The Prophet

hey everyone,

I am investion in a franchise called Oil Changers... some of you may know it and i would like to know your opinion on the place... any positve and negative stories so that i can develop them and learn from other shops mistakes...

also i want to know if we have any members in the Grimsby/Beamsville area because that is where we are thinking about setting up shop...

any feedback you may have i would be very interested in hearing because i have got a feel for the business aspect of the shop, now i need customer feedback from it to get a nice rounded look at the franchise


thanks in advance

Brad

and yes, i am planning on offering discounts to TCC members if there even are some in this area, lol

imported_gatherer

personal opinion ... good for the average don't touch anything under the hood person.....

The Prophet

ya i kinda gathered that from some of the shops i visited, but thats kinda what you would expect from a quick change place i guess

DJTre

So all you do is oil changes? I guess that would be a "steady" business...but I don't really see any room for growth unless you expand your line of services.

The Prophet

well it offers oil changes and inspections aswell as drive clean

this is a first business for myself and my partner and we plan on developing our business skills here and expanding into other forms of automotive services in the future

The Prophet

we plan on including a coin car wash aswell...

T-Shirt Ninja

Well your basically guaranteed a steady income thru it as long as your reputation is good, cause oil changes are a basic maintenance that most people are too lazy or don't have the room/time to do themselves. But like DJTre said, if that's all you're doing, you're limiting yourself to bigger profits.

Coin Op car washes rule lol, the ones around here are packed on sunny days.

DJTre

Ohhh, so it is more than just oil changes.
With all of those services, you should have a steady business because those are services that probably 80% of people use at one point or another.
For a first business, it's good to pick up a franchise because they already have a reputation and can produce steady numbers.
Whereas if you are starting a brand new business, you have to gain reputation before you have repeat customers, and to get repeat customers you have to have flawless service.

So go for it, it will be a good learning experience

The Prophet

very true, we looked into this field and saw the need because everyone needs oil changes...

but yes, the room for expansion in that field is almost nill, but this is sort of a kick off point to develp ourselvs and become confident in business and in the future i plan on taking on bigger and better things

anyone ever take their car to one??

i know most of us do our own but anyone try one out before?

DJTre

I have taken mine to a coin-op. Those are always good as long as they are clean, the bristles on the soap brushes aren't too firm and everything works.

The Prophet

yes it will be, i am excited and the shop is going to be open by about november

is there anyone from that area???

The Prophet

lol, i meant an Oil Changers

white92d15b7

DON"T HAVE A PARTNER!!!!! I HAVE BEEN SCREWED OUT OF 2 BUSINESS BY A PARTNER!!!!! JUST BE SMART!!! my 2 c

DJTre

It's always good to have a third party person (i.e. lawyer) to make sure all profit shares, retraction agreements, hours worked, ect...are mutually agreed upon and fair. Also, to keep track of all the contracts that have to be signed throughout the lifespan of the business.

The Prophet

well, i realize having a partner is tough but this guy and i have a strong trust and working relationship and we have already done aggreements with a lawyer so we will be ok

we both have equal rights in the business

DJTre

A partnership is always good to take some of the workload off your back, and have someone to share your profit/loss with.

Just make sure it's someone with the same work habits as yourself, someone who wants to move forward and most importantly someone you can trust.

The Prophet

i agree, if i didnt have the utmost trust for this guy, i wouldnt proceed with this business... but we did all the legal stuff and we have worked together for 4 years and been close friends for about the same time.... and i trust him... if anything happens, we have the legal stuff to help us out

DJTre

That's awesome, so you're set!
Kinda personal, but how much total capital did you have to invest to get the franchise?
My dad is thinking of opening a wendy's or something around my area, we are lacking fast food restaraunts in a quickly expanding area.

imported_~ILLEST CIV~

MMM Yummy a Wendys around here would be a great idea! We need that ****.......i always look for a cheap place to go to, to eat some food on my way home........


As for the oil changing etc thing.......i think it'll do just fine with ur expansions etc. .
U Should even become an affiliate to the TCC!......lol

The Prophet

i would like to becoem an affiliate but i dont think it would matter cause nobody lives around that area anyways, lol

sorry man but i dont like to discuss finances over the net

i can tell you that a wendys will be more expensive for the name... expect to pay low 6 figures