Now that you know what kind of wash you want to own and you have zeroed in on your investment strategy, it is time to begin to write your car wash business plan.  You need a good plan when you approach a lender for startup capital; whether a banker, a venture capitalist or any number of other sources.  A business plan is a written document describing the nature of the business, the sales and marketing strategy, and the financial background amongst other important information like funding needs and a request for approval of those needs.  Your business plan should conform to generally accepted guidelines regarding form and content. Each section should include specific elements and address relevant questions that the people who read your plan will most likely ask.  Use the Start Up Car Wash Business Plan Framework to serve as to what you should include.

A business plan is more than a pitch for financing; it's a guide to help you define and meet your business goals. As you research and prepare your business plan, you'll find weak spots in your business idea that you'll be able to repair. You'll also discover areas with potential you may not have thought about before and ways to profit from them. You should continually detail your plan with more and more specific information as you conduct your due diligence, search for a site and gain more knowledge of the industry generally.  In this way, your plan becomes a “real-time” reference capturing all your hard earned knowledge and demonstrating that you are prepared to steward your business to success.