How to Start a Car Wash Business
According to an industry report released this year, there are over 64,000 car washes in the United States – equalling an expected market value of over $17 billion by 2027.
If you’re interested in jumping on this trend, we’ve compiled some tips to help you get started in the car wash business.
Writing your business plan
A well-thought-out business plan is the cornerstone to your strategy, funding, and growth moving forward. Our advice is to tackle an outline for your business plan in the following order:
- Executive summary
- Company description
- Organization structure
- Market analysis
- Financial plan
- Marketing strategy
Understanding expenses and profitability
There are certain expenses that you are undoubtedly planning for because they’re upfront – buying major equipment or paying for permits, for instance. But there are also a series of ongoing expenses that need to factored in to your financial plan. Things like water, supplies, utilities, inventory, and an advertising budget are easy to overlook at the outset of building your business plan, but will remain relevant throughout your business’ lifespan.
Now that we’re touching on finances, we need to determine what your price point is going to be in terms of service charges. It’s important to take several things into account here. First of all, what is the average income in the area that you’ll be servicing? For example, if you’re located in a more high-income area, you can probably get away with charging a little more. Do some research as a secret shopper and see what the competition is charging, and try to find the sweet spot.
Giving your business an identity
The first way to draw positive attention to your business is to give it a memorable, unique name and logo. For more detailed information about naming conventions, it might be best to consult with a professional advertising agency. You can read our blog post, Improve Brand Awareness with Car Wash Advertising to learn more about the importance of advertising to starting and maintaining a successful car wash business.
Learn more from Hover
While we might be able to help you with financing or advertising, we can handle architectural projects ranging from small, single-use lots to large, multi-use developments. We specialize in the car wash space, but our projects also include retail, medical, and a range of other industries. For more information, check out our list of services.