Why you should get a carwash education - Professional Carwashing & Detailing

Why you should get a carwash education

The questions you need to ask when starting a carwash business.

There are more than 200 million licensed vehicles in the U.S. Another 17 million new cars are added each year. Needless to say, the carwash business is a good business to get into. 

Where to start

So, you’re considering starting your carwash. Welcome to the entrepreneur life. 

Like any business venture, your carwash dream should start with research. Assume nothing in business. Well-researched facts will keep you ahead of the competition. Speaking of which, do you know what competition you have locally? What about further afield? 

All great businesses start at a kitchen table, maybe a booth in a cafe, with pen and paper in hand. Write it all out: 

  • What kind of carwash will you have
  •  Who your customers will be
  • Where your carwash could be located
  • What kind of space you need
  • What staff you need
  • How you will fund it to start 
  • How people will hear about your business
  • What will make people come to your carwash.

Consider this

Are you considering starting a carwash business because it is easy? It’s just washing cars, right? 

Let us just be realistic about this for a moment. Whatever the business type, working for yourself is never easy. Being an entrepreneur means long hours, working weekends, and holidays and juggling staff rosters. 

If that doesn’t put you off, read on. 

Sharing our own experience

Think of carwashing education programs as an open source. They aim to help your carwash business be a successful one. The trainers all have real carwash experience. Who better to learn from than business owners who are successful at what they do — and what you want to do.

Who should go to carwash education programs? 

Carwash education programs are perfect for anyone with the ambition to succeed in business. They can assist you if you are a seasoned entrepreneur or a college student looking for your first venture. Even established carwash businesses looking for a boost can benefit.

Related: Spring into education

What don’t you know? 

If you are just starting, you might not know where the gaps in your knowledge are yet. Your carwash, whatever the type, will need equipment. Do you know where to get what you need? Think forward to how you will maintain equipment or who you will call in to help you when something breaks down an inevitable event. Many carwash education workshops include equipment maintenance and equipment repair.

Business know-how

Opening a new business is exciting. It’s also an endless checklist list of having to do tasks and follow rules. There are challenges, but life as a business owner is all the more satisfying when they are overcome. Attending a carwash education program helps avoid common pitfalls and offers priceless tips to ease the process for you. 

You will need to decide what legal structure suits you best, where funding will come from and how loans — if you use them — will be repaid. Likewise, knowing in advance what your tax obligations are will prevent any scary surprises down the line. Business tax isn’t completely daunting though. There are incentives for businesses that can help save you money. 

Marketing your carwash 

The thing about marketing is that people tend to think it’s easy. You just put up adverts on Facebook, and the business rolls in, right? Wrong. You just need an Instagram page, right? Wrong. Marketing is — or should be — strategic. It should be aligned with your business plan

Before you start marketing, you need to define your brand. Don’t let anyone tell you that a logo, a catchy tagline and a few flyers make a brand. Your brand is your whole business. It is the experience your customers have. It is the people who work for you. 

Customer service is an important and often overlooked aspect of your brand and your marketing. Think about all the ways your customers will interact with your business and vice versa. What experience do they have when they call? How is the customer service standard onsite? 

Only when you have considered all this would you think about investing in advertising of any kind. When you do, be sure that you advertise in the right places. Assume nothing about what platforms your customers use. Research facts. 

Investment 

Keep the saying in mind, “You have to speculate to accumulate.” Before profit comes investment, and to win investment you will need a formal business plan. A business plan follows a set format, including:

  • Legal structure
  • History of the background of you and your business partners, if you have any
  • What your business will do
  • Where it will be
  • How it will operate
  • Who will operate it
  • An analysis of the market (make it as detailed as possible)
  • An overview of your marketing plan
  • A breakdown of your financial plan, including:
    • How much it will cost to start up
    • What resources you have available
    • The running costs broken down for future speculation
    • What expenses there will be (staff costs etc)
  • What experience you have and what relevant education/training courses you have completed
  • How you plan to use the investment.

Mildred Delgado is a young, reliable strategic marketing pro at Academicbrits.com. She works with your marketing team to create a site that functions as your company requires. Mildred forms brands that tell the real story of the company. After consulting with you, Mildred will offer a presentation of marketing her proposals for your consideration.

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