Well, it must be that time again, the time when business professors are assigning group projects and business plans on fictitious companies for their students to prepare. This happens each and every year, generally at the starting of each new semester, or right towards the end. You see, generally I am contacted when students are preparing business plans in the automotive sector, due to my career path prior to retirement.
Indeed, I was in the mobile oil change and mobile carwash franchising business. In fact at Harvard business school each year the students study the concept of developing a nationwide car wash chain. The other day, I was contacted by someone who appeared to be a student asking for specific statistics in the oil change sector, and I assume he is preparing a business plan for one of these MBA courses. Indeed, I wished him luck in shaping up his business plan, and inquired if he was looking to get funded.
Specifically, I was trying to determine if he was real, or if he was a student looking for answers to prepare his plan, either way, I was hoping to open up a dialogue on this project of his, because it did sound rather interesting. I believe that the oil change and quick lube industry is ready and ripe for a massive and unexpected pendulum shift from disruptive technology, and so with a strategic regional position and presence, and a smart team could take the whole thing by storm.
I would recommend starting this on a regional basis perhaps in a city with a huge number of automobiles such as Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Nashville, Albuquerque, or Las Vegas. Why are all those cities below the Mason Dixon line? Simple, due to weather, because that is a factor in all of this. Last these are locations where people care about their cars, because they are able to have nicer cars without worrying about the inclement weather. They also drive their cars more all year round, therefore put on more miles, and thus they need more frequent oil changes.
Next, I would leverage the new technology such as mobile smart phones with GPS, and social networks. Folks who were signed up on such mobile coupon delivery would be notified when they drive nearby one of the locations. Although some of this is starting to happen in the industry, it's not happening very fast, but as it starts to accelerate, this will be disruptive technology, and it could determine winners and losers in the marketplace. This would be a good opportunity for a startup to capture the market with this new technology and enjoy more frequent customers creating a higher volume to increase revenue. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Indeed, I was in the mobile oil change and mobile carwash franchising business. In fact at Harvard business school each year the students study the concept of developing a nationwide car wash chain. The other day, I was contacted by someone who appeared to be a student asking for specific statistics in the oil change sector, and I assume he is preparing a business plan for one of these MBA courses. Indeed, I wished him luck in shaping up his business plan, and inquired if he was looking to get funded.
Specifically, I was trying to determine if he was real, or if he was a student looking for answers to prepare his plan, either way, I was hoping to open up a dialogue on this project of his, because it did sound rather interesting. I believe that the oil change and quick lube industry is ready and ripe for a massive and unexpected pendulum shift from disruptive technology, and so with a strategic regional position and presence, and a smart team could take the whole thing by storm.
I would recommend starting this on a regional basis perhaps in a city with a huge number of automobiles such as Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Nashville, Albuquerque, or Las Vegas. Why are all those cities below the Mason Dixon line? Simple, due to weather, because that is a factor in all of this. Last these are locations where people care about their cars, because they are able to have nicer cars without worrying about the inclement weather. They also drive their cars more all year round, therefore put on more miles, and thus they need more frequent oil changes.
Next, I would leverage the new technology such as mobile smart phones with GPS, and social networks. Folks who were signed up on such mobile coupon delivery would be notified when they drive nearby one of the locations. Although some of this is starting to happen in the industry, it's not happening very fast, but as it starts to accelerate, this will be disruptive technology, and it could determine winners and losers in the marketplace. This would be a good opportunity for a startup to capture the market with this new technology and enjoy more frequent customers creating a higher volume to increase revenue. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
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