8 Ultimate Mobile Business Ideas that Drive Incredible Profits

The business landscape has shifted drastically. The way businesses used to function from offices and generate revenue is old school now. Although many businesses still operate the same way, many local businesses have started mobile services. 

With plenty of opportunities for mobile business owners, starting your business on wheels is a smart investment. The food truck business is booming with a market size of $1.16 billion, as recorded in 2021. Apart from growth factors, mobile businesses offer a lot of flexibility and convenience. 

You can drive to multiple customers’ locations in a day and incur a lot of revenue. From mobile pet grooming services to selling clothes, there are a lot of mobile business ideas to choose from.

What is Mobile Service Business?

A mobile business is a company that doesn’t depend on a location and uses vehicles like trucks to serve their customers. Some services would need you to visit your clients, while others can be conducted irrespective of the region. 

Despite there being a lot of mobile business ideas, you must get to your customer’s place as quickly as possible. 

Why should you start a mobile service business?

You can have many benefits when you start a mobile business. It has immense potential to reach more customers than usual. Here are a few more reasons that make portable businesses worth starting:

• You don’t need a lot of startup costs to start these services as compared to offices. As there is no need to pay rent or much utility bills, you can be relaxed about your finances and use them for other strategies.

• This is also true for expenses that rise when investing in big business setups, as they need to buy bigger inventory of products. That’s not the case with a small mobile business. You spend only on essential items, thereby cutting down on furniture or other expenses. 

• Running a business from one location limits you from reaching customers from different areas. But, when you have a mobile business, you can keep shifting your location and provide the services in another area. 

• There is a lot of time flexibility when you have a mobile business model. You get to decide your hours of operation and change them as per the schedule of your customers. 

• For instance, if you have customers who use your food services for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you would only be required to visit them during those hours.

8 Profitable Mobile Business Ideas Worth Investing in

Any business idea needs strategic planning, determination, and effort to blossom into a successful venture. While online services have been increasing over the last few years, some services need in-person visits. 

So, if you wish to know which ones are the most profitable mobile businesses, we have curated a list of top 8 ideas in detail.

1. Mobile salon services

One can start a mobile salon business and offer services such as haircuts, hair treatments, and others. You can also provide at-home services that are high in demand, have partnerships with offices, and serve customers at wedding venues, special programs or corporate events.

A service such as a mobile hair salon lets you provide premium grooming services to customers who book prior appointments. You just need to set up your business in a specially repurposed truck to serve your salon customers with easy route planning on the go. 

A cosmetology license will be needed to start your business (you may be required to get other licenses based on your regional laws). Then, you’ll be required to buy your salon supplies. One example of mobile services is the National Mobile Salon which offers services to a wide range of customers.

2. Mobile food business

Did it ever occur to you that you could also have a food truck parked nicely at a place where customers could get delicious dishes? While a brick-and-mortar restaurant could cost you a fortune, a food truck could bear the minimum expenses and maximum revenue.

If you dream about cooking for a living, starting your own food truck business can be your best bet. You can take already prepared food and deliver them to customers, or let them have a takeaway from your truck. 

Ensure that you buy the necessary food preparing and serving tools, get the required business licenses, and food business insurance, and comply with the safety regulations.

Mobile catering is another option for your business. Here, you can provide catering services to customers at gatherings, corporate events, parties, or weddings. When you are set to drive your way and reach your customers on time.

3. Mobile pet grooming services

There’s a surge in the demand for pet groomers. So, if you are someone who loves cute furry animals, setting up a mobile pet grooming business can make you really happy. 

Pet owners have increased, and so has their necessity to take proper care of their pets. Keeping in mind the health and hygiene conditions, they would want a clean space for their pets to be groomed. You can offer in-home services as a mobile pet groomer and fulfill their pet grooming needs!

All you need is a van and pet grooming supplies. You can drive to the client’s house by finding the most optimized routes and start grooming their pets. You may need a pet grooming license, permit, and insurance before starting to offer the services. You can receive payments by building a website and a payment process for your small business.

4. Mobile clothing boutique

Another one is you can launch your own mobile clothing business. Especially for those who are running a retail boutique store with an interest in fashion. Mobile boutique stores are small as compared to actual boutiques, and need less inventory.

You can use a truck or other vehicle to repurpose it into a boutique on wheels. Then, you can simply change the interiors by adding the lights, racks, and equipment you need. 

You must get your business registered as a legal entity with the help of your local experts. Acquiring tax permits, licenses and completing other documentation is important before starting your mobile business.

One of the best things about a mobile clothing service is that you can move it to places like beaches or places of high-crowd probability. Customers get delighted when they have access to a clothing store coming to them. This offers you time flexibility, wherein you can drive your portable boutique to different locations every week or month.

5. Mobile grocery services

Mobile grocery businesses are gaining momentum as more and more people are preferring easy access to daily essentials in their busy schedules. These portable units help consumers to avail fresh and affordable grocery items within their neighborhoods. 

You can start a mobile grocery service with different models such as 18-wheeler trucks, retrofitted buses, and pushcarts. For example, Fresh Moves Mobile Market in Chicago is making the lives of people simpler by bringing them fruits, vegetables, and other related items. They use a converted CTA bus as a farmer’s market on wheels!   

So, starting with fruits and vegetables with a mobile farmers market can be your option if you’re confused where to begin. You can slowly offer grocery delivery services for your customers to expand your business. 

6. Mobile laundry services

Laundry or dry cleaning business is a lucrative option, and this is backed by numbers. In 2020, the market size value of laundry and dry cleaning services was around $63.2 billion, which is forecasted to be $79.91 billion by 2027.

With a mobile laundry business, you can offer pick-up and drop options to your customers. You can also provide laundry delivery services to them by hiring a small driver team. Sound knowledge about using the chemicals and equipment in the clothes cleaning services is crucial to ensure a good customer experience. 

Dry cleaning licenses may differ from state to state. Some may not require you to have a license, but you can enrich your business reputation by getting relevant certifications. Additionally, you may need to comply with the Federal Environmental Regulations in your region.

7. Mobile coffee business

This could be the ideal option for one who loves preparing aromatic coffees or specialty drinks. Even if you’re not, you can make a great deal of money from this small business idea of a mobile coffee kiosk. You can add fruit juices, smoothies, and even craft beers!

Opening a small coffee shop the traditional way can cost you between $80,000 and $300,000 on average. But, with a mobile coffee business, you can cut down on the extra costs. Plus, you get to control the hours of operation and expand them after generating a good profit amount.

You just need to buy supplies and other essentials (a coffee machine, French press, or a beer dispensing machine) to get started. With the relevant serving licenses and permits, you are all set to serve your customers. 

8. Mobile photography services

A mobile photography business is a whole new way of reducing your economic load. Plus, you can extend your brilliant skills when you visit new shooting destinations. You can try your hands at capturing wedding photos, family events, corporate shows, and beautiful landscapes.

Specialization in exclusive photography services such as portrait, architectural, still life, fashion, or sports can take you a long way in this field. And one of the phenomenal parts of a mobile photography service is that you only invest in the camera (and related equipment) and your vehicle.

A website with perfectly displayed photos is a great way to showcase your portfolio to potential customers. Your clients can book the photography session with you and make payment in advance. Ensure that you offer different payment options and process them with appropriate taxes (compliances). 

Find the Best Routes for Your Mobile Business with Upper Route Planner

We guess you would have selected anyone from the above mobile business ideas. But what about providing faster services? Needs a route planner, right?  Route optimization software like Upper takes all your delivery planning tasks easy and reduces manual work. Here’s how Upper enhances your mobile services business with its unique features:

1. Route planning

Upper’s advanced technology provides you with the most optimized routes so you need less time to reach your destinations. This helps you accept more orders in a day and cater to multiple clients.

2. Electronic proof of delivery

Whether you have a truck delivery service or are visiting your customers’ homes to offer your services, Upper lets you get delivery proofs. E-signatures, photos, and additional notes are recorded in the system, so you remain accountable for your tasks. 

3. Route scheduling

Got a lot of orders and have no idea how to save them? Well, you just need to schedule your delivery routes by adding your customer details in advance. You can do this for months in advance and Upper will remind you of the actual delivery time.

Conclusion

In order to have a successful business, you must provide the best-in-class services that your customers can remember for life. For any of the mobile business ideas you choose, you may need intelligent software solutions to make your services worthwhile. 

Here’s where Upper comes into your reality and makes scheduling routes easier than you would have ever thought! With features as quick as one-click dispatch, it lets you share routes with your drivers. 

The more you use a route optimization solution, the more you save money on fuel and the less you spend your time on route planning. Give Upper a try by signing up for a 7-day FREE trial today.