Convincing people that their cars could be washed without water was just the start of one franchise’s road trip to success.
| Entrepreneur |
Jim Cornish, Co-Founder |
| Company |
Ecowash |
| Business type |
Franchised waterless car-washing and detailing mobile service |
| Founded |
2004 |
| Employees |
70 |
| Head office |
Sydney |
| Contact details |
1800 326 927 |
Key Learning Points |
|
Good franchisees
Choose the person not their cheque. Your business starts with people.
Franchisee skills
Hold regular workshops to share information and encourage networking among your franchisees.
|
The Ecowash Story
The smell of burning rubber and roar of speeding cars are perfume and music to Jim Cornish and Stewart Nicolls, who met on the racing track in 1999. Jim says: “I’ve been obsessed with cars ever since I can remember.” The two men have turned their passion into a successful franchise.
Stewart has a background in mechanics and learnt about the waterless car-washing technique from a mechanic in Europe; Jim had a background in sales and marketing. By combining their skills, they started their waterless car-washing fleet in 2004 - ideal timing given the long-term drought affecting much of Australia.
The Challenge
Convincing people that cars can be washed without water was difficult. Ecowash’s core product is a polymer that picks up dirt in a lubricant, which polishes the car as it is buffed off. Jim says: “If I had a dollar for every time someone said the polymer will scratch the car, I’d be living it up in Hawaii!”
The second problem was selecting, motivating and administering franchisees. Jim says: “There’s a difference between what people tell you they will do and what they actually do.”
The Solution
To persuade Australians to use their service, Jim and Stewart sought authoritative car industry referrals. They washed cars at the Sydney Motor Show for Hyundai in 2005, the Sonata and Grandeur launches for Hyundai in 2005, the AFL grand final for Toyota, the Camry launch in 2006, and worked at prestige car companies. Customers were very interested in the product demonstrations and convinced that if these brands could trust the technique, they could too. Word of mouth spread the buzz.
But the key to any successful franchise is finding the right people to deliver consistent service. A rigorous selection process is essential. Jim says: “If you have concerns during the recruitment process, don’t ignore them. It can be painful to say no to a franchisee when they are handing you a cheque - but we see it as a responsibility to us and our other franchisees. We only have the best type of people.”
Potential franchisees must spend several days working in the field with existing franchisees, who give their feedback to Jim and Stewart. Jim says: “Responsibility and motivation are the key qualities that we look for.” Only one of their franchisees has a background in car detailing.
Training for new franchisees is thorough and aims to make them educators, not salespeople. There are seven days of training in the classroom and five supervised days on the job. Ecowash’s operations manual is more than 200 pages long and breaks down its service into minute detail, emphasising the importance of uniformity. Jim says: “People can purchase gift certificates online and know that the same car will arrive, with the same products, and the person washing their car will provide them with the same service.”
Feedback and training are central to what Jim calls ESP - the Ecowash Support Program. Stewart spends several days a year with each franchisee and uses an objective scoring system to rank their progress. These evaluations help set topics for bi-monthly training workshops and are used to select Ecowash’s franchisee of the year. Jim says: “The workshops give franchisees a chance to meet each other. Sometimes less successful franchisees will meet the successful ones and latch on, using them as a sort of mentor.”
Ecowash began operations in Saudi Arabia in September 2006, where Jim had a contact who believed the waterless car-wash would suit the harsh conditions. This prompted Jim to upgrade Ecowash’s technology. The website was redeveloped: bookings now automatically generate an SMS to the relevant Ecowash outlet; all franchisee ordering is fully automated via the internet and is automatically shipped from the warehouse. “Our rapid expansion has made us focus on efficiency, streamlining our processes and automating our systems in accordance with our growth.”
The Result
Ecowash now has 30 franchises in Australia and a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia. It plans to expand into Europe next year. Jim says: “People often comment on our fast growth. But we’ve lived it everyday, so it seems quite gradual. When you look back on it though - it’s a bit freaky.”
Ecowash won the Getting Started Category of the 2005 Australia Post NSW /ACT Small Business Award. It also won the Automotive Services category of the 2006 Champion of Champions Small Business Award.