Always have them pay you after the detail is done or your gonna spend half your time chasing down and collecting payment if they even pay. And $50 for 4 wash/details per month?? Are you sure you don t mean $50 per wash? That s a more realistic number for a basic exterior wash/dry and a basic wipe down of interior and vacuum. Their water and electricity will work for you if you explain that to them up front. Or you could do what I do and use a No Rinse wash. Takes me 2 gallons of water to do entire vehicle. I just go to the store and buy 2 gallons of distilled water and use that. Also, letting them know you would only wash their vehicle with distilled water to prevent water spots makes you stand out. Just explain you will need an outlet to run your wet vac and ask them if that would be a problem. I ve never had a customer say no. Don t let that stop you from starting your business.If you have any questions or would like to know what products I use send me a message. Good luck to you.
No, using their stuff won t work. Not all would have outlets where it would be convenient for you. You d be better off investing in a pickup truck with water tank and a generator. THEN you run into the problem of the gray water discharge, as a lot of communities now have BIG concerns regarding the dirty water runoff into regular storm drains. As for your billing... You bill them PER WASH, but with a monthly discount of say, 10% (i.e. buy X washes now and get 10% off)And you are seriously undercharging, IMHO. Even running a car through the gas station wash is like 5-10. A premium car wash where you get the vacuum and hand-dry is $20. And there are at least 4 weeks per month. $50 a month is WAY TOO CHEAP. Another possibility: basic car wash package, premium car wash package, full detailing. $50 gets 3 basic washes (once per week) and 1 premium wash. You can give coupons for discounts on other packages or services. You will need insurance... in case of accidents and damages to customer vehicles, and some locations, such as company parking lots, may not allow you to wash there. Keep that in mind.
While your approach is unique to car washing, it s a pretty common business model for pool boys and lawn care type businesses. Try talking to some local lawn mowing or pool cleaning business owners in your community. They may have some type of contract, form, etc.
