Features of mobile business
Mobile business ideas target a large number of potential customers – i.e. the business will be profitable if you manage to sell a lot. Therefore, before implementing your idea, you need to make sure of consumer demand.
Algorithm of action to open a mobile business:
- Analyze the demand for the service in the region of operation;
- Draw up a business plan for the chosen idea;
- Select a favorable location taking into account the following criteria: pedestrian traffic, presence of target audience, distance to competitors. It is recommended to designate several places for trading in advance;
- Purchase a standard bicycle cart or order an individual project;
- Purchase the necessary equipment;
- Equip a bicycle cart;
- Register a business. An individual entrepreneur is suitable for this format. Please note that from January 1, 2020, in some regions you can choose a tax regime for self-employed people. The tax rate is 4% or 6%.
- Obtain a trade permit - they are issued by the local administration. And if you plan to open a street food, you will need permission from the SES.
- Purchase goods or necessary raw materials.
Now is the time to talk about what idea can be put on a bicycle cart. The niche is open to new solutions, but most often you can find carts with ice cream and coffee. But that's not all. In this article, we have collected 17 bicycle cart business ideas.
Outbound food trade
There is an opinion that selling products is profitable. Approximately 12 million people in Russia are located in remote places with a population of 200 people or less, where there is no initially planned store, and if there is one, it is with a limited range of goods.
The district administration does not have the authority and resources to open a supermarket in small towns. She will support your desire to carry groceries.
Jointly make a plan to travel to several remote villages in the district. It’s better to change the route like this: come to one place twice a week, twice a week to another. The busiest trade is on weekends, so find a location with a lot of residents. People have to get used to a certain time of arrival of a store on wheels.
Documents for trading with a car must always be carried with you in accordance with current legislation. In addition to the list above, you must:
- Arrange motor transport.
- Receive the relevant documents for trading from Rospotrebnadzor.
- Purchase a permit from the local village council or administration.
- Obtain certificates for each product sold. They are issued at a wholesale base or by manufacturers.
- Receive a declaration confirming the conformity of food industry products.
- To trade meat products, you must purchase a certificate from a veterinary hospital, form No. 2, which is valid for three days.
- If you plan to deal with food products, then the staff must have medical books.
Commercial activities without appropriate documents are punishable by serious fines. Don’t risk your business, start working “according to the law”, and you won’t have to constantly retreat from the inspection authorities. You will freely trade in various localities.
Why and how you can be punished:
- For trading in the wrong place without approval from the local administration, you will be forced to pay 500, 1000 or 1500 rubles. Governing bodies are lukewarm about anarchic outdoor sales. Since this leads to dangerous fire and road conditions and poses an epidemiological danger to the population.
- For carrying out trading activities without registering a legal entity or individual entrepreneurship, you will be fined 2,000 rubles. according to the existing code of the Russian Federation on administrative offenses (Article 14.1).
- For the absence of a quality certificate for a certain type of product, a sum of money from 1000 to 2000 rubles is charged, from officials - from 3000 to 10000 (Article 14.4).
- A serious offense, for example, selling alcoholic beverages without a license, is subject to confiscation of goods and fines ranging from 20 to 100 times the minimum wage.
You can always get a free consultation from Rospotrebnadzor employees or from wholesale suppliers who supply you with products for sale. Be patient, bureaucratic delays discourage people from engaging in any type of business. Collect the necessary documents without haste or anger, talk adequately with officials and they will meet you halfway!
Bicycle coffee shop
The idea of mobile coffee shops has been relevant for several years. This usually means a van equipped with the necessary equipment. But putting a coffee shop on a bicycle cart is something new. This format is even more compact and fast. You can easily move from point to point, work at public events, such as festivals, fairs, etc. Many entrepreneurs have already appreciated the advantages of this format - chains of bicycle coffee shops have even appeared in large cities.
For a bicycle coffee shop to generate income, it is important to position it correctly. Where to find coffee lovers? In park areas, near shopping centers, on streets where office and administrative buildings or educational institutions are located, large transport junctions, market areas, train stations, etc.
Purchase of a vehicle and its conversion
The average cost of a Gazelle can vary from ten thousand dollars. Moreover, the car model itself is in no way inferior to a stationary kiosk. The only caveat is to equip it correctly. Plus, if your business doesn’t take off for some reason, then at any time you can go into some other area and use your car for other purposes. Freight transportation, for example, will be an excellent help.
As for the conversion itself, a refrigerator must be installed inside such a vehicle, as well as a sink along with a tap and tank, plus a table. Also, you need to carefully design the exterior of the auto shop, for example, create an attractive inscription. Potential buyers should understand that this is not just a car, but a car shop. After all, any vehicle can be parked on the street. And one more important point - you need to notify the SES that you plan to start trading of this kind.
1. Registration of documents for the car at the traffic police.
2. Preparation of documents for trade.
We tried to collect the most complete information on completing the necessary documentation for opening a mobile coffee shop. You just need to go step by step and draw up document after document. If you plan to entrust the collection of documentation to professionals, contact the specialists of our company.
Flower cart
Many people are already accustomed to seeing flower carts on the streets of the city. But you can become more mobile - and switch to a bicycle. The advantage is that a mobile flower display attracts even more people's attention. Such a small retail outlet can be placed in parks, embankments, alleys, near cafes and restaurants - in general, wherever your target audience walks and relaxes.
A classic bicycle trolley for sale will do. You can also re-equip the cart - make shelves with holes where containers with water can be placed, where flowers will stand. And, of course, you must have a sun umbrella. To keep flowers fresh on a hot day, install an automatic watering sprayer on the inside of the umbrella or, to save money, use a regular sprayer.
You can decorate the bicycle cart, for example, in a French style, and come up with a uniform for the seller that would support the theme. Place your bet on unusual bouquets - for example, in Moscow there is a cart that sells wildflowers; or for convenient packaging - a few years ago, bouquets in conical “bags” made of cardboard appeared on the market - they are so convenient to carry and walk with them. Or you can sell green plants in pots - for example, different types of succulents. For street sale, it is better to choose unpretentious plants.
Mobile quest
Attachments:
from 600 thousand rubles
A few years ago, quests in reality made a breakthrough in the entertainment market and won over their consumers. Now that this type of entertainment has become recognizable, we need to look for new quest formats to surprise the consumer again. One option is a quest on wheels. The idea is to organize a game quest room within the car. Moreover, this can be either a small-sized vehicle or a converted truck or bus.
A similar idea was successfully implemented by the Estonian company Exitmobiil, which offers visitors several quest scenarios on wheels. The advantage of this format is that players can independently choose the place where they will complete the quest. Thanks to their mobility, quests can work at various events and visit settlements where this type of entertainment is not yet available. A similar quest on wheels will earn no more than a stationary one. But the mobile format is an opportunity to stand out in a market that is already difficult for a newcomer to enter.
Fresh bar on wheels
A mobile station with refreshing drinks is a great idea for a summer and resort business. The fresh bar specializes in the preparation and sale of freshly squeezed juices (fresh juices) or other drinks based on them. They may also be called juice bars or smoothie bars.
If you can’t fit juicers and blenders on a cart, you can sell ready-made drinks bottled. The scheme is simple: we made fresh juices, smoothies, fruit drinks, compotes, refreshing teas, poured them into branded bottles, loaded everything into the refrigerator on a bicycle cart - and went to sell. Only then keep in mind: place your mini-production close to the points of sale.
Where to begin
The essence of the business is to organize intermediary activities, which involve the purchase of products in small quantities and their resale through a non-stationary retail outlet.
It is characterized by seasonal characteristics, expressed in the formation of a product range. In the summer, you can sell chilled drinks, fast food, and food products, and in the cold season, you can focus on hot drinks and perishable products, which will be easy to store in such conditions.
Before the holidays, you can create an assortment of souvenirs and specific products. For example, in August, stationery and school supplies will be in demand, which are difficult to obtain in provincial towns, which are points on the entrepreneur’s route. Before the New Year holidays, calendars of any format are in demand, and before Women's and Men's Days, you can sell goods that are suitable for gifts.
Automobile shop equipment
When forming an assortment of goods, one should take into account the characteristics of the locality, which consist in the preferences and professional occupations of the population. For example, if there are many people living in a village who are involved in beekeeping, then products related to bee breeding or honey extraction will sell well.
Competition in this business sector is at a moderate level. There are no entrepreneurs who are seriously engaged in their chosen activity. Most of them make extra money in this way by spontaneously visiting remote locations and selling goods of poor quality, which can be explained by the thirst for one-time income and the lack of desire to acquire a reputation as a reliable seller. To make good money in this niche, you need to strive to be known as a reliable supplier of quality products at an affordable price. At the same time, a friendly attitude of the seller towards buyers is important.
Selling Kono-pizza from a cart
Kono-pizza is a new version of street food that fits perfectly into the bicycle cart format. This product is otherwise called pizza in a cup. The crispy cone-shaped dough is filled with hearty fillings: ham, mushrooms, olives, cheese and sauce. It turns out to be pizza rolled into a tube and served in a convenient package. The entire cooking process takes place in front of customers, which adds interest to the product.
The mobile counter on wheels can be custom-made and adapted to your product. Companies have already appeared on the market that fully equip retail outlets with the necessary equipment. But for cono-pizza you don’t need much: a small refrigerator for ingredients, a press for forming dough cups and a convection oven.
Mobile tire service
Attachments:
700 thousand rubles
Troubles on the road happen quite often. The most common of them are wheel damage due to the quality of Russian roads. Sometimes a situation arises when the driver cannot get to a regular tire shop - for example, there is no spare wheel or several tires are punctured. In such cases, tire fitting on wheels will come to the rescue. The client just needs to call and call a specialist.
To start such a business, you don’t need much: a small truck or van like a Gazelle, equipment for work and tire fitting skills. If the niche is free, then the business can be quite profitable. The Gazelle can be equipped with additional tools and expand the list of services. For example, supply gasoline for refueling or provide a towing service.
Selling boiled corn from a cart
The business of selling hot corn from carts has become very popular. In just a couple of years, the number of mobile retail outlets has increased several times. Selling hot corn is a unique form of fast food. It can also be eaten on the go without using cutlery. In addition to selling boiled hot cobs, this product can also be sold in cups, which is more convenient. For corn, you will need two main pieces of equipment - a steamer and a corn cooker. It is quite possible to place these simple devices on a bicycle cart.
Business registration and work features
The best option is to register an individual entrepreneur under simplified taxation (patent, simplified tax system/UTII). OKVED code - 47.11, retail trade in food products. When trading outside, you do not need a cash register, but the following documents are required:
- Certificate of registration of individual entrepreneur
- Permission for retail trade in food products from Rospotrebnadzor (the authority must be notified about the creation of a food store)
- Permission to sell products on-site from the local administration (department of trade and entrepreneurship)
- SES certificate confirming the food safety of the activity (based on documents from the manufacturer of the auto shop)
- A health certificate with a timely medical examination for the seller (the entrepreneur himself) - it is issued by the SES
- Service agreement with an outsourced accountant
The auto shop must be registered with the traffic police and issued with compulsory motor liability insurance. The car must also undergo regular inspection.
Mobile sale of fruits in caramel
Original desserts on bicycle carts are a win-win option. This product will not leave either children or adults indifferent. The dessert consists of fresh fruit on a wooden stick, which is covered with sweet caramel glaze on top.
This delicacy has long been widespread in the world, but in Russia it is not yet so popular. There may be no direct competitors in your city at all. The low price will allow the project to be successfully implemented even in a small city. To do this, you will need a minimum set of equipment: a caramelizer and a device for putting apples on a stick.
Innovative business ideas
In addition to the classic options for using vehicles to do business, there are other business ideas on wheels. They are not very common yet. But by occupying a free niche in time, you can make considerable profits in the future.
Game club for children
Children need entertainment, and moms and dads spend a lot of money on organizing it. This type of business on wheels is very promising and is becoming increasingly widespread throughout the world.
The idea is to create play areas in trailers. These can be gaming computers, consoles and consoles, inflatable arenas for outdoor games, arenas for fighting with laser swords and much more.
Cinema
Watching movies is one of the most common and favorite pastimes in the world. But not everyone has time to visit a classic cinema. So the idea arose to put it on wheels. A cinema can be built in a box trailer transported by a regular car. Capacity - 8 people. Of additional interest will be an attraction that broadcasts video in 4D or 5D format. This business idea can be developed further.
Selling donuts from a bicycle cart
Selling various sweets from a bicycle cart is always very profitable. Why? It is difficult for people to pass by beautiful, bright sweets, and it is not easy to resist the delicious smell. And children are your main customers. Therefore, you can safely release a brightly decorated bicycle cart onto the city streets, on which donuts are prepared. The scheme is the same: we equip a standard bicycle cart with a donut maker.
Don't forget about multi-colored glaze and toppings to decorate donuts. Because Since the product is aimed mainly at children, it is best to place your bicycle cart in parks, near attractions, schools, kindergartens, etc.
Selling corn dogs from a cart
A corn dog is essentially the equivalent of a sausage roll or a hot dog. Corn dogs differ in that the dough is made from corn flour. Served on a wooden stick, which is very convenient for a street food format. It’s also easy to prepare – using a special apparatus, which is very convenient for the kitchen on a bicycle cart.
This simple but tasty street food will be appreciated by both adults and children. Therefore, the main thing is to locate your bike cart in places with high pedestrian traffic.
Features and advantages of doing business on wheels
It’s not difficult to open a mobile business if you have transport. Regardless of what idea you want to implement and the direction of activity you have chosen, this approach to organizing your business will be original and unhackneyed. In addition, a business moving on its own wheels has the following advantages:
- No need to rent premises.
- Low investment and running costs.
- You can also save on staffing costs.
- The opportunity to become closer to clients and, by periodically changing locations, expand the circle of consumers, as well as to always be in the right place and at the right time.
- The mobile business mainly advertises itself.
- Ease of paperwork.
In addition, the car can be converted for another type of activity if the idea you chose did not live up to expectations, or the vehicle can be sold.
Instant broths and soups as street food
An unexpected solution for the street food format. Therefore it is profitable. With all the love for sweets and fast food like hot dogs and shawarma, people try to eat healthy. Various fast foods are popular because they allow you to eat quickly and cheaply. And if you add “healthy” to this, you get an outlet selling soups. The scheme is simple: 2-4 hot containers are installed on a bicycle trolley. Here's the main menu. Pour a serving of soup into a convenient disposable container and complement it with homemade buns or a slice of bread. By the way, you can offer bread to choose from and count the additional portion separately.
It is advisable to locate next to office buildings, business centers, educational institutions, and dormitories. Your target audience is working people and students, to whom you can offer a hearty and healthy lunch.
Sales: points of sale, customer acquisition, market strategy
A key factor in profitability is competent route development. It is worth giving preference to areas with low coverage, retail outlets, crowded places (parks, parking lots near business centers). You can stop and go to villages and holiday/cottage communities.
Features of work
The store needs to be decorated to increase its visibility and attract customers.
Design examples:
Van design sample
Van design sample
Van design sample
Van design sample
Mobile sale of haberdashery and accessories
We are used to seeing islands in shopping centers where wallets, belts, gloves and other accessories are sold. But with the same success, these goods can be sold in the format of a bicycle cart. Of course, the assortment will be somewhat different. Firstly, it's cheaper. Secondly, it is bright and eye-catching. It is unlikely that you will find many people willing to buy an expensive leather wallet from a bicycle counter. But you can attract people with bright, original jewelry, handmade handbags, creative socks, hair clips, badges, brooches, etc.
The handmade trade works well for the bicycle cart. It’s up to you to decide what to form your assortment from. Now there are a huge number of beautiful and inexpensive handmade things: from jewelry to craft soap.
Vegetable or fruit stand on wheels
Vegetable stalls on wheels are not a new format. But few people decided to rearrange them on bicycle carts. But in vain. Such a retail outlet will certainly attract attention - especially since the bright product is an advertisement for itself. You can sell farm-grown vegetables and fruits, or unusual tropical fruits. You can combine the sale of fruits with a juice bar. There are many options.
Depending on the content, there will be a different target audience, and therefore a profitable location. It is better to locate vegetable shops in residential areas or near transport stops. Fruit stalls will do well in parks, squares, embankments and walking streets.
Flower shop
Attachments:
from 300 thousand rubles
On the streets of many cities you can find flower carts - kiosks that look mobile, but in fact they conduct stationary trade. You can start a truly mobile flower business. This will require a small truck. And here's an unusual way to sell flowers: transport pots of flowers in a truck. The client chooses flowers and the florist creates a bouquet of freshly cut flowers.
This way you can solve several problems that flower sellers face:
- Usually cut flowers spoil quickly. If they are not bought on time, withered flowers are simply thrown away. In this case, the flowers will remain fresh until they are cut for a bouquet;
- your competitive advantage is the freshness of flowers and close proximity to the client. The buyer appreciates the freshness of flowers and the walking distance of the outlet;
- In ordinary bouquets, the price of each flower already includes the price of faded flowers. This format allows you to reduce the price of the bouquet, which attracts the buyer;
- A bright truck with flower pots will decorate the streets and will surely attract attention.
This business model has one significant drawback: it can only be implemented in the warm season. Because in cold weather the flowers will simply deteriorate. But this idea can be adopted by ordinary flower shops that want to increase profits and attract attention.
Ice cream carts
For Russia, selling ice cream on wheels is no longer uncommon. Bicycle carts are increasingly common on the streets, where you can buy ice cream - regular from the freezer or soft, prepared to order. For this purpose, special bicycle carts are produced, equipped with a chest freezer or an apparatus for making soft ice cream.
You can change places, travel around the city on holidays and stop at venues for various events. This is an excellent solution for street trading, since you do not need to select a location or solve problems with connecting to electricity. You just need to buy a bicycle cart and buy ice cream.
Bicycle bakery
Another product that is hard to pass by is fresh baked goods. Therefore, on a bicycle cart you can sell buns, pies, cheesecakes, croissants - in general, a wide variety of pastries. For this purpose, the bicycle cart is equipped with a thermal display, where fresh bakery and butter products are laid out. You can agree to cooperate with some bakery and sell their products. This point of sale will be relevant both in parks and at home.
Why is this beneficial if you can’t move?
Founder of one of the first food truck manufacturing companies in Russia, EdaNaKolesah, Rafael Khabirov
Launching a mobile outlet, despite all the restrictions, is cheaper than opening your own restaurant, since rental and repair costs are lower. For restaurateurs who already have a business in a traditional format, a point on wheels becomes an addition to their main activity, and allows newcomers to catering to test hypotheses at minimal cost.
The niche of food on wheels allows you to launch a business much faster, but most importantly, it gives you the right to make mistakes. If it doesn’t work out in one place, you can easily change the location, and also completely change the concept and branding, and all this will be much faster and safer than working with a stationary restaurant, because the owner of a failed restaurant loses all the money invested.
Rafael sold his first food truck several years ago, and now his project, a resident of Skolkovo, has grown into a modern industrial complex in the Moscow region, with an area of more than 4 thousand square meters. m for the production of premium trailers. The company is developing along the same path the directions of houses, bathhouses, shops and offices on wheels.
Igor Ladygin
From a mobile restaurant, if it turns out to be successful, it is easier to come to a full-fledged stationary outlet than from scratch. We started with a smoker - a grill - on wheels, which we assembled ourselves, because we were curious to try this direction. As a result, many people were interested in our smokers and smoker products. So we moved from producing them “for ourselves” to producing them for everyone.
As a result, we are developing two areas of business. We have learned how to assemble unique, high-quality smokers on wheels and sell them to order. At the same time, we expanded our own trade and eventually opened a stationary restaurant. It turned out to be easier than if we started from scratch, because we already had a worked out menu and an understanding of what customers would like.
Alexey Fedosov
The niche of a business on wheels is very relevant for the self-employed. I know guys who have coffee trucks and travel around Russia with them. Now they have gone to Crimea to swim, sunbathe and work.
Another profitable format in which we work is on-site coffee breaks made to order. Let’s say a company organizes an outdoor corporate event for employees - we can come and provide the participants with drinks and snacks. The number of such events, however, is small - so far 1-2 per month. So for us this is just an additional direction.
Selling toys from wheels
Bicycle carts are especially attractive to children. That is why it is profitable to sell products aimed at children in this format. For example, you can equip a display case on a bicycle cart with various toys - lickers, jumpers, kites, airplanes, etc. Or sell balloons. Or make an assortment of unusual toys - radio-controlled, luminous, musical... There are many options!
To sell toys, you will need to equip a bicycle cart with a display case, select an interesting assortment - and go to parks, playgrounds, closer to attractions, zoos and other places where you can meet your audience.
Traveling Club
Attachments:
from 600 thousand rubles
Relatively recently, party buses appeared in our country - buses converted into an entertainment club for one company. Typically, such clubs have a dance floor, karaoke, a powerful music system, light music and even a minibar. Here you can hold a birthday, corporate event, hen or stag party, wedding, etc. This service will certainly be popular among young people who are constantly looking for new formats of entertainment.
To open your own business, it is not enough to buy a bus and hire a driver. You will need to turn an ordinary bus into a miniature club. This may take several months and a large sum of money. Sometimes refurbishing a car dealership is more expensive than purchasing the vehicle itself. In general, you can meet 600 thousand rubles. These are fairly modest estimates. As practice shows, in large cities entrepreneurs spend about 1.5 -2 million to launch such a business. Such costs are associated with high-quality and expensive equipment of the bus. But you can start a business with a more modest budget.
In this case, it is very important to think through the route. You should draw up several bus routes in advance. Choose streets with smooth road surfaces and use your navigator to monitor the traffic situation so as not to get stuck in a traffic jam. Take a car tour of the city's tourist attractions, suggest a route to romantic places - let the client choose the direction himself.
2. Veterinary clinic: vetmobile
Attachments:
from 800 thousand rubles
Veterinary clinics on wheels are quite popular in the United States. Most often, this is an ordinary veterinary business that provides the service of calling a veterinarian to your home. Mobile veterinary outpatient clinics are gradually appearing in Russia, but their specialization is limited to vaccination and sterilization of animals. A more advanced idea is to create a mobile veterinary clinic.
A mobile veterinary clinic can not only arrive when called, but also place special equipment for its services in the back of the car. Thanks to this, field services will become much better. For example, examining a dog in a car with special equipment is much easier than at home. And the services of a groomer who often works at the client’s home will become much better. Grooming dogs at home is not entirely hygienic - but a groomer on wheels can correct the situation: the groomer comes to the house, the dog is taken out of the house to the veterinarian's car and cut in specialized conditions.
In addition, you have the opportunity to travel to different parts of the city, selling food and medicine for pets. You can also organize a charity event and offer people to check the health of their pet for free in a veterinary vehicle.
Mobile sale of candy
Lollipops have always been a favorite treat for children. Previously, such homemade cockerel candies were sold on every corner. Now times have changed - and we need to come up with something new. First, we change the format and transfer to a bicycle cart. Then we select an interesting assortment. Of course, there will be lollipops too. But you can add multi-colored candies in unusual packaging, curly gingerbread cookies, marshmallows, and chocolates to them. Fortune cookies, chewing gum, souvenir sets for those with a sweet tooth, sweets from Europe, gummies, etc.
Souvenir shop on wheels
Many people are attracted to bright and creative trinkets. Funny stationery, badges, cosmetic bags, toy slippers, sweets in original packaging, postcards, travel pillows, original socks and mugs, headphones, handbags of interesting shapes, portable chargers... And much more. This format is aimed at children and youth.
Another option is a standard souvenir shop where you can buy magnets, mugs, products from local craftsmen and various symbolic gifts. It makes sense to open such a shop in a tourist area, because... profits depend on the flow of tourists.
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