2 minute read
Wheel Easy
Fanshawe graduate brings automotive service to his customers’ driveways.
In the fall of 2021, a school project led Dennis Ho (Motive Power Technology alumni, 2010) to operate Wheel Easy, a mobile auto and tire service, to test the concept in the real world.
After graduating from Fanshawe, Dennis worked in other cities, then returned to London to pursue a business degree at Western University. Wheel Easy was his final-year venture project, launched as a part-time side hustle while he was still a full - time student.
In May 2022, freshly graduated and looking to grow the business, Dennis participated in Fanshawe’s 12-week LeapIN Business Accelerator. The program helped him refine his business concept and marketing strategy, expand his network and explore potential new revenue streams.
“It was an opportunity to step back, take stock of what was and wasn’t working and gain insights and mentorship in areas that I didn’t have experience with,” he says.
Wheel Easy has continued to grow. Dennis has since hired Fanshawe Automotive students to do some of the service work.
“With a lot of people working from home, it was really convenient to have us swap out seasonal tires or do an oil change right in their driveway,” says Dennis. “Generally, awareness is low about what can be done without putting your car on a hoist, but word of mouth really helped build our customer base.”
Dennis has more ideas to explore. A new tire storage service is particularly popular with apartment dwellers. The proprietary marketplace platform that was developed for Wheel Easy’s client interface has led to a spin-off software business, due to launch in 2024.
What’s next? Franchising? Fleet service? More community partnerships?
“Stay tuned!” he says.
