Even though car washing business is a lucrative one but it is not fully tapped considering the rate at which cars are being imported in the country on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, many youths never saw this business as a good way of starting life, due to the belief that it is only suitable for those who do not have any formal education. Definitely, this is far from the truth as it gives room for free entry and exist of different class of people in the society, that is, both graduates and non graduates can equally operate and make honest and cool money provided such a person knows what he or she wants to do.

Going by the popular saying, it is better to make meagre, but honest money and keep a good name than to fiddle in order to survive.

One may ask why I need the services of a car wash? Indeed many people cannot cope without having these people around them, especially the affluent busy people who do not have time to wash their cars. They do not trust automated car wash, yet their cars have to be clean for their image and that off their business, which is why mobile car washers stay so busy. Their customers need them everyday.

It is also believed that many people can do this (wash car) by themselves, but it does not mean they want to do it. That is why they reach out for the service of car washers. While the so called affluent ones want their cars clean, they also hire them for home service for extra pay. So, one can be a lucky person exploring the big opportunity in car wash business today.

Car washing business can actually be started in a very small way in case of low income earners who do not have enough capital to start in a corporate or big way. Of course, most times people with business mind- set without enough capital always get discouraged on how to get started in every profitable business, but one good thing about car wash is that; it can be started with almost zero capital. One would imagine how possible this can be. Actually it is 99 percent possible, according to Mohammed Ali, an Abuja based car washer who confidently said that he started car wash business with just N500 (five hundred naira).

“I started my journey into car washing business in a stroke of luck because I did not spend much money to establish myself in the business. I was formally a cleaner who out of curiosity inquired into what is possible profit margin of car wash. After my enquiry, I discovered that one can just buy buckets of water, detergents and sponge on starting.

Secondly, though it is an ideal to get an open space for your job, you can also start by visiting houses for home service until you be able to pool enough capital that will enable you to acquire all these things in a lager way.”

In the same vein, Mr. Chukwudi Okeke a big time car washer in Byzim Kubwa Abuja disclosed that, he started his business with a small sum but in a few months of operation, he was able to grow his business in a big and attractive way.

“I came to Abuja to hustle with my childhood friend but discovered that Abuja is not an easy place where good things fall on a platter of gold for lazy people. Moment I realized this, I bet myself to excel among my peers only through exploring any given opportunity available to me. Then one of my friends introduced me to car washing. Initially I was only going to car workshop to hustle after washing a car, I would be given N50 for my service from there, I was able to save up the amount I used to acquire 1000litre of water reservoir (plastic tank), hose, and detergent and rent and erected my own workshop,”

Car wash business is more popular in the big cities where the residents hardly have access to water supply. Some residents who may want to wash their cars by themselves may at the same time be discouraged to do so when they do not have enough water that will sustain them to do domestic work. This people after considering the stress of fetching water always resort to going to nearby car wash and have their cars washed by car washers.

So, setting up a car wash has to a great extent got more to do with location. For one to make it in the industry, the person has to look for a strategic place where people can easily see and locate him or her.

Speaking on the general operation of a car wash, Mr. Ali said that the business booms mostly during the weekend when a lot of people would want to give their cars a good and sparking look for weekend cruising. Again, most of the people who do not have time to wash their cars during the work days due to their tight schedules in the office always ,make out time to wash their cars, get it ready for the next week cruising.

He also said that there is a whole lot of gain to make in a car wash business because, for every car washed the person stands the chance of getting between N200 to N250. And when the work involves washing both the body and engine of the car, they charge N500 and above depending on the individual. “An individual who is business oriented can hardly complain of financial difficulties if you know what you are doing. Car wash business is the one that can give you money and make you stay out of financial trouble because there is always market for the operators. A lot of people want to ride on a flashy cars and again more cars are entering the country on a daily basis for that, there is no reason why car washers will not remain in business,” Ali explained

 

 

Source: Nigerian Pilot