Those who read the article «Small Business — Production in the Garage» probably thought about the possibility of opening a car wash.
Indeed, car wash services are in demand almost all year round, they are not so cheap, and special qualifications of staff are not required. If there is a room with water and sewerage, equip it and the money will flow like a river.
However, not all so simple. At first glance, the simple car wash business has its pitfalls. First of all, it is necessary to conduct a marketing research before opening a car wash.
But, even after making sure that the service will not be left without customers, you need to take into account some features of this business.
What to Consider Before Starting a Car Wash Business?
1) Firstly, in the process of washing cars, water is used, which must be drained somewhere.
And the water after washing the car is contaminated with chemicals and oil products, the direct discharge of which into the sewer is prohibited. Therefore, before opening a business, you need to obtain permission from the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision. And this may be associated with the requirement to equip a car wash with a water treatment system with recirculation.
2) Secondly, it is necessary to determine the possibility of obtaining permission from other services and state inspections, for example, the fire department.
You will also need to obtain permission to place outdoor advertising, without which it will be impossible to inform motorists about the work of the car wash.
In general, obtaining permits is the most difficult and risky stage when opening a car wash.
3) Then you need to calculate the initial and current costs in order to determine the profitability of the business.
And for this, you first need to determine the type of equipment:
— manual,
— automatic,
— portal.
Initial costs may include the purchase of a room (if it is not available or you are not going to rent it), the purchase of a water purification and recycling system, two washers or automatic posts, a high-pressure cleaner, a compressor, vacuum cleaners and a foam kit.
It is also necessary to immediately think about security and install fire and security alarm systems and video surveillance.
At the same time, in the initial costs, it is also necessary to take into account the costs of installing and installing equipment, water supply and sewerage, landscaping, as well as registration and paperwork.
Experience shows that the initial cost of opening a car wash averages 30-40 thousand dollars.
4) Running costs when starting a car wash business
When calculating current costs, you need to take into account the cost of renting a room (if you do not get your own), staff costs (if you work around the clock, you will need at least 6 people of washers plus an administrator plus an accountant), the cost of detergents and a communal apartment.
It is highly desirable to draw up all calculations and procedures in the form of a business plan for opening a car wash , which can help you in obtaining investments. Information on how to do this or order, you can get on our website.