If you are considering starting a mobile auto service business in California, one market that is often over looked by competition is Ventura County and it is growing too. If you are thinking of starting a mobile oil change business then it is best to look towards the fleet business rather than personal cars. Now then let us put your market mix at 80% fleets and 20% personal cars. Obviously everyone has a car so it is best to first consider where to target your fleet accounts. The preliminary thoughts on fleets in Ventura Area for this practice case study would be to look at the largest city in the County. That would be Oxnard CA.For Oxnard CA there are some really good Corporate Centers behind “Colonia” paralleling the 101 Fwy. I also recommend that you go to the car dealerships behind Price Club (fleets too) and talk with the Fleet Managers there, you might find some really good contacts and you can reciprocate by giving them leads.Also in Ventura Barber Ford is a good contact out on the end of Ventura near the “Avenue” there are some industrial areas with lots of fleets. Across the 101 from the Old Ventura Drive In Movie Theatre there is lots of industrial area and it continues all the way down to Dealership row before the River on the West Side of the Freeway. Saticoy has a small area of fleets too along the Highway there.You might also check all the businesses way out along the beach areas below Port Hueneme and Pt Mugu too (Hueneme Rd.) Oil field services, auto transport, sod, agricultural, heavy industrial too. Also check out E. Vineyard and the side streets on the River side of the road, tons of fleets. You really need to decide if you want to make money or show boat around with personal cars. I recommend that you go for the money first by getting fleet accounts and then build the consumer routes. Have you considered Boats? The Channel Island Marina area is packed. In Camarillo there are some good Corporate Centers near the “Camarillo High School” and up the hill in Newberry Park too, also off the Central Exit, across from Camarillo Airport. Lots of Fleet Business in these areas due to the agricultural industry. You see, the demographics in Ventura County are almost perfect. Up the hill in Thousand Oaks, which actually contains Newbury Park, has the best demographics of all Ventura County cities:
Highest Average Income
Highest Property Values
Highest Sales Tax Generator
Highest Propensity Of High End Car Owners
Most Small Businesses
Most Millionaires
Over 70% White And Educated
Highest Paying Jobs
Lowest Unemployment
Largest Automall
Largest City Budget
The city of Moorpark is something else you should consider too, as it has a small population, 40,000 plus people. It’s mostly a family type town. Many people have bought homes there because it’s cheap. Over the last eight years the city has really exploded. It has major industrial areas containing more than 3.5 million square feet. There are three large industrial areas and one small one. One is off the 23 freeway, one is near the college and one is between Poindexter Street, the railroad track and the 118 old section. These industrial areas contain at least ten small fleets of five to fifteen vehicles. There are also many substantial fleets, fleets between 15-100 units. Some of these fleets include:
Blue Star Ready Mix (100 Cement Trucks, 30 Heavy Pieces Of Equipment)
Moorpark Unified School District (20 Transit Type Buses)
City Of Moorpark
Ventura County Cablevision
Prudential Uniform
Lagarmarsino Distribution
In setting up a mobile oil change business in this town, we noted that one would need to start thinking of this as a Grid Game, kind of like “zone defense” basketball and also consider that if your visits are every other week or once per month you can maximize your efforts by being in one city each day and doing lots of business each visit there.Once the fleet business is established your target markets for personal mobile oil changes should be: Large Corporate Offices, Multi-Tenant Businesses, Retail Centers, Upper Class Residences and Golf Courses. But that is the easy part, first you need the business ramped up, then you can go get the gravy. Think on this.
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Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!
He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.
But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.
Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!
Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.
We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.
Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.
Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!
But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.
Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.
Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.
And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.
All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.
He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.