Mobile Coffee Van Franchise – Are They Worth It ?

Many people are looking for a way to be their own boss, I was one of them. I hated being an employee and a Mobile Coffee Van at the time seemed like a good idea. But was it? Most are franchised and expensive and the idea of entering restrictive franchising agreements seemed little better that being an employee. I so desperately wanted out of my job or “adult day care” as I referred to it, that I started on a Mobile Coffee Van journey that took me to a very different place.First off, I chose not to buy into a franchise. Why ? Because of the cost. In most cases franchises were over $80,000 which is a lot of money in anyone’s language and it also translates into a lot of coffee sales before any profit is made. Secondly I didn’t have $80,000 capital at that point and the thought of on going royalties to a franchise on top of the initial franchise fee didn’t appeal. My initial opinion on this concept was “What about me, when do I get paid ?”So what did I do? I bought a Ford Transit Van, did the research and built my own van for a total cost of $25,000. Yes it took a lot of effort to do the research and build it but , I wasn’t restricted in where I could trade like potential franchisors wanted me to be. I also had no debt on the vehicle or the business so I had minimised my expenses before I had even begun. Quite the opposite to what my situation would have been had I gone into a franchise.Once the van was ready to go I went out on my first shift. The vehicle was loaded with food and coffee of course and I quickly had a realisation. Oh oh! I need customers, how do I get customers. Well it started with sports events for our children as well as cold calling places of business. Most were happy to have a coffee van call in but getting customers was slow and difficult at first.It was time to do some research again, but this time on how to get customers. This research quickly lead me to learn how to market and advertise a business online. I learned the hard way that just because you have a business doesn’t mean you automatically have customers. A simple truth I know, but I am amazed by how overlooked it is. Once I learned some marketing and promotion concepts online I quickly started to realise that I actually didn’t need a coffee van anymore or any brick and mortar business for that matter. There are so many home based business’s out there all at a fraction of the cost of franchising or running a coffee van.

In the end I sold the coffee van. I made a reasonable profit. A profit I definitely would not have made if there had been huge franchise costs involved. The amount of coffee vans for sale online is testament to this fact. It was at this point I transitioned into online sales and finally had what I was looking for in the beginning but didn’t realise it at the time…I was looking for a way to earn my income from home in my pyjamas!

If you are considering a franchise I suggest you take a look at setting yourself up with a home based business opportunity that is a fraction of the cost. That way you have a global market place open for business 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There are literally thousands of business’s out there just waiting for an entrepreneurial person such as yourself and what better than clicking here  to learn about one of the best and most respected home based business opportunities on the planet  today. It is where I ended up via my coffee van and it has proven to be a life changing journey for myself and my family.