GSB-58: 3rd Q&A Episode | Answers About Ground Lease, Business Resale Value, Buying A Closed Up Station And Much More

Gas Station Business 101 Podcast - How to Start, Run and Grow a Successful Gas Station Business

I am sure you have seen a gas station or two that are closed up in your area and wonder why did someone close it or if you should buy it, or would it do great business if you start it up? Listen and find out as I answer 6 burning questions from our listeners in this episode.

Welcome to Gas station business 101 podcast, I am Shabbir Hossain, and this is episode 58. This is the show where we discuss how to start, run and grow a gas station business successfully and give you an inside look at many real life case studies so you can follow and be successful in this business.

First my apology for coming up with an episode sooner, I was little under the weather at first then got busy with a few projects and had to put the blog and the podcast on the backburner for just a bit. Well, we all have to make money to survive right? I was doing just that too. But I am back, and hopefully, I won’t take much breaks anymore. Even though I told you in the last episode that this next one will be about the update and P&L of the story I helped some investors buy back in December 2015, but I am still analyzing and sorting out those P&L numbers, so hopefully it will be in the next episode.

As I said I have been busy so I didn’t even get to answer some of yours email yet, and if I haven’t, my apology. But I picked out 6 questions out of 30 or so email I looked at in last two days and decided to answer them on this episode this way everyone gets to benefit from the answers.

In this 3rd Q&A episode, I answer 6 questions

1. I am looking to buy a closed up gas station with the property, what do I need to worry about in this process?

1. In one of the podcasts, you had mentioned that one of the reasons someone could sell their gas station is because some competitor is crushing them on fuel prices. How can we figure out if this reason why a seller is selling his gas station.
3. I am buying a gas station, but the seller wants to sell the tanks, canopy, and pumps for $1.00. What I want to know is if I leave the business at the end of the lease term due to not finding any buyer then what should I do if it is in my name? What if the landlord doesn’t want to buy it for a $1 like I did
4. I have been meaning to tell you how much I enjoyed the gas station/c-store development podcast you did. Thank you! One point I was not clear on was about reselling or leasing the property. Let’s say I stabilized the business in 3 years and it does:

1. 120,000 Gallons/Month on fuel sales
2. 22,000 gallons of Diesel sales
3. $75,000 on inside merchandise sales
4. $90,000 in Fast food sales

My question is what should my resale value be after 3 years of operation?

How much can I sell and/or lease the business for which will not include the R/E

How much can I sell the business with R/E

5. First of all, thanks for your podcast and for all the resources you share with us. It's great to learn from someone with all your experience. Keep it up! The public restroom at my gas station is located outside, meaning people have to ask for the key at the counter to use it. Normally we give the key to customers (people who actually buy) and people we know (customers from the past who might not be buying anything on that day) but sometimes people get very mad when we don't give the keys out if they are not buying anything (people who only stop at the station to use the restroom). That being said, the cashier is many times "forced" to give out the keys to non-customers in order to avoid headaches. The problem is that people don't care about the restroom. They pee on the floor, misuse the toilet paper, soap and paper towels and write graffiti on the walls. Some others use it to consume drugs and have other illegal activities. The main problem is that once every week the toilet gets clogged, sometimes so badly that I've had to actually replace the toilet 3-4 times a year as it is impossible to unclog it. I've been trying to find the best solution for this. It is mandatory to have public restroom according to Florida laws so I can't close it. I am also forced to offer toilet paper, soap, and paper towels even if people misuse them and it represents a high cost to my business. Some people have suggested installing a coin lock, so I charge something small to use the restroom, but I'm afraid this would make me lose real customers. While I know the coin lock does not fully solve the problem, at least it would generate me some cash to keep the restroom neat. Have you had this problem in your stations? What is the best way to tackle this, so the restroom does not become a drain of my profit? Thanks for any hints you might share to help me out. (Andres sorry for the delayed response to your question)

6. I have noticed in 3 of my dispensers the regular unleaded runs very slow but other two grades are fine, it has been happening on and off, what should I do?

If you have any question, feel free to send me an email at [e-mail], or you can post it on my Facebook group page by going to shabbirhossain.net

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Thank you once again for joining me in this episode; I will see you in the next one.

Cheers!