Starting a Mobile Car Wash and Detailing Business

Back when I had a corporate job, a couple of college kids would come by the building where I worked and detail some of the execs’ cars.

Because I was bored (who isn’t bored at their corporate job?), I started making a few notes about their business model. I was curious about what it would take to actually start and run a mobile car detailing business.

Here’s what I observed:

• The guys running the business didn’t need a truck with a big water tank behind it or anything like that. They made sure the locations where they worked always had a hose hookup so all they had to do was bring a hose to use on the cars.
• The vacuum and associated attachments seemed to be one of the most expensive pieces of equipment they’d need. I figured they’d have to have a pretty strong vacuum, with plenty of attachments to get into all the nooks and crannies of a car interior. Otherwise they’d run the risk of doing a subpar job and losing the customer.
• It took them anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours to fully detail a car. At $100 per car, that would mean $50 per hour between the two of them – or $25 per hour each. Not a bad wage – if you can stay busy enough.

Given those few ideas, it seemed to me you could probably get a good mobile car wash business going for less than $1,000 in startup capital (not exactly starting a business with no money, but not breaking the bank either), and you could make anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000 per year if you could keep your customer pipeline full. Which means marketing is what matters most (but that’s really true with any business you start).

Smart Marketing for Your Mobile Detailing Business

If you’re not cleaning cars, you’re not making money. In other words – you’re not getting paid to drive from job to job, so you want to make sure you get as many customers as possible in the smallest possible geographical area.

Copy my buddies who did cars at my office building. Find big office parks and land as many of the workers as you can in each building. It won’t be easy to break into the area; every office building has big “no soliciting signs” on it.

Here’s a big hint: try to become friends with guys in the sales department of the companies in the buildings. Sales guys are good customers for a few reasons:

1. They’re loose with their money.
2. They often drive nice cars – which they like to see shiny and clean.
3. They have big egos and like the idea of a) paying someone to detail their car and b) telling the other salespeople in the company that they’re paying someone to detail their car. Seriously, the ego of the commission salesman is your best friend.

Once you have a chance to talk to some good prospects, make it easier for them to buy from you. Offer first-time customer discounts, and small discounts for customers who pay for three or four details jobs at a time.

Be fast and friendly. Make your customers like you so they’ll want to refer their friends.

You’ll have to hustle, but you can build a good book of business if you work hard and do a great job. Good luck!