Red Padlet by Ali Brooker

2026-06-09 08:12:01 UTC

Large up front investment, will the additional service of mobile services take sales away from existing garages

2026-06-09 08:12:09 UTC

Will be able to generate more income from commercial contracts such as another taxi company in the local area.

2026-06-09 08:12:20 UTC

Engineer will have a lot of travel time which will effect utilisation, may also need a second person to book appointments/ manage calendar creating more costs

2026-06-09 08:12:20 UTC

Requires upfront investment for vehicle & equipment which will impact short term cash flow

2026-06-09 08:12:21 UTC

Would need to undertake research into what prices competitors are offering for subscriptions and what costs are likely to be incurred, to ensure that we do not make losses, but remain competitive

Customer satisfaction

2026-06-09 08:12:23 UTC

If garages have more commercial operators, customer service may deteriorate as the focus will be on them, similar to how it is in Woking.

This can affect reputation and customer satisfaction levels for which RYC have targets of 8.

2026-06-09 08:12:24 UTC

Initial capital outflow required for a van/vans to provide the service, and any new equipment as this can't be transferred from the garages.

2026-06-09 08:12:54 UTC

Will need to invest in new equipment that can be used for on-site work and vehicles to carry the equipment and drive to the locations

2026-06-09 08:13:30 UTC

Having more commercial fleet operators may provide another reliable revenue stream, such as a set amount per vehicle for specific services each year. However will need to review prices set to ensure that these sufficiently cover costs to be profitable.

2026-06-09 08:13:30 UTC

The van may not be able to hold all of the required equipment to perform all of the required jobs

High cost of investment

2026-06-09 08:13:34 UTC

The tools and specialist skills required to service EVs is higher than the current costs of RYC. Though this does provide higher margins, it may take longer to see the results.

2026-06-09 08:13:39 UTC

Will need to schedule and organise mobile trips based on location to ensure travel time is kept to a minimum to improve utilisation - this will take time to organise and may need to recruit another member of staff to deal with this

2026-06-09 08:13:58 UTC

If the mobile mechanic is away (annual leave etc.) and another mechanic has to temporarily take their place, this could result in staff shortages and customers experiencing delays

2026-06-09 08:14:11 UTC

The mechanic will need to be skilled in a lot of different areas and vehicles which will mean these skills are taken away from the garages

2026-06-09 08:14:56 UTC

Will broaden the customer knowledge of the brand in the market, as they are in more parts of the market. However, if wait times are really long it may damage the existing brand reputation and this might lead to customers not using the garage service if they are local because of bad reviews.

2026-06-09 08:15:02 UTC

Will need to evaluate whether the garages that would be completing the work for the commercial fleet operators have sufficient capacity to undertake the work, and that the mechanics there have sufficient skills/expertise, to prevent dissatisfaction. Should we do a good job for one commercial customer, this may attract more contracts in the future.

2026-06-09 08:15:03 UTC

May need to take on additional staff as this would be a new line of work. Existing staff may need to be trained to assist with bodywork jobs.

2026-06-09 08:15:07 UTC

will need to consider if staff are trained to deal with all aspects of the mobile works i.e window replacements, tyres, general repairs - this is quite a wide area of skills to cover

2026-06-09 08:15:20 UTC

Fleets are likely to require work done quickly which the garages may not have the capacity to do, especially if more than one fleet vehicle requires repairs at the same time

Customer ratings

2026-06-09 08:15:27 UTC

If RYC deal with more insurance companies then there's less direct interaction with customers. This can affect word of mouth recommendations and also the level of good reviews, resulting in less private customers.

2026-06-09 08:15:28 UTC

May need more staff to man the garages and drive out to the on-site locations. All the mechanics in the garage can't be away at the same time so planning/scheduling will be required to ensure appropriate staffing is maintained

2026-06-09 08:15:36 UTC

The job role required might be too skilled for just 1 person to perform. Asking for someone to cover everything and anything, is this realistically an individual that we can find

2026-06-09 08:15:38 UTC

With new government regulations and the end of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, EV cars will start to make up more of the industries revenue and capturing market share early on and gaining reputation for this work will help in the future when EVs become the majority of the market

2026-06-09 08:15:46 UTC

Consider if all the tools and machinery required would fit in a van - certain repairs may need more heavy and large machinery which would not fit in the van

2026-06-09 08:16:13 UTC

RYB has an emphasis on organic growth and so financing the expansion of additional garages will require significant up-front cash investment

2026-06-09 08:16:26 UTC

If RYC service a well regarded fleet, it could open opportunities for more commercial work

2026-06-09 08:16:38 UTC

As mobile mechanics services develop there may become a need for assistance staff purely for that side of the trade, in order to track travel/tool replacements/track customer payments.

2026-06-09 08:16:50 UTC

There has already been reluctance from existing staff to re-train for EV work, so RYC might have the same issue if they try to re-train staff for bodywork

2026-06-09 08:17:05 UTC

If the insurance company offers a car to their customers whilst their car is in for repair, may require RYC to purchase several cars to be able to meet these requirements, which would be a large investment cost.

2026-06-09 08:17:13 UTC

It might take away services from private car customers because the commercial fleet contract will have priority. This could mean that customers will have longer waiting times to get their car fixed or the cars are fixed in a rush and not to a good standard.

2026-06-09 08:17:21 UTC

Margins may be lower than individual work, we also don't know the payment terms for insurance work

2026-06-09 08:17:31 UTC

would need to consider if to charge a fixed contract price or price per vehicle and ensure margins are maintained - brues margins is 26% so this shows it is in line with the overall margin acheived

2026-06-09 08:17:35 UTC

The cost of investing in a garage situated in a good population hub will be expensive so RYC may take a while to break even on this expansion

2026-06-09 08:18:01 UTC

Insurance companies are likely to require garages which offer bodywork, which RYC don't currently have expertise in

2026-06-09 08:18:30 UTC

Locations of existing garages are in surrey, would opening new garages in different counties allow RYC to gain access to more potential customers.

2026-06-09 08:18:40 UTC

If bodywork is included within the terms of the insurance contracts, RYC will need to ensure that staff have the relevant skills to be able to complete this, potentially would need to look to train them in this if found to be lacking.

Insurance companies tend to go with accredited garages, so RYC will need to update its operations in order to meet standards and obtain this accreditation.

2026-06-09 08:18:41 UTC

RYC already have 5 garages in Surrey so are there any other areas of Surrey where there is a large customer base they have not yet tapped into? Also, if they expand into a different area in the country, RYC will not have word-of-mouth recommendations from existing customers

Lower cost of investment

2026-06-09 08:18:49 UTC

The cost of investing in a mobile service, such as vans and tools, will be considerably lower than opening new garages.

2026-06-09 08:18:57 UTC

Provides stable income if a contract is signed. This can improve utilisation and will make planning/forecasting easier

2026-06-09 08:19:17 UTC

Finding the right location for the garage may be difficult as need to consider competition, location, car ownership and environment

Resources

2026-06-09 08:19:17 UTC

Will have to consider if there are enough workers at each garage to meet the demand of the new commercial fleet. Additionally, more equipment and mechanic will have to be hired to allow for more cars to be worked on at the same time

2026-06-09 08:19:17 UTC

RYC's closest competitors, Fixwell and Strong, both have more garages than RYC in the Surrey area - might be difficult to find somewhere appropriately distanced with limited competition from these two

2026-06-09 08:19:36 UTC

will depend on the terms of the agreement with the fleet operators - if they demand instant repairs, it is likely they will get prioritised over private customers and it may impact the private customers reputation - this is already shown in the Woking customer satisfaction score

2026-06-09 08:19:38 UTC

A similar review like Redhill will be required to financially support the acquisition of a new garage

2026-06-09 08:20:11 UTC

will need big upfront cash to purchase the vans and equipments.

Will need to recruit extra staff for the work.

Can the customer pay timely.

Will the work has negative impact on the cash flow from the start.

Can the project being payback within two years which is the targeted period for a new project.

Impact on the gross profit margin.

2026-06-09 08:20:20 UTC

Attracting customers might be an issue because RYC rely on word of mouth marketing. Therefore, it might take a long time to attract an existing customer base.

2026-06-09 08:20:28 UTC

Some staff are resisting against retraining to be able to service/repair EVs, thus RYC may need to evaluate if they should replace these members with mechanics who are already adept/keen to learn about completing work for EVs.

2026-06-09 08:20:33 UTC

If the commercial fleet grows, RYC may not have the capacity to fulfil the contract. Forecasting is needed to plan the resources needed

Guaranteed monthly income

2026-06-09 08:20:42 UTC

A subscription would guarantee a level of monthly income as the garage won't need to guess if and when repairs are required.

This may affect cash flows though if the income for a service is spread over a period of time.

2026-06-09 08:20:49 UTC

The EV market is constantly growing and changing, and is still a relatively new market - do RYC have the knowledge to expand in this area?

2026-06-09 08:21:17 UTC

The uptake of EVs for fleets has been strong so if RYC want to look for commercial work they will require expertise and equipment for EVs

2026-06-09 08:21:20 UTC

likely to generate a steady income stream but it will depend on the insurance company performance i.e number of claims

2026-06-09 08:21:38 UTC

EV parts are expensive due to the materials used in their production. RYC will need to ensure that it prices any repair work to EV customers to cover these increased costs.

2026-06-09 08:22:02 UTC

Will have to hire or train mechanics so that they are trained in EV cars because some EV cars require specialist work. Additionally, they are not an approved EV garage, so they might have to do some training to become one.

2026-06-09 08:22:06 UTC

New EVs can often only be worked on by 'approved garages', RYC should consider whether they can meet the criteria for approval

2026-06-09 08:23:01 UTC

It will generate another revenue stream because they will be offering another service. However, they will have to buy all the equipment to be able to do this.

2026-06-09 08:23:07 UTC

RYC currently has no foothold in the insurance industry, so this could be an easy way to generate new revenue

2026-06-09 08:23:10 UTC

The succesful opening of Redhill was largely due to the shut down of a close competitor and there is no guarantee opening a new garage will generate the same returns as it will depend on level of investment

2026-06-09 08:23:30 UTC

As the current cost of living crisis has made customers reluctant to purchase a new car, this may also make them reluctant to pay for body work to be completed on their current car.

2026-06-09 08:23:32 UTC

As the EV market and technology evolves equipment may change and become obsolete, requiring more investment in new equipment

QS

2026-06-09 08:23:32 UTC

RYC's existing customer QS is looking to convert its fleet into EVs and so RYC will have to prepare for this if they want to keep the contract.

This could also be a good introduction into the EV market and attract other customers.

2026-06-09 08:24:07 UTC

are we capable of the work. if not may damage the reputation.

The barriers to entry.

What's the growth potential

Industry life cycle, how many years we expect the business to run.

are we targeted us as a cost leader or differentiator?

Can we get cheaper parts if we are targeted as cost leader?

2026-06-09 08:24:14 UTC

Might struggle to attract customers because RYC has no previous experience in this skill, which may make customers hesitant to use them.

2026-06-09 08:24:17 UTC

Will come with customer expectations for RYC to be sustainable in other areas of the business too e.g handling disposals, recycling %, low waste

2026-06-09 08:24:18 UTC

As cars become more technologically advanced there are less crashes meaning less bodywork is required

2026-06-09 08:24:28 UTC

RYC will need to evaluate whether its mechanics currently have the skills/expertise to be able to complete this work, and if not, may need to train them in this area, or look to take on some bodywork specialists.

2026-06-09 08:24:30 UTC

would support their plan of having a portfolio of 10 garages - but would they have sufficent time to organise a new garage opening due to the rise of EV's as they will need to focus on providing EV services in exisiting garages to ensure the stay up to date with industry demands

Popular service

2026-06-09 08:24:50 UTC

This is becoming a more popular service and method of paying for garage services in recent years.

Implementing this could attract new customers and boost reputation.

2026-06-09 08:25:17 UTC

This is a big marker with more gross profit margin.

Will bring more profit for the business.

2026-06-09 08:25:24 UTC

Will make customers loyal to the RYC if they take out the subscription.

2026-06-09 08:25:25 UTC

Research would be required as to the expected costs as contracts could be loss making

2026-06-09 08:25:29 UTC

EV vehicles require less servicing and vehicles would be new so wouldnt require a MOT for the first 3 years so this will generate less work therefore less revenue for RYC

2026-06-09 08:26:17 UTC

RYC has no experience working with insurance companies, so uncertainty will be higher. Staff may not have the skillsets required to meet the insurance company's needs