Prospective 1st time owner - where to even start?

[LakeLife22]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new joiner to the forum, and looking to purchase my first carwash in the next 6-months.
I live in Connecticut and am hoping to purchase a wash in the area that I can really lean-into full time. I come from a corporate background but have ran several businesses before - so I'm fairly well versed in management, finances & ops.

My big question is for the seasoned car wash operators on the forum (ie: all of you, lol).
Before you bought your first wash, did you do any advanced research to learn about the technical/mechanical components? If so, what did you focus your research on - and why?

Or alternatively, did you just close your 1st deal and jump right in to learn hands-on?

I'm super excited about getting involved with my first wash, but wanted to first get some perspective on how to best prepare.
Thank you all in advance for the advice.

J

 

[Blanco]

Management, finances, and all that corporate stuff is about 2% of the business. If you dont drive a pick up get ready to sell what you have and get one. Get some work boots, buy a lot of tools, and be ready to get hands on whatever time of day it is.

Make sure to learn electrical, plumbing. and patience as you will be spending money on upgrades only to watch customers destroy them. Dont expect to pick up money once a week and thats it. Every day somethings going to break whether you have new or used equipment. You have to be able to fix it on the spot.

Dont judge this business off a you tubers videos.

The "technicals/mechanical" side of the business is everything . It's always the ones that say I want a car wash without knowing anything about one "JUMPING RIGHT IN" that fail quickly. Dont be that person. It's a waste of money and time.

Best thing I will say is go get a job or even volunteer at a local car wash and work it for a few months then you can decide if your built for it or not. MOST ARE NOT.

Good luck!

 

[Dan kamsickas]

If you don't have a mechanical background, you need to get one. Quick

Like Blanco said, DON'T BELIEVE YOUTUBERS. There are a few with videos still being circulated that have gone broke.

It's not an unattended or passive business. It's a 7 day a week job. I like to say it will be the easiest 80 hour a week job you'll ever have.

If you do find a site you are interested in:
1)3 years tax returns are the only numbers you should trust. Everything else can be cooked.

2)Get as much detailed information about every piece of equipment as possible. Get two different service companies to look at the equipment. You will most likely get different opinions. Contact the manufacturers to see if it is still supported or if the manufacturer even exists. I'm growing tired of newly minted owners calling me about their new investment only for me to tell them the equipment has been obsolete for 20, 30, 40 years.

 

[soapy]

I did all the research I could on the financial side of the business and went to trade shows to learn. My biggest shortage was the mechanical knowledge needed. I watched the techs and learned from them as I had to pay them fix things. I was lucky and had agreat distributor that was willing to help and talk me through many things. I had a local friend who was a electrician and had a good knowledge of pumps. He was a great asset and so was the distributors main technician. Now some 33 years later my friend the electrician has past and working with the distributors tech yesterday I know it won't be long for his retirement.
When the WCA had its own trade show we offered a boot camp for SS operators at almost every show. With rotating classes you could learn a lot in a very short period of time. I think it was the best few hours any SS operator could spend. The ICA offers nothing like that now since the WCA merged their show with them.

 

[MudMoney]

All the above are spot on and to be respected. My journey is the same ,38 years in this business and still enjoying the chaos.

 

[gomerpyle]

Partnering with great service team is a priority. They can be pricey but worth it to avoid down time. Follow them around and ask questions so you can do, at least the small repairs, yourself.

When I purchased mine. I had them review the equipment before I signed the contract.

 

[OurTown]

Like Blanco said, DON'T BELIEVE YOUTUBERS. There are a few with videos still being circulated that have gone broke.

Who were those YouTubers?

 

[Dan kamsickas]

Who were those YouTubers?

There was one young lady that had a decent presence that ultimate lost the site to the bank in under 24 months. My favorite are the ones who make a big show of taking cash out of their bill changers and brag about the "revenue".

 

[Blanco]

Your favorite Dan. About 15 minutes of counting cash and playing with quarters.

 

[Randy]

Your favorite Dan. About 15 minutes of counting cash and playing with quarters.

This guy is full of more $hit than a Christmas goose. I roll laughing at some of these guys. There's another guy on Youtube, investment sometime, he's another one who full of $hit? I feel sorry for people who are falling for there line of bull $hit.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

This guy is full of more $hit than a Christmas goose. I roll laughing at some of these guys. There's another guy on Youtube, investment sometime, he's another one who full of $hit? I feel sorry for people who are falling for there line of bull $hit.

Investment Joy is who you're think of. I found out through some connections that he's leveraged up to his eyeballs. When the banks come calling I wonder if he'll post that also.

I really don't feel sorry for them any more. If you don't do the least bit of due diligence, that's on you. I had one a few weeks ago on a Monday who called me to ask about the wash he closed on on Friday. Everything in this place was over 35 years old. He was pretty insistent that because our name was on it we were obligated support it. That the previous owner assured him that this was all top notch stuff. I finally asked him if he would buy a house without at least looking at the age of the water heater and furnace? A fool and his money is soon parted.

 

[Greg Pack]

My favorite are the ones who make a big show of taking cash out of their bill changers and brag about the "revenue".

These are content creators and they know what sells. People love to see the buckets of quarters or stacks of bills. The more instructional videos by some operators have much lower viewership. So you might make a video of how to rebuild a hydrominder 506 and it might get 1k views in a year or two if you're lucky, or you can create a money collection video showing stacks of cash and get 100K views in a couple weeks.

Personally the investment joy guy seems to have a grasp of what he's trying to accomplish in the short time he's been in the business. I've known several operators less knowledgeable than him. I believe he made a lot more money (someone somewhere said seven figures)off his YouTube content than anything else. In one of his videos the other day he made a big deal about finding an old silver quarter worth about $7. The consuming masses love that, it's like finding hidden treasure, meanwhile ignoring that in reality it's not worth the time and effort to find them and that quarter is a literal drop in the bucket. Or people want conflict and chaos. Built his latest videos are telling of the true nature of the business. No matter how hard you try to stay on top of things it seems shit breaks constantly and someones got to fix it.

 

[Blanco]

These are content creators and they know what sells. People love to see the buckets of quarters or stacks of bills. The more instructional videos by some operators have much lower viewership. So you might make a video of how to rebuild a hydrominder 506 and it might get 1k views in a year or two if you're lucky, or you can create a money collection video showing stacks of cash and get 100K views in a couple weeks.

Personally the investment joy guy seems to have a grasp of what he's trying to accomplish in the short time he's been in the business. I've known several operators less knowledgeable than him. I believe he made a lot more money (someone somewhere said seven figures)off his YouTube content than anything else. In one of his videos the other day he made a big deal about finding an old silver quarter worth about $7. The consuming masses love that, it's like finding hidden treasure, meanwhile ignoring that in reality it's not worth the time and effort to find them and that quarter is a literal drop in the bucket. Or people want conflict and chaos. Built his latest videos are telling of the true nature of the business. No matter how hard you try to stay on top of things it seems shit breaks constantly and someones got to fix it.

I think a 100K likes on you tube generates anything between $200-$300. Thats a whole lot of videos for him to be worth seven figures. I maybe wrong though. Ive been debating starting my own you tube channel though under an alias. Im wondering though how many views and money I would get for posting a grown ass lady taking a shit standing up against a bay wall That would be my intro vireo. Ive got plenty more lol Who knows maybe the people that ruin my property and business will actually make me RICH! Certainly a lot more exciting than watching a money counter and coin sorter for 15 minutes!