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Oil Change Guys History; Part II
Franchise companies are not born they are made and when studying the history of franchise companies, it is amazing how similar they really are. To continue this story we are in the height of the Dot Com Bubble with money flowing in Silicon Valley and personal services and labor is at a premium indeed; Before Oil Maxx's downfall, Oil Maxx with the foresight of Mr. Winslow and the help of Lou Gurnick was a registered California Franchise poised to dominate the industry as companies like New Jersey based Oil Butler were doing. Oil Butler had already sold some 50 franchises and were getting ready to go for an IPO. Lance and Dave decided they needed very much to kick butt on the West Coast so they could dominate the market before Oil Butler could. This similar strategy was used against FleetWash, also out of New Jersey as they marched westward to attack our strong hold position in the truck fleet washing business (Truck Wash Guys) www.truckwashguy.com . Meanwhile we were advancing our Detail Guys Brand in FL with plans to move into the South East market for a foothold in the personal and corporate employee oil change market by co-branding those two brands with Oil Maxx. Mr. Winslow had been promised up until then that Oil Maxx would make good on their word to launch a nationwide franchise campaign. A quote comes to mind from the Late Vince Lombardi, that there are few willing to go the distance in the pursuit of victory, only the strong survive, it is a matter of individual will. Not everyone has what it takes. Oil Maxx Company had worked as a perfect synergy with our washing franchised system in Silicon Valley up until then. Since we were operating in Silicon Valley we worked on perfecting our WashGuy online ordering systems as well. We eventually added a system to order car washes via customer's PDA Wireless devices during the Ricochet Rage of Venture Capital Alley. We even set up Team Yellow Automotive Services and co-marketed with other mobile services. We had spent thousands of dollars getting ready for the nationwide co-branding efforts with the Oil Maxx Company. Unfortunately after two years Oil Maxx was unable to expand much out of the Bay Area with regards to franchising. Mr. Winslow put the Co-marketing project with the Oil Maxx company on hold and looked immediately to create synergies with any Independent Mobile Oil Change Business and look for a new Nationwide Partner. Oil Maxx finally went off the air in late 2001. In franchising the death rate of new franchisors is 5:1 in the first five years. We could not understand how they went through all their original capital after we sent them business and our local franchisee's paid part of their shop space to park our wash trucks at night as a favor to help with their start-up and operational costs. But we know from our experiences in studying franchising that only one in five franchisors survive in America due to stringent regulations. In CA the failure rate is even higher since CA is just about the worst state due to onerous regulators. In 2002 California was rated in Wall Street Journal as the worst state to do business in, with the worst anti-business regulations. As Car Wash Guys worked through it's own growing pains, we were able to take what we had learned and use that to help us co-market with other independent mobile oil change companies across the country. Even at times substituting on-site Preventative Fleet Maintenance, Mobile Tire Service Companies and even mobile fleet alignment companies even though Oil Maxx's failure to make good on the promise. Mr. Winslow was looking for another franchise company that had nationwide ambitions. In mid 2001 he met with a Japanese Company who had a representative living in Malibu, CA who could provide patented Oil Additives for fleet vehicles, which could expand the life of the oil interval up to 100,000 miles or so it was claimed. The Japanese firm had been using the product for 10 years in Japan and it was proven with 1 million miles worth of tests on trucks from Yellow Freight, the largest LTL Trucking company in the nation and with Roadway, years later they were merged as one company. The product was great and the North American rights were available with their main contact who was a former board member of the American trucking Association. Mr. Winslow also met with another Nationwide Oil Additive Company representative in Reno, NV, who had come to The Detail Guys www.detailguys.com original prototype 8-Bay Detail Shop to discuss another oil additive. Their product guaranteed the engine life of any car to 150,000 miles after a certified inspection almost too good to be true. All guaranteed through Lloyd's of London. Lance thought gee whiz, I now have a product for the car dealerships, trucking industry and mom and pop. Mr. Winslow then met with people from Lucas Oil Additives and Kendall Motor Oils after trying both for over 40,000 miles each in the Blitz Mobile Command Center and Corporate Office on wheels. "Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. Site: news - Google News Phil Schiller bringing the news at Macworld - San Francisco Chronicle
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for entrepreneurialism Lone Star Library: Green Mountain founder shares entrepreneurial insights (Fort Worth Business Press) Rural Southerner Sam Wyly came by his self-made captain-of-industry status the hard way, developing a passion for business strategy by playing schoolboy football and observing his parents? natural gift for small-business operations and hard-bargain bartering. S.C.'s brightest complete Business Week (Columbia Star) Approximately 200 high school students from across S.C. have successfully graduated from South Carolina Business Week, presented by the South Carolina Cable Television Association, July 13- 18, at Presbyterian College in Clinton. Wellington West opens Montreal branch (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) Wellington West Holdings Inc., a privately held, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced the expansion of its national network with the opening of a Wellington West Capital Inc. full-service retail investment branch in Montreal, Quebec. Ctek Selects Kyocera 300 Module for Z4100 Wireless Router (Centre Daily Times) Kyocera Wireless Corp. (KWC), a leading global manufacturer of wireless handsets, devices and embedded machine-to-machine (M2M) modules, and Ctek, a leading manufacturer of specialized communications solutions for industrial and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the Kyocera 300 Module for Ctek's cost-effective Z4100 Router. The Kyocera 300 Module enables reliable, ... Memphis confident of growth campaign (Memphis Commercial Appeal) One year after the launch of a $64 million economic development campaign, city officials are increasingly optimistic about the impact of MemphisED on the Bluff City. Summer break project: JTCC student lives, learns nonprofit leadership with Pheonix Project (The Petersburg Progress-Index) CHESTER ? Jamie Poniatowski, a Class of 2008 human services major, spent her summer break in Petersburg, participating in the Phoenix Project?s 2008 Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program, which transforms committed undergraduate and graduate students into effective social entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills and connections to succeed in Virginia?s nonprofit sector. Ctek Selects Kyocera 300 Module for Z4100 Wireless Router (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) SAN DIEGO & RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.----Kyocera Wireless Corp. , a leading global manufacturer of wireless handsets, devices and embedded machine-to-machine modules, and Ctek, a leading manufacturer of specialized communications solutions for industrial and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the Kyocera 300 Module for Ctek?s cost-effective Z4100 Router. $1 Million Opus Prize Finalists Announced (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance) Seattle University and the Opus Prize Foundation today announced three finalists for the $1 million 2008 Opus Prize, one of the world's largest humanitarian service awards. Guided by faith and an entrepreneurial spirit, Marguerite "Maggy" Barankitse, Krishnammal Jagannathan and Michael Woodard are working throughout the world to give people the tools to transform their lives. Scotiabank Online Small Business Contest Last Call (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance) The chance for Canadian small business owners to win $50,000 in cash prizes is coming to a close. As part of Scotiabank's 'Get Growing to a Million' Campaign, the online challenge has offered small business owners across Canada a chance to win one grand prize of $20,000 and six regional prizes of $5,000. In cinemas this weekend (Guardian Unlimited) RocknRolla | The Duchess | Bangkok Dangerous | Disaster Movie | Sweete Land | El Cantante | Never Apologise | Mera Pind My Home Site: entrepreneurialism - Google News Ohio House Speaker Budish touts regionalism in his first address - WKYC-TV
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