Pros and Cons of a Mobile Service Franchise

Franchising is becoming more and more popular among entrepreneurs looking to take control of their financial futures; as a flexible and remote work model is also in high demand, mobile franchise concepts are drawing owners in. However, mobile concepts aren’t necessarily the end all be all within the franchising space. It’s important to weigh the costs and benefits of both mobile and brick-and-mortar models before making a final decision.

“I think you really need to look at what you want to get out of the business and what your client base will require,” explained Cinzia Marino, owner of UniglassPlus in London, Ontario. “That’s going to feed your decision.”

In many cases, a mobile model allows a business to better access its clients in the case that bulk services are needed or a client won’t be able to transport themselves to a retail location. For businesses that take a hybrid approach, this access is expanded even further, allowing for on-the-go service or the option for employees to bring service back to a retail location if necessary.

More timely issues surrounding the decision between mobile and stationary models include inflation and staffing challenges. While mobile models are sometimes touted as a more affordable option, that may not be the case anymore.

“I think they’re becoming much more on par with each other,” Marino said. “Especially now, outside of fuel costs, vehicle costs as a whole are a concern. You could get a pickup truth for less than $20,000 at one time, whereas now, a properly outfitted pickup truck or van could be $50,000–$70,000. The costs of mobile and brick-and-mortar models are very quickly becoming comparable.”

The staffing process can also be challenging for mobile concept owners who do not plan to conduct all of the services.

“The training and onboarding process becomes much more important,” she said. “You really have to be careful to make sure that employees are introduced properly to your clients as well as knowing all of the operations and rules that you expect them to be following.”

When sent out on a mobile call, employees must know how to wear their uniforms, how to communicate with clients and how to represent the brand. On the most basic level, when hiring an employee for a mobile position, you must be certain that they can be trusted to return the company vehicle to its designated location once a project is over.

Marino explained that it can also be more difficult to hire employees for mobile concepts because each employee must be physically capable of working on their own and presenting all the different “faces” of the company. In a brick-and-mortar store, there is a customer service representative, a manager, someone to do the work itself and often multiple other team members, and a single mobile employee must embody all of those capabilities to deliver an equivalent experience.

“I really think that, ideally, having both models is a great way to do it — a hybrid, much like we are,” she said. “As I said, there are positives and negatives to both; there’s no question. You really have to find what’s right for you and your market.”