Snap-on Tools

IOWA

Source: Snap-on Tools

Mark Stuchel and his wife, Suzan, own five Snap-on vans that service the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area.

Description: Mobile tool store

Owners: Mark and Suzan Stuchel

Years in business: 15

No. of franchises owned: 5

Start-up costs: $160,000 to $316,000; $30,000 to $48,000

Franchisor fees: $15,000

2015 revenue, 2016 projection: $5.3 million; $5.8 million

2016 projected annual growth rate: 10%

Mark Stuchel spent more than a dozen years working as a service manager for an industrial uniform company, but his passion has always been cars. "Racing and classic cars require the right tools to get the job done, and my friends who are technicians all told me that Snap-on made the best tools," he said. When Stuchel decided in 2001 that he wanted a career that would give him more financial security, he looked at buying a Snap-on Tools mobile tool store franchise.

Snap-on Tools is a $3.4 billion publicly traded tool company doing business in 130 countries. It also has a well-established network of more than 4,800 mobile tool store vans. "Their business model is solid, and if I was going to buy a franchise, I wanted to represent the best in the industry," he added.

Additional franchisee resources

Stuchel sells the tools from a Snap-on van that acts as a mobile storefront, servicing car dealerships, trucking companies, repair shops and any other businesses in need of top-quality professional-grade tools. The parent company offers financing to its franchisees, so securing the money to start the business was a much easier process, he said. The company also enables franchisees to offer credit to customers on larger purchases that cost more, which he views as a major competitive advantage.

Stuchel and his wife, Suzan, now own five Snap-on vans that service the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area. In addition to the start-up financing help he gets from the parent company, he credits the growth of his business to the fact that he really believes in the products he's selling. "I saw Snap-on as an opportunity to help technicians and shop owners get the tools they need to be more successful," he says. "You have to put your customer first and make them feel like you're there for them and not just your own personal gain."