some concepts to consider.

This one is near and dear to us, because if you have read other of our materials, you know that we own a mobile coffee and smoothie franchise concept that we have been operating for the last 16+years.

Where lots of main street coffee shops have been struggling with rising rent costs and declining foot traffic, mobile and van-based coffee shops have been becoming an increasingly important part of the main street landscape. Offering franchisees the ability to move wherever the customers are, coffee vans/trucks give franchisees far more flexibility than before. Believe it or not we were one of the first mobile coffee trucks in the Washington, DC area. We used to literally park our truck right in front of the Washington Monument. Reach out to us and we’ll even send you a picture. Here is the main reason we went the mobile vending route.

Coffee vans/trucks give franchisees the ability to travel freely to high-profile and busy events and areas. From festivals to community events, to parking in front of the National Zoo (another place we used to frequent with our trucks), van/truck-based coffee franchises have the freedom to choose where the best location is for their business. With minimal staffing costs and commitments, you have full autonomy to make the right decision on where you work. Now, we have to note here today, at least in our area, they have a number of restrictions on just parking and vending from a coffee van/truck, but in most cases it’s still worth it for a great location.

On top of the usual equipment costs, you will need to be aware of the specific skills you will need to run a good mobile coffee van business. While there will always be a degree of training and support from your franchisor, you will be in a great position to operate your own business if you have the following skills:

The above are examples of some solid transferable skills that you will perfect over time. As you grow your experience, you will inevitably hone these skills even more. But having a good grounding of these skills to start with will likely be sufficient for success in a mobile coffee franchise.

The fact that you can always be in great locations takes care of a lot of the rest, like marketing or site selection. You’re mobile, so you can in theory open up your shop anywhere you want, and generally the investment in a mobile coffee van-truck will be far less than a brick and mortar build out.. Huge, plus.

Where lots of home improvement franchises have also been struggling with running and maintaining fixed location businesses, many have decided the best route is to simply work from a van/truck. This also avoids many of the traditional costs to running a home improvement business, while simultaneously carrying out the needs of the customers.

Most home improvement franchises are able to store the majority of their equipment in their vans or mobile trucks, and can purchase or even have delivered right to the job site the large home improvement items. This makes a mobile van/truck an efficient, cost-saving and flexible 

There are many different home improvement franchises, so it can seem at times like a daunting task to have to choose only one. So when you feel you’re ready to find the perfect franchise, you will need to start researching which concepts you might want to work with. A good way to start narrowing down your options is to ask yourself the following questions (or contact us and we will do the search for you at NO cost to you):

For the top questions to ask franchisors when looking at a franchise click here.

Ask these and many of your own questions and you should have a good idea about which franchise mobile or van based home improvement franchise is the right option for you.

One of the most common types of van or mobile based franchise is car repair, mobile detailing, dent removal or window repair franchise. Most of these are often needed in emergency and sudden situations, you’ll be dispatched quickly to wherever your customers need you. If you’re good with your hands, enjoy working face to face with customers and are ready to put your skills to the test, this could be a perfect industry for you.

As a general rule, on top of operating with your van/truck, you’ll need some fairly expensive equipment to help you get the job done, making this one of the more equipment-heavy franchise industries. Generally, tools are not on the inexpensive side either, but similar to home repair. So, when it comes to finding the right franchise in the vehicle repair industry, it’s important that you’re clear on what kinds of commitments your potential franchisor is prepared to make, and how much you are on your own for. Be very specific when requesting this information.  Ask questions like:

How much equipment is provided to you under the franchise investment?

What equipment might not be included in the franchise investment?

How much working capital do you need to keep your business running?

Is a van provided to you? Do you need to source your own?

Again, being mobile has its advantages, and sometimes it’s disadvantages. Around our area insurance for commercial vehicles is crazy expensive, and believe it or not there are roads here that charge tolls in excess of $40 one way during rush hour. So be prepared to ask very specific questions based on the territory you are interested in operating within. Each will have some very unique characteristics. Of course, we still believe the advantages of being with a mobile franchise, for some types of businesses such as those listed here, far outweigh the disadvantages

Different franchises will have different answers to these questions, so make sure that you shop around, find out what each franchise is offering and make a final decision as to which franchisor is the right option for you.