Owning a mobile oil change business is not so easy although the business model appears easy in that there is little inventory, no building and the business can be run with a small team of people or even as an owner operator service type business you see? Well let us look at this case study a moment shall we?.Across the river in Lexington, KY we see the HQ for Valvoline On-Site Services and they have some 500 commercial accounts to change the oil on fleets of vehicles. One would imagine they have quality marketing, brochures, dispatchers, the works. One would also assume that this indeed costs money and so they either charge above going rates for the on-site mobile oil change sector or indeed they are operating at a loss to bring in increased customer base.Most operators in this mobile oil change sector have never actually seen any of their units; well, neither have I, but I have seen pictures of their units in NOLN Magazine. I met those folks in Lubbock, TX, good group and you should subscribe to the magazine if you are serious about the mobile oil change business.

One issue a year is dedicated to the mobile oil change business.There are other competitors in the Cincinnati area and yes, and you know I talked with a Business Broker in the area about one mobile lube company for sale and they wanted too much money for it, but they had a good list of clients, so maybe it might have been okay, always looking for a bargain and buying cash flow makes sense, never looked at their P and L. If you are thinking about a mobile oil change business in any market then perhaps you might consider some of this in 2006.

By: Lance Winslow