If you think managing one quick lube is tough, think again. Adding on a convenience store or a car wash to your quick lube adds to the workload, but imagine having seven different entities to manage. Dave Ellard, co-owner of Triple Play Car Wash and Quick Lube in Attleboro, Mass., knows a thing or two when it comes to managing his time with seven different ones to oversee. He and co-owner Terrence Elder oversee a quick lube, gas station, car wash, detail shop, and a convenience store, complete with a Dunkin’ Donuts and Boston Pita inside that they operate, too. For most quick lubes, another profit center is added later on down the road, but this wasn’t the goal for Triple Play. From Ellard’s research, good performing quick lubes have another profitable business on the property. So, they added all of the operations at once, officially opening all of its doors back in May 2008.
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“The idea was to have a different kind of place,” Ellard says. “Our strategy was to do something bigger and more inspiring in the industry.” With their strategy and processes in place, Ellard says the business is looking to be in the top 10th percentile in all of the businesses. If you’re thinking about adding on another business, look no further. Ellard gives his tips on how he and Elder have been able to manage all of these profit centers efficiently from the start.
Tip No. 1: Have a management structure. With how big the entire operation is, there needs to be a strict management structure in place. In total, Triple Play has four managers on board to manage each entity: one at the quick lube, one at the car wash, one at the gas station and convenience store, and one at the detail center.
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