Feel the power of Fortador steamers. New opportunities arise along with one of the best Diesel Hybrid Burners made by Lamborghini. It is all to help you work faster, more efficiently, and more profitably. Our portable steam machines are the most powerful of the global market, being the most frequent choice of the professionals. Innovative designs and parameters which do not compromise. Steam cleaning has never been made easier.
Years of experience and close cooperation with the best suppliers in the industry have given us the advantage over our competitors.
We are the ones who set the new standards, and we do not shy away from showing it in our products. Fortador’s brilliant design concepts as well as good solid manufacturing means virtually fool-proof, intuitive equipment which can serve as a sturdy fundament to your own business.
A steam car wash consists of using a steam cleaner to wash a car's interior and exterior. Detailers have used steam for decades because it can clean a vehicle quickly, and effectively. It can cut through grease and stubborn dirt effortlessly while using less water than a traditional car wash. Car wash steamers benefits are also their low purchase and operating cost.
Fortador Car Wash Steamers generate steam so hot that it removes grease and other dirt. The steam car wash machines can produce pressure that is sufficient enough to break down any amount of dirt at the same time that it treats the car's paint tenderly and gingerly.
A Fortador portable steam cleaners washes and details your car in less time than a traditional car wash, but it also sanitizes the inside of the vehicle. It also overhauls all of the greasy parts of your engine. A pressure washer cannot reach every space, but the Fortador car wash steam cleaners can.
Our accessories compliment those in your Mobile Car Wash, and they include spray bottles that give your vehicle a wax and a shine, brushes that remove the toughest grime, and hoses and guns of various lengths.
Each product was created with the environment in mind. Fortador steam car wash machines only needs one gallon of water to generate enough steam to thoroughly clean the surface of your car. This means that only the smallest amount of water will run into the street. In addition, dry vapor steam is capable of sanitation your vehicle without chemicals, so no harmful residue slides off of your vehicle and into the storm drains.
You won't need to purchase a costly storage tank to collect the water because there will be a minimal amount of water that has been wasted. You will also avoid the expensive fines that come from breaking the regulations. Because you aren't buying cleaners that contain chemicals, you will save money. The Fortador car wash steam cleaners are the most cost-effective machine for a business that you can operate for the long term.
With the Fortador steam car wash machine, you can take your business on the road. Customers love the now popular mobile car detailing experience. They can get their vehicle wash and detail their vehicles wherever they happen to be without generating a ton of waste water.
There may be fines for water runoff in each municipality, but you will not have to worry about a fine because so little water will run off into the streets. You won't have to worry about the water disposal laws at all even if you are conducting your business at a country club, in a gated community, in a parking structure or at an office park.
Our car wash steamers are so efficient that it can wash your vehicle without spraying any of the other cars that may be around. This would be impossible with a pressure washer.
Planning is the key to success; use it!
An essential step for the success of your new venture is to plan it. There are many mobile car detailing business plan template out there, but you can create your own. You will want to plan the following:
The first question you have to ask yourself is, "Do I want to operate a mobile business or shop-based business"?
When it comes to steam car wash businesses, you have two main options. You can either operate from a fixed location or through a mobile van. Both have their respective advantages and differences. So which is better? It depends on your goals, market, and preferences.
One of the main advantages of having a shop is that you will not have to travel to your clients' locations and loose time in traffic during rush hour. You also won't have to deal with the hassle that specific on-site areas can present.
Secondly, having your location will allow you to increase the range of services that you offer and open the door to high-margin services that may not always be available when performing mobile steam details. These can include paint corrections, ceramic coatings, paint protection films, and window tintings. Unless your client has a dust-free and climate control garage - which is rare - you will not be able to offer these services at your client's house or office.
Now, having a shop has its drawdown too, the main one being the increased over-head due to having to pay for rent and utilities. Setting up and taking care of a shop is also more resource-intensive than taking care of a van as you may have to install epoxy floors, lighting, air conditioning, and maintain all equipment mentioned above in tip-top-shape.
On the other side, starting and operating a mobile steam car wash business is a low-cost venture. It's for that specific reason that most entrepreneurs getting into the steam washing business begin with a mobile van.
But the advantages don't stop at the low upfront cost and operating costs. In the age of Uber, InstaCart, and Postmate, an increasing number of consumers are requesting at home services which make mobile car detailing an increasingly popular service amongst consumers. Offering such a service is convenient for your customers and is sure to tap into increasing demand.
One must remember that not everyone has an indoor garage or even a driveway for you to operate in. Also, some consumers will want services that you may not be able to offer at their location, such as window tinting or paint protection film. However, most mobile steam detailers often find a suitable site to deliver higher-end services such as nano coatings or paint corrections.
Another take is why limit yourself to one option? If your balance sheet allows it, offering both on-site and off-site steam car detailing services is guaranteed to cater to the full spectrum of consumers looking to clean, restore, and protect their vehicle.
Once that is decided, you have to move on to choosing the services your steam car washing company will offer.
A word of advice for most novice detailers is to start with a few select but popular services and master each one of them before offering new services. This will ensure that you are the best at what you do in your local market and that you do not get overwhelmed when starting. So what should you offer? Lets start with the basics!
The beauty with operating a detailing business with a Fortador portable steam cleaner is that you only need one machine to perform a wide range of services. The most popular service is car washing. With a commercial-grade car washing steamer like the Fortador Plus or Fortador S, you can quickly wash a vehicle's exterior, including the paint, wheels, and tires.
While most vehicle owners will use the automatic car wash to wash their cars', they will still need someone to come and detail their interior. This is why offering interior detailing when starting is a great idea. It is a service that is relatively easy to offer with good margins and will never lose its popularity!
Waxing & paint sealants can be extremely profitable and easy to upsell. We recommend getting waxes or sealants that can be applied via an orbital buffer to speed up the application process which in turn increases your margin.
Now we're getting into the more advanced services, and we recommend most detailers not to venture too quickly into those services. Make sure you practice on your own vehicles or a junk vehicle before performing a paint correction or ceramic coating service on a client's car. The last thing you want is to burn your client's clear-coat and have to pay thousands in bodyshop fees to get it repainted.
But once you've mastered the skills to perform those services, promoting those services will generate great profits and revenues for your steam car wash business!
The most popular business structure amongst professional steam detailing business owners is "sole-proprietorship". It's popular because it's the simplest legal business entity you can form. In most states, there is no filling required other than your yearly taxes when setting up a sole-proprietorship company.
However, you may want to create a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or an S-Corporation to both save on taxes and limit your liabilities. The LLC will be less complicated to develop than an S-Corp, but it will require more paperwork than a sole proprietorship.
Click here for more information on what legal structure you should employ for your steam car wash business.
You would be surprised by how many car wash businesses that skip on insurance to then regret it deeply later-on. For a low cost of around $100 per month - and sometimes lower - you can get complete coverage in the event of an accident, this type of coverage is called Garage Keeper's Liability.
And by complete, we mean up to $250,000-$1,000,000. Now that's a low price to prevent your business from owing tens of thousands of dollars in damages in the event you or one of your employees damage a vehicle while steam cleaning it.
Contact your bylaw and state law offices to get information regarding all the licenses and permits you need to operate your steam car wash business. If you are working from a shop or a mobile van, you may need to apply for different documents to operate your business legally.
States or cities may regulate where you can wash a vehicle, how you can use or discharge water. The great advantage of running a steam car detailing business over a classic auto detailing business is that a steam cleaner will only need a fraction of the water typically required to wash a car, which can allow you to operate in jurisdictions with strict water bylaws.
With a traditional car wash business, you would need to make a long list of tools and equipment you need to wash and detail a vehicle completely. However, with an industrial-grade steamer like Fortador Pro line, you have all the tools you need packed into one easily transportable machine!
With the Fortador Pro steamers, you get a car steamer, washer, vacuum, and extractor all in one. Talk about efficiency! For other tools like polishers, we recommend getting high-quality products like a Rupes. Investing in high-quality tools will enable you to keep them longer and will reduce the cost of buying new tools down the line.
When it comes to cleaning chemicals, stay away from outrageously expensive products like $100 wax. These are for retail consumers and won't deliver any advantage to your business when starting.
When it comes to marketing, nothing beats digital! Whether it is Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Yelp, or Search Engine Optimization, you must focus the majority of your marketing budget on those platforms.
Think about it, when you are looking for a new business, where do you go? Online! Consumers looking for car detailing services do the same. There is an infinite amount of blogs and articles online to get you started.
We recommend starting with one platform, mastering it, and then moving onto a new platform.
You can also reach out to car dealerships or companies with fleets to offer your services. Be ready to receive many "no's" but keep your head up and move onto the next business. Success is for those that persevere!
And that's a wrap for how to start a steam car wash business! Do you have some questions? Our team will be happy to answer all your questions and help you set up your new steam-powered venture the right way!
Check this BLOG about Maximizing your profits with Fortador Steamers
Paint, Leather, Plastic, Glasses and Fabrics.
All in One. Complete Solution
