Business, Investment & infrastructure
A car wash: A perfect way to start
up own business
By Joseph Maina
S
everal years ago, with little
more than a bucket and a
packet of detergent, Andrew
Kamau started his little car wash
business amidst the open-air
garages dotting the Grogan Road
area of Nairobi.
Today, he is among tens
of youths who clean vehicles
each day, eking a decent living
from a trade th at h as often
been at crosshairs with the city
government.
“I started on a very low key,”
Kamau told Safari Njema. “Most of
us start small in these parts, and
we keep things low.”
Of his shoestring venture,
Kamau says it cost him less than
a thousand shillings to commence
business.
“All you need is a bucket, some
cleaning material, and some space
in which to work. We also pay a
fee to the owners of this space at
a pre-arranged time.”
About two hundred kilometres
away at Kabazi centre in Nakuru
County, Sammy Njoroge operates
a slightl y different business
model. In starting his small-scale
car wash business, Njoroge had to
part with over Sh80, 000.Njoroge’s
equipment consists principally of
a spray wash machine, which cost
him Sh40, 000. He also makes use
of a water pump, which he uses
to draw water from a rivulet that
passes in the fringes of the small
town.
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He also had to rent the space
in which he operates which is
just a stone-throw away from the
Nakuru-Nyahururu highway.
Part of his seed capital went
towards registering his enterprise
with the County Government of
Nakuru. It costs Sh3, 000 per year
to hold a carwash license in this
part of the county, as Njoroge told
Safari Njema.
So what happens during the
rainy season, when the waters
from the small river change color,
turning to muddy brown?
“We use an artificial cleaner
to help make the water usable
for our needs,” Njoroge said. This,
inevitably, adds to costs of doing
business.
Back in Nairobi, Kamau and
his car wash colleagues obtain
water from certain buildings lying
adjacent to Grogan Road.
“We also use water from
Nairobi River,” he said.
It certainl y costs more to
clean a vehicle in the big city, as
compared to a rustic outpost of
Kabazi’s. For a saloon car, Kamau
and his colleagues in Grogan Road
will charge about Sh200. Washing
a similar vehicle would attract
a charge of Sh150 at Njoroge’s
carwash, despite his considerably
higher capital investment.
Costs at the carwash will also
depend on, among other things,
the type of vehicle, how dirty
the vehicle is, and the nature of
cleaning required. Cost of cleaning
might also depend on the season.
Mud-spattered vehicl es might
need more extensive cleaning,
which calls for extra charge.
Cleaning a saloon car could
require up to four buckets of water,
Kamau says. So, if one is buying
water, then such costs must be
factored in. Of course, cleaning
the same car might demand up to
eight buckets of water in the rainy
season.
Kamau and company will clean
a 14-seater matatu at Sh300. A
minibus could be charged up to
Sh800, while a big bus might cost
up to Sh1, 800.
At the rural carwash in Kabazi,
the minibus costs Sh500.
There are specia l areas
which must be cleaned in a car.
According to Kamau, clients are
particularly keen on the floor mats
and the dashboard.
Njoroge’s spra y-cl eaning
equipment will give your saloon
car a dazzling sheen in about forty
minutes. An extensive cleanup
might include the interiors and the
seats, which costs more and takes
more time.
Though it may look like a
simple task to the casual observer,
cleaning a car is an intricate
assignment that is quite taxing on
one’s energies. It is quite possible
to clean up to ten cars in one
day, but such a number would
definitel y exact a toll on your
energy.
Car washing also demands
a keen sense of detail and care
for your client’s property, and
this calls for some preliminary
apprenticeship.
In addition, each day, these
small-scale car wash enterprises
continue to attract car owners who
trade a small fee in exchange for a
decent shine on their automobiles.
For his troubles, Kamau and
his Grogan colleagues make about
Sh1,500 on a good day.
September 2017