Eight Steps on How to Start Your Own Car Wash Business
There are many different types of small businesses you could start. One of the easiest ones to consider is starting a car wash business. This type of business offers you the opportunity to choose between different types of car washes. This affords you the flexibility to start small with low upfront investment costs and gradually grow your business. As such, you can start your own car wash business now with very little money.
Step 1: Decide what type of car wash business you want to start.
There are seven different types of car wash businesses you could own and operate as follows:
Type 1: The Hand Car Wash
This is your basic operation and the easiest one to start. This is where you find a location and wash people’s cars by hand. You could even wash them at your home or go to people’s houses to wash their cars in their driveways.All you need to start a hand car wash is access to water, microfiber towels for cars, and car wash supplies like soap, buckets, wax, etc. You will also want to invest in a high-quality hose and spray nozzle.
Type 2: The Mobile Car Wash
This is a variation of the hand car wash that has become more popular. With this type of car wash business, you go to the location of your customers and wash their cars. You will need the same types of car wash supplies and equipment as you would for a hand car wash, along with a few exceptions.
If you are washing cars onsite at a business or another place that does not have access to water, you will need to invest in a decent-sized portable pressurized water tank you can use to wash and rinse the vehicles you wash.
Type 3: The Car Detailing Car Wash
This type of car wash business is where you not only hand wash cars, but also fully detail them. Detailing services would include:
- Drying the Car
- Cleaning the Windows Inside and Out
- Cleaning the Wheels and Rims
- Waxing and Polishing the Car
- Using Tire Foam on the Wheels
- Vacuuming Out the Interior
- Dusting and Cleaning the Dash, Seats, and Doors
Type 4: The Self-Serve Car Wash
This type of car wash business is where you purchase or lease land and build several car wash bays. In each bay, you have a car wash system with a pressurized wash wand and brush that is connected to soap, wax, etc. Rather than wash the cars yourself, your customers pay you so they can use your equipment to wash their vehicles themselves.You will also want to make sure to have car wash vending machine supplies available for your customers to purchase—like tire foam, wax, wipes, and related car cleaning accessories. In addition, you will want to have self-serve vacuums onsite to increase your potential earnings.
Type 5: The Automatic Car Wash
This setup is where customers pay for a car wash, pull into a car wash bay, put their car in park, and wait as an automated machine washes and rinses their cars. This is a great upgrade to think about if your goal is to own and operate a self-serve car wash. You could convert one of your bays into an automatic wash to increase your revenues.
Type 6: The Conveyor Automatic Car Wash
This car wash is where someone pulls their car up to a certain point, and then places it in neutral so the conveyor can pull the car through the wash. It can be a stand-alone business or one that is part of a full-service car wash business.
Type 7: The Full-Service Car Wash
A full-service car wash can be the most expensive to start immediately, as you require a huge investment in land and equipment. You will also need to hire employees to take care of the large number of cars you will be washing.
This setup is where customers get out of their car while it is pulled through the wash on a conveyor. While they wait, they go inside a waiting area, which normally has counter display stands full of various items like leather wipes, air fresheners, steering wheel covers, and other items for your customers to buy.
Once their car gets to the other side of the wash, it is pulled out, dried, and vacuumed. Most full-service washes offer different levels of service ranging from a basic wash to full car detailing.
Step 2: Look at the competition in your area.
Once you decide which car wash business you want to start, the next thing is to look at the type of competition in your area. If there are many competitors, it does not mean you won’t be successful. You just need to make sure there is enough demand in your area to support the type of car wash business you want to start.
Step 3: Determine how much money you will need.
The costs of starting a car wash will depend on which type you want to start. For the first three types, the initial upfront costs typically range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. For the last four types, costs could easily run tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is why you may want to start smaller with one of the first three types of car wash businesses. Then, as your business grows, you could set aside earnings and use them to invest in one of the other more expensive types of car washes.
Step 4: Find a reliable wholesale auto supply company for your car wash supplies.
You will want to make sure to purchase your car wash supplies at wholesale. Doing so will reduce your overhead and operating costs and allow you to earn more profits. It is in your best interest to purchase car wash vending machine supplies at wholesale, regardless of the type of car wash business you own.
For example, you decide to start a mobile car wash detailing business. Part of your optional services could be to sell your customers air fresheners and car care products they can use in between car washes to keep their car cleaner. Even though you don’t have a vending machine, you can still sell these items to your customers and boost your profits.
Step 5: Obtain the appropriate business licenses, permits, and insurance.
You will need to obtain a business license for your business. In some cities, you may also require a business permit. Last, do not forget about business insurance, which protects you in case of accidents.
Step 6: Advertise your new car wash business.
While you are working on getting your business going, you can start advertising it about a month ahead of time. Doing so can attract potential customers so you will have a customer base to work with once you are ready to “open your doors.” For instance, you could start signing up customers for your new mobile car detailing business.Advertising may require going door-to-door in your neighborhood, visiting businesses in your area, and doing some other legwork to attract customers. It can also be beneficial to hang up or hand out flyers, pass out business cards, and establish an online presence on platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
When using online sites and social media to promote your business, a good rule of thumb is to pick two social media platforms and two business platforms. More than that, it can become quite time-consuming to manage and update multiple sites and respond to your customers.
Step 7: Give your customers incentives to try out your new car wash.
An effective way to get people to try out your new car wash business is by giving them incentives. For example, you could give them one free car wash when they prepay for two. You could also offer monthly “subscriptions” at a discount off your regular prices.
Step 8: Be patient and give your car wash business the time it needs to grow.
Initially, if you have another full-time job, you will want to keep it until your new car wash business can fully provide the income you need. One mistake many aspiring business owners make is quitting their steady-income job long before their business is established.
Quite frequently, they end up struggling financially, their business fails, and they have to find another job. Learn by their mistakes and give your car wash business the time it needs to grow, so you can be successful.
At first, this may require you to work evenings and weekends to wash cars, but, as you establish repeat customers and gain new ones, you will eventually find you have grown your business enough that you no longer need your other job.
No matter what type of car wash business you initially start, do not be afraid to expand and grow into other types of car wash operations. Most car washes have low overhead and operating costs once they are fully established, which translates to higher profits. By expanding your business, you could potentially make even more money!
For all the car wash vending machine supplies, air fresheners, car cleaning accessories, and other items you can sell to your customers, please feel free to contact Superior Car Wash Supply at 800-554-9274. We offer top brand name and quality products at wholesale prices!