Keelhollow Capital Group, a Kissimmee, Florida company that matches small businesses with funding partners, helps gas station and convenience store owners in Osceola County, where 98 gasoline stations and 40 convenience stores were counted as employers in 2023, find and compare funding. This page covers the store's cash cycle, inventory and equipment funding, buying a station, and what partners read.
| Gasoline station employers, Osceola County, FL | 98 (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Convenience store employers | 40 (CBP 2023) |
| Gas station employees | 1,188 |
| Gas stations under 5 employees | 25.5% |
Turnover, Stock and Supplier Terms
A fuel and convenience business has daily receipts and regular supplier bills. Fuel deliveries and inside-store stock (drinks, snacks, tobacco, lottery, hot food) are each paid for on the supplier's terms, so check what yours are. The cash pattern to watch is daily receipts against supplier payments, where a few days' delay in either direction is felt at once.
Card fees take a slice of every sale, and much of the equipment (pumps, tanks, payment terminals, coolers) is costly to replace.
Fuel and Convenience Osceola County, FL Shops in the Census
Osceola County, FL had 98 gasoline station employer establishments in 2023, with 1,188 employees and an annual payroll of about $27.0 million (County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 4471). Only 25.5% had fewer than five employees; 17 had a ZIP 34741 address (ZBP 2023).
Convenience stores without fuel counted 40 employer establishments, with 324 employees, and 60.0% had fewer than five employees (CBP 2023, NAICS 445120). Together that is 138 employer locations, by our sum. Nonemployer counts come from a different program, so they are not combined: 5 gasoline stations (NAICS 4571) and 47 convenience retailers and vending machine operators (NAICS 44513) in 2024 (NES).
Convenience Store Loans for Stock
Inventory financing suits the inside store: a reset with new coolers full of product, a larger order to get a supplier discount, or simply carrying more stock to avoid running out. A partner may ask how fast the stock turns and how it is tracked, so keep inventory reports.
Gas Station Equipment Financing
Dispensers, payment terminals, canopy lighting, cold-room coolers and food-service equipment can be financed through equipment financing. Fuel system work tied to tanks and environmental compliance is specialized; partners may want contractor quotes and evidence that the work meets the required standards.
How to Buy a Gas Station
Buying a gas station can mean buying a business, its equipment and its stock, and sometimes the real estate. Keelhollow does not arrange mortgages on the property, but a term loan for the business side, equipment financing and inventory financing may all be part of a purchase. Partners will want the seller's records (fuel volumes, inside sales, supplier contracts) as well as yours, and a clear view of any fuel supply agreement that transfers with the business.
What Partners Read
- Bank statements and card processing statements
- Fuel volume and inside-store sales reports
- Supplier and fuel contracts, and their payment terms
- Equipment age and condition, especially dispensers and coolers
- Time in business and owner credit
Inside Sales and Fuel Sales, Reported Separately
Your own reports show how much of the business comes from fuel and how much from the inside store, and what each earns per dollar of sales. If the inside store carries more of the business, that is where an investment could go: better coolers, a food-service counter, a reset. A partner reviewing a request may ask for inside sales and fuel sales separately, so keep reports that split them.
For a stand-alone convenience store without fuel, the whole business is the inside store, and stock turnover is a number to track.
Questions to Ask About Equipment Agreements
- Is the equipment owned outright at the end, or returned?
- Does a fuel supplier own any of the equipment already, and does that limit what can be financed?
- Is there a blanket lien on all store assets?
- Who is responsible for repairs during the term?
Illustration: A Store Reset
Illustration only: a convenience store plans a reset with four new glass-door coolers at $5,800 each and an opening stock order of $14,000. The coolers suit equipment financing over a few years; the stock suits short inventory financing repaid as it sells within weeks. Funding both with one long loan would leave the store paying for long-sold drinks for years. For context, see the Kissimmee, FL page, the retail page and all industries.
