Mobile entrepreneurs don't wait for customers to come to them

Judy Robinette was a regular hairdresser in Nebraska when her career took a turn. A customer, who was immobilized from an accident, was unable to travel to Robinette's salon for her hair appointments.

"(She) pleaded with me to come to her house," she said.

Robinette was struck with a new idea. She and her husband, Karl Adkins - both licensed cosmetologists - decided to take their haircuts to the people, wherever they are. She moved to the Valley in 1995 and started a mobile business called Traveling Salon.

"We have everything to take in the house and set up a mini salon," she said

Just about every service-based industry in the Valley has at least a few inventive entrepreneurs like Robinette who have added a mobile spin to their craft.

A recent study publicized by the Washington D.C.-based International Franchise Association said mobile business owners now account for about 7 percent of franchises.

The primary forces driving this trend are an aging population and increasing dual-income homes. People want to spend less time in their vehicles to take care of daily necessities, said Darrell M. Johnson, president and CEO of FRANdata Corp., which conducted the study.

"It's a time factor," he said. "It's a matter of convenience."

Typically, Robinette and Adkins start their workdays at 8:30 a.m. With as many as 10 customers scheduled, the duo will often travel up to 150 miles as they zigzag across the Valley from appointment to appointment, often eating lunch in their cars.

"I love to drive, so it's not stressful for me," Judy Robinette said. "The thing about it is we love what were doing."

Johnson said it's reasonable to believe that mobile businesses offering comparable fees to their brick-and-mortar counterparts will give them a competitive edge in an economy in which consumers are reigning in spending.

Many portable business owners in the Valley, such as Eric Carpenter, say the relative lack of mobile competitors in their industries has made them immune to economic softness. Owner and founder of DeliveryDine.com, Carpenter has taken the food delivery concept a step further.

The former pizza delivery driver said he started DeliveryDine in late 2006 because he saw that people were tired of traditional delivery cuisine like pizza and Chinese food.

Customers arriving home from work to a hungry family can place an order over his Web site or by phone from any restaurant they want.

Word has traveled fast, and because Carpenter offers one of the few food delivery services in the Valley, he said he's been totally unaffected by the slumping economy.

"I'd say probably over 50 percent of our orders every day are new customers," he said. "It's just huge."

He said about 70 percent of his customers are private individuals. The rest are companies that need food for corporate events.

Edwin Carter, owner of Maaser Mobile Oil & Lube, took his business on the road in 2005.

Within 10 to 15 minutes, Carter will arrive at a customer's home or office, change the oil, check the fluid levels, and hit the road to his next appointment.

"We're very competitive," he said. "Our basic services starts out at $34.95."

Carter said his most common customers tend to be busy professionals and women, who don't want to get their hands dirty or wait in long lines at a regular oil and lube station.

"You're not going to sit around an hour and a half waiting," he said. "Your life continues while we're there."

Carter said he's noticed a slump in the number of customers coming from concierge services at high-end condo developments in the Valley - the source of a big chunk of his business.

To make up for it, he's been more aggressive in advertising.

"As you know, people are still driving," he said. "The only way it affects me is when gas prices do go up. I pay more for my oil so in turn I pass that along to my customers."

Dan Benzer, owner and operator of Gamin'ride, took a video game arcade and stuck it inside a 32-foot custom trailer.

The mobile arcade can accommodate up to 16 players and is equipped with flat screens and Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 game consoles.

The service costs $289 for the first two hours and $85 for each additional hour, which Benzer said is cheaper than renting an entire gaming lounge for a private party.

"The one aspect we feel works in our favor is the convenience aspect," he said. "We'll come to where the party is."

He said his service appeals to parents, who don't want to cart their children to and from an arcade.

"Quite honestly it's a hassle," he said. "It saves people time and money."

Benzer said he had long wanted to start some sort of mobile service because he saw there was an exploding demand among people who don't like to spend a lot of time driving.

"We had some crazy ideas," he said.

Those ideas included a mobile coffee cafe or other food-based service.

It took some time before he and his partner, Paul Schneider, had the idea to take a gaming lounge and put it on wheels. Gamin'ride started operations earlier this month.

Jackie Dewease, a technician for East Valley Mobile Veterinarian, makes house calls to treat pets.

Dewease, who works with her mother, said elderly pet owners and those with aggressive or timid pets are her most common customers.

Dewease, who's responsible for everything from taking her patients' temperatures to administering shots or other medications, said her business is competitive with other vet offices on fees.

An exam fee can range from $29 to $79, and a house call fee ranges from $29 to $108 based on the amount of travel required.

"I don't know why more people don't do it," she said.

Dewease said many people assume the service is costlier than a regular veterinarian's services. She pointed out that although she and her mother charge a house call fee, it's comparable to what a vet would charge for an appointment.

"It sounds like such a luxury," she said. "I think it scares a lot of people away. They just assume it's going to be more expensive."