Like most businesses, a Car Wash business plan must consider what is known in business as ‘barriers to entry’. In my own town, once one business had set up their own “one of a kind - hand car wash” suddenly there was one on every corner.
The costs of setting up a car wash on any street with a spare piece of land are relatively low. All you need is access to free running water and a steady supply of labour.
When it is easy for your competition to combat you head on, the importance of a unique reason why a customer should use you, and not the competitor down the street, becomes more pressing than ever.
Perhaps you have a secret soap recipe, or staff trained to the highest industry standards possible. You may have 6 special cleaning processes.
Whatever your business, you must differentiate yourself from the crowd, and sing about that difference loudly.
In our example, the power of the family brand is brought into the unique selling proposition.
Sample Business Plan
Executive Summary
Soapy Rides is a prominent hand car wash serving the East Meadow, Long Island, NY community. Soapy Rides will be run by Mark Deshpande, of the prominent Deshpande family. The Deshpande family has been serving the Long Island area with a car repair business and property development /management for over 30 years. Mark will be leveraging the incredible good will and brand recognition of the Deshpande family name to quickly gain market penetration.
The Business
Soapy Rides will be providing customers with three services: exterior car washing, , interior cleaning, and detailing. Soapy Rides has no true competitors that are trying to offer a high quality service for a reasonable rate. Most are trying to compete on price alone. Soapy Rides' ability to provide a high quality service, both in regards to the actual washing as well as customer service is all based on their ability to find the best employees. Hiring the best employees is cost effective because it decreases HR costs associated with turnover and other employee costs. Hiring the best employees and making sure that they are well taken care of ensures that they in turn take care of the customers. Study after study proves that a happy employee is far more likely to provide the highest level of customer service compared to an employee who is not happy and feels that they are being taken advantage of.
The Customers
Soapy Rides will target three main groups of customers: individual car owner and leasers, car dealerships, and local businesses. The surrounding area is quite affluent, 40% of the residents earn over $70,000 a year. Consequently, they have nice cars and want them to look nice. There are five different car dealerships within a three-mile radius which will require car washing services for the various fleets. Lastly, there are many different local businesses that have company cars and that require clean appearances.
Management
The strength of Mark's experience and his family's name equity and assistance is Soapy Rides' competitive edge as well as a significant asset. Mark has been involved in the family's car repair business for the last ten years. He has worked his way through the organization and has been the manager for the last five years overseeing operations of $1.2 million annually. Before the family venture, Mark received his MBA from Cornell University. With 30 years invested in the community, the Deshpande family name has generated significant value as a fair, active member of the community. Lastly, Soapy Rides will be able to leverage several of the Deshpande's for their business expertise.
Soapy Rides is positioning itself as the premier hand car wash serving the Long Island area. Mark has forecasted a 20% market share. The business will generate a 95% gross margin and an 11% net margin after year one and 20.79% after year three. By year three the business will have developed a yearly net profit of $48,000...
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