Taking It To The Streets Nine mobile businesses that will steer you toward success.

With time at a premium for many of us today, consumers areincreasingly taking advantage of services that come right to theirdoorsteps. Entrepreneurs who cash in on this wave of conveniencefind that a mobile business can be very profitable. There are evenfranchises available for some mobile businesses.

Auto Detailing

Auto detailing is a growing business that shows no sign ofstopping, says Ron Prosser, who opened Critical Care MobileDetailing in Anaheim, California, in 1988. Mobile auto detailers gofrom office building to office building, cleaning, waxing andmaintaining cars, many of which belong to repeat customers.

"People don't have time to clean their cars, but theyget tired of having to apologize about their condition,"Prosser says. "There's a high demand for quality detailingand consistent service." And in busy commuter areas such asSouthern California, there are too many cars to worry about thecompetition.

Prosser charges $80 to $130 per auto-detail job. He made $24,000his first year; now he has eight employees and generates $150,000to $250,000 in annual sales. To get started in a mobileauto-detailing business, you'll need a trailer or truck with agenerator, a pressure washer and water tanks, a wet-and-dry vacuum,a high-speed buffer and various detailing supplies such as brushes,rags and towels. There are companies that will customize andcompletely stock your trailer for about $3,500. (TTS Products inLos Angeles is one such company: 213-268-1347.) For those whoprefer a truck to a trailer, there are companies that will outfit atruck with necessary equipment (such as Prosser Products:714-997-2825). Or you can purchase your own equipment. Make sure toget a high-quality pressure washer, advises Prosser, as inexpensiveones won't work without running water. Outfitting a truck withthe necessary equipment will cost between $1,800 and $3,500.General liability insurance is also a necessity.

Prosser suggests asking other detailers for pointers and, whenyou're not sure how to do something properly, hiring someone toteach you the finer points of detailing.

"I hired a buffer from a car wash to teach me how to buff,because if you don't know what you're doing, you can burnsomeone's paint job," he says.

Disc Jockey

With weddings, birthday parties and corporate events, ahigh-quality mobile disc jockey can keep very busy. Today'sdisc jockeys do more than play music. "We're really mobileentertainers," says Johnny Reagan, owner of J.J. Rocks MobileDisc Jockey Service in Marietta, Georgia. "Most of us interactwith the audience, doing things like teaching line dancing andmotivating people to have a good time."

If you're going to make it as a disc jockey, it'scritical that you have an outgoing personality, says Reagan, whostarted his business in the fall of 1993. "You need to beapproachable and have a good voice and a neat appearance," hesays.

It's also important that you have the technical skillsnecessary to run electronic sound equipment, and that you havesufficient manual dexterity to set up and tear down equipment.

Money in this business can be good, says Reagan, who charges$595 for an event that lasts up to four hours. "You can easilymake $40,000 to $50,000 a year in a large city."

To start, you'll need $15,000 to $20,000 for a sound system,which should include a CD player, a mixer, amplifiers, speakers anda collection of music. You should have at least $1,000 set asidefor a promotional budget, and another $1,000 for liabilityinsurance and an insurance policy that will cover your equipment intransit. (For information on affordable insurance, call theNational Association of Mobile Entertainers at 215-676-4544, orwrite to P.O. Box 727, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.)

Home-Entertainment System Installation

As the choices in electronic equipment continue to grow, so doesthe average person's home-entertainment system. Forentrepreneurs with technical expertise, the good news is that manyconsumers are glad to pay someone to install a home-entertainmentcenter and teach them how to operate their new stereos, televisionsand videocassette recorders.

To succeed in the home-entertainment installation business, youneed to have all the answers. Knowledge of audio and video hardwareand how they interface and connect is a must. You should also keepcurrent on new trends and technology. Making systems user-friendlyis important, as is teaching customers how to use their newequipment.

You'll need $3,000 to $5,000 to stock several high-qualitytoolboxes with drills, saws, staple guns, cabling, wiring andconnectors, interface equipment and test equipment. You'll alsoneed contractors' liability insurance and a contractor'slicense to do low-voltage work.

You can expect to earn $25 to $60 per hour to start; most jobswill take you a minimum of four hours. Find business by gettingreferrals from retailers, architects, interior designers andbuilders.

Air-Duct and Garbage-Chute Cleaning

As the importance of clean indoor air becomes more evident, manyoffice-building owners and homeowners have begun to see thenecessity of clean air ducts, vents and laundry and garbage chutes.At the Fairfield, New Jersey, company 1-800-Chute-Me, they take thejob of cleaning out dirty vents and garbage chutes seriously. Soseriously, in fact, that the company's owner and founder, JoelGreenberg, created a special chute-cleaning machine with a360-degree rotating head and a hydraulic control that can stretchup and down 35 stories, removing pounds of sludge and debris.Greenberg's start-up costs were high--between $100,000 and$200,000, primarily because of the machinery. He has reaped thebenefits in phenomenal business. Greenberg opened 1-800-Chute-Me inJune 1996, generating about $20,000 to $40,000 in sales each month.By March 1997, he was bringing in $100,000 per month. Greenbergwill soon franchise his procedure and his equipment

Dry-Cleaning Pickup and Delivery

For some busy consumers, having a dry cleaner that picks up anddelivers is a worthwhile expense. This translates into big profitsfor the entrepreneur who's up to the challenge.

Five years ago, Steve and Diane Thompson started DrycleanExpress of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. They made $25,000in sales the first year and $150,000 the third year. The Thompsonsopened their own dry-cleaning plant in 1996 and anticipate sales of$600,000 this year, with 50 percent coming from the mobile side ofthe business.

To be successful with dry-cleaning delivery, Steve has a coupleof suggestions: Try not to compete with discount dry cleaners, andget a good mix of business and residential customers.

The Thompsons charge walk-in customers $7 to have a suitcleaned, while delivery customers pay $8.

Your biggest expense will be yourYour biggest expense will beyour vehicle, which should look as good as possible becauseit's your showcase, says Thompson.

The Thompsons invested $18,000 in a panel truck, a large vanthat looks like an ice cream truck, with their company's logo.A reliable vehicle in good condition will cost between $5,000 and$20,000. You'll also need a computer and billing software.

If you don't own a dry-cleaning facility, who will becleaning your clients' clothes is a major consideration.

"You're only as good as the dry cleaner doing yourwork," Thompson says. "Make sure the cleaner is reputableand willing to stand behind his product. And have a backup plan incase something goes wrong."

Apartment-Prepping Service

Many landlords have neither the time nor the inclination toprepare apartments between tenants. Yet apartments are vacated on aregular basis, which can give would-be apartment-prepping servicesa lot of work. Anyone interested in this career can't besqueamish about cleaning up, and should know how to wield apaintbrush and do minor repair work. In the apartment prepper'sarsenal of equipment, he or she will need painting supplies,including a paint sprayer and compressor (about $300 to $700),paint for each job (usually $40 to $50 for a two-bedroomapartment), spackling equipment, brushes, plastic mats forprotecting floors, cleaning supplies and an assortment of tools forrepair work. If you'll be offering carpet cleaning as well,you'll need to invest in a chemical dry-cleaning machine or asteam-cleaning unit (about $5,000). To get business, approachapartment managers and see who's doing their work; they may letyou submit a bid.

Include in the bid prices for one-, two- and three-bedroomapartments. Maximize your time and your potential profit byapproaching a management company that oversees several apartmentbuildings. To operate, you'll need to be bonded and havebusiness liability insurance.

Children's Taxi Service

With all the two-income families nowadays, there are manyparents more than willing to pay for a safe, reliable form oftransportation for their kids. Child-transportation servicesinvolve delivering children to and from school and other activitiessuch as day care, soccer practice, dance rehearsals andorthodontist appointments. Most companies set the riders up on amonthly-fee basis, charging about $100 to $200 per month for onetrip per day and $200 to $300 for round trips, based on a five-dayweek. To start such a service, you need a reliable van with enoughseating to accommodate at least six passengers. The van must beadequately insured and should have a cellular phone so you cancommunicate with parents regarding scheduling delays andchanges.

Inventory Service

If you have a mathematical, logical mind and good organizationalskills--and don't mind working early in the morning--then amobile inventory service may be the perfect business for you. Withsuch a service, you travel to client sites such as grocery storesto take inventory, which entails counting and categorizingmerchandise, computing the data and generating reports.

Most people in the inventory business have a retail-businessbackground, where they've handled purchasing, pricing and thestocking of merchandise, according to Jim Boyd, president ofButton's Inventory Service in Houston.

To get started in the industry, you'll need a knowledge ofretail businesses and either a handheld inventory calculator toenter data (they cost about $200) or a handheld computer (about$1,800). The latter not only stores information, it also processesthe figures and generates reports. Depending on the type ofinventory you're working with--and its complexity--you can earnfrom $1 to $2.50 per thousand dollars of merchandise.

Oil-Changing Service

No matter how good or bad the economy is, a mobile oil-serviceoperator is never hurting for work, says Sam Casternovia, co-ownerof Oil Butler International Corp., a mobile oil-service franchisorbased in Union, New Jersey.

"When the economy gets tough, people are adamant aboutgetting oil changes on time so they can preserve their vehicles;and when the economy is good, they want to make sure to take careof their new cars," he says. "If the oil service comes tothem, even better."

Entrepreneurs who are willing to brave the outdoor elements andwork hard can make a good living in this business, according toCasternovia, who says one motivated Oil Butler franchisee reachedsales of $90,000 his first year in business. The average oil changetakes just seven to 15 minutes and earns the operator between $23and $25, minus $6 or $7 for materials. Although it can beprofitable to service single cars, the most money is made servicingfleets.

Casternovia and his partner, Dominic Lege, franchised theirconcept in 1990 and began creating oil trailers complete with theequipment necessary for oil changing, including steel oil tanks.The least expensive model costs about $6,500, and, for a $7,000franchise fee, Oil Butler provides a protected territory and a weekor more of training.

Contact Sources

1-800-CHUTE-ME, 167 Fairfield Rd., Fairfield, NJ 07004, (800)CHUTE-ME

Critical Care Mobile Detailing, 1747 S. Douglass, Ste. G,Anaheim, CA 92806, (714) 997-2825

Dryclean Express of Jacksonville, 2160 University Blvd. N.,Jacksonville, FL 32211, (904) 745-5010

Oil Butler International Corp., 1599 Rte. 22, Union, NJ 07083,(908) 687-3283