New Business Plan for a Gas Station Start Up

The customer need that will be satisfied is that my gas station will have gasoline, diesel, and a service station to get the repairs or inspections they will need to have. There will be a free air pump, so they can have the option of filling up their tires. I will also have coffee, snacks and different beverages the customer can purchase as well, so they can also fuel up their bodies as well for the ride they are going to make.The product will be unique by my station having a self service, but also a full service section for customers at no extra cost, but if the customer is getting 5 gallons or less than there will be a slight increase on the price per gallon. I will have two self service gasoline pumps; two full service gasoline pumps that are double sided so that’s make 8 pumps for gasoline. I will have one diesel pump, which the one side will be self service and the other side will be full service.The full service section will have a line on the ground that when they ride over it a bell will ring and the employee will know there is someone waiting to get full service. Along with the full service I will have the employee offer them if they would like their windows to be cleaned, their oil to be checked, and if they would like a beverage or a snack while they are waiting for their fuel. I will also make sure that the pavement is cleaned every day. There will be a canopy to cover the fuel pumps and will make sure there is proper lighting and have some calming music playing while the customer waits.I will have a great color scheme to my gas station to make it stand out. There will be neon lights that will trim the canopy and pumps, so at night it will make it more appealing to the customer and hopefully will draw them in. I will also offer a card that can be scanned at the pump when they pull up that will have a record of their purchases and for every $100. 00 they have spent, not including the service station, I will offer them $. 10 off a gallon. This offer can be accumulated over a month, so depending on how much they spend they can accumulate up to getting $. 0 off a gallon. Though, this offer is only valid for the month pertaining to the purchases they made, so if they do not use the discount then the next month it will be erased and will start over again. The customers that will be coming to my gas station are ones with gasoline, diesel, or even hybrid cars and motorcycles that need to be taken care of. There will even be landscaping and other similar customers coming to filling up their small engines. I will also have customers that will be coming for the service station to get repairs or inspections done to their cars.I will not be able to service 18-wheelers though, but they can still get their diesel. I will also not be able to have a mechanic for motorcycles unless he/she has the proper training along with their automotive training. Their profiles are people who range from the lower upper-class to the middle upper-class. There will be both male and female’s who are coming to the station with their ages being from 18 and up. They’ll be high school and college students along with people who are working and even people who aren’t working that just are getting gas for whatever they are putting the fuel in. In the town my gas station resides, the population is %54. 4 African Americans, %29. 6 Caucasian, %8. 7 Asian American, %4. 3 Hispanic, %2. 4 with two or more races, %0. 2 native Hawaiian and other Pacific islanders, %0. 2 other race, and %0. 1 American Indian, which is a total of 2668 thousand residents† (Advameg, Inc, 2011) These people will be living in the area of my gas station or in the surrounding area of East Lansdowne, PA. They may work in the area at the local stores that surround my gas station. They may work in center city or in the west/south west Philadelphia region.The customer may also work out towards the Springfield mall up Baltimore avenue I may also get people who are going to the gym or going out for the day or night to have a day of fun on the weekend or a day off from their jobs. The customer wants a gas station that will allow them to be in and out as quick as possible so they can continue on with where they are going to go. The customers’ needs are that they feel that this is a place that will take care of them and will treat them with the most upstanding customer service so they will keep on coming back.With the amenities I will provide I will hopefully be going above and beyond their expectations of the service they would receive at another gas station. The customer may need to use the service station, and they’re vehicle will be treated with the proper care it deserves. The Exxon station, located at the corner of Baltimore Avenue and Church lane in East Lansdowne, PA. The Giant supermarket that has a gas station that’s located right by Baltimore avenue and Union avenue in east Lansdowne, PA. The Exxon s tation’s strengths are that they sell cigarettes and have the lottery.They also have a convenience store that you can go inside with an ATM machine in it. Their weaknesses are that there is only one employee that works there. They have an air pump and vacuum section that you have to pay for. They do not have a full service option, nor do they have a service station to work on vehicles or a diesel fuel pump. It also isn’t a very clean or well maintained place. The Giant supermarket’s strengths are that they have the same option of accumulating points from purchases made inside of their supermarket.They also have an entire supermarket that their customers can do their shopping and then head over to the gas pump after with a free air pump as well. Their weaknesses are that in order to get the discount on the gas you have to buy products from their supermarket, whereas at my station the gas is included in the point system. They also do not offer a full service optio n even though there is a gas attendant there to supervise the gas station section. Their other weakness is that the gas station is in the very back of the property so some customer’s may only think there is just the supermarket.They also do not have a service station for repairs, nor do they carry diesel fuel. They Exxon station might try to add a full service feature, but that would be hard with only one attendant there working inside the convenience store. They may to try and make their air pump free for customers. They may also try to add a diesel pump. The Giant supermarket has a little more trouble trying to do a lot of changes because it’s a big company so they’d have to get the OK from the higher ups, but they may also try to add a full service option along with adding the diesel option.I feel neither of them would be able to match the service station part because Exxon has limited room and the Giant probably doesn’t have any intentions of adding t hat because their main focus is the supermarket with the gas being a side thing. â€Å"Sunoco is committed to sustainable business practices. Sunoco adopts business strategies and activities that meet the needs of the business and its stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future. † (Sunoco, Inc. 2013) â€Å"A promoter of clean energy alternatives, BJ’s Wholesale Club strives to implement environmentally conscious business practices when possible. BJ’s Wholesale promotes energy efficient methods of harvesting electricity, and many BJ’s stores use solar panels to harvest energy. BJ’s stores also participate in local recycling and waste management programs†¦. Primarily operating from large warehouse-style retail locations, BJ’s Wholesale Club offers club members a wide range of products and services. BJ’s sells everything from food and clothing to ga soline and home office supplies. BJ’s also operates an online store. (BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc, 2013) I plan on being an independent gas station and plan on getting my gas and diesel from the Sunoco/Carlyle Group, which is located at 3144 W Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA. I plan on buying my coffee and snacks from BJ’s, which is located at 1260 E. Woodland Ave. Springfield, PA 19064. I do not want to have a franchise with Sunoco, so it will be considered an â€Å"unbranded fuel†. (Sunoco, Inc. , 2013) I expect the relationship with Sunoco/Carlyle Group to be one that I can have a regular set date or dates that they will come and top off what fuels I need.With BJ’s I just expect to pay their â€Å"BJ’s Business yearly payment of $50 to get the items I need, and with the business card I am able to have my items be tax-exempt and have them available for resale. † (BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. , 2013) The location cost for the property I plan to bu y is $600,000 as is and it’s because it is a closed down gas station. (County of Delaware, 2013) The legalities to having a gas station is that there have to be yearly inspections done by the state to make sure everything is ok.They check the soil for contamination and check to make sure the underground tanks are at the right depth. The state inspectors make sure that each pump is properly working and up to date with the correct parts. â€Å"The ‘U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’ that the pumps are only pumping 10 gallons per minute. † (U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, 1997) They also make sure that all my licenses are up to date and make sure that we are operating under the proper protocols provided by the state. I would want to own and refurbish a facility.There is one at 401 East Baltimore Avenue that has exactly what I am looking for. It was recently a Sunoco station, but all the Sunoco signs and words have been taken down so it looks like a blank slate. It has a three car garage with the lifts still in it and an air pump already in place. The only thing I would have to add is the diesel pump to the facility and to have the underground tank for the diesel to be placed in. I would have to have someone come out and make sure that the pumps work and have someone come in and check out the lifts in the garage to make sure they are up to par as well.I will purchase any necessary parts that the maintenance guys found wrong with the pumps and the lifts in the service station. I will have to purchase the line that runs on the ground for the full service section of the gas station to let the employee know the customer is there. I will also have to invest in the tools required for the service station so that the employees have the proper equipment needed to work on the vehicle. I need to have the signs and all the proper naming of my gas station placed on the property along with the neon lighting. I will purchase the speakers tha t will be playing the calming music for the customers.I will have to get the proper licensing from the state to be able to give inspections to vehicles. I will be open 7 days a week from 5am until 11pm, but the service station will only be open from 8am until 8 pm. I will need to have an employee who is in charge of the cash register and assigning the gas to the right pump. I will need to have a mechanic that will take care of the service station. I will need to hire an employee that can take care of the full service part of the gas station. I will have at least 2 to 3 cashiers that will be able to work part-time shifts.I will need to have at least 2 to 3 mechanics that will be able to work part-time or full-time shifts, but only will need one mechanic available during each shift. If there are days that the service station is overloaded with cars I may need to call in one of the other mechanics to come in and help out. I will need at least 2 to 3 part-time employees that will need t o be in charge of the full service section, but will only need one employee at a time during the shift. I will also be at the gas station from time to time to make sure things are the way they are supposed to be.The cashier person will need to be able to work the cashier and be able to set the right amount of gas to the right pump for the customer with the proper customer service skill to keep the customer happy. The cashier will also have to differentiate whether the person is at the self service or the full service station to make the right adjustments in prices and know about the 5 gallon or less rule. The mechanics will have to give me a proper resume or some sort of certification that they are real mechanics and are able to work on different brand vehicles.The mechanic should be responsible for removing, installing, diagnosing, repairing, disassembling and assembling parts, components and engines while performing all duties according to safety procedures. (Salary. com, 2013) Th e mechanics should know how to properly approach the customer and kindly ask them what it is they need. The employee in charge of the full service station is going to need to be properly dressed in a uniform; while wearing a new pair of gloves for every customer they service.The full service employee will also need to know how to clean the windows properly and be able to check to make sure the oil level is correct in the car if they are asked to check for that. The full service employee will also need to have the best customer service skills to keep the customer pleased and will need to be able to communicate with the cashier on what their total will be when they are asking if they can get the customer a beverage or a snack while the customer waits to be fueled up. The cost of the cashier position per hour will be $8. 00 an hour with the potential to gain a raise every 6 months. (Salary. om, 2013) The mechanics will be working for $18. 00 an hour and also have the potential to get a raise every 6 months and/or if they show they work at a fast rate with quality work being done. (Salary. com, 2013) The full service employee will receive $8. 00 an hour with the potential to gain a raise every 6 months and/or if they show fast, quality customer service. (Salary. com, 2013) At the end of the year, excluding leap years, I would potentially be paying my cashiers’ and full service employees’ $52,560 (gross pay). At the end of the year, excluding leap years, I would potentially be paying my mechanics’ $78,840 (gross pay).Works Cited Advameg, Inc. (2011). East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. Retrieved from city-data. com: http://www. city-data. com/city/East-Lansdowne-Pennsylvania. html BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. (2013). About Us. Retrieved from bjs. com: http://www. bjs. com/about-us. content. about. A BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. (2013). Membership Options/Join. Retrieved from bjs. com: http://www. bjs. com/info. aboutmembership. options County of Delaware. (2013). Delaware County Real Estate Parcels & Tax Records System. Retrieved from w01. co. delaware. pa. us: http://w01. co. delaware. pa. us/publicaccess. asp? unicipality=00&realdistaddress=Submit&HNumber=&Street=a&Folio=&Map=&UAYN=Y Salary. com. (2013). Automotive Mechanic. Retrieved from Salary. com: http://swz. salary. com/salarywizard/Automotive-Mechanic-II-Hourly-Salary-Details. aspx Salary. com. (2013). Cashier. 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