Did you know that this site hosts 20,000 visitors every month? We would like to thank you for your time going through hundreds of posts dating back to 2016. We urge you to visit our Facebook Group with 150,000 unique viewers and also subscribe to our Whatsapp Forums where there are 20,000 active members. Today we feature the leader of our Elders Forum, Mrs Masocha. She has a beautiful guest house where we have hosted events in the past.

A family owned business founded by serial entrepreneurs, W & P Masocha in 1988, then a young couple in our twenties.

We started with a Bottle Store and Takeaway at Marlborough Civic Centre Shopping Complex, in 1988.

We sold the Bottle Store and Takeaway in 1991 and started a Canopy Manufacturing Company called Headway Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd in Willowvale Industrial Area.

In 1994 we opened another Business. Executive Hair Salon in Union Avenue.

In 1998 we added another Venture Ashley’s Garden Nursery and Landscaping. We were contracted by Old Mutual to Landscape Westgate Shopping Centre, Highglen Shopping Complex and 3 other Industrial premises in Willowvale.

We sold the Hair Salon to raise funds to Build the Headway Industrial Complex in Willowvale in 2004

We were forced to close down Headway Canopy Manufacturing Business in 2017 due to the very difficult economic hardships and corruption.

In 2018 we subdivided the Headway Industrial Complex into 7 Lettable Units or Bays currently being rented our to successful SMEs . Website: www.headwayenterprises.co.zw;

In 2019 we opened Ashley’s Guest House, a Hospitality Business, which is still currently operational. Our website: www.ashleysguesthouse.com

We have a very successful backyard vegetables gardening venture, where we grow covo, lettuce, spinach and shallots. We wholesale to big retail shops in the Western and Northern Suburbs. We also grow boiler chickens for sale to our community and to Makoronyera.

Our strength: Mentoring young and upcoming entrepreneurs on resilience and never to give up on their dreams.

Our weakness: We are getting old, although we have enlisted all our four children as beneficiaries and Directors of our family Business, they have successfully established themselves abroad and we are currently enticing our last born son to relocate to Harare and be the New Face of our Businesses.

The number of registered cars in Zimbabwe is 1,6 million according to ZIMSTAT and the number keeps increasing on a monthly basis. Who is benefiting from spare parts, servicing, repairs and maintenance? Thousands of entrepreneurs and one area of focus is the car wash business.

We cover below a premium chat from one of our members. The only missing link being the question and answer segment. We highly recommend that you become a subscribed member and benefit from direct engagement during presentations.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tennyson. I will be making a presentation on establishing and running a premium car wash business. So let’s meet at 7 for the presentation.

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Once again good evening ladies and gentlemen. A warm welcome tho those who have managed to join us for this evening’s presentation.(Establishing and running a premium car wash). My name is Tennyson. Have had 7 years managing a high end cash wash. Have also assisted in setting up premium car wash businesses.

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The following items would be needed for the establishment of a car wash

– Industrial vacuum cleaners (wet and dry ideal where upholstery cleaning services will be offered)

– High pressure water guns/ system

– industrial dryers (where upholsterer cleaning services will be offered)

– Washing chemicals

– Water tanks (where municipal water is not reliable)

– Generator (for power stand by)

– Sponges and microfibres

– Paper rolls (for windows)

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The chemicals include

– Car shampoo/soap

– Body polish

– tyre polish

– Air freshener

– Black trim polish

– Leather polish

– Rim restorer

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Ideal location for a car wash would be busy malls, and areas where there is a high traffic of people who would have their car washed.

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This is a facility where customers book in their cars and go shopping or to do other errands and then collect their cars when they are done.

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Operations/ processes

– A customer drives up, have their details taken. Name, contact number, vehicle make and registration number etc

– A driver takes the car to the high pressure bay where it is high pressured to remove dust and mud (care has to be taken to avoid high pressuring cars with signs of peeling paint. Cars with wrap should not be high pressured. No chemicals or soap or polish should be used on cars with matt finishes as this creates smudges that will be very difficult to remove

– After the high pressuring soap or shampoo is then applied and car washed. Moved to next high pressure point to rinse of the soap . Tyres and rims are also washed and

– Vehicle is then driven to the drying bays where it is dried and vacuumed and cleaned inside.

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After these processed vehicle is quality checked and parked for collection by owner. Keys are always kept in an office throughout the whole process.

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There is great need for well experienced and competent personnel. Or in-house thorough training should be done.

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2 cleaners can be assigned to one car . One to wash the body and rims and the other to do inside. The sponge and bucket as well as the water used to clean the rims and tyres should never be used on the body to avoid scratching.

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There will be customers who will complain of scratches , damage, dents on their cars. While some will be genuine, others will just want to take a chance. Hence it is important to check the car at booking for any scratches and dents or any other damages.

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A good CCTV will help in addressing such complains (including complaints of theft). Customers should always be advised to removed all valuables. Done valuable may be kept in the office if customer cannot carry that with them.

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Insurance should also be considered where a vehicle would have been scratched or damaged while at the car wash.

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Where upholstering cleaning services would be offered industrial dryers should be available. 2 would be ideal. These blow hot air into the vehicle to dry the seats and the carpets. With good dryers it would take around 3 hours to dry drowning on how dirty the seats would have been.

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The following packages may be considered

– Standard wash (wash outside including tyres). Vacuum and inside cleaning plus tyre polish and black trims

– Special package (standard plus body polish

– Premium (special plus polishing of leather seats

– Super valet (premium plus upholstery cleaning – washing carpets and seats). The washing of seats and carpets can be done without removing the seats.