The Federal Way News located in Washington State recently wrote an article that car wash operators and charity organizers ought to perk up to. It’s that time of year again when community organizations and small groups come out in force washing cars to raise money for their varied causes. While many smaller organizations depend on the funds raised by these makeshift carwashes, they can hurt business for professional carwashes, and it turns out that they’re bad for the environment too. According to the article:

…before you send all that oily, soapy water down the storm drain, Federal Way’s Surface Water Management Division and the Puget Sound Car Wash Association (PSCWA) want to remind you that not only is this very harmful to wetlands, streams, and lakes, but it is also a violation of state, local, and federal pollution laws.

Unlike the sanitary sewer systems, water that runs into the storm drains goes directly to lakes, streams, and wetlands with little or no treatment.

Runoff from car washes is highly toxic to aquatic life and is one of the reasons that streams are not as healthy as they should be. [read more...]

At the end of the day, professionally operated carwashes are typically more environmentally friendly than non-professional washes. The article recommends that fund raising groups team up with professional washes who will donate some of the proceeds. From a marketing standpoint, while not likely to make as much money when donating proceeds to charity, a car wash that works with community service groups has an excellent way to generate free advertising and positive publicity while attracting new customers.

Research pays. Prospective carwash investors and seasoned small business professionals alike will find valuable information in the library resources listed below. Resources here represent not only classic small business library books but also the best new professional carwash industry information.

While carwashing and auto detailing subjects are covered thoroughly and creatively, environmental realities driving the future conservation economy are also represented. The topics covered range from investor basics to sustaining the successful family business. But you’ll also find business plans, funding and tax advice, recommendations on equipment, location, marketing, and employee practices, and much more. Important resources below are starred. Keep in mind that for the most up-to-date information, these library books are also beneficially supplemented by regular reading of popular industry magazines, influential periodicals, and online resources such as MVExpo.com.

Book reviews for these resources are welcomed, as are suggestions for smart additions to an essential library for small business owners. Feel free to post below.

Car Care Related Resources

Chidakel, Myer R. Starting and Managing a Carwash. Washington, DC: Small Business Administration, 1967.

Circeo, Louis J. Microbial Investigation at Central Vehicle Wash Facilities. Atlanta: Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture, 1992.

Internal Revenue Service. Market Segment Specialization Program (U.S.): Car Wash Industry. Washington, DC: United States Department of the Treasury, 1998.

*Paisner, Marshall B. Sustaining the Family Business: An Insider’s Guide to Managing across Generations. Reading, MA: Perseus Books, 1999.

*Sandlin, Eileen Figure. Entrepreneur Magazine’s Start Your Own Automobile Detailing Business: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Success. Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Press, 2005.

SBAO Fact Sheet. Mobile Power Washing and Environmental Regulations. Ohio EPA and the Small Business Assistance Office, 2001.

Scholze, Richard J. Central Vehicle Wash Facilities (CVWF) Solid Residuals Management, USACERL Technical Report 96/59. Champaign, IL and Springfield, VA: US Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering Research Laboratories, 1996.

*Simeral, Chris. Entrepreneur Magazine’s How to Start a Car Wash: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success. 5th ed. Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Magazine Group, 2002.

Small Business Resources

American Bar Association. Legal Guide for Small Business: Everything a Small-Business Person Must Know, from Start-up Employment Laws to Financing and Selling a Business. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000.

Business Plans Handbook: A Compilation of Actual Business Plans Developed by Small Businesses Throughout North America. 13th ed. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 2006.

Heath, Gibson. Getting the Money You Need: Practical Solutions for Financing Your Small Business. Chicago: Irwin Professional Publishing, 1995.

Goldstein, David B. Saving Energy, Growing Jobs: How Environmental Protection Promotes Economic Growth, Profitability, Innovation, and Competition. Berkeley: Bay Tree Publishing, 2007.

J.K. Lasser Institute. How to Run a Small Business. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. World Class: Thriving Locally in the Global Economy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Naisbitt, John. Global Paradox: The Bigger the World Economy, the More Powerful Its Smallest Players. New York: W. Morrow, 1994.

Price, Courtney H. 101 + Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions from Entrepreneurs. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.

Small Business Administration. The State of Small Business: A Report of the President Transmitted to the Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. G.P.O, annual publication.

Small Business Sourcebook. 22nd ed. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Company, 2006.

Smith, Jeanette. The Advertising Kit: A Complete Guide for Small Businesses. New York and Toronto: Lexington Books, 1994.

What’s in a business sign? A lot actually. A good carwash sign can make a business thrive. The owners of Elephant Car Wash in Rancho Mirage, California, know that their pink elephant carwash sign gets a lot of attention locally, but when they recently decided to give the sign a makeover, they found themselves in the national spotlight as well.

“If you looked at it right now, because of the cold weather - it was so harsh to the sign,” said Anthony Antonis, who co-owns the car wash with his brothers, Michael and John. “It’s such a pillar of the community.”

The car wash serves about 200 cars daily and doubles that number on the weekends, he said.

Customers may not know the business’s name, but they know the elephant. “I hardly remember the name; I just call it the car wash with the big elephant,” said Palm Desert resident Eve McCulloch. It’s a hot spot for photo opportunities, manager Gary Deines said.

“Every night, I see someone taking a picture,” he said. [read more...]

What’s that? People stopping to take a picture with your business sign? That’s right, it’s become something of a landmark. When completed, the restored sign will have new neon lights and cost about $9,000 — a small price to pay for the media punch this sign packs.

Carwash owners Shelly Phillips and Cindi Sanders managed to increase carwash sales by knowing the needs of their community and adding unique services to their “Wash Me” carwash.

Phillips said the company has more purpose than just clean cars.

“No one paid attention to what this community needed,” Phillips said.

She realized there are many people in the community who have fixed incomes. She wanted to make sure Wash Me offered a range of packages and prices for those who want to spend a little or a lot.

One way of doing this is offering oil change services. “We’re kind of one-stop shopping for oil changes and car washes,” said Phillips. And they wanted the services to be available seven days a week. [more...]

When Wash Me first opened in 2005, Shelly and Cindi washed the cars by hand. But as their business continued to grow, the invested almost $1 million dollars and acquired a new conveyor wash system from Ryko. Phillips and Sandars hope to open new washes in the future.

Carwash owner Edward Ibbotson said that he’s trying to do his part for public safety by placing a large sign in front of his carwash encouraging safe driving. The sign, a large electronic billboard with large red print displays messages to drivers such as:

• “Turn signals are easy to use. Up for right, down for left”
• “Hang up and drive”
• “Using turn signals saves lives.”

The slogans are creative and often require a doubletake.

“We want to be the motoring public’s conscience down here in Monkey Junction,” joked Ibbotson, an upstate New York native often astonished by Port City driving.

Wilmington is perennially on the top of AAA Carolinas’ list as the most dangerous place to drive in North Carolina, Ibbotson pointed out. [more...]

The creative signage not only contributes to public safety, but also attracts additional attention to Edward’s wash.

Car wash owners Mike and Katie Opitz of Washington state make waves and satisfy customers by focusing on customer service, employees, and the environment.

“We’re not just any old car wash,” the retired Army lieutenant colonel said. “We want to take care of our customers, and we want to take care of our employees, too.” [more...]

Katie Opitz says she rewards employees for dedication by getting them gym memberships. In addition to taking good care of employees and customers, the Optizes also purchase their car wash soap from a Portland chemical dealer, Kaady Chemicals, who sells only biodegradable soaps. Though using biodegradable soaps ultimately means that the Opitz’s cost per wash is higher than many carwashes, they also can attract environmentally sensitive customers. By using recycled water in the prerinse cycles, the Wave Car Wash, conserves water as well. Katie Opitz is quick to point out that their car wash is more enviromentally sensitive than washing by hand because of the amount of water it saves.

Due to the success of their car wash, the Opitzes hope to eventually own five more carwashes.

Though their website is not up and running yet, it will eventually be found at: http://www.wavewash.com/

Carwash operators tend to be creative and resourceful marketers. Ontario, Canada, carwash operator Taun Frosst lives up to that reputation by opening a carwash coupled with a petwash for pet owners.

Frosst says the stainless steel tub has a ramp leading to it for larger dogs; that way owners don’t have to lift their pets by hand.

Once in the tub, owners can choose from tearless shampoo, conditioner, flea and tick wash or disinfecting cleanser.

A dryer is also on hand so pets don’t leave wet and cold. [read more...]

Plans for this carwash were in the works since 2004 and the carwash only recently opened.