Car Wash Business Plan

There are several ways you can go about choosing the type of Car Wash Business you plan on starting. You can buy an existing Car Wash business, you can buy into a franchise or you can start one from scratch. You can choose to start a self service car wash, you can start one, where the customers drive through the car mashing machine and your employees will dry the cars off and vacuum and wipe the car off on the dash boards of the car, or you can start a car wash that is a full service Car Wash.This is a business that you can enhance the whole experience for your customers.You can create some type of a membership that will keep your customers coming back to your car wash business again and again.

1.0 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.
1.1 Objectives
The objectives for Soapy Rides Car Wash and Detail Service are:
To be viewed as a premium car wash and detail service in East Meadow.
Maintain a gross profit margin of over 95%.
Maintain a net profit margin of 10-15%.
Expand to two locations after third year of operation.
1.2 Mission
The mission of Soapy Ride is to provide top-quality washing and detail service for luxury car owners in East Meadow, NY. Soapy Rides will work to keep employees satisfied in order to maintain impeccable customer service.

2.0 Company Summary
The company is solely owned by Mark Deshpande and will be funded by an initial investment of $30,000. Soapy Rides is New York State registered C corporation.
2.1 Company Ownership
The company will be solely owned by Mark Deshpande. Mark has been in the car industry all his life, having grown up in the family car repair business. He came across the location in East Meadow purely by accident and he felt it would be a perfect location for a car wash service.
2.2 Start-up Summary
The start-up expenses for Soapy Rides will be financed by Mark Deshpande, from the profits he made in selling his part of the family car repair business. The property on Hempstead Road will be leased in April 2001 for a minimum of three years, with the option to extend the lease for another three years after that.
Mark is working with the family lawyer to set up incorporation and to discuss lease issues before the business is launched. He is working with a local graphic designer to develop a logo, letterhead, and company brochures. Although Mark has been in the car repair business, he has not been in the wash and detailing business, which is a very different service (quick turnaround per car is incredibly important). For this reason he is working with an acquaintance to set up the system that will ensure efficient service even during peak usage.
Rent on the location has been negotiated and will be $1,200 per month. In addition, insurance for the business will be approximately $200 per month and will be paid by direct debit on a monthly basis. Expensed equipment includes three high-power water pumps, two industrial vacuum cleaners, two computer terminals, and one cash register. All of the equipment will be depreciated over three years.
The location was previously used as a quick stop automobile service shop, so it is set up to move vehicles quickly through the premises, but does not have all the necessary systems in place to host a car wash and detail facility. The services of a contracting company will be sought to convert the use of the facility and to improve the customer waiting room facilities.

3.0 Services

Soapy Rides will provide three services to its customers:

• Car washing (exterior)
• Car cleaning (interior)
• Car detailing.

4.0 Market Analysis Summary
The car wash will be based in East Meadow, New York. This area has a number of benefits in terms of the market that it will provide for the business. Over 40% of households in the immediate neighborhood earn over $70,000 annually. Many people in the neighborhood own and/or lease new cars and place great value on their cars and how they look. There are a large number of car dealerships in the area--five within three miles of the proposed location for Soapy Rides.
4.1 Target Market Segment Strategy
The strategy behind Soapy Rides target segmentation is to attract customers who will be repeat users and will frequent the business in the typically quiet times for a car wash business. It will not be difficult to attract customers during the summer months and on the weekends, the weekdays however, especially in the winter, people will not think about having their cars washed. For this reason, Soapy Rides will target people who will tend not to be restricted to these busy times.

• Business owners (new car owners) tend to be very busy people, but are often able to make their own hours.
• Retired people (older luxury car owners) are not restricted by typical work schedules so will be able to frequent the car wash during the week.
• Dealerships will need cars detailed and washed regardless of the time of the day and week. This will supply a constant flow of traffic.
• Businesses will need their fleet cars washed during the week during regular business hours.

4.2 Service Business Analysis
The hand car washing business in East Meadow consists of many small competitors. Everything from local children raising money for their youth group on a Saturday by cleaning cars, to the automatic car wash machines, are competition for Soapy Rides. However, these two alternatives aim to meet the needs of the price-conscious individuals who are choosing the service simply so they do not have to clean the car themselves. Soapy Rides on the other hand, targets the quality-conscious individuals who value their car enough to spend $10-$15 per week to make it look good.

5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary
The key differentiator for Soapy Rides Car Wash is Mark Deshpande and his business and personal connections within the East Meadow neighborhood. For this reason, the sales and marketing focus will be on a one-to-one basis, with the emphasis on gaining loyal and repeat customers as "friends" of the business. Soapy Rides, therefore, will depend on word-of-mouth advertising for the immediate community.
5.1 Competitive Edge
Soapy Rides' competitive edge will be Mark Deshpande and the quality of the family name in the East Meadow area. As mentioned, the family has been in the car business for over 30 years, and has an excellent reputation and a myriad of both business and personal contacts. In addition, Mark has put a great deal of emphasis on creating a system that is both fast and efficient, which will keep costs, in terms of time spent per car, to a minimum.
5.2 Sales Strategy
Sales strategy is on a one-to-one basis. All customers will feel they are a valued friend of Soapy Rides, and that all employees care about the care and upkeep of each vehicle. We must be aware that there are low switching costs in the car washing industry, so we have to work hard to develop and keep repeat customers.
5.3 Sales Forecast
The following chart forecasts sales based upon the Market Segmentation Strategy. Sales are seasonal in this industry, tending to be higher in the warmer summer months, and to drop off in the winter. However, we will aim to flatten sales across the sales cycle by targeting segments that will want to keep their cars clean and looking good year round.

6.0 Management Summary
Mark Deshpande is the sole owner and manager of Soapy Rides. In addition, he will be helped (on an unofficial basis) by his father, Barry Deshpande. Barry has over 30 years experience as an entrepreneur, both in the car business and in property development and management.
Mark will also have the assistance of John Shine, the family accountant, in creating a long-term strategic vision for the company. John is a family friend and has worked with the Deshpande family for 23 years. He has worked with hundreds of small- and medium-sized businesses during his career.
6.1 Personnel Plan
Since car washing is a seasonal business, with business increasing in the warm summer months, and being busier on the weekends than during the week, Soapy Rides will rely on both temporary and part-time help. The company will hire one full-time car wash/detail specialist and one full-time car wash specialist when it opens for business. Although it will rely on temporary and part-time help, quality will not be compromised, since all washers and detailers will receive thorough training. The company will also hire an administrative assistant who will assist Mark with paperwork and act as a receptionist.

7.0 Financial Plan
The following plan outlines the financial development of Soapy Rides. The business will be initially financed by a $30,000 investment by Mark Deshpande and will finance growth through cash flow. This will mean that the company will grow more slowly than it could, but it will ensure that Mark retains control over the direction of the company. In year three, it is hoped that the company will be able to open a second location. It is envisioned that an outside loan or equity funding will be sought at that time.
7.1 Important Assumptions
The financial projections for Soapy Rides are based on the following assumptions. These assumptions are thought to be quite conservative, as are the financial forecasts.