Is there anything that can’t be ordered online these days? Thanks to companies like Carvana and Uber Eats, cars and carbs can be ordered anytime, anywhere. Services of all kinds are expanding their reach in an increasingly intertwined national and global landscape. Jason Omoletski dubs himself the ‘original traveling tinter,’ and he has a new service on tap—tinting to go.

Omoletski’s 24-year tinting career began at an Oklahoma shop and branched into independent contract work in Colorado. Today, he traverses the country and offers his tinting talents under Omoletski Enterprises Inc. It’s a two-year, nationwide operation that’s served 25 different shops. I caught up with Jason to discuss his unique business model.

Jason went “Back to the Future” when he tinted a DMC DeLorean in Arkansas during his travels. (Photo courtesy of Jason Omoletski)

Q: What inspired you to become a ‘traveling tinter’?

A: I didn’t want to work for anybody anymore. I wanted to travel, help other shops, train and do something different. I took that leap, and I was like, ‘Let’s see what happens.’

Q: You’ve been to 25 shops in total. How do you determine your work schedule?

A: [It has to] fall on a week that I’m able to travel because I only travel every other week. If I’m able to do it, I’m there. It doesn’t matter what they’re needing done—if they want to hire me to come out, I’m going.

Q: Every shop has its own structure and culture. Has that been a challenge?

A: All the shops that I’ve ever been to, I’ve been welcomed like I was one of their own. They treated me as if I was just another employee coming in to do some work and, on top of that, have a great time. I [haven’t] run into many issues, if any, where people look at me as an outsider. Whenever I come in, I get welcomed and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s ‘tintdude3,’’ because I’m very well known on social media. They embrace it.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the gig?

A: Whenever I get offered to come out to a shop in a different state, or even different city here in Colorado, the fact that I get to meet some of the most awesome people out there in the industry is hands down the best thing. When I go outside the state, I see all these different cities and experience different views of the country. I see what other people love about their city or their town. I see how different shops are run—how they’re organized, how they produce their work, how their employees are treated, how their bosses are treated and how the owners are treated. I see all these different aspects of a shop that a lot of people don’t get to see.

Q: How does the financial aspect compare to tinting as an employee?

A: I’m making more money now with less physical work. Instead of me being in a shop [tinting] 20-30 cars a day, every day, I’m not doing that anymore. When I wake up in the morning, knowing I don’t have to clock in to go work at a shop, it puts a smile on my face every day.

Q: What are some themes you’ve picked up on during your travels?

A: Every shop and every installer that I come in contact with—as installers, we all deal with the same issues. We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect tint job—there’s just not. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one. The shop in Texas or the shop in Chicago—they’re not the only ones. The other thing that I see a lot is there’s a lot of shops that run very fluidly as a team. I have never been to a shop where you have one guy in the corner doing his thing and not wanting to help out the team.

Jason’s business has allowed him to see the country with a new perspective. (photo courtesy of Jason Omoletski)

Q: How do your travels benefit other shops?

A: When someone needs to take some time away from work but the shop itself cannot slow down because one installer needs time off—for me to be able to go and keep that shop going and give someone a break, I love being able to do that. Because I know what it’s like to work day in, day out for seven days a week. I did it for years, and it takes a toll on your body. It takes a toll on you mentally. If you have families, it takes a toll on your family. To go and relieve someone so they can have some downtime, but keep the shop’s momentum going, I would do that in a heartbeat.

Q: Is there a niche for traveling tinters in the industry?

A: To my knowledge, it’s new. There are a couple of other guys that are starting to see it. They’ve contacted me, and they’ve asked me questions—‘How did you get started? How do I go about doing it?’ I don’t mind helping them because there’s plenty of shops out there to go help. I can’t get to them all. [Seeing] someone else go and do the same thing, man, I’m all for it.