Finishing Line

In 2006, car wash investment planning guides described the business as a sure bet.  »

Consolidation is a tool to achieve and sustain power in the marketplace and is encouraged by changes in the external environment. »

When stock market prices collapsed in 2008, the bear market wiped out half of the savings of many ordinary working people who dabbled in the market to augment their wages. »

Nissan’s self-cleaning Leaf vehicle is on the streets. The exterior of the 2015 Leaf boasts the Japanese automaker’s proprietary Ultra-Ever Dry paint treatment which Nissan says repels every type of liquid from rain to eggs. »

About 10 years ago, mobile car washer, futurist, and now think-tank blogger Lance Winslow predicted the car wash industry would converge on two types of operations:  »

Historically, car washing has been a cash business and run mostly by mom and pops owning one or two locations — self-serve, full-serve, or exterior-only. »

In a recent article in CSPnet.com, Eric Wulf, CEO of the International Carwash Association, reported on some car wash industry trends.  »

The U.S. car wash industry is fragmented and mature and should progress through some form of consolidation life cycle. »

Barriers to market entry are obstacles that restrict the ability of a new car wash to enter and begin operating in a given area. These obstacles may involve making large investments in capital equipment or overcoming strong... »

Entrepreneurs are a lot like baseball players — they would rather hit a home run than a single or double. Similarly, investors tend to build big car washes rather than small ones. »

I came across an article written by an equipment manufacturer that discussed what traffic count is needed to assure a profitable location. To paraphrase: Enough cars are needed to pass by every day so even if only a tiny... »

A broad view of environmental responsibility is that a good business can simultaneously make a profit and steward the environment. »

It’s taken roughly 10 years for Lotus-Effect paint to go from laboratory scale and proof-of-concept to future commercialization with Nissan introducing its prototype “Leaf” model with self-cleaning paint. »

What can lead to a slow and steady, or sudden and unexpected, loss of business that is not weather-related? »

Future discounting is the rate at which someone is willing to trade something now for something in the future. For example, my wife buys a new car, usually cash, and holds on to it for a very long time. I can’t resist leasing and... »