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Mobile vs office
Most first-year operators pick one primary mode and add the other later. Hybrid works after you have contracts. It is a poor opening move if you have neither a desk nor a calendar.
| Topic | Office / storefront | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| How customers arrive | Appointments plus walk-ins from Google and signage | You go to them. Almost nothing is walk-in. |
| Overhead | Rent, utilities, a quiet room, parking | Vehicle, fuel, time on the road, cellular |
| Typical pricing | Standard rolling fee on a posted menu | Travel fee + per head + a job minimum |
| Throughput | Higher. The chair stays put. | Lower per hour of calendar. Driving is unpaid unless you bill it. |
| Best demand | Licensing walk-ins, notary corridors, nearby schools | Employer clinics, academies, churches, multi-site HR |
| Compliance friction | Easier: locked room, named workstation, controlled screen | Harder: kit in transit, public rooms, borrowed Wi-Fi |
| Year-one risk | Empty lease if Google is quiet | Empty calendar if you never sell on-site blocks |
If you already have a room (shipping store, notary, school office), start there and add mobile days once a customer asks you to come on-site. If you have no lease and a strong HR network, start mobile with a real minimum and add a cheap office when the calendar needs a home base.