Being your own boss offers some considerable perks. To start with, you can set your own hours and decide where you work. You can also decide who you work with, and shape your career in any direction that interests you. And finally, you’ll also be in charge of your earning potential. You can increase your rates or work more hours if you want to earn more money.
While there might be additional stresses that you don’t have to think about in traditional employment, many self-employed people believe the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
By choosing a mobile business, you can reduce your startup costs and increase the size of your target market. And with more and more people looking for convenience in their everyday life, mobile businesses are more popular than ever before. Here are 40 incredible mobile business ideas that will enable you to be your own boss.
1. Mobile Food Truck
Indulge your passion for incredible food and serve a variety of food and beverages on-the-go. When you operate a mobile food truck, you can set up anywhere you like (provided you have permission) and sell food and drinks. You could head to festivals, sporting events, weddings or community events to help bring delicious food to the masses.
2. Mobile Ice Cream Truck
Who hasn’t dreamed of quitting their day job and buying an ice cream truck? You could offer ice cream and frozen treats at events and by simply driving around heavily populated neighbourhoods. While this might be a more seasonal role, you could combine it with a hot chocolate/mulled wine venture to make sure you’ve got the whole year covered.
3. Mobile Coffee Shop
Who doesn’t love coffee? If you’re passionate about coffee and want to share this with the world, don’t stress about opening a coffee shop. Instead, convert your vehicle into a coffee shop on wheels. This will ensure you can go wherever the people are, setting up in parks, train stations and at busy outdoor markets. A mobile coffee shop is far more flexible than a physical location.
4. Mobile Juice Bar
Serve fresh juices and smoothies at different locations. Hop aboard the healthy living trend and serve free juice and smoothies from the back of your van. You’re sure to be a hit at festivals, weddings and sporting events. If you get a licence to serve alcohol, you could also enhance your offering with boozy juice for evening events.
5. Mobile Bakery
If you’re a fan of baking, why not turn your passion into a career? You don’t have to pay for expensive premises and worry about your overheads, you can sell freshly baked goods from your van and make the most of this flexible arrangement. When you operate a mobile bakery, you can hire a commercial kitchen to get your baking done, and then load up your van and deliver to local cafes and restaurants, or sell directly to your customers.
6. Mobile Pizza Oven
Wood-fired pizza is growing in popularity, so why not jump aboard this trend. Mobile pizza ovens will allow you to offer wood-fired pizzas at events and gatherings. And the potential market for this could be huge. While the initial investment might be quite high – pizza ovens don’t come cheap – once you’re established, the profit margins on a single pizza can be incredible.
7. Mobile Taco Stand
Another great food truck idea is a mobile taco truck or stand. Mexican food is enjoying a moment in the limelight, so why not make the most of this trend? Serve tacos and other Mexican dishes from your vehicle and you could make a serious profit. You’d be welcome at festivals, sporting events, community events, weddings, parties and more.
8. Mobile BBQ Catering
More and more couples are opting for unconventional food on their wedding day, and that includes things like BBQ instead of a sit down dinner. So why not provide BBQ catering services for parties and events? You’ll need large smokers to prepare your meat ahead of time and then catering supplies to transport it all to the venue. You’re sure to be a welcome sight at a wedding, party or festival. You can either charge a fixed fee to attend and serve a specific amount of food, or charge customers individually and keep going until everything is sold out.
9. Mobile Dessert Shop
Another common choice for wedding catering is the cupcake stand and sweet shop. You could sell desserts like cupcakes, cookies, and pastries from the back of a van and enjoy incredible profit margins on your baked goods. You can take your mobile dessert shop to specific events and provide the catering, or you could sell items at food festivals, community events and weddings.
10. Mobile Gourmet Food
If you’re a bit of a foodie and want to share this with the world, why not start a mobile deli? A mobile deli will allow you to offer gourmet dishes and meals at various locations. You won’t be stuck in a single location and customers won’t have to come and find you, you can go and find them. With a catering van, you’ll have all of the flexibility of your own catering counter but without the overheads associated with renting a premises.
11. Mobile Salad Bar
If you have an appetite for healthy living, why not serve fresh and healthy salads from your vehicle? A mobile salad bar offers a healthy alternative to many fast food takeaway options that are available at events and festivals. By giving customers extra choice, you’ll be setting yourself apart from the competition.
12. Mobile Catering Service
If you love catering events and coming up with creative menus, you could consider starting a mobile catering service. You can provide catering for weddings, corporate events and more. You’ll prepare the food in a hired kitchen space and then transport it to the event in your van. This saves on overhead costs and significantly increases your profit margins.
13. Mobile Farmers’ Market
You could help more people to eat fresh and local produce by providing a mobile farmers’ market experience. Bring fresh produce and local products to different neighbourhoods and let local people buy directly from the farmers. You could set up at a specific location, or drive around residential areas and share the schedule of where you’ll be on social media.
14. Mobile Flower Shop
Florist work is highly seasonal and you might not want the costs associated with renting a shop all year round. So why not sell flowers and floral arrangements from your van or car? You’ll be able to set up in prominent shopping locations (with permission from the local council) and then make the most of busy periods, while avoiding the costs associated with trading during quiet periods.
15. Mobile Pop-Up Shop
Love fashion and accessories? If you’ve got an eye for retail trends, you could set up a mobile retail store for fashion or niche products. You can attend craft fairs and festivals and give people the opportunity to shop online too. You’ll enjoy higher profit margins if you aren’t paying for the cost of a retail unit.
16. Mobile Pet Grooming
Not everyone has the time to go to the pet groomers, and some people don’t have the transport required to get there. This is why you could make a profit offering pet grooming services at clients’ homes. You can equip your van with everything you need to wash and style pets without the need for expensive business premises. By choosing a mobile business plan, you’ll also be able to expand your target market.
17. Mobile Car Wash
Most people are incredibly proud of their cars and want to keep them looking good, but don’t always have the time or patience to visit a valet car wash. You can provide on-demand car washing and detailing services from the clients’ home so they can get on with their day while they are waiting for you to clean their car.
18. Mobile Auto Repair
Mobile auto repair is about more than just breakdowns. Some people need on-the-spot car repairs and maintenance services and either cannot drive their car to a garage, or they don’t have the time to do so. As a mobile auto repair shop, you’ll have everything you need in the back of your van and won’t have to pay for expensive premises.
19. Mobile Photography Studio
If you’re a keen photographer but don’t want to pay for a studio space, you could consider going mobile. Provide on-location photography services and you can set up in any location at any time. You could provide portrait photography or product photography, depending on what interests you the most.
20. Mobile Fitness Trainer
Not everyone has the time to go to the gym. Help them to access fitness on demand through a mobile fitness trainer business. Offer fitness coaching and workouts at clients’ locations will give you the flexibility to work where you want and when you want. You’ll also enjoy a change of scenery every day, rather than being stuck in the same gym environment.
21. Mobile Yoga Instructor
If you are a qualified yoga instructor, you could turn this into a profitable mobile business. You can conduct yoga classes at various venues, or run pop up events at stunning locations. You could also invest in inflatable pods to create a hot yoga experience on demand.
22. Mobile Personal Shopper
If you have an eye for fashion and know how to dress individuals to make the most of their assets, you could consider being a mobile personal shopper. Load up your van with clothing choices and then visit your clients in their home. This kind of personalised shopping service is popular with wealthy clients who are too busy to visit a shopping centre.
23. Mobile Party Planning
Party planners help to take the stress out of organising events by taking care of everything from start to finish. Offer event planning and coordination services at clients’ venues. You’ll be responsible for planning, setting up and taking down events at the end of the day. It can have some anti-social hours, but you’ll be rewarded with excellent earning potential.
24. Mobile Language School
If you have a passion for languages, you could turn this into a mobile business. You could teach language classes at clients’ homes or offices and offer flexibility to when and where clients can practise their language skills. By making your services mobile, you’ll be able to expand your reach and won’t have to pay for business premises.
25. Mobile Tech Support
Plenty of small companies need tech support from time to time but can’t afford to pay for full-time staff to complete this role. In this instance, you could provide on-demand tech support for individuals and businesses. If you’re good with computers and can explain complex things in simple ways, then this could be an incredible career move with excellent profit margins.
26. Mobile DJ Service
Love music and entertaining people? As a mobile DJ you could provide DJ services for a wide range of events and parties. You’ll need to invest in all of the right equipment, and this could also include lights and haze machines. Once established, you can advertise your services online to target party planners.
27. Mobile Videography Service
Many companies need professional videography services but can’t afford to hire these skills in-house. Instead of investing in expensive equipment and hiring full-time videographer staff, they are far more likely to bring in a freelance videographer. As a mobile videographer, you could work for corporate clients or get more creative with weddings and events.
28. Mobile Art Workshop
As people look for more interesting ways to socialise, and bars look for ways to spice up their events calendars, mobile art workshops are on the rise. If you’re creative and love to share your skills, you could conduct art workshops and classes at various locations. This could include painting, sketching, watercolours, life drawing or collage classes to help people connect with their creative sides in a fun setting.
29. Mobile Hair Salon
Not everyone has the time to head to the salon for a haircut. Mobile hairdressers and barbers are on the rise, with some offering services in their clients’ homes, and others setting up mobile barber shops in the back of a van. Setting up as a mobile hair stylist will allow you to escape the high start up costs and avoid the need to stick to a single location.
30. Mobile Fashion Stylist
Not everyone knows what looks work for them, and when they need advice they will turn to a fashion stylist. If you have an eye for fashion and get on well with people, you could offer fashion styling and wardrobe consultations on-the-go. You can visit customers in their homes or meet them in department stores to help them make the most of the experience.
31. Mobile Massage Therapy
If you’re a qualified massage therapist and want to be your own boss, you might consider offering mobile services. You would provide massage services at clients’ homes or workplaces. Your clients will be busy professionals who don’t have the time to visit a spa but need to access treatments to help them to unwind and relax. As a mobile practitioner, you could also offer massages at events like wellness festivals.
32. Mobile Spa
If you don’t want to limit yourself to just massages, you could create an entire spa experience in the back of a van. When you offer spa treatments and relaxation services from your vehicle, you can expand your target market and visit customers in their own homes. This will increase your profit margins as you won’t be renting premises. You can also be flexible in the treatments you offer, including things like facials, fillers and spray tans.
33. Mobile Personal Training
Not everyone has the time to go to the gym, but they still want to be accountable and meet their fitness goals. If you’re a qualified personal trainer, you could provide one-on-one fitness training sessions at clients’ locations. This varied and challenging role will keep you active and engaged with your clients, as you’ll have to find ways to help them keep fit outside of the gym. This could mean training in gardens, front rooms or parks.
34. Mobile Escape Room
A mobile escape room is an incredible use for a truck. If you have a creative vision for mystery and puzzles, you could create a portable escape room experience for events and parties. Rather than renting expensive premises in prime retail locations, your escape room will be completely mobile and flexible. You could take it to offices and let staff complete their team building without leaving their grounds, or you could take it to festivals and offer an express escape room experience.
35. Mobile Bouncy Castle Hire
There is no sight more iconic in the summer months than a bouncy castle. With minimal investment, you could set up your own mobile bouncy castle hire for kids and adults alike. Bouncy castles are popular for school events, kids parties, weddings and grown up birthdays. All you have to do is drive to the location, set everything up and then return at the end of the rental period to collect it.
36. Mobile Refill Station
Zero waste products are big business at the moment. As individuals look to lower their carbon footprint and consume less single-use plastics, more and more people are looking to refill shops to save money and the environment. Stock up a van with a range of popular household refill items and then allow individuals to fill up their own containers. You’ll buy in bulk and then sell your products for a markup, and you’ll have zero waste to worry about.
37. Mobile Car Rental
Car rental companies often have locations in city centres and near airports that allow you to pick up and rent cars, but this isn’t always convenient. With a mobile car rental service, you can deliver rental cars to customers’ locations and remove one common obstacle to renting a vehicle. This will be a popular service with busy individuals who don’t have the time to visit a collection point. It also means that you won’t be paying to hold rental car stock in prime locations.
38. Mobile Tech Recycling
Another eco-friendly option for a mobile business idea is a mobile tech recycling unit. Lots of people have electronics sitting around at home and they have no idea what to do with them. You can collect old electronics and recycle them on-site, either repairing and reselling them, or pulling out the valuable components and recycling them for money. Either way, you’ll be helping to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill every year.
39. Mobile Pop-Up Cinema
Love films? Why not set up a mobile outdoor cinema for movie screenings. All you’ll need to set up this business is a powerful projector, sound system and an inflatable cinema screen. Customers can hire the ultimate outdoor film experience for birthday parties, weddings and corporate events. If you also invest in a marquee, you can set up your mobile pop-up cinema no matter the weather.
40. Mobile Bookstore
Avid readers will love the idea of setting up a mobile bookshop and travelling around to sell the latest must-reads. You can help to connect remote communities by selling books and literature from a mobile van or truck. You could also run a programme of literary events, including travelling book launches and reading groups. This is a great way to channel your passion for literature into something inspiring and uplifting.
Closing thoughts
These are just some of the mobile business ideas you could explore. If you have an idea for a business and need a van to help get things off the ground, get in touch with our team today. We can help you to find the right refrigerated van to achieve your goals and become your own boss.
