(Part 1 of 2) What Entrepreneurs Need to Know Before Building a Modern Car Wash Starting a car wash is one of the most appealing paths into small-business ownership because it blends strong consumer demand with opportunities for predictable, recurring revenue. Yet the simplicity of the service—vehicles entering, receiving automated cleaning, and exiting—often hides the…
Read MoreFranchising is often marketed as a turnkey path for starting a business, offering ready-made systems, recognizable branding, comprehensive training, and ongoing franchisor support. For many industries, this “business in a box” approach reduces risk—franchisees follow a proven formula, tapping into existing products, supply chains, marketing, and collective buying power. But is that always true when…
Read MoreIn business—and especially in the car wash industry—we’re constantly faced with decisions. What equipment to invest in? What technology to embrace? What customer experience to prioritize? Each choice comes with its own positives and challenges. There’s a philosophy—sometimes summed up as “it’s 50/50”—that helps frame these decisions in a healthier, more realistic way. Understanding the…
Read MoreWhen I first got into the car wash business over 20 years ago, $3 car washes were a new phenomenon. I remember seeing friends proudly post their low prices on their buildings. But before too long, something interesting happened—the community stopped calling those businesses by their actual names. Instead, they became known simply as “the…
Read MoreWhat is the Difference Between a Tunnel Car Wash and In-Bay Automatic Car Wash? Maximizing the site and investment Rural vs Metro Property size You Are you looking to invest in the car wash industry? If you have started looking to invest in a car wash, I’m sure you have come across all the different…
Read MoreCarwash Fundamentals After some recent reflection on business and car washing, I decided I needed to focus more on the fundamentals in our business this year; request in – service out. It sounds very simplistic but why make it harder than that? The difficult part lies in how we minimize the time between the request…
Read MoreYou might not want to admit it, but summer is over! Just drive by any school in the morning and the traffic will tell you that. While you might not want to think about it, it is time to prepare your wash for winter. Too many times, we see sites wait until the first snow…
Read MoreGen 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. Gen 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. And that’s it, that is all the land there is…
Read MoreEvery year the International Carwash Association (ICA) releases a Consumer Study Report, providing valuable industry benchmark data. With operators facing many challenges in today’s economic state, utilizing this data can be a powerful tool for growth and improvement. Since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many businesses have been forced to pivot and adjust their…
Read MoreWhile it’s been a slow crawl to get back in the swing of things for trade shows – we’re now full speed ahead! The Southwest show in June was a great opportunity to get back to seeing old friends and making new ones; now we’re gearing up for the ICA show this November! The 2020 show…
Read MoreIf you live in Colorado, you woke up this morning (9/20/21) to hear that SNOW FLURRIES in the high country have started. It might be hard to believe, but winter is just around the corner and you need to be ready! Given the current supply chain and longer than normal lead times, there is no…
Read MoreAlthough we’ve experienced record high temperatures in recent days, winter is, inevitably, right around the corner! This is the perfect time to make sure your wash and all its components are running in top order. One important component to service is PUMPS. Car Washes have all kinds of pumps including multistage booster, piston, diaphragm, high pressure,…
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