In my Prius thread started more than 5 years ago, I have detailed my ownership of seven Gen2 Prius. Some I've kept, some I've sold. I've written a somewhat Gen2 Prius buyers guide and I've helped multiple GRM'ers buy Gen2 Prius. In a recent GRM post, an unsolicited idea was offered by GRM'er DXMan that coincided with an idea that I've had for a while now. His statement was:
You should come up with a catchy business name such as Uncle John's Prius Emporium.
So, I turn to y'all for some help in this idea... What I want to do is print some business cards that I can leave on the windshield of local Gen2s that I see around. I will also add some vinyl to the rear window of my Prius. My goals are:
- help some Prius owners and put some of this Prius knowledge to good use
- do some minor repairs for a profit.
- have access to broken Prius before the scrappers do.
I live is a generally small town an hour away, each direction, from 2 large towns. Other than the one Toyota dealership here in a 30 mile radius I don't know of any Prius specialty shops in the area. So, I think there is a niche to capitalize on. This is not intended to be a "get rich" plan (yet) but rather this is just intended to be a path to some side money.
I think I want the name to be be somewhat "folksy" or at least have the impression that contacting me will not result in a giant repair bill.
Sample: failed dashboard lights (speedo and all) is a common Gen2 problem. The dealership wants thousands for this repair. I now know and have done the repair for less than $1 soldering onto the LED board. It takes less than 5 hours. $500 for that job would be a killer deal for people vs the dealership $2k. Another common failure is broken Cruise Control and steering wheel buttons. This is a $15 aftermarket clock spring and less than an hours time. Getting that done for $300 is cheaper than what the dealership charges for just the part. There are other simple things too.
So, step one of this process is what should the name be?
Uncle John's Prius Emporium is good but probably too long for people to remember.
Prius Johnny is one that came to mind for short and folksy. No one calls me Johnny but I'd be okay with it.
Prius Farm is another I'm toying with but... I have no farm but rather live on a golf course. I should also note that the current golf course dwelling is not a good place to start a "part-out" operation. My goal is for complete cars and my goal is more to put them back on the road even if that means selling them still broken.
Prius Clinic is another I like. Dr. Prius is an app so that is taken but clinic seems good for implying "not major surgery" but good for a check up. But, will this keep the cheaply bought non-runners away from me?
What are your thoughts on name ideas?
I also have no graphics skills so I will additionally need some help with business card design too. I have found this link to a Prius Font but I confess, I have no idea how to use it. I envision the business name in that font on the business card. Also I envision two additional possible tags on the card.
Fix-Buy-Sell
Keep your Prius on the road, cheap.
One thing I like about Prius Clinic is I might also add the tag "we make house calls." This could be me visiting with my tow dolly too and might result in purchase of no-runners. Or, since I do not have a shop for them to come to, I could do things like diagnosis or clock spring swaps right in their driveway.
