How to open a car wash from scratch: a business plan. How to open a car wash from scratch: a business plan with calculations How a car wash business is combined with

Many Russians these days are looking for an acceptable way to generate a reliable income, and the thought of starting their own business increasingly takes possession of the minds of fellow citizens. Where, in what area is it relatively easy to make money? Where to go if you do not have huge funds for organizing a serious business or buying a new business? And what if absolutely all niches have been occupied for a long time, and inventing something new is still the task?

What is profitable?

Let's not reinvent the wheel and today we'll talk about one of the classic, well-established types of business, the opening of which, although it requires quite serious investments, is still a very real task.

It's about washing cars. How to open a car wash from scratch? What is needed for this, and how to properly organize the business in order to have a guarantee with a profit, and not a loss? In this article, we will tell you how to open a car wash correctly, and explain some important nuances.

How relevant is it?

Why a car wash? The relevance of this business in modern urban conditions is proven by life itself. Judge for yourself: car washes are in demand absolutely everywhere - from a metropolis to a small town, and people use their services in any season.

In winter, every driver needs to visit a car wash to wash off salt, sand and reagents. In spring and autumn, you have to look there at least once every 2-3 days due to constant mud and puddles on domestic roads. In the summer, it is customary for car owners to carefully polish their cars until they shine. And today we will focus on how to open a car wash from scratch.

This business (according to professionals) has a fairly high profitability (30-40%), that is, it belongs to the number of profitable enterprises. We can talk about full payback after about 12-16 months after opening a business, of course, provided it is successfully set up and promoted. If we are talking about a portal, more expensive option, then this period is extended, and it will be possible to calculate the net profits in a year or two.

How to open a car wash from scratch: a business plan

2. Visit for permission from the local government of the area where your business will be located, as well as obtain conclusions from the Fire Service, Moskompriroda, MP Mosvodostok and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision.

3. The construction plan must be coordinated with the Moskomarkhitektura.

What else will need to be agreed

In addition, the Moscow government will require you to provide contracts for the lease of a land plot, cleaning the adjacent territory with the removal of solid waste, with the designated boundaries of your site and a document certifying that your cash register equipment is registered.

Before opening a car wash from scratch, it will be necessary to submit information about the proposed construction of the facility to the Office of Communications and Transport. To obtain a FEZ and approve the project, you will have to contact Rospotrebnadzor (its territorial department).

We select a place and premises for our car wash

The payback rate and, as a consequence, the profitability of this business project are directly related to the location of the car wash. Almost ideal place for this is the side of the city's central avenues, pay attention to the busiest highways.

Car washes are often organized at the entrance to the city, next to the customs or border post. But, being in the area of ​​a large transport hub, drivers often give up the idea of ​​using the services of a car wash because of the increased fuss and crush. It will be more profitable to offer its services near gas stations and maintenance stations.

Rent - cheaper

How to open a car wash from scratch when building your own building for it is an unbearable financial task for you? In this case, renting a space at an ATP, suitable in all respects, may be a good option. In addition, you will have to draw up much less paperwork. Car enthusiasts, as a rule, are familiar with all similar enterprises in their city.

The type and volume of services provided depends on the parameters of the premises. For example, if you are thinking about how to start a truck wash from scratch, there are a number of additional factors to consider, starting with the height of the ceilings.

Do not forget about the need for an auxiliary area in which you will store consumables.

Car wash water treatment

In connection with the growth of serious environmental problems, the owners of car washes are put forward requirements, which you will certainly have to take into account when opening. For example, a purification system will be required without fail, the filters of which will have to remove fats, oil products and other chemicals from wastewater.

Such equipment is quite compact and belongs to the transportable units. The water purification procedure itself is carried out in stages. The available circulating tank allows you to purify the liquid using a circulating cycle. Thus, circulating several times in a row along the circuit, the water remains practically free of impurities.

Since the operation of cleaning equipment is provided at temperatures above +5 ° C, it should be installed in a heated room.

What's next?

A commission of representatives of the administration, firefighters, traffic police and other services must be present at the opening of the car wash. They will be signed by your object.

Advertising on billboards located in the immediate vicinity of your outlet will be very effective if you indicate in a short form its location, opening hours, discounts, basic services and important bonuses.

We select personnel

Having overcome bureaucratic obstacles, engage in the selection of suitable personnel. What should it be? The main requirements for job applicants are the ability to understand cars of the category that is supposed to be serviced in your case, contact (to form a list of regular customers) and courteous treatment.

In order not to lose consumers of services, it is advisable for the car wash to operate around the clock - such a schedule is optimal for it. In this case, you will have to hire washers in the amount of 5 or 6 people and one foreman.

Higher education is not required for your employees; students can also work for hire. They should be paid based on the amount of work done. Employees should be motivated by additional material incentives, and stylish overalls with a corporate logo will help to raise the car wash's image as a reputable enterprise.

Let's calculate the cost of the project

When calculating the required expenses, proceed from the rental cost. This amount will vary depending on the premises and the area where it is located. Investments in the purchase of equipment should be added to the lease.

A high-pressure washer with hot water functionality will cost you between $ 1,800 and $ 3,000. The device supplying water to 1 post - at 500-1300 cu. e. Compressor - $ 200-250. Washing vacuum cleaner (or vacuum cleaner) - $ 400-550. - at 4800-6600 dollars.

Most car wash owners prefer to purchase imported equipment. In this market segment, 80% of sales belong to the German company Karcher. In addition, Italian and Danish equipment is appreciated. Apparatus for water purification are usually bought from Russian manufacturers.

The list of basic materials related to consumables consists of car shampoo, polishing agent, means with which dry cleaning is carried out, cleaning of wheel disks, engine, bumpers. Monthly costs for them will be about $ 300, provided that a car wash service 30-40 cars daily.

In the summer, the flow of customers usually dries up. Car wash services are mainly used by those who want to wax their car. What should a businessman do in order not to lose profit? The only way out here is to slightly lower prices while expanding the range of services. Second, try to offer your customers additional reasons to visit your outlet. For example, set up a small tent with tables next to the establishment, where those who wish can relax and have a snack (for example, a barbecue). While on holiday, someone will definitely want to wash the car.

An excellent solution is a mini-market with groceries or a small store selling spare parts within walking distance.

What to do if funds are insufficient

Perhaps you want to spend as little money as possible and are thinking, for example, how to open a self-service car wash. Well, this option is quite possible. Its advantages are that it saves money on staff wages. Of course, this type of service has individual characteristics that must be taken into account when drawing up a business plan.

If you have an idea of ​​how to open a car wash in the garage, it is better to give it up right away. Apart from the need to settle issues with the management at its full height, the problem of water supply, a "busy" place and the arrangement of all expensive equipment mentioned above arises.

The main point due to which this project can be considered unviable is the lack of the ability to connect to water supply and sewerage networks. Even if there is one, you will be required to build a wastewater treatment system. In short, this idea is not very good.

How to open a self-service car wash from scratch: a few tips

Let's say you want to get this type of sink. You already know how to open a car wash from scratch. The business plan in this case should only be slightly adjusted for the specifics of such a service.

As you know, services for washing cars are portal and tunnel, in which washing is carried out in an absolutely automated way, manually (the personnel are engaged in washing cars) and open - based on the principle of self-service.

In the latter case, the drivers themselves wash their cars with the provided funds. Such a sink consists of a set of equipment with a set of necessary materials. All equipment (pistols for water supply, vacuum cleaners, dryers) is as simple and understandable as possible. Clients use the services of such a wash much more willingly because of the opportunity to save money.

The list of services provided includes washing with warm water with powder (removal of dirt), rinsing off foam with cold water, waxing a car, polymerization to eliminate drips.

The main problem with setting up such a car wash is how to deal with freezing liquids in winter? There is a solution, and it consists in a device under a heated floor using a system of pipes with circulating running hot water. Heating of water in the system is ensured by automatic switching on at the right time of a gas or diesel boiler. Equipment should also be selected with continuous fluid circulation, such as pressurized water guns.

The car has long become the main vehicle around the world, including Russia and the CIS countries. Every year the number of car owners is growing, and at the same time the demand for thematic services is growing: gas stations, car services and car washes. In this article, we will talk about how to open a car wash from scratch with a minimum investment of money.

Choosing the type of car wash

Before you open a car wash, first of all, you must decide how much money you are willing to invest in your business. The type of car wash that you can open will depend on the amount of investment. Consider the main types that are currently on the market.

  • Manual contact sink- involves the manual application of detergents and cleaning with sponges. This type of car washes is the most common, since the entrepreneur does not have to spend money on expensive equipment. The downside in this case is that physical contact with the vehicle can lead to scratches and damage to the body. Another disadvantage is the long service time of the car. You won't be able to serve a large number of customers in an hour, as is the case with other types of car washes.
  • Manual non-contact washing- the procedure is carried out in several steps. First, most of the car is cleaned under the pressure of water. Then an active foam is applied, which removes the remaining dirt. Further, the foam is washed off under a high pressure of water. The final step is to apply the polish. The initial costs for this type of car wash will be more than in the previous case, since special equipment will be needed for the work.
  • Self-service car wash- if you want to open a self-service car wash, then this is a very right decision. This type of sink is gaining more and more popularity every year. Customers in this case do not pay for the car wash, but for the time they spend in your car wash. Thanks to the fact that your customers do everything themselves, you can save money on car wash employees, since a large number of personnel are not required for this.
  • Automatic car washes- it should be noted right away that choosing this type will lead to a large initial cash investment. You can save on the number of employees, but the minimum cost of equipment for such a wash starts at 3 million rubles. In turn, automatic car washes are divided into two types: portal - when the car enters the box and is cleaned due to the fact that special equipment is installed around it, tunnel car washes - imply that the vehicle is installed with a moving belt and during the movement cleaning occurs in several stages ...

The best option in this case is to open a contactless car wash with employees, or on the principle of self-service.

Business seasonality

Car washes are a seasonal business. In summer and winter, demand in this niche drops sharply, while in autumn and spring, on the contrary, it grows. This must be considered when starting a business.

If you are going to open an automatic car wash, the best time to do this is right before the start of the season.

In the event that it is planned to open a standard car wash, then it is better to do it in the off-season for the following reasons:

  • Personnel need to be trained
  • The strategy for working with clients is not debugged
  • Supply of consumables is not debugged

If you open early in the season and immediately run into a large flow of customers, then either you or your employees may simply be overwhelmed.

What services can car washes provide?

In addition to the usual body wash, this company can provide an even wide range of other services, which will bring great profit. Many car washes take advantage of this and can offer their customers a wide range of services. For example, interior cleaning is usually one of the most expensive services and one such clean one equates in profitability to several standard car washes.

Examples of services provided:

  • Standard body wash, the main specialty of this business
  • Interior cleaning
  • Drawing with bumper and wheels
  • Cleaning the engine
  • Body polishing
  • Dry cleaning
  • Trunk cleaning
  • Treatment by means of "Anti-rain" or "Anti-fogging"
  • Washing wheels from dirt with drying
  • Removing difficult stains
  • etc.

It should be noted that the more services you want to provide, the more you will need a variety of equipment. The salaries of employees will also rise, as they will be engaged in the provision of difficult services.

Location

In this example, a business plan for a car wash, after you have chosen its type, the second step is to select a place. It is necessary to decide on the place where to build our enterprise as early as possible, since it will take a lot of time to obtain permission to create a car wash. You will learn about this a little later.

Mobile car wash


When choosing a place, it should be noted right away that instead of building a new building or refurbishing some garages, you can choose a mobile car wash for your business. It implies a moisture-resistant box that can accommodate one or two cars. The cost of such boxes starts from 700 thousand rubles and a huge plus is that if you settle in some unfavorable place, then at any time you can move with all your equipment to another. This is especially beneficial if you want to start a self-service car wash from scratch with minimal investment.

In garages

An excellent option would be if you can rent several garages for a car wash. In order to have a good flow of customers, they should be located near some kind of highway, or next to a large area of ​​residential buildings.

The main difficulty in this case is that you will have to invest in order to adapt garages for your business. You will have to asphalt the road, connect various communications.

Also, ordinary garages cannot boast of high resistance to dampness and over time they will begin to deteriorate, and this will lead to additional expenses for major repairs.

On the outskirts of the city

The next option is to stay on the outskirts of the city next to some busy highway. The plus in this case is that most likely you will not have to argue with the city administration for a long time and persistently to obtain a permit, since there will be no residential areas nearby, in which there will be people dissatisfied with the location of a car wash next to their house.

In the town

It is very difficult to obtain a work permit for a business in the center of a residential area. But if you succeed in doing this, then most likely you will create a business that will never need to find clients.

In some cities, industrial buildings such as factories or warehouses are sometimes located right in the city center. You can try to get permission to open a car wash in such places. Of course, the flow of clients will not be as large as if the business is located in the main square of the city, but in any case it is better than accommodation in small neighborhoods.

In the parking lot


In many large cities, car washes in parking lots are a success. They can be located in street parking lots of shopping centers, or in underground ones. The profitability of such car washes directly depends on the number of parking spaces and their occupancy.

Also, such car washes are placed in underground parking lots in elite houses, where people drive expensive cars and daily car washing will not hit their wallet.

In the village

If you want to open a car wash in the village, then you should definitely assess the potential demand. As a rule, villagers do not drive expensive cars often and prefer to wash them on their own. Considering also the fact that the population of villages is usually small, opening a business in such a place, you may never see a profit.

The situation changes dramatically if the village is located on a busy highway. In this case, the idea has the right to life.

On your own plot in a private house

Many people wonder if it is possible to open a car wash on their own site in order to save on renting premises? This is a great idea, but it should be borne in mind that according to the law, each piece of land must be used strictly for its intended purpose. Therefore, if you open a car wash in your country house, then you will not be able to use it to grow vegetables, fruits, etc.

What do you need to get permission to open a car wash?

A car wash is a rather complex business, the opening of which involves the collection of many different documents and permits. So what does it take to open a car wash?

To begin with, we must register a legal entity, namely an individual entrepreneur or LLC. If this is your first business and you do not have either one or the other, then we recommend stopping at the option of registering an individual entrepreneur. Thus, you will save yourself a lot of time and effort.

Next, you need to choose which taxation system you will work with. We recommend the simplified taxation system (STS). She offers two options for paying taxes: 6% of income, or 15% of profits. In the case of this business, we recommend choosing the payment of taxes 15% of the organization's net profit.

Accounting under the STS does not involve any big difficulties, so you can do it yourself, or by hiring a freelance accountant.

The next step in our car wash business plan, which must be completed, is the filing of a letter of application and obtaining a resolution from the city administration. You must obtain permission from the city administration to create your enterprise. At the same time, you should already choose and decide where you want to place your business.

After submitting the documents, you will have several weeks before you receive feedback. During this time, you must prepare a sketch of your car wash and coordinate it with:

  • City administration
  • Municipal architect
  • Fire service

After you receive a response from the city administration and coordinate your sketch with the services described above, all received documents must be sent back to the city administration. Then you can start developing a full-fledged project for a room or building a building.

What documents are needed to open a car wash:

  • Individual entrepreneur agreement on tax registration
  • Agreement on the ownership of the premises or its lease
  • Agreement on the right of ownership or its lease for a land plot under the premises
  • Electricity supply agreement
  • Agreement on connection to water networks
  • Contract for the removal of solid waste and waste water

The finished project is sent for examination to the same organizations, and in case of positive feedback, you reach the final stage - state examination.

The procedure for obtaining permission to open a car wash is not so easy and you may need the help of professional lawyers. The cost of services will be approximately 10-20 thousand rubles.

Important Requirements

Compliance with environmental regulations is a very important requirement of this business. Every day, car washes dump sewage into the sewage system, so it is necessary to conclude an agreement with a water supply and sewerage facility (municipal enterprise of water supply and sewerage facilities), which will indicate the maximum amount of water that you can discharge and its composition.

Installing a water purification system is a must. The more water you use, the more powerful the system you need. For example, on the outskirts of the city, heavily polluted jeeps will come to you from the forests and steppes. To clean them, you will need 160 liters of water; to clean an ordinary passenger car driving only in the city center, 60 liters will be enough. This means that outside the city, water purification systems should be more powerful and, accordingly, more expensive.

Such treatment systems reduce the volume of waste discharged into the sewage system and operate only at temperatures from +5 degrees.

Equipment

After you select the premises and receive all the necessary permits for the car wash, you need to buy equipment for the car wash itself. The equipment may vary depending on the services provided. As new services are added, you will purchase the necessary equipment. Below is a list of the equipment of a self-service car wash business plan and with employees.

The most popular suppliers of car wash equipment in Russia are the following companies:

  • Karcher
  • Carebridge
  • California kleindiest
  • Weidner

Of course, this is not the entire list. There are other less popular manufacturers from Europe.

In addition to specialized equipment, it is also necessary to equip a rest room for employees and a waiting room for customers. If you can save money on the premises for employees and put only sofas, tables and chairs, then the waiting area for customers needs to be thought out.

It's no secret that with the same cost of service, clients will go where they are more comfortable. Therefore, you should try to arrange the waiting area well. You can put high-quality armchairs, a TV that will show car programs and a hot drink dispenser.

How much it will take to equip the rest and waiting area depends only on you and your budget. This amount can be 100,000 rubles and 1 million.

Staff

After purchasing and installing all the necessary equipment, you can proceed to the search for employees. Applicants for this job do not need to be educated. It is enough that they are in good physical shape, know little about cars and be friendly with customers.

For a small enterprise, 2-4 employees with a salary of 20,000 rubles will be enough. Of course, if you are going to open a car wash in Moscow, then the salary should be higher.

Attraction of clients

The final step in this business plan is customer acquisition. The most effective time-tested way to attract customers is promotions.

After opening your business, you can do the following promotions:

  • "Free car wash from 14 to 20 September!"
  • "Discount for all clients 50%"

These promotions are the most profitable. You will grab public attention. Yes, for some time you will have to work in a negative way, but a large number of people will find out about your business and if they are satisfied with your service, they will come to you again and again.

You can inform people that you have opened and you have a super-cool promotion in the following ways:

An example of unusual public involvement can be seen in the community “Carwash st. Herzen, 94 Tyumen Behind the Voyage shopping center. This is the VKontakte community of a non-existent car wash in nature, which was created by two schoolchildren. They attracted public attention due to tough marketing, which was later written about by major Internet publications. In their community, they instantly gathered 10,000 people who at first did not even suspect that a car wash did not exist.




An example of provocative publications from this community

How much money does it take to open a car wash?

It is very difficult to predict what the costs will be when creating a car wash, as it depends on many different factors:

  • Will it be a self-service car wash or not
  • Automatic or manual
  • The premises are rented or owned

So, we will demonstrate a car wash business plan with calculations, an example will be the following:

  • We have 8 employees, with a 2/2 schedule
  • We rent premises
  • The car wash will provide various services described earlier in the article
  • We need to buy equipment for contactless washing
  • Work schedule from 12 noon to 12 noon

Based on this, we get a table of expenses.

Name Price
Upfront costs
Equipment and furniture 850.000 rub
Paperwork 15.000 rub
Advertising 30.000 rub
Construction of boxes for washing 1.000.000 rub
Total: 1.895.000r
Monthly expenses
Rent and utility bills 60.000 rub
Expendable materials 15.000 rub
Salary of 8 employees 160.000 rub
Advertising 15.000 rub
Total: 250.000 rub

As a result, the initial cost of opening a car wash is 1,895,000 rubles, and the monthly costs are 250,000 rubles.

Income

Our company can serve approximately 50 clients per day. Depending on the seasonality, there may be different workload, suppose that the workload will be 76%, then we will serve 38 clients per day. The average check will be approximately 350 rubles.

Income per day- 13.300r.
Monthly income- 399.000 rub
Net profit for the month- 149.000r
Payback- 13 months

Car wash franchises

There is an easier option for opening a car wash - buying a franchise. Then you do not have to figure out what equipment to buy on your own, they will help you choose a profitable place for placement, help you solve legal issues. In general, buying a franchise will make life easier.

But there are also negative sides:

  • You will have to share the profit
  • Any organizational changes will have to be coordinated

A huge disadvantage is that some franchises prohibit the provision of any additional services. And this is a loss of profit for us. Therefore, before signing the contract, you should take into account all the points.

If these disadvantages do not scare you, then we can proceed to the review of franchises.

Washing Max


This franchise offers two formats for doing business.

Mobile car wash

  • Lump-sum contribution - 250.000 rub
  • Investment volume - 890.000 rubles
  • Payback - 6-9 months
  • Monthly profit - 246.000 rubles

Stationary sink

  • Lump-sum contribution - 250.000 rub
  • Investment volume - 990.000 rubles
  • Payback - 6-10 months
  • Monthly profit - 260.000 rubles

To cooperate with this franchise, the following conditions must be met:

Zebra

This franchise holds the record for starting a business. After purchasing it, you can start full-fledged work within 10 days. Full payback will not be long in coming either.

The amount of investment is only from 300,000 rubles to 500,000 rubles

Requirements:

  • 6 employees
  • Premises not less than 10 sq.m.

Digital moika

The franchise has a different set of packages. The cheapest package costs only 39,000 rubles, the most expensive 549,000 rubles.

This option is good for those who do not want to invest too much in this business. You can open a very small and simple car wash and see if customers will come to you or not. If not, then you can close without a big loss of money, but if there are clients, then you can expand.

Requirements:

  • 3 employees
  • Minimum area 2 sq.m.

I want to buy a ready-made car wash business!

There are a huge number of ads on the market that offer you to buy a ready-made business or rent it. I would like to note that the goose that lays the golden eggs is rarely sold, with good car washes the situation is exactly the same.

Most likely, after buying a car wash, you will find things in it that you will have to work on well. For example, unqualified personnel, repairs, absence of clients, etc.

If you still want to buy a ready-made car wash business in Moscow, St. Petersburg or some other cities, then you should definitely check everything before buying.

You need to check the following:

  • Does the car wash satisfy all the requirements of SES, firefighters, etc.
  • Documented performance for the last year
  • Documented profit for the last year
  • Is the owner of the premises going to evict you?
  • Are employees ready to work for the new owner?
  • Does she have a good reputation among car owners?

Also, check when this car wash opened. The less it existed, the more likely it is that something is wrong with it.

The cost of a profitable car wash will start at 1 million rubles, you can find these ads on Avito.

Wet business: opening a car wash

* Calculations are based on average data for Russia

Car washes are not a new business, but they are still in demand. Moreover, many experts say that this sector is currently undergoing another round of development. In particular, this statement applies to regional markets. So how do you open a car wash?

According to the calculations of foreign experts, there should be one portal car wash for every 50 thousand of the population.
The initial boom in the opening of car washes has passed, but the market for these services has not yet been fully developed.

Car washers offer almost the same “menu” and work using the same technique. The majority prefers the Karcher brand and the others do not want to know. Indeed, the equipment is of high quality and reliable, although not the cheapest. But it is widespread: the Russian dealer network of this German concern is well developed. As for other manufacturers, products of such brands as Istobal (Spain), WAP, Weidner, Wesumat, California Kleindiest (Germany), Ceccato, Comet (Italy), Carebridge (Great Britain) are represented in Russia.

In the country as a whole, 80% of the market is occupied by equipment from German manufacturers; the remaining 20% ​​is shared by Italian, Czech and Polish firms, whose products are inferior to German ones in quality and price.

Of the three main types of car washes, "moydodyry" confidently opt for hand-type car washes with high pressure washers - they occupy 80-90% of the regional market. An extremely small segment (10-20%) belongs to automatic portal car washes, which is strange in itself: this service is very attractive to customers and highly profitable. Washers themselves say that drivers do not like "portals": they allegedly damage, scratch the car.

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Meanwhile, sinks of this type are widespread in Europe, along with self-service car washes. The latter, by the way, are also completely absent from the regional market. Not to mention the tunnel type sinks.
Taking into account the above-mentioned features of the regional market, it is not difficult to figure out a way to "squeeze" into it. A trivial but guaranteed winning option is to purchase a portal car wash, or even better, a tunnel-type car wash. That is to say about yourself in a sector with little or no competition. The method is good for entrepreneurs who are not constrained in funds.

Another fairly standard solution is to increase the area of ​​the "auto laundry", that is, its productivity. But, having made a bet on the amount of turnover, it is necessary to locate such a car wash in the appropriate place: close to large highways in order to provide itself with customers. Or look for a "wholesale" customer among large transport companies and conclude an agreement with him for the exclusive right to "wash". Departmental cars are washed regardless of the weather - this is their rule.

Actually, the most profitable are only two types of sinks. The first type includes washing with high productivity and a minimum range of services. These car washes generate maximum income on busy road sections and are designed for customers who value their time. On the other hand, the faster one car is processed, the more cars will pass through the car wash per day. The average time for servicing one car at such car washes should not exceed 10-15 minutes. They are most effective, in particular, at the entrances to the city and highways connecting the sleeping areas of the city with industrial ones. Only automatic equipment is needed here - gantry or tunnel washers - with a capacity of 12-100 cars per hour. And the use of manual labor is minimized. Of course, wage costs are also going down.

The second, alternative option is high quality sinks with a wide range of services provided with low productivity. A set of them can include an engine wash, interior dry cleaning, body polishing, interior rubbing and polishing, tire blackening (in particular, as a pre-sale preparation), etc. Such washes are designed for customers who specifically plan to spend a certain amount of time in exchange for quality , comfort and prestige. They can be located away from busy highways, but they must definitely give the client maximum benefit. These washes use manual equipment: first, the abrasive is washed off the surface with a manual apparatus, then it is wiped with a soft sponge, then wiped dry, and the foreman controls the quality of the work. Accordingly, the sinks for this purpose should be provided with separate rooms for recreation and entertaining pastime of customers. It can be a cafe, slot machines, whatever! Everything is limited only by the owner's imagination.

In Novgorod, car washes often operate in conjunction with a car service, or at least offer drivers all kinds of "side" services. In business, there is such a thing as "synergy". It means the additional effect of combining two or more closely related types of business. If a potential client needs to buy oil and a couple of parts, there is a broken spare wheel in the trunk, the car is dirty, and besides, he doesn't mind having a snack, most likely he will choose the car wash where he can combine all the operations, and not four different places. Even just stopping by to change a wheel, the driver often looks at the car wash for the sake of interest, assesses whether it will be convenient to wash the car here. Stand-alone sinks sometimes spin up for six months. In most cases, the reasons for the failure of the car wash business lie not in its very disadvantage, but in the wrong approach to its organization. An original solution to a business problem, which turns the routine problem of the washing process into a small holiday for the client, will surely bring the entrepreneur additional profit, which may turn out to be even greater than the income from "specialized" services.
Do you need advertising for sinks? There are different points of view on this issue. Of course, it is appropriate to place advertisements in the "automobile" media, to distribute colorful brochures in crowded places and in mailboxes.

It's always a good idea to come up with an out-of-the-box advertising ploy to stand out. You must be remembered.
As an example, we can cite car washes that have recently become popular in Moscow and other cities, where customers are strictly prohibited from opening windows, doors, getting out of the car and ... touching washers. The explanation is simple - the ceremony of cleaning cars for the joy (and sometimes amazement) of the clients is performed by half-naked girls. It is not hard to guess that this sink has no shortage of predominantly male visitors. There is also an opposite example, when ladies from different districts of the city come to look at the master of the ballet genre that turns a car wash into a beautiful show. Of course, an overly conservative visitor may not appreciate your efforts. But for him there are many other "highlights". For example, offer a customer to play darts during the car wash (which is easier - a target and darts) on the condition that if he collects a certain number of points, he will receive a small discount. In any case, you can be sure that rumors about the existence of an unusual sink will scatter quickly and far. And clients will come to you not only from the surrounding areas, but also from more remote ones.

The threshold for entering "wet" business is about 10-15 thousand dollars. AVD washers pay off in 6-12 months, and it takes about 3 months only to find out about the company. Much more profitable, in his opinion, is a portal car wash. But it requires a much larger investment, since it costs from 40,000 euros and pays off in three years.

Much depends on the size of the production area, the number of cars that a car wash can serve per day. In Nizhny Novgorod, if the "auto laundry" occupies 100 sq. m, then, according to experts, on average 15-20 cars pass through it per day. But, of course, each sink has its own performance.

Since the car's cleanliness costs the owner 100-200 rubles (the final price is made up of what services the client wants to receive, and strongly depends on the proximity of the “point” to the city center), the monthly profit of an average car wash can range from 4 to 8 thousand dollars.

Considering all of the above, the profitability of car washes, according to specialists practicing washing cars, is at least 20%. In the best case, the bar of profitability can reach 40%. But the level of profitability is highly dependent on several factors, the main of which are the location of the sink, personnel, equipment whims, seasonality.

You cannot, of course, put an exclamation mark on the statement that the washing business is too dependent on the impermanence of nature. Yes, the autumn-spring crowds of cars at the car wash give way to a relative summer calm. People are leaving to rest, and they do not mind washing the car on their own. But in the summer, as the owners of car washes testify, customers come to vacuum the interior and do dry cleaning, in spring and autumn they usually do not want to spend money on this. In order to attract customers and maintain an acceptable flow of cars at the car wash, it does not hurt to make some summer discounts, to expand the range of services to the maximum.

Ready-made ideas for your business

The most productive periods are spring and autumn. At this time, queues are often even lined up. And the intensity of visits decreases on holidays and the period of summer vacations. Undoubtedly, one of the most important conditions for the success of the washing business is the correct choice of location for the location of the sink (although even the most successful location does not in itself guarantee 100% success of the enterprise). It is believed that the most advantageous location for washing are highways at the entrances to the city, especially in front of the traffic police posts.

In Nizhny Novgorod, this did not justify itself. It turned out that it is much more convenient for customers if the car wash is located close to the road connecting sleeping areas with industrial areas, along which powerful streams move in the morning and in the evening. If the car wash is located in a "sleeping" area, then the client, in addition to washing the car outside, often uses additional services: cleaning the interior, removing stains on the upholstery, polishing the panels, washing the engine, etc., up to blackening the tires.

If the car wash is placed on a too busy highway or at the entrance to the city, then the client here will be rather a random one, who only wants to wash the car and leave as soon as possible. Then it makes sense to arrange a room and select equipment that provides the maximum throughput. This will increase productivity and avoid queuing. But too good is sometimes bad. There are times when a car wash located near major transport hubs suffers from excessive car bustle. Potential clients are often just "bummer" to wade through the stream of cars.

When choosing a room, it is important to pay attention to a good approach to the car wash, so that the road is bearable, and you do not have to look for it for half an hour. Also, practice shows that "car laundries" feel good at service stations, gas stations and car fleets. Another option is to build car washes near hypermarkets, where a lot of cars are assembled on weekends.

By no means the last factor influencing the profitability of the sink is the strict selection of personnel. At first glance, it is not difficult to find workers for a car wash. Invite the first person you meet and have him scrub the car for a reasonable fee. But no. While you don't need any special education to clean cars, experienced entrepreneurs tend to give preference to workers who know about cars. Energetic guys with a "basic automotive education" come in handy here.

Some entrepreneurs were very pleased with the hiring of girls. The natural "ambition" of the latter is fully manifested at the car wash. But men are still preferable - the work is hard enough.

The issue of equipment protection from encroachments of home-grown "kulibins" is also topical. In particular, at automatic car washes, operators manage to underestimate the number of washed cars, causing considerable damage to the owners. Russian self-taught people quickly find weaknesses in technology, so it is better to buy equipment that is as safe as possible from burglaries.

Car washes, especially gantry ones, suffer not only from the hands of staff, but also from breakdowns of imported equipment, which is poorly adapted to our water. Failure of any block or unit leads to paralysis of the entire washing post. And if the service company does not have the necessary large spare parts (which is often the case), then they have to be ordered abroad.
A number of additional problems bring the owners of sinks and the harsh Russian climate. In frosts, cars must be warmed up and washed only with hot water. Washers' expenses are also growing due to the need to purchase branded car cosmetics. On the other hand, not every imported powder or shampoo is suitable.

Nadezhda Veselova, Sergey Pichugin
"Nizhny Novgorod Business Journal"

When opening your own business, first of all, the question arises: how profitable is the chosen direction. This criterion is fundamental in the development of a certain market niche.

Naturally, no one can guarantee the success of the event, but you can still get an approximate picture.

Is it worth starting such a business?

A person who decides to organize his own car wash, regardless of the reasons that prompted him to do this (old dream, desire to invest, coincidence of circumstances, etc.), is definitely acting with foresight. A car wash is a stable, sustainable and quite profitable business that absolutely anyone can start, even with no experience in entrepreneurial activity.

The high profitability is due to the fact that this type of service is used at any time of the year, although it is widely believed that the peak of attendance falls on the autumn-winter period... In summer, of course, car wash is visited less often, but everyone does. This is especially true for the owners of more expensive cars, as well as those who wish to do, for example, a comprehensive interior cleaning.

Where to begin?

Any business, and this applies not only to a car wash, should start with writing a competent business plan that will cover all aspects of business: overall strategy, marketing, initial capital, funding sources, payback, etc. It is imperative to calculate the costs expected income and profitability of the enterprise. Assess the possible prospects for the development of this commercial project. Before drawing up a business plan, you also need to study the current economic situation in the car wash market in your city.

The financial and settlement section of the business plan depends on the location of the car wash and includes the following points:

  • construction;
  • paperwork;
  • the cost of renting a land plot;
  • costs of the necessary materials and technical equipment;
  • repair costs;
  • operation of equipment.

All of these points need to be very carefully thought out. After drawing up a business plan, you need to decide on the form of doing business. You can simply get the status of an individual entrepreneur, or you can register a legal entity (for example, LLC). The registration process is as follows:

  • formation of a package of documents (application of the established form, passport, TIN, etc.);
  • payment of state fees;
  • handling all documents to the registering authority;
  • obtaining, after a while, permits.

In addition to registering with the tax service, you must:

  • obtain permission from local authorities to open a car wash;
  • contact the design organization to develop a car wash project. The project must comply with the current sanitary and epidemiological, architectural, fire and environmental standards;
  • obtain permission from the Committee for Architecture, Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, Fire Protection, Labor Protection and Environmental Protection Department for the provision of car wash services;
  • get an act for permanent or temporary use of land. Only after receiving such a document a construction order is issued.

Assessment of competitors

The competitive environment of a firm is a set of subjects and market factors that affect the relationship between the seller and the consumer of the service. The main competitors of any organization are considered to be the most successfully functioning firms in a particular niche.

In any large settlement there is a large number of enterprises providing vehicle washing services. An important, but not the most important, role is played by the location of the sinks.

You can increase the competitiveness of your car wash only by providing high quality services using modern equipment, as well as offering reasonable prices.

To master this market segment, it is necessary to develop a competent marketing, advertising and management policy of the enterprise... The main competitors of the opening car wash will be the most successful companies on the market that provide services for the manual car wash. As for the location, it is better to open in an area where there are no large and well-established organizations.

Choosing a suitable room

The speed of cost recovery and the profitability of a commercial project directly depends on the location of the facility. As for car washes, they are best located on the sides of major city roads and along busy highways. Many car washes are located at the entrances to the settlement, as well as at border and customs posts.

However, opening near a major transport hub or junction may not be a good idea - customers will simply refuse to maneuver between an abundance of scurrying cars. As practice shows, it is most profitable to open car washes not far from gas stations, car parks and service stations.

If you don't have enough money to build your own building, you can rent a suitable premises. In addition, the paperwork procedure will be simplified (for example, there will be no need to obtain a permit for the construction of a new facility). When choosing a room for a car wash, you need to take into account that part of the area will be occupied by the storage of consumables and equipment.

Varieties of sinks

There are two types of automatic car washes: tunnel and portal... In the first case, the car is on the conveyor belt and moves relative to the washer. The portal car wash has a U-shape and three large brushes - one horizontal and two vertical. The car is stationary and the brushes move relative to it. Both the one and the other type of system allows for non-contact washing, that is, it excludes the effects of alkaline compounds and is based on the elimination of contaminants using a strong pressure of water.

Gantry car washes "fit" well into small spaces, since such a system is a single module equipped with brushes that are customizable for any type of body.

The whole process of washing is fully automated, therefore, a portal car wash has a greater throughput than a manual one.

Many car owners prefer manual car washes to automatic car washes, as they are afraid that the equipment may scratch the car body during the washing process. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the equipment and promptly replace or repair the failed unit. Automatic car wash must be equipped with a pre-wash system.

Gantry sinks have many advantages:

  • do not take up much space;
  • suitable for all types of machines;
  • have a high productivity - up to 12 cars per hour;
  • do not require large investments in training;
  • effectively cope with the assigned tasks.

In addition to gantry brush sinks, there are also non-contact systems. As for tunnel car washes, their optimal size is about 35 meters in length. Smaller parameters will negatively affect the quality of the services provided. The washing process is as follows: the machine is fixed on a special conveyor belt and moves forward, bypassing all the devices on the line. Such washes are the most economical in terms of time: when the car moves forward a few meters, you can start the next car.

A good tunnel car wash is absolutely safe for the car body. In most cases, negative reviews about such a system are caused by outdated equipment and the unwillingness of service owners to maintain it in a timely manner. The consequence of such a negligent attitude can be damage to the paintwork of the car. Today, modern tunnel sinks represent a complex of new technologies, where obsolete materials are replaced by soft foam polyethylene and safe textile fabrics.

Connection to all necessary networks, required permissions

Car washes by type of structure are capital and prefabricated... Capital is an industrial building, erected on a solid concrete foundation. Engineering communications are supplied to the object: electricity, water supply, heating, drainage system. Such car washes are usually built in conjunction with a car service, tire fitting, cafes, etc.

The opening of a stationary car wash requires approval from the department of architecture and urban planning in the local administration. When developing a project, it is necessary to calculate the technical indicators of electricity and water consumption, as well as to plan a water treatment and fire safety system. To agree on the location of the sink, you need to submit:

  • lease agreement or certificate of registration of ownership of land;
  • certificate of registration of an individual entrepreneur or legal entity;
  • tax registration certificate;
  • a sketch of the sink project, which includes visualization, technical description, cost of the object, etc.

Recruitment, purchase of equipment

After solving all the bureaucratic issues, it is necessary to start forming the staff. The following requirements can be presented to future employees:

  • knowledge of car washes (determined by the specifics of the facility);
  • a responsibility;
  • sociability and friendliness - to increase the client base.

As for the work schedule, it is ideal to plan around the clock. For a stationary car wash, you need to hire several washers (five or six) and one foreman. Higher education is not a prerequisite, so you can safely recruit students. Wages can be proportional to the amount of work performed, and to increase motivation, you can introduce material incentives for employees. The image of the car wash is favorably affected by the branded equipment of the employees with the service logo.

Advertise your business

If you want to always have eight to ten cars in front of your car wash, you need to carefully consider an advertising campaign. To keep your business alive, you need to constantly look for new ways to expand your customer base. The car wash business does not allow any kind of guesswork, so a vague marketing strategy or lack of it will lead to wasted money.

Ideally, it's best to seek help from a professional ad agency. Most of the money will go towards signs, billboards, business cards and brochures. It will be useful to place advertisements on the Internet, in newspapers, on radio and television.

How to open a successful service - in the following video:

Opening cost

To calculate the cost of a car wash, you must first calculate the rental costs (this cost item depends on the location) and the cost of equipment. Equipment will require:

  • high-pressure apparatus with heated water (from 120,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles);
  • a high-pressure apparatus for supplying water to one workplace (from 33,000 rubles to 85,000 rubles);
  • compressor (from 15,000 rubles to 18,000 rubles);
  • professional washing vacuum cleaner or vacuum cleaner (from 26,000 rubles to 36,000 rubles);
  • used water purification system (from 250,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles).

Most car wash owners prefer imported equipment. Most quoted are German, Italian and Danish equipment. Of the domestic equipment, the most common systems for the technical purification of used water.

From consumables you will need: car shampoos, polish and dry cleaning compounds, means for cleaning rims, engine and bumpers. All this takes about 18,000-20,000 rubles a month (provided that the car wash serves forty cars every day).

Approximate calculation of income and payback period

Four freestanding non-garage type car washes can be cited as an example. The car wash will serve 200-300 cars daily. The average check amount is about 300 rubles. The rest of the income items come from the proceeds from cafes and tire fitting. Thus, the monthly turnover of the complex will be about three million rubles.

Of the expenses, most of all will have to be spent on salaries of employees, taxes and the purchase of consumables. Large turnover does not allow the use of a simplified taxation system, which means that it will be necessary to report according to the usual system. Up to one million rubles can be spent on employees' salaries and taxes every month. It turns out that the net profit will be one or two million. The payback period for such indicators will be approximately two years... The above calculation is, of course, approximate, since the activity of the service depends on the season.

  • Washing as a project
    • Description of services
    • Production plan
    • Staff recruitment
  • Financial plan
  • What equipment to choose

An example of a business plan for opening a small car wash for two posts. It can be used both for personal justification of the expediency of investing in a business, and for attracting funds from a private investor. We bring to your attention a typical business plan (feasibility study) for opening a car wash. This business plan can serve as an example for obtaining a bank loan, government support or attracting private investment.

Washing as a project

The aim of the project is to organize a car wash in the city of N. The project is supposed to provide services for washing vehicles, incl. cleaning the body, wheels, bottom, polishing the body, as well as cleaning and dry cleaning the interior.

How much money does it take to open a car wash

For the implementation of the project, it is planned to attract investments in the amount of 2.1 million rubles. Their own funds will amount to 300 thousand rubles, and 1.8 million rubles - credit funds. Economic indicators of the project:

  • Net profit per year = 989,406 rubles;
  • Return on sales = 38.5%;
  • Payback of the project = 25 months.

What taxation system to choose for opening a car wash

The organizational and legal form of the organization will be individual entrepreneurship. The initiator of the project is Ivanov I.I.

As a tax regime, a simplified taxation system will be applied, 15% of the company's profits.

At present, practical activities have begun on the implementation of the project:

  1. Registration of individual entrepreneurship in the Federal Tax Service Inspectorate was made;
  2. A lease agreement for a municipal land plot has been concluded to accommodate a single-station mobile car wash with an area of ​​80m2. Rent price - 10,000 rubles per month;
  3. A preliminary search for a company supplying turnkey modular (mobile) car washes has been carried out.

The organization will include 5 people: an administrator and four car washers.

Description of services

Consider the main services that our organization will provide:

1. Car body wash... It includes washing the body and rims. Will be provided by two washers within 10 minutes. The average cost of the service is 250 rubles;

2. Car interior cleaning... This service will include wiping glass, cleaning fabric and leather interior surfaces, cleaning dust and debris (vacuum cleaner). The average cost of the service is 300 rubles;

3. Interior dry cleaning... This service includes cleaning of seats, floor, ceiling, doors, seat belts, plastic. The average cost of the service is 1000 rubles;

4. Polishing service... This includes waxing the body with liquid wax, polishing the body with polish, polishing the front panel and plastic, etc. The average cost of the service is 400 rubles;

5. Additional services... These are services such as cleaning discs, blackening wheels, processing locks, removing traces of insects, etc. The average bill for these services is 100 rubles.

It is planned to establish an operating mode from 10:00 to 20:00.

The share of each service in the total volume of services provided is presented in the form of a diagram:

Download car wash business plan

Step-by-step plan for opening a car wash

In our country, the number of car owners is growing from year to year, and the demand for car wash services is also growing accordingly. The number of middle class people who are the main customers of car washes is also growing. These are mainly middle managers and entrepreneurs.

Our car wash will be located in close proximity to a gas station with a large flow of cars. This is a very convenient location, so the organization does not need additional advertising. The population of the district where our car wash will be located is about 30 thousand people.

The closest competitors are at a respectful distance. There is not a single similar object within a radius of 500 meters.

The presence of two boxes for washing a car will allow you to avoid a long queue and, accordingly, exclude the possibility of the client leaving for the nearest competitor. Let's move on to calculating the estimated revenue of the organization.

It is assumed that the average traffic of a car wash will be about 30 cars per day. That is, 15 cars for each wash box. With an average check of 350 rubles, daily revenue will be about 10,500 rubles, per month - 315,000 rubles.

However, take into account the seasonality in the car wash business. The peak of revenue occurs in spring and autumn, and the decline begins in summer and winter:

Monthly revenue by period will be:

  • Spring period - 504 thousand rubles (+ 60%);
  • Summer period - 157, 5 thousand rubles (-50%);
  • Autumn period - 472.5 thousand rubles (+ 50%);
  • Winter period - 126 thousand rubles (-60%).

Based on the given data, the annual turnover of the organization will be 3,777,000 rubles.

Production plan

A mobile two-station car wash has a number of advantages over conventional capital structures:

  1. Low start-up investments for starting a business;
  2. The design of the car wash allows you to install the premises in the shortest possible time;
  3. A mobile car wash is a completely independent module that does not require construction and installation work;
  4. In case of an unsuccessful location, the car wash can be moved to another location. The design of a mobile car wash allows you to change its location about 30 times.

The package includes:

  • Power frame;
  • Insulated outer contour, which provides thermal insulation of the room from +30 to -30 gr .;
  • Internal and external cladding consists of polymer-coated sandwich panels;
  • The car wash is equipped with a three-stage circulating water supply system with a coagulation chamber;
  • Tank with a capacity of 80 liters for diesel fuel;
  • Supply and exhaust ventilation system;
  • Fully autonomous air heating system with diesel fuel;
  • Waterproof electrical wiring;
  • High pressure pump for washing cars, manufacturer - Germany;
  • Vacuum cleaner for dry cleaning of the interior;
  • Compressor for blowing locks and other equipment.

Staff recruitment

The planned staffing table of the organization includes:

The annual salary costs will amount to 1,312 thousand rubles.

Financial plan

The fixed costs of our organization are presented in the following table:

Total fixed costs per month will amount to 214,220 rubles.

The structure of annual costs is presented in the form of a diagram:

The main expenses of the organization will be the costs of paying salaries to employees - 51% of the total costs, as well as the payment of insurance premiums for employees - 42% of the total costs of the car wash.

The calculation of economic indicators is presented in the table - the forecast of income and expenses of the organization:

Professional business plans on the topic:

  • Car wash business plan (21 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇
  • Tire business plan (14 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇
  • Car service business plan (16 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇

How much can you earn at a car wash

The car wash's net profit for the year will amount to 989,406 rubles. The profitability of a car wash is 38.5%. With such indicators of the business plan, the car wash project will pay off in 25 months.

Recommended download car wash business plan, from our partners, with a quality guarantee. This is a complete, ready-made project that you will not find in the public domain. Business plan content: 1. Confidentiality 2. Summary 3. Stages of the project 4. Description of the object 5. Marketing plan 6. Technical and economic data of equipment 7. Financial plan 8. Risk assessment 9. Financial and economic justification of investments 10. Conclusions

What equipment to choose

Car wash equipment will need the following:

  • washing chamber;
  • overpass;
  • ventilation, water purification and lighting systems;
  • power supply and heat supply systems;
  • washing equipment;

equipment for the supply of water and waste fluids. Usually all the equipment is already included in the complex, but if you want to provide additional services, you will need to buy the equipment necessary for these types of services.

What documents are needed to open a car wash

First of all, you need to register an individual entrepreneur or LLC with the tax authorities.If you plan to provide services only to individuals, you can choose an individual entrepreneur. If you are going to serve enterprises, it is better to register an LLC.

What OKVED to indicate when registering a car wash

You also need to select the OKVED code for registering a business. For a car wash, you can use the OKVED code 45.20.3- "Washing vehicles ...". In this case, this is the most suitable OKVED, and you can dwell on it.

Do I need permission to open a car wash

You will also need permits from the Architectural Chamber, SES, State Fire Inspection, Environmental Service, as well as a copy of the project, certified by the BTI. The documents must be submitted to the local administration, which, after checking them, will authorize the construction.