Opinion please..............

There always seems to be a market for on-site/mobile services. Though I try not to do it anymore, I still get requests for house calls for auto repairs, mostly they just want a diagnosis to see if it has to be towed or is even worth fixing. Years ago, a buddy of mine rigged-up a brake lathe in an old USPS jeep and started a mobile rotor and drum turning service. Of course, this was way back when it was still cost effective to turn them and the guy was always in demand. More recently, my wife and I plus several other folks we know regularly use a mobile dog grooming service in the area. My wife and I both work so scheduling certain services can be difficult. In my particular case, I go to work before most businesses are open and get off well after they're closed.

In a rural area, the travel time creates much of the problem. Like the dog grooming...the closest one to us is only about 12-15 miles away but it takes a good 40 minutes or so to get there. One simple appointment like that can easily kill half a day around here. It's not usually a huge problem to leave work an hour early or start an hour late but 2 to 3 hours, just isn't often feasible. One thing I've often thought would be convenient, is if someone operated a simple "gopher" (go-fer) service...:dunno:...just a random pick-up and delivery operation. I recently had to order parts for one of my plasma machines, its being down really had me in a bind. Thinking that on most any given day I could surely I could get away for the about 1 1/2 hours it'd take to go get it, I didn't have the dealer UPS it to me...:dry:...it was almost a month before I could get away long enough to get that thing and fix my machine. From what I've seen over the years, most mobile services have plenty of business. In this day and age, it's hard for them not to but business doesn't necessarily translate into profit. The key is having routes set up so travel time and expenses are minimal between jobs, which takes time for a new business to establish. It's the only way to operate at a profit while offering competitive pricing. What might be helpful, would be to set up an arrangement with dealerships that don't offer in-house service and repair...like a contractor. They could take in items for repair and when you're slow or happen to have other jobs out that way, you could hit them to fill out your day.