Business plan to open a car wash. How to open a car wash from scratch? Ways to advertise a car wash

How to open a car wash - a step-by-step action plan. Ready calculations. Useful tips.

♦ Capital investments in the project: 765,000 rubles
♦ Business profitability: 45%
♦ Payback of the enterprise: 24 months

If you think about how to open a car wash, you first need a large starting investment and the reserve of nerves necessary to complete all the paperwork. These are the main difficulties in starting this business.

If you feel able to cope, take over a company with high profitability that will bring you a stable income and a sense of satisfaction. This article will tell you about all the subtleties and pitfalls of the process.

The idea of ​​opening a business at a car wash for customer cars is far from new, including in our country. However, the path of development has been not only long, but also thorny.

Previously, this activity was mainly undertaken by car owners themselves, and opening specialized companies was unprofitable.

The emergence and development of the business of opening car washes

Before equipment that supplied water under pressure came into use, car washing was done manually.

It took a lot of time, was difficult, messy and ruined the skin on my hands. For those who make a living in this way, their hands eventually begin to resemble washcloths. We had to charge pennies for services, otherwise the price list would have scared away all the clients.

This business was not taken seriously by entrepreneurs, and no one thought that its discovery could become a gold mine.

However, there was an American family in the 60s that embodied the idea in the form of a family contract. History is silent about the achievements of this car wash. But time has proven the success of the idea.

In the 1980s, car wash technology improved enough to allow cars to be washed without leaving rag stains and other imperfections that occurred with manual car washes.

Nowadays, only those who are interested in delving into the technical details of these processes how to open a car wash from scratch. For regular users of the service, the process has been reduced to minimal steps.

All you have to do is come to a car wash, leave your car with the employees and return to pick up your horse, which is already clean. The employees, administrator and business owner take full responsibility. For those who want to delve into the topic in more detail and open their own business, this article will answer all questions.

Car wash business plan: planning

An entrepreneur needs to understand that a business like opening a car wash will require large financial investments and a lot of time and effort. Not everyone will be ready to make sacrifices, although they will pay off many times over in the future, ensuring a comfortable existence for the one who initiated the business. Therefore, according to statistics, more than 80% of those who decided to organize a car wash abandoned the business idea when faced with its implementation.

This article will describe the stages of starting a business so that you can assess your strengths and decide whether their implementation is tough.

Summary

The current business plan will consider opening a car wash X in the city of N-sk.

Pursued goals for the car wash business plan:

1. Receiving a profit.
2. Satisfying customer needs for car washing services.
3. Organization of a business project with a high level of profitability.

Stages of implementing a car wash opening project

If you want to have enough money for you and your family, work yourself... If you want to provide for your future generations, make people work for you.
Karl Marx

“I want” alone will not be enough to open a car wash company - this is obvious. Until the moment when the boxes are opened and employees can start serving customers, they will have to go through “ice and fire.”

The entire process of starting a business can be divided into several separate stages:

1. You need to start by developing a car wash project and obtaining the necessary permits to open.
   Also make sure that the neighbors' grandmothers are not against the opening. Otherwise, the dissatisfaction of “God’s dandelion” may suddenly turn into frayed nerves or even legal proceedings!
   Some people consider paperwork and trips to authorities to be the most difficult stage of business.
   Indeed, you will have to gather all your strength and patience.
2. The second stage of starting a business will take a much longer period of time, but its process is not so nerve-wracking.
   Moreover, most of the work will be performed by hired services.
   We are talking about construction, renovation, furnishings and decoration of premises for the opening.
3. After the preparatory work and applying the final “touches”, the final stage of the business begins - opening a car wash.
   Invite representatives of local government, members of a public organization, and potential corporate clients to the celebration.

Even a short description makes it clear to the future business owner that opening your own car wash will not be so easy. But if you describe the process point by point, it will become clear how to open a car wash from scratch, even if now you know nothing about this business.

Marketing plan

Beginning entrepreneurs who think that the registration process will take several months should take off their rose-colored glasses.

It will take at least one and a half years from the start to the opening of the business.

You can delegate these concerns to a design institute for a separate “reward”.

Advertising

A car wash, like any other business, cannot do without advertising.

The best way to attract new customers is word of mouth. But in order for the services to be “on the lips” and recommended to others, you need to start by attracting customers using advertising methods and creating comfortable car service at the highest level.

You can use the following methods:

1. Sample.
   Translated into Russian this means “sample”. What does every customer crave if not to get something for free? As a bonus to the standard washing operation, you can introduce an additional service for blackening the rubber of cars.
   Limit the promotion period to fuel enthusiasm and motivate car wash customers to take advantage of the bonus.
2. Providing a unique service will do a good job.
   For example, registering clients for service online.
3. Present.
   The free service option can be changed to attract new clients to the business.
   For example, customers will receive tire blackening for free if they order services for 1,000 rubles.
4. External advertising.
   Although the item is last on the list, this is where you should start promoting your business.
   Even before the opening, you need to take care of placing billboards with information about the car wash and order a bright, noticeable sign.

Preparing documents for opening a car wash

But if you divide it into separate steps, everything looks simpler:

• The first step is for the businessman to submit a letter of request for the allocation of a plot of land on which a car wash will be built.
  It is addressed to the local chief - the person in charge.
• Even before consent is received, you can begin the second step of opening a business.
  Contact a specialist or create a sketch of your future project yourself.
  It subsequently needs to be coordinated with a number of authorities: the fire safety service, SES and municipal architects.
• All documents prepared for the opening of a car wash are sent by letter to the next responsible person - the city manager.
• If everything was completed and submitted correctly, you will receive a letter of permission in response.
  It will become the basis for obtaining an architectural planning assignment (APZ) for the future business.
• All technical conditions for the implementation of the project will be developed on the basis of the APP.
  An entrepreneur does this by contacting a number of organizations (their number can exceed 30).
  Each of them will deal with its own “sector” of opening a business: external lighting of a car wash, supply of heat, water and gas, placement of sewerage, provision of the facility with electricity and storm drains, and, if necessary, telephony and radio.
• When everything is done, you will have a ready-made business project in your hands.
  But it’s too early to start implementing it.
  The plan must be checked by a number of authorities: the fire inspectorate, city architects, labor and environmental protection services, and also state expertise.
  Every step is important, because any “no” will put an end to the business.
• When all checks are successful, then an act of ownership of the land plot will be drawn up (on a permanent or temporary basis).
  Based on it, land will be allocated and a warrant will be issued to carry out construction work to open a car wash business. You should be prepared for costs - the cost of paperwork can amount to up to 25% of the total construction costs.

Room

The space for car wash X was chosen taking into account the following points:

• The advantage of residential areas is the size of the rent.
  Due to the fact that it is small, the owner of a car wash business will avoid large losses during the “low season” of business, when there are few clients, which cannot be said about the location in the city center.
  Although it also has significant advantages.
• But first, let’s add to the list of disadvantages: in addition to the high cost of rent, we can add the extreme reluctance on the part of the city authorities to approve the construction of a car wash in the city center.
  And now the advantages: as a rule, car wash businesses in the central region are always provided with a flow of customers. Moreover, a considerable part of them are owners of luxury cars. All such people actively use car wash services, and often order various additional services.

When choosing where to start building a car wash, consider two factors:

• Many cars should constantly move past the future car wash.
• At the same time, all clients will be able to drive up to the building at any time of the day or night without any problems (detours, difficult turns, and so on).

Car wash equipment

In the car wash business, you can save on anything except equipment.

Its cost depends on the manufacturer, but cheap cannot be of high quality.

Buying bad devices will reduce the speed and level of work. They can fail at any moment, which should not be allowed under any circumstances.

Technical problems are a gap in business profits and a stain on reputation among clients.

1. Compressors (the average cost of which is from $240).
2. Washing vacuum cleaner ($350-500).
3. A high-pressure water supply device for washing cars (one of the most expensive - from $3,000).
4. Waste water purification system (from $4,500).
5. Other consumables (sponges, rags, household chemicals - all this is included in the monthly business expenses for opening a car wash).

A car wash must have a designated area for customers.

Comfortable waiting conditions while washing cars is what a client expects from a good car wash. Even if the start-up capital for starting a business is limited, it is worth starting with a small comfortable sofa, table and TV. Place a stack of magazines for car wash customers and give them the opportunity to order coffee or buy a cool drink.

According to statistics, all other things being equal, customers tend to go where it is convenient for them to wait.

Car wash staff

Also, it is impossible to answer the question of how much it costs to open a car wash without taking into account the salaries of the staff. This is typically the largest monthly business expense item.

P.S. The average salary level can be viewed on the job site.

For calculations, it remains to determine the number of employees.

Typically, the staff of a car wash business consists of an accountant, an administrator and, of course, car washers. Their number depends on the size of the car wash and work schedule. Of course, if the car wash operates 24 hours a day, several shifts of car wash workers will be required.

When selecting, take into account the compliance of car wash candidates with the following requirements:

• Experience working in a car wash or a high level of learning ability;
• at least basic knowledge of the structure and functioning of automobiles;
• good endurance and physical fitness;
• responsibility and stress resistance (clients are completely different).

Car wash business plan: financial section

The answer to the question is how much does it cost to open a car wash, which concerns all entrepreneurs, consists of several parts.

The cost item to start with is business documentation, the receipt of which was discussed above.

In addition, car washing requires large financial investments for construction, the purchase of equipment for the business, the cost of which is measured in tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles, and other elements of the organization’s work.

Startup Cost Table

[table ID=83/]

Costs for maintaining and developing the project

If you feel able to cope with this, take over a company with high profitability, which will bring high income and a sense of satisfaction.

About what the correct car washing technology should be -

watch in this video:

• Decide what target audience the business will be aimed at.
  Then you can create a virtual image of a potential client and more accurately understand what he may be missing. Therefore, you can plan the list of services, pricing and location.
• An additional flow of customer cars to the car wash will be ensured by the location near garage cooperatives or parking lots.
• When located in a residential area, territorial advertising gives good results. Order printing of leaflets with information about where and when the car wash will open.
  Hire a promoter (or do it yourself) and place them under the windshield wipers of all cars parked in the immediate vicinity.
• As soon as possible, expand the list of services provided at the car wash.
  This is one of the main ways to combat the high level of competition in this area.
  Among the most popular options: glass tinting, engine washing, blackening of wheels, coating the surface with a protective wax layer, abrasive polishing.
• The support of a public organization that has influence on the public council will help simplify the task of starting a business.
  The design of car wash premises is entrusted to a qualified specialist.
  It is important to choose a person with experience and a good reputation.
  Mistakes at the design stage can be costly in the future.
• Karcher, Weidner and other Spanish, Italian and German manufacturers are recognized as the best suppliers of equipment for the industry.

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Car washes are a profitable business that, with proper development, can become truly highly profitable! Agree, the number of cars on our roads is not decreasing, but, on the contrary, is growing every year, which is why the demand for this type of service will only grow. To open a car wash you don’t need certificates - just desire!

Advantages and disadvantages of opening a car wash

Pros:
1. High demand for this type of service
2. This is a highly profitable business
3. There is practically no competition, and if there is, it is insignificant.

Minuses:
1. High initial investment, which not everyone can afford.
2. The likelihood that you will have to take out a loan to open
3. There is constant humidity in the car wash premises, so repairs will need to be done quite often.

Yes, opening a car wash will be much more difficult than closing (the likelihood of this is quite high, since if SES standards are not followed, the administration will not allow your business to exist for long), but, nevertheless, the choice is entirely yours.

Do you need a business plan for a car wash?

It is worth understanding that a car wash business plan will help you clearly formulate your idea. If you are your own investor, then this project will put everything into perspective and allow you to better navigate what is happening. But, if you have partners, or you are planning to get a sponsor, then a business plan is the only way you can get investment!

The most interesting example in this case is Japanese businessmen. If you divide into percentages all the time they spend preparing for the opening, you can see that 80% of this time is spent on developing a business plan and working out all the details, and only 20% on the actual implementation of the idea! The Japanese are real pros in this matter; their plans take into account any force majeure and work through the opening process every minute!
It is precisely this fact that a well-drafted and high-quality business plan is the key to your future success and its first step!

What you need to open a car wash: documents and permits

The first and most important thing will be to obtain a resolution from the city administration. They must confirm that they have nothing against opening a car wash in a certain area. But the paperwork won't end there. Next, you should submit a letter of petition to the administration of this city, in which you make a request for the allocation of the selected plot of land for construction.

OKVED code for car wash:

50.20.3 - Providing other types of vehicle maintenance services (main point).
This grouping includes:
- washing, polishing, applying protective and decorative coatings to the body, interior cleaning, towing and other similar activities.
52.1 - Retail trade in non-specialized stores.

Next, you should write a letter addressed to the mayor, in which you need to enclose all the documents received thanks to the above actions. You should definitely receive a response letter - in which either consent or refusal will be expressed. If the answer is positive, then this will be the ticket to opening your own business.

Only after this letter can you begin to develop a building project. As soon as this process is completed, it should be sent for examination to the SES and agreed with the labor and environmental protection service. Next, meet again with a representative of the fire inspectorate and architects - having received permission for direct construction. And only after all these steps will you be able to submit your project to the state. examination, which must approve the project and issue a certificate allowing construction to begin.

The act can be of two types: for temporary and permanent construction, it depends on many factors. In any case, after this examination, you will be allocated a plot of land and issued a construction warrant.
If you think that all this “walking through torment” is completely not worth it, then you are mistaken. Yes, many procedures seem difficult to complete and absolutely pointless, but once you start collecting documents, you will understand that everything is not so difficult!

Rent or construction of a box

If you are determined to open a serious business and you have sufficient start-up capital, then, without a doubt, it is worth building your own boxes.

Car wash equipment

Among this list, the most popular, and, as is generally accepted, the highest quality is Karcher. This company provides really high-quality products and at the same time pleases with a wide variety of goods! Among its range you can find everything you need to clean a car, moreover, these products are suitable not only for commercial use, but also for internal production.

By the way, there is another great business idea for opening a waterless car wash. But this is a topic for a separate article, subscribe to updates so you don’t miss out!

Is it profitable to open a car wash and what income does it bring?

Let's look at this in numbers:

1. Purchasing the necessary equipment:
- water supply apparatus
- high pressure apparatus supplying warm water
- used water purification system
- washing vacuum cleaner
- compressor

In total, this equipment will cost you 230-250 thousand rubles.

2. Consumables:
- shampoos, products that allow you to clean wheels, bumpers, interiors, polishing products
This “pleasure” will initially cost (and will continue to cost) about 9,000 rubles per month (assuming that the car wash will serve about 30-40 cars).

3. This is where we see all the advantages of renting boxes. To build a car wash, you need to collect a huge number of permits and certificates from officials. If you don’t believe it, then go back a little higher, to the point where we talked about it. To make it a little clearer, consider the figure: you will have to collect about 160 signatures from officials and authorities... The cost of construction itself will amount to about 3 million rubles. That is why spending about 50-100 thousand a month on rent is much more profitable.

4. Personnel costs.
Car washers' salaries are most often piecework. That is why you can build it in relation to your capabilities. In any case, this is about 20-40% of daily revenue.

Taking into account all these conditions, you can earn monthly (with the deduction of expenses) about 200 thousand rubles. The profitability of a car wash directly depends on its location and the quality of the services provided! All in your hands!

The army of car owners is constantly and steadily growing. And then the car service multiplies and develops. This includes services for keeping cars clean.

Many people strive to enter this rather profitable business, but do not know what documents are needed to open a car wash.

How profitable is it to wash cars?

Indeed, starting this enterprise is quite difficult. You will need to collect a significant package of permitting documentation. So is it worth the pain?

Yes, a lot of investment needs to be made in the business, but the profitability of a car wash is also high. Especially if you guess the location of your business. At high utilization, monthly revenue is approximately seven or eight thousand dollars. Of course, you will have to deduct the cost of rent, electricity, technical needs and employee salaries, but even then you are left with a good net profit in your hands.

Choosing a good place

So, what does it take to open a car wash? First, decide on the location of the future enterprise. When choosing a suitable site, consider the traffic flow of the site. It's good to settle down next to a gas station, near a densely populated area. It's great to be on a busy highway with easy access. Then your clients will appear very soon, even without special promotion.

But keep in mind that the requirements for opening a car wash clearly limit the distance to residential buildings. Your enterprise must be located 70 meters away from them. If you violate this sanitary standard, you will not be able to obtain permission to launch.

A lease agreement must be drawn up for the plot of land you like. This is where we encounter the first difficulties, which relate to the question of what documents are needed to open a car wash.

Often, to conclude a contract, it is necessary to obtain permission from the municipality. To do this, go to the local administration and submit an application, indicating the location of the land on which you intend to locate your business.

We are drawing up a project

To make it easier to obtain all permits, it is necessary to develop a project. It outlines the territory, takes into account local geography, and indicates the building plan. The project also reflects the location of the equipment and its characteristics. Calculate the energy required for operation. Reflect the plan of treatment facilities.

This is due to the fact that the project is accompanied by a detailed estimate. Almost everything is taken into account:

• materials from which the walls and foundation will be built;
• finishing facilities;
• diagram of engineering communications;
• equipment and certificates for it;
• building configuration and much more.

Where does the project need to be approved?

You will have to take the project to the construction committee. There they will carefully study your preliminary layout and evaluate the location of drains and cleaning manifolds.

You should be prepared for the fact that at the same time they may clarify the traffic pattern, the presence of pedestrian paths, access roads, and parking spaces.

In addition to the documents for opening a car wash, which you will receive from the construction committee, you will most likely need an opinion from environmentalists. They will make a verdict on the safety of your enterprise for the environment.

Inspectors pay special attention to the design of treatment facilities and the presence of a caisson. The latter is responsible for purifying used water. Without it, you will not get the coveted conciliatory resolution.

Permission will also be required from the fire inspectorate. In addition, you need to draw up two contracts. The first is for the use of electrical networks. The second is with the local water utility for the purchase of water and its disposal.

What other documents are needed to open a car wash? You need to sign a permit at the SES.

Sanitary and Epidemiological Service

Coordination of your activities with the SES is mandatory. And although the list of “papers” may vary in different municipalities, an expert opinion from the sanitary inspection is needed everywhere. Representatives of the commission will study the documentation on the organization of work processes at the car wash and make their resolution.

All this is aimed at eliminating the risk factor. Opening a car wash involves waste. Dirt, chemicals, oil residues, waste water - all this ends up in wastewater treatment plants and poses a direct threat to the health of citizens. Therefore, you need to be responsible and not violate the safety requirements of the facility.

In order to avoid further problems with sanitary doctors and environmentalists, solve the problem with waste disposal in advance. To do this, enter into an appropriate agreement with a company that provides similar services.

Registering a company

In addition to an extensive package of consent and permitting documents for opening a car wash, you need to take care of registering your business.

This procedure includes registering your business as an individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur) or LLC (limited liability company). The first one is much easier to do. But registering an LLC will require additional financial investments.

By the way, registration is accompanied by obtaining permission from Rospotrebnadzor to provide car washing services. This is where all those documents that you have carefully collected will come in handy.

After this, do not forget to contact the tax office. You need to register and decide on the tax system.

Since you will have various units on site, the equipment, as mentioned above, must have certificates. In the list of what documents are needed to open a car wash, you can include papers for the cash register.

How to collect the necessary package of documents

You already understand that you will have to visit many authorities before you get the right to start working.

Let's summarize. So, we need:

• documents on registration of individual entrepreneurs (LLC) and registration with the tax authorities;
• lease agreement for a plot of land selected and approved by the municipality;
• contract for connection to electrical networks;
• contract for connection to water networks;
• waste removal and disposal agreement;
• conclusion of SES, environmentalists, firefighters;
• coordination with the construction committee, architects;
• certificates for all equipment used in the washing process.

If you find it difficult to independently go through all the steps necessary to collect the volume of documents needed to open a car wash, then you should find a company that would help with appeals to the authorities. Competent lawyers will tell you how to draw up contracts correctly, where and how to obtain the necessary permits.

The stronger spring gains momentum, the longer the lines at car washes become. And the more people who want to systematically wash their cars, the more often entrepreneurs begin to think about opening their own business in this area.

So, how much does it cost to build a car wash? What permits do I need to obtain for this? How much money will you need to invest and how much can you earn from it? Let's talk about all this in more detail.

Worthwhile cause

It should be noted that experts predict a sharp increase in demand for this service in the near future. This is due to several factors. Firstly, seasonality, because it is known that in spring and summer, motorists more often try to wash their vehicles. Secondly, with a general increase in the number of cars. Finally, the third factor is the high profitability of such a business.

In general, it’s definitely worth doing. But before you invest your money, understand in detail the types of car washes and decide what exactly suits you. The volume of initial investments and subsequent “exhaust” will depend on the chosen format. There are three types of car washes: capital, collapsible and mobile. Let's consider each of the options.

Capital

To start a business you will need 5 million rubles or more. The peculiarity of this type is that the car wash is equipped in a large industrial building, and all kinds of systems and communications are connected to it. The payback of a car wash depends on what part of the city you locate your point in and what the flow of customers will be.

Collapsible

The second type is a little simpler. The car wash is equipped with two stations. Accordingly, the costs will be slightly less. Entrepreneurs who already have experience in this field note that you can get by with two million rubles. This car wash has a slightly lower profitability than the previous type, but does not require industrial hangars. All you need is a flat concrete or asphalt area and thin-walled metal structures, which are then covered with special sandwich panels.

Mobile

This is the simplest car wash possible. Due to its mobility, it does not require major investments. If the location is unsuccessful, you can always move it to another, more profitable point. True, the return will be less than from the previous two options.

How much does it cost to build this type of car wash? In order to become the owner of this business, you must have at least 1 million rubles. Most of the amount will need to be spent on a trailer, in which the vehicle will actually be washed. The disadvantages of a mobile type car wash are that it is designed for only one car. And the advantages are that it does not require the connection of special communications.

Now it’s time to decide which type to focus on. Compare your financial capabilities and expectations from the business you are starting. If you are still confused, then let me give you a little advice. We recommend starting with a prefabricated car wash. It will require average costs from you.

In case of urgent need, you can always move it to a new point. In addition, it is designed for two cars. You can wash only passenger vehicles at one station, and equip the second one for trucks. Due to this, you can quickly recoup your investment. You already know how much it costs to build a car wash of this type, so let’s move on to the next points.

We choose a place for business and collect documentation

The success of almost the entire business depends on where your point will be located and how many posts you can place on it. Consider this issue carefully. Study and analyze the density of traffic passing by, the number of competing companies, the distance of your business from residential complexes and a number of other factors. Ideally, you should open a point next to a road junction, near a residential complex. As for the number of posts, equip them at your discretion.

Now let's talk about documents. The plot for business is either rented or purchased. If the land belongs to the state, we go to the City Property Management Committee and take part in the auction. If the site on which you decide to locate is classified as agricultural land, you will need to transfer it to the industrial category. This procedure also takes the form of an auction and can take about 6 months. A stationary car wash must be approved by the department of architecture and urban planning of your city.

How much does it cost to build a car wash?

Let's say right away - it's not cheap. And considering that you are just starting to work, and you already have a lot of expenses, it is better to abandon this idea. It is much more correct to rent a premises suitable for this business and equip it according to all your needs.

In this case, everything will be much more rational. To approve the location of your enterprise, you must submit to the inspection authorities a document confirming the conclusion of a land or plot lease agreement; a certificate of registration of a legal entity as an LLC or individual entrepreneur, a copy of the sketch of the car wash project and, necessarily, a certificate of the fact of tax registration.

In the case of creating a business from scratch, it will be necessary to attach to this package of documents a permit from the city administration for the construction of a building, its plan, which must be agreed upon with the architecture department, firefighters and SES. You should also have a conclusion from Nature Supervision. In addition, experienced entrepreneurs advise drawing up and registering an agreement for garbage and solid waste removal, a certificate of the number of jobs and quality certificates for your existing equipment.

A car wash is a profitable and high-margin business. Let's look at the main points of drawing up a business plan for a car wash. How to organize work? How much money, time and effort will it take? How quickly will such a business pay off and start making real profits? How to avoid common mistakes? In this article we will look at how to open a car wash from scratch and how to draw up a business plan with calculations.

Advantages and disadvantages of opening a car wash

The popularity of car washes is explained by their extreme practicality all year round. Autumn and spring bring with them slush and dirt, so during this period, visiting a car wash is included in the weekly schedule of almost every driver, just as in the summer, car owners try to maintain their vehicles. However, car washes are not idle even in winter - then reagents, salt and sand are washed off from them.

Let's start with the advantages and disadvantages of this business. The main target audience of a car wash is people of middle and high incomes who want to save their time and keep their car clean.

Opening a car wash from scratch: business registration

To register with a tax car wash, an individual entrepreneur or LLC is created. The table below shows and analyzes the main advantages, as well as the necessary list of documents for each form of business. When registering under OKVED, select the main activity: 50.20.3 “Providing other types of services for the maintenance of motor vehicles”, this group includes washing, polishing, applying protective and decorative coatings to the body, interior cleaning, towing and other similar types. Additionally, you can register OKVED 52.1 “Retail trade in non-specialized stores.”

Business profitability

A car wash is considered a very profitable enterprise that can generate considerable income. Experts estimate its profitability to be about 40-100%, but in reality this means full payback within one year and quarter (12-16 months), or, in the case of more expensive options, one or two years.

Answers to questions about opening a car wash (Nikolai Yarkeev)

The video provides detailed answers to typical questions about opening a car wash.

How to open a car wash: business plan

A business plan is one of the most important stages in planning the opening of an enterprise. Very often, further success depends on a well-thought-out business plan. We offer a universal version of this strategy that will help answer the question “how to open a car wash?” from the financial and material part.

Key points:

• business;
• business strategy;
• car wash market;
• marketing features.

Actual financial costs depend on many factors, including:

• preparation of documentation;
• land costs;
• location of the land plot;
• construction itself;
• costs of materials, equipment;
• expenses for repairing the car wash and operating the equipment.

Paperwork

This point should be taken extremely seriously so as not to run into problems at the very beginning of the journey.

The list of documents required to obtain a sanitary and epidemiological certificate can be found at No. 19 of Rospotrebnadzor order No. 776 of November 21, 2005.

You will also need the following documents:

• land lease agreement (obtain from the Moscow Land Office);
• conclusions from such city services as the Fire Service, State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision, MP "Mosvodostok", Moskompriroda;
• permission from the district government where it is planned to build a car wash;
• construction plan agreed with Moskomarkhitektura.

In addition, during inspections you may be asked to:

• land lease agreement;
• agreement on waste removal and site cleaning;
• documentation on registration of cash register equipment;
• situational plan with designated boundaries of the site.

In addition, before starting work, you should notify the Department of Communications and Transport of the Moscow Government about your plans.

Car wash place

Besides the question “how to open a car wash?” No less important is the question “where to open a car wash?” The most advantageous location of a car wash will be its proximity to gas stations, car parks, and technical stations, thus allowing the driver to comprehensively resolve all issues related to his transport.

It is also recommended to locate such enterprises at suburban entrances and exits, on busy highways, but too much traffic can have a very negative impact.

Note: it would be a good idea to personally visit three to five car washes and evaluate the following parameters: the number of customers per day, where the car wash is located, what is the capacity of the nearest road.

How to evaluate the client flow of competitors?

We offer one simple way to evaluate customer traffic, which will allow you to calculate possible income depending on the choice of location. In the car wash business, the key factor for success is location, and for a location, the main parameter is throughput, how many cars pass near the car wash.

To assess the customer flow (traffic) of competitive car washes, you must spend 1 day. You take three measurements: morning, afternoon and evening. For example, a car wash is open from 9-00 to 21-00 (12 hours). Take two measurements in the morning, afternoon and evening (i.e. 6 in total). The first measurement was how many cars pass within 15 minutes from 9-00 to 9-15, from 13-00 to 13-15, 18-00 to 18-15, and also how many cars enter the car wash. Next, we multiply by 4 and divide by 3, this gives the average amount of traffic on the road and the average number of customers in a car wash per hour. You can calculate the average percentage of cars that stop by (for example, it will be 2%, which means that 2 cars out of 100 stop by to wash).

To find daily traffic, multiply the average value per hour by 12 (12 hours of work). In this simple way you can calculate the traffic of your competitors. This value can then be used to calculate the car wash’s daily income. To do this, you need to multiply the number of clients per day by the average check of the establishment.

For example, we have 200 cars every day. The average wash bill is 500 rubles. This means the cafe’s gross income per day will be 100,000 rubles.

Required premises

The room should be quite spacious, but calculate the space so that it is enough for all clients, but there are no extra jobs for which there are not enough clients. Ideally, you can rent such premises at an ATP, which has a number of advantages. Thus, you will have fewer problems with documentation (you will not have to obtain a significant part of permits and other things), and this option will automatically link to your enterprise some of the clients who have previously used the services of this ATP. Don't forget to set aside part of the room for storage.

Water purification system for car washes (important point)

At first glance, it may seem that this is one of the most unnecessary points that must be observed to open a successful car wash, and that information about it can be completely scrolled through. But that's not true. Modern environmental standards require impeccable compliance with them.

Special filters for water purification are designed to purify the water used in work from chemicals, fats, petroleum products and other unwanted substances from wastewater. Such systems are placed in heated rooms where the temperature constantly exceeds +5 degrees.

The figure below shows a diagram of the placement of equipment at a car wash. As can be seen from the technological process, after washing the car, sand, dirt and silt go into the drain. Petroleum products remain in the chambers and do not enter further into the purification system. As a result, purified water is supplied to the washing pump from the pumping station.

How to open a car wash: footage

It is important to pay no less attention to the issue of hiring workers than to issues of a material nature or documentation. Each employer is guided by his own ideas about a good employee, but we advise you to first pay attention to the following two key characteristics:

• high professional level, availability of applied knowledge and skills;
• friendliness, ability to win over, responsibility (will allow you to attract clients and make them permanent).

The optimal operating mode is around the clock. Number of employees: 5 washers and 1 foreman.

For the position of foreman, it is better to look for employees who are executive and have experience in car washes; for the position of washers, you can select low-skilled personnel.

Cost of starting a business

The funds spent on opening a car wash can be divided into two categories: space rental costs + equipment costs. Equipment includes:

• high-pressure apparatus with heated water ($1800-3000);
• a high-pressure apparatus that supplies water to 1 station ($500-1300);
• cleaning systems ($4800-6600);
• compressor ($200-250);
• washing vacuum cleaner ($400-550).

The most popular types of washing equipment are devices from the German company Karcher. Equipping one location with a Karcher automatic gantry wash will cost $100,000.

In addition to German companies, Italian and Danish companies remain popular on the market.

In addition, you will need supplies (like shampoo, polish, certain chemicals). When servicing 30-40 cars daily, about $300 per month is spent on consumables.

How much can you earn?

Your profit depends on many factors, however, in order not to get confused in abstract phrases, we will give approximate figures that you can focus on. Calculations are based on a free-standing, non-garage type 4-place sink.

When servicing (on average) about 200 cars per day, the cost of servicing each order is within 500 rubles. In this situation, the total monthly gross profit reaches 3 million rubles.

The main expense items are taxes and salaries. In general, under this item you will have to pay a monthly total of 2.2-2.5 million rubles. Net income will be about 500,000 rubles (conditional figures). Business payback 1-2 years.

Let us repeat that these are only approximate figures, which in fact may depend on many factors and will change both in the direction of increasing income and in the opposite direction.

Assessment of the attractiveness of a business by the magazine website

Business profitability	(3.5 out of 5)	Business attractiveness 3.3
Project payback	(3.0 out of 5)
Ease of starting a business	(3.5 out of 5)
A car wash is a highly profitable and quick payback project. There are more cars in Russia every year, and the need to save time on car washing is only growing. The payback period for initial costs is ~1.5-2 years. The business has seasonal sales and possible downturns in the summer, which will require additional staff and financial safety margins. The key factors for business success are: location close to vehicle traffic.