Many auto detailers fall short in their sales presentations. I have often shopped the competition to see what their knowledge base was to gage their worthiness as a formidable competitor in the market place. What I have found is that many auto detailers lack the specific knowledge needed to help their business grow and to present themselves as experienced in their work to the customers. When a customer asks you about the wax you are using or the best type of wax for their particular car, Should More..

Pressure Washing Heavy Equipment

One of the best ways to make money in the pressure washer business is to power wash heavy equipment. It is not necessarily easy work and you will get quite greasy but it is steady work and there is lots of it. You will need to know the different types of equipment and the issues which are of concern to preventative maintenance technicians, operators and owners. Scrapers The average scraper costs over $250,000. With these monsters, excavation companies can literally move mountains. The incredib More..

Pressure Washing of Paving Equipment and The EPA

Many pressure washing companies will be glad to take on additional work when a company calls them up to come and wash, but the days of cleaning asphalt compactors, steamrollers, paving equipment with diesel fuel are gone forever. If you are caught doing it the old fashioned way it's a $1,000 fines in the United States, fist offense and you pay for cleanup. The second offense is $10,000 and one year in jail and you pay for cleanup, in August of 1999 Newfoundland became the last place in North Ame More..

Sexual Harassment - Its just not on!

Sexual Harassment is a disturbing part of employment life in the modern era and is unacceptable! From junior clerk to boardroom it continues on in its various guises from seemingly harmless fun to stalking. In most countries there is comprehensive legislation that clearly prohibits this form of behaviour and puts business and individuals on notice that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. In the past many female workers were intimidated by these behaviours however, this has changed dramati More..

Pressure Washing Graders and Tractor Motors

When pressure washing heavy equipment each piece of equipment has a slightly different procedure to ensure efficiency. When a pressure washing company is bidding such jobs by the piece of equipment instead of the hour, they must be cognizant of this so they can maximize profits. Loaders, backhoes, bull dozers and scrapers are all cleaned slightly different. Anyone who has been in the business a while and cleaned heavy equipment has indeed found ways or short cuts to improve their speed and effic More..

Modern Clear Coats, Auto Detailers and visit to Lexus of North America

We visited Lexus USA, home of the Lexus North America Head Quarters to help us better understand the latest innovations in automotive clear coast. As professional auto detailers we must know our customers cars and finishes. We are continually studying the different materials and automotive finishes on vehicles to determine the best after market auto waxes and polishes to use to prolong life and crate the most brilliance in shine and reflection. When we visit such corporate HQs we always have to More..

Don?t Quit Before You Get to the City!

We were more than excited. Our women's doubles tennis team had won our division, successfully competed in three rounds of the playoffs and had emerged as finalists in the city competition. We fought hard and the results had paid off, but things didn't always look so promising. Just last season we finished in 3rd place. Three of our members decided to throw in the towel and left to find new teams. At the beginning of the season, we barely had enough members to complete the roster. We needed 10 l More..

Common Mistakes When Planning Your Medical Spa

Everything starts with a business plan: If you don't have one. Write it. A good business plan will help you get a handle on all of the things that get glossed over in the excitement of starting a new business. It's also a usual requirement for getting financing. Remember that this is a medical business and comes with special requirements. Non-physicians can not employ physicians, medical oversight, HIPPA compliance, and a host of other regulatory issues need to be addressed. Play fast and loose More..

Fleet Washing Expansion Considerations

Many times small businesses want to expand their businesses and are not sure when the best time to do that might be. The key of course is cash flow. Will your current and brand new accounts afford you the cash flow to expand? Let us run thru a scenario with you and just so you know this is good advice, I own the Truck Wash Guys and have been doing this a while. Each time a franchisee wished to expand and ask for advice, I would look at their situation and determine if it was a wise idea. Sometim More..

Mobile Detailing Expansion Considerations

Expanding your business requires you to take a good hard look at your business (checking under the hood). You need to ask yourself. What am I making money at in my business and what isn't making a lot of money? It requires coordination with all aspects of your business. It requires a look at your schedule and where inefficiencies lay, if any. Just expanding is easy. Anyone can go out and buy a new truck. If you are expanding for ego sake, that's ok as long as you understand that it is your prima More..

Your Business and the Story of a Tree; Part One

This morning, I went to take a short walk outside. I've been feeling a little more flexible since this weekend, and I figured a stroll would help me keep that liquid feeling in my bones that I've missed so much. I stopped when I came to a tree and had myself a sit-down. Have you ever gazed at the glory of a tree? I'll spare you the poem (you know the one, "I think that I shall never see..."). But I must say that trees have been one of the chief inspirations of my life, number two behind natura More..

Business Plans - What Consultants Don?t tell You!

Do you have a Business Plan? Congratulations, but you are in a small minority. And if you have a plan, is it integral to your business, and instrumental to its growth? If the answer to this question is yes, then you need to read no further. However, most business owners who actually go to the trouble to write a business plan have left it languishing on their bottom shelf, gathering dust! This is the dirty little secret of business consultants. Most business consultants are only interested in se More..

Employee Induction - Are you Inducting your People - A Practical How To

In today's fast paced marketplace it is easy to neglect the small important things! Recently we assisted an organisation prove they had complied with their obligations in inducting their employee. The employee tried to bring a claim for severe stress against the business. If substantiated this may have resulted in the business having been found to be breaching proven human resource management guidelines and face a large payout. The business was able to demonstrate a clear process of induction More..

11 Benefits of Starting a House Cleaning Business

One of the biggest fears people have about starting a house cleaning business is thefear of having no real security. But for natural entrepreneurs, security comes fromdesigning your own life. My partner Ev and I discovered that we could create securitywhen we put forth the effort to call our own shots and make key business decisionsthat made sense for our lives. Starting a house cleaning business has helped usachieve real security. We started a house cleaning business over nine years ago. Altho More..

How to Handle Rejection When You Start an Office Cleaning Business

"If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you." Thank goodness starting an office cleaning business isn't anything like skydiving! Ifyou fall flat on your face, there's no chance that it's going to hurt that bad. Learningto handle the inevitable occurrence of rejection to the best of your ability will helpyou refine your office cleaning business and your business techniques. Rejection is simply par for the course when you first start an office cleaningbusiness -- it w More..

One Of The Best New Business Opportunities May Be Right In Your Home - A New Daycare Business

The day care industry is expanding. There are now more than 100,000 licensed child-care centers and 250,000 licensed family day care homes across the United States. The market for day care increases every year as the working mother in society increasingly return to work to contribute financially to the ongoing household expenses. Day care centers have now proven to be a lucrative niche for owner operators, especially those who have purchased franchises. The day care industry is expanding. There More..

SBAs 8(a) Program Can Help Some Companies Compete

Q: A friend told me that as a woman of Native American descent I might be eligible for a special SBA program that will help me start a small business. He said I could compete for government contracts through this program. Can you tell me what SBA program he's referring to? -- Clara P. A: Your friend is probably referring to the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) Business Development (BD) Program. The 8(a) Program (named after the section of the Small Business Act from which it comes) is More..

The Joy and Hazards Of Finding Your First Office

Q: I have outgrown my home office and need to find office space for me and two part time employees. I am really excited about opening my first official office, but never having rented commercial space before I don't know anything about how this process works. What are some things I should consider before signing a lease? I'm really eager to get started! -- Jay P. A: Congratulations on the growth of your business, Jay, and I understand your excitement. Putting your name on a commercial lease is More..

Asphalt Paving: Striping Your Parking Lot

As you may already know, asphalt paved parking lots do need maintenance from time to time. One known asphalt paving maintenance technique is to have your parking lot re-striped to add a nicer look to existing asphalt paving properties. The repainting (striping) of an asphalt lot usually takes place every one to two years; it mostly depends on the amount of wear and tear made by people driving on the asphalt paved lots. First, the lot must be cleaned and checked to see if there are any major pro More..

Awning Cleaning Business Case Study: Entrepreneurship 101

It is most fascinating to study how entrepreneurs spot opportunity in the market place. "My name is Lance Winslow and I am a serial entrepreneur, I admit I am addicted and need help." ..."Hello Lance." Let me explain how I formed one of my companies which became a franchise system in itself and became a module under the umbrella company I had formed many years the prior. I at first saw it as another business to fit into our growing niche of cleaning businesses. It was to be called the Awning Was More..

Boat Cleaning Business Case Study: Entrepreneurship 101

How do marine type businesses start? Have you ever thought of turning a hobby into a business? Let me tell you a story of how I got into the Boat Detailing Business when I started our in the car cleaning business which grew into a franchise system. So often we read in business books to study markets and develop business plans when in reality it does not exactly work that way. Let me tell you a story of how sometimes the entrepreneur just falls into opportunity. I met a guy who came to our web s More..

Outsourcing and Virtual Assistants: Small Business Saviors

Work smarter, not harder What is one of the best ways to work smarter without working harder? The answer is outsourcing. Whether you need occasional or ongoing assistance, outsourcing can save you money and time. Graphic designers, copywriters, bookkeepers, website programmers, office assistants, and other types of professionals are all readily available. And, there's a new way of hiring people - the World Wide Web connects independent professionals and small businesses that don't need or want More..

Truck Wash Business Case Study

Often smart entrepreneurs look for out of the way businesses, things out of the mainstream but businesses, which have a good customer base and steady incomes. This is an extremely interesting story. I had always considered the mobile truck washing efforts to be very profitable and believed that fixed truck washes were a big waste of money. That was until one year when a new franchisee joined our team from Oklahoma City. I run a franchise company called the Car Wash Guys; www.carwashguys.com. Tur More..

Mobile Truck Washing, Case Study

Most folks in the pressure washing business are happier to do business cleaning concrete or flat work, because it appears to be easy. Some do both fleet truck washing and concrete, which makes sense. But what some do not understand is once you are totally efficient at truck washing you can surpass the dollars per hour that those in concrete cleaning generally charge. I have been washing fleets of trucks for over 12 years. What I have found is that our car wash guys www.carwashguys.com which is a More..

Pressure Washing Business Case Study, Tractor Cleaning

So often small service businesses fail to exploit niches, which have little if any competition. I know as I built my companies we always tried to identify all the market niches and go after them. We were not always able to succeed at everything, occasionally we would fail; it happened more than I would care to admit, but those are lessons learned. The best way to get to success is to learn from the challenges of the past and so in my office I have a huge trashcan, bigger than any executive you w More..

Home Based Franchise Case Study

Here is an interesting case study of a company, which franchised mobile car wash units. It started with the humblest of beginnings indeed. I can say that with complete knowledge because this is a company I started at age 12 years old. It was not until I was nearly 32 years old that we franchised my business. This franchise was great in concept but franchisees would not follow the system enough, they deviated from the plan in most cases. The franchisees that stayed with the plan did very well, th More..

Carwash Franchisor Case Study

There are only a handful of car wash franchises in the world. This might offer some insight on how car wash franchises come into existence. This is a crazy story. It is the history of our company and how we ended up in the Carwash Franchise business. One of our franchisees of our mobile car wash business; The Car Wash Guys, was in Idaho, was the son of a wheat farmer, the areas largest farm family land holder in Idaho's banana belt. About a month before he called us I put up this web site called More..

Truck Detailing Shop Business Case Study

As an entrepreneur you can learn a lot by following the real life case studies of other entrepreneurs. Often the text books in school leave out the beginning details and the juicy part of how it all comes together and is created out of nothing but a thought. I have an interesting case study for you and it explains how my company got into the truck detailing business. This is a funny story. We had a franchisee in Colorado who had a contract to wash for several Used Truck Dealers and cleaned all More..

Mini-Blind Cleaning Business, Case Study

Sometimes the simple businesses are the ones, which make good money. Take mini-blind cleaning for instance. There are many successful small time entrepreneurs out there cleaning mini-blinds. Having been in the franchise cleaning business for some time, I often noticed exceptional entrepreneurs out there. We met Gary Hartman while searching through the Internet, he owns a company called www.Blindnet.com all his equipment matches our franchise company colors and he holds the patents to the specia More..

Window Cleaning Business Case Study

How do window cleaning franchise businesses start? It is a fascinating case study indeed, as most all window cleaning businesses start from such humble beginnings; a bucket of water, a sharp entrepreneur and a quality squeegee. I never thought in a million years I would ever enter the Window Washing Industry. I hate washing windows, probably because I suck at it. Anyway our company The Car Wash Guys Franchise Systems; www.carwashguys.com was featured in a PBS Special on TV on a one-hour program. More..

How to Profit from Business Consulting Opportunities

Business consulting opportunities might be just what your are looking for in a home based business. What do you do? Do you possess a mastery of your career? Are you articulate and able to convey ideas clearly? If so, you may be the perfect candidate for providing business consulting services. From Analysts to Zoologists, there is an ever-growing need in more and more diverse fields. Business consulting companies have an open field where there are virtually no limitations. Are you a small busin More..

How to Start a Carpet Cleaning Company

Opening a carpet cleaning business is a great way to earn money as your own boss. This is a relatively simple business to start, with low overhead, and little experience required. Start up costs can be minimal, if you shop around. Additionally, there is a steady market for quality work. Most carpet cleaning equipment can be purchased for around two thousand dollars. If you already own a vehicle that will carry your equipment, then you are on your way. Researching shampoo machines and other equi More..

Mattress Cleaning Business: How To Manual

A Mattress Cleaning Business might be just for you if you have tried everything to contain your allergies, but feel like it is not enough. Instead of just purchasing the equipment to rid your fabric furniture and mattresses of allergens, you can also help others in your community to feel the relief and make a good income at the same time. Mattress cleaning companies have been available for approximately 12 years in Europe, and are just now starting up in the United States. No matter where you l More..

Franchises Must Meet Legal Definition to be an Actual Franchise

All franchises must meet the legal definition of a franchise no matter what they call it before it is an actual franchise. This is the Federal Trade Commissions take on the franchise rule. It is not illegal to call a company a franchise even if it is not one and if it is not it does not have to follow the rules. In this opinion of law, I do have a quick summary of thoughts for the Federal Trade Commission Franchise Rule Making Group: So what you are saying is that even if a company calls what t More..

Should I Franchise or Not?

A reader of one of my online sessions asked should he franchise his business or not. He had set up a service business and was getting ready to expand and wanted to know if franchising was a good potential strategy for this. How do I franchise my business? There are many criteria for franchising and if you have ever thought you might wish to franchise your business then this advice could be of value to you: You cannot determine if you should franchise or not until you have perfected your operati More..

1-2-3 Steps To A Successful Joint Venture

A successful joint venture marketing effort is the goal of many small businesses, and is a great way to increase market visibility and profits. Joint venture marketing is rising in popularity everyday, but it does take some skill, good planning and foresight to execute. Here are the steps a business owner should take to be successful in this arena? 1. Write down your goals and desired outcome Be sure to have specific, measurable and action-oriented goals for your joint venture, along with a r More..

Survival Tips For Your Small Business

No matter type of business you operate you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship." Pause Before Paying Some of the things you can and should do include protecting yourself from impulse expenditures. We've all bought merchandise or services we really didn't need simply because we were in the mood, then we sort of "wa More..

Cashing In Your Chips & Pastures New

No, I'm not talking about gambling or dairy cows - although business is often referred to as a gamble, I'm referring to your exit strategy. That time when you decide to 'play no more' and go off and practise your golf swing. Yup, I'm talking about selling your business? So you own the show, good for you. You may even have a sign on your desk that says "The Buck Stops Here?But Not For Long" or some other humorous sign. The reality is though that selling your business is deadly serious - here's w More..

The Responsibility Conundrum - Where art Thou?

Mr/Ms, 'not me' is often on holidays in your business. Yes come rain or shine they attend the workplace and put in the day for you; coffee to drink, gossip to catch up on, spying on management and colleagues, frequent toilet breaks, long lunches, long phone calls and let not forget the email needs to be checked and replied. Off course the home business needs more customers so a few phone calls here and there are quite appropriate so they think! Meanwhile back at Mr/Ms Managers Office you are st More..

Entrepreneurs and Franchisors Watch Out

New Franchisors and Entrepreneurs need to watch out as they enter into the world of franchising. What advice can I give to a new franchisor, I was asked today by another entrepreneur with a wonderful new concept; what are the tiger traps that lay ahead? So you are a new franchisor? Who can you trust? Can you trust FranData? The Industry's information source was thought to be a friend, is it? Well they can get you on a list so that SBA Loans for your new franchisees go smoothly. But after you se More..

Do You Love Food? - Then Maybe Opening a Restaurant is Not Such a Crazy Idea

The restaurant industry in the United States employs an estimated 12.2 million people, making it the nation's largest employer outside of government agencies. The restaurant industry in the United States employs an estimated 12.2 million people, making it the nation's largest employer outside of government agencies. This industry provides work for more than 9 percent of those employed in the United States. Eating-and-drinking places are extremely labor-intensive -- sales per full-time-equivale More..

De-Ionization Decisions in Mobile Car Washing

Many mobile car wash operators would like to add de-ionized water to their cleaning process. However before you do this you need to understand the reality of the return on investment. You must also realize how the de-ionization process works. De-ionizing tanks take the water and clean it from 16 parts per million to 1-2 parts per million. They usually last for 2,000 gallons if a water softener is put in line before the de-ionization system. De-ionizing tanks are usually rented. They typically r More..

Entrepreneurs Ask: What Can a Virtual Assistant Do For Me?

Great question! Freeing your time is an indisputably key element in growing yourbusiness! When you delegate tasks to the capable hands of aprofessional Virtual Assistant (VA), you can quickly and easily refocusyour energies on other aspects of business directly linked to generatingrevenue. Partnering with a professional Virtual Assistant will: Increase your revenue. Delegating administrative tasksfrees you to focus your energy where it needs to be-on generatingrevenue and growing your busines More..

Small Business Marketing Series - Choosing a Niche Market

Many smaller businesses choose niche markets for various reasons and these niche markets can be very lucrative. This article will look at ways to identify and assess whether they are right for your business? For many smaller businesses it is important to have a focused strategy which enables them to operate in a small part of a chosen market with great success. This has a further advantage of giving the smaller business a way to compete with larger organizations and achieve a level of protectio More..

Franchises Offer Shortcuts, But Not Control

Q: I will be retiring this year at age 60 and intend to fulfill my lifelong dream of owning my own business. I'm too old to start from scratch, so I'm looking at several franchise opportunities, including fast food, auto parts, and an accounting service. What should I consider before choosing one? Anthony R. A: Congratulations on the retirement, Anthony, and on the new business venture. As the old adage goes, when one door closes, a drive-through window often opens (or something like that). Gi More..

Franchising Pros and Cons

Last week's question from Anthony R. on how to choose the franchise that would best fulfill his life-long dream of owning his own business sparked a number of emails from other readers wanting to offer their two cents on the subject. Some folks offered helpful insights and suggestions on how to pick a franchise and a few things to watch out for, while other emails came from current franchise owners asking me to help them sell their operations to Anthony R. Hmm, sounds like it's time to update More..

5 Steps To Success for Small Business Owners

Everyone wants to succeed in life. Most people want to succeed in business. And no one starts a business of any sort wanting to fail. Yet the sad fact is that 80% of businesses will fail in the first 3 years of operation. So what can you do to ensure your success? Luckily these five simple (never confuse simple with easy), tried and tested steps dramatically increase your chances. 1. Vision It might seem like management techno-speak or newage psycho-babble but all the evidence is that devel More..

The ABCs of Fundraising

There are many little details that go into making sure your fundraising event is a successful event. The key is to have all your fundraising details laid out in front of you before you even start. Below are some tips to help you get started on the right foot for your fundraiser: What is the purpose of your fundraiser? While this is the easiest question, it can sometimes be the hardest question to answer and convey to your sponsors. Why do you feel your company or organization should have a fund More..

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