Car Wash
Whilst I was in LA we went on a tour of Hollywood and passed the original car wash that was used in the famous movie. Unfortunately I am old enough to remember the movie and the great soundtrack; I also remember as a kid having a very successful car washing business with my brother. We were lucky in as much as we had parents who wanted to teach us how to earn money, and because we lived opposite a small hotel.
My father did a deal with the hotel, where we would wash cars on a Saturday and Sunday and they would tell their customers about it. They got more business as a result particularly during lunch times, and we got to earn a few pounds with no start up costs.
The business itself is easy, and does not require any specific training. If you aren・t sure how to wax and polish a car by hand then your dad can probably show you. Be warned that it is hard work but no machine can equal a hand finish, which is of course what you should tell your customers.
Our fortune as kids was to be sited directly across from the hotel; you need to look for similar locations. You don・t need to be in the centre of town, but do need to be somewhere where people have time to leave there car with you while they shop, eat, watch a movie etc. Out of town malls might be an ideal place to set up if you can get an OK from the management.
Let・s assume that you find a spot with running water, high visibility, and a client base that are comfortable leaving their cars while you wash them, what next? You won・t be able to wash all the cars yourself. Even opposite a small hotel my brother and I couldn・t clean every car and had to turn business away. You will need help, whether that be friends, family or hiring local casual workers such as students to help you.
You will need to decide whether this is a weekend only, or a full time affair. Cars tend to get dirtiest during the winter months and yet this is the period when it is most unpleasant to clean cars, your workers will slack off and customers will be less inclined to walk around whilst they wait for the car to be cleaned. You will want to find strategies to deal with this, or simply close down when the weather gets too bad. Bear in mind though that this will lead your loyal customers back to using the machine at their local gas station.
Offer different options with incremental pricing, for example a straight wash at $10, an additional $5 for an interior clean, or for a wax and polish. Look at your local gas station forecourt to see what extras the machine charges for. You can charge higher because of the hand finish. Make sure that someone other than the washer checks the finish before the car is handed back though, if the premium finish is not there, your premium pricing will be out of the window.
If you get this right, it can be a lot of fun in the summer months. The water will keep you cool, the work is great exercise, and with the right location you can pull in a lot of cash. You may need to pay rent, or a share of your profits in order to get the location of your choice but it should still be lucrative.
Looking for locations with high traffic will help you to find staff simply by advertising; you can start literally as a one man band and advertise on site for helpers.
Buckets, sponges and Chamois leathers can all be bought at your local hardware store. Even with a fair sized operation you will not save much by trying to get wholesale prices.
In terms of location, if you are struggling try asking your local minister whether you can use the church car-park in return for a share of the takings, and attendance at specified (evening when it is dark) services.
Let your workers keep any tips and pay them a fair percentage of whatever you are charging per wash.
If you think you can handle more traffic then advertise, and promote this business as you would any other, hand out business cards, use flyers, and try to get yourself in the press with things like world record attempts. Even if you fail you will raise your profile.
If you build a steady stream of customers then you may consider selling related merchandise such as sponges, buckets etc. branded if possible, or possibly a line of T-shirts.
There are additional ways to get noticed, have everyone on skates, in hot pants, riding unicycles or juggling sponges in between washes. Use your imagination.