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You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as electric kick scooters or dockless scooters.
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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young has over 25 years of experience in business in various roles, including bank management, marketing management, and business education.
Published on May 3, 2022
Updated on December 25, 2022
Investment range
$6,550 - $97,100
Revenue potential
$84,000 - $210,000 p.a.
Time to build
0 – 6 months
Profit potential
$50,000 - $126,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Full-time
Scooters have finally hit the big-time. Electric shared scooters have in recent years become a popular mode of urban transport around the globe. In fact, the global bike and scooter rental market is set to more than quadruple by 2027, placing it among the world’s fastest-growing industries.
You could start a scooter rental business either from a physical location in a tourist area or by developing an app for dockless e-scooters rented on a per-ride basis. Users simply unlock the scooter using the app and leave it where it is convenient. Either way, you can make good money and help people see and move about their city.
Before you get started, though, you’ll need to understand the ins and outs of starting a business. Luckily, this step-by-step guide has you covered with all the insights you need to launch a lucrative scooter rental business.
Trends in the scooter rental industry include:
Challenges in the scooter rental industry include:
Startup costs for a scooter rental business set up traditionally in a tourist location would cost about $9,500. Costs include the storefront rental and the purchase of five scooters. To start an e-scooter sharing business would cost at least $95,000 and could be much higher. The largest cost is the development of the app.
You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your scooter rental business, including:
Start-up Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
---|---|---|
Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
Insurance | $100 - $300 | $200 |
Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
App development | $0 - $70,000 | $35,000 |
5 to 20 scooters | $5,000 - $20,000 | $12,500 |
Location for a tourist scooter rental business | $0 - $3,000 | $1,500 |
Total | $6,550 - $97,100 | $51,825 |
Prices for scooter rental average about $15 per hour. Your profit margin after maintenance and overhead should be about 60%. This will assume you’ll start with a traditional scooter rental business.
In your first year or two, you could rent five scooters for four hours each per day, 280 days of the year, bringing in $84,000 in annual revenue. This would mean more than $50,000 in profit, assuming that 60% margin. As your business gains traction, you could add five more to your scooter fleet and rent them five hours per day. With annual revenue of $210,000, you’d make a fantastic profit of $126,000.
There are a few barriers to entry for a scooter rental business. Your biggest challenges will be:
Now that you know what’s involved in starting a scooter rental business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Research scooter rental businesses in your area to examine their services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a scooter rental business that offers scooter tours, or that also offers electric bikes.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as electric kick scooters or dockless scooters.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
In addition to scooter rental, you could offer scooter tours, the rental of electric bicycles, or even work your way up to larger electric vehicles.
Scooter rental prices are generally about $.25 per minute which is $15 per hour. After costs, you should aim for a profit margin of about 60%.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will be broad and may include tourists. You should spread out your marketing to include sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
You may need to rent out a small storefront to rent your scooters from and to store your scooters. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist, Crexi, and Instant Offices.
When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:
Your business name is your business identity, so choose one that encapsulates your objectives, services, and mission in just a few words. You probably want a name that’s short and easy to remember, since much of your business, and your initial business in particular, will come from word-of-mouth referrals.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Every business needs a plan. This will function as a guidebook to take your startup through the launch process and maintain focus on your key goals. A business plan also enables potential partners and investors to better understand your company and its vision:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist at Fiverr to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to scooter rental businesses.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your scooter rental business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using ZenBusiness’s online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a scooter rental business. If you have a unique and innovative concept and a great plan for an e-scooter sharing business that could really stand out in the market, you might be able to attract venture capital or angel investors. You’d have to show a way that you could compete with the existing big players.
Starting a scooter rental business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
You’ll want to get liability waivers that customers sign to absolve you from damages if injuries occur.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.
If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your scooter rental business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use industry-specific software, such as The Flybook, Bike Rental Manager, or RENTALL, to manage your scooter fleet inventory, reservations, and payments.
Some of your business will come from the casual passerby or online visitors, but you should still invest in digital marketing! Getting the word out is especially important for new businesses, as it’ll boost customer and brand awareness.
Once your website is up and running, link it to your social media accounts and vice versa. Social media is a great tool for promoting your business because you can create engaging posts that advertise your products:
Take advantage of your website, social media presence, and real-life activities to increase awareness of your offerings and build your brand. Some suggestions include:
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism. They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that set it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your scooter rental business meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your scooter rental business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a scooter rental business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in scooter rentals for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in scooter rentals. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership.
If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a scooter rental business include:
At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.
Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
Scooters are taking off, with the market set to expand four-fold by 2027. It’s a great time to seize the opportunity by starting a scooter rental business. It’s a fun business to get into, and you’ll be providing an eco-friendly means of travel for all sorts of people. It will take an investment, some hard work, and a great attitude, but you can ride this growth wave to serious success.
After reading this guide, you’ve got the business know-how, so now it’s time to start revving the engine of your new scooter rental business!
You can start a traditional scooter rental company for about $9,500. The largest expense is the scooters. To start an e-scooter business, it will cost close to $100,000.
Yes, if you have a good-sized scooter fleet, you can make good money. You just need to choose your business model, have a good location, and offer a great service.
You may need various business licenses and permits at the state and local levels. Check with your local governments for requirements or visit MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance page.
Generally, scooter rentals cost about $.25 a minute, or $15 an hour. Check scooter rental prices in your area to make sure you’re competitive.
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