Waterless car detailing company wins Small Business award
A successful new waterless car washing and detailing company called Ecowash Mobile took out the Getting Started award for the 2005 Australia Post NSW/ACT Small Business Awards last Saturday Night.

The 100 percent Aussie company is fast becoming the service of choice for Australian car owners. In the continuing dry conditions and current water restrictions, Ecowash Mobile has already saved over 10 million litres of water since the company started last year.

Directors of Ecowash Mobile, Jim Cornish and Stewart Nicholls, both former race and rally drivers, said winning the Australia Post Small Business Award was a dream come true.

“Being a winner means we will be able to lift the awareness of Ecowash Mobile allowing us to reach more people. Being winners in these prestigious awards will also help to lift consumer confidence in the product and the business,” Stewart Nicholls said.

Co-Director Jim Cornish credits their rapid expansion to a winning formula that taps into the time poor, but environmentally conscious consumer.

“The new trend in franchising is toward sustainable lifestyle options and we’ve tapped into this trend with our waterless and eco-friendly service,” Jim Cornish said.

“By developing a service delivery system and a business model to maximise accessibility, we have captured the time-poor, office-bound section of the market who are currently unable to access traditional car washing methods,” he said.

Cornish and Nicholls also researched other car cleaning companies: “The industry is highly fragmented and we thought we could do better by offering a service. We came up with the idea of taking the car wash to the client made possible by the fact that we don’t use water, and are completely mobile.

“What really sold us on the idea was that we were essentially the first to the market and no one had the same strategy,” Stewart Nicholls said.

Both owners established the mobile car detailing business in March 2004 then began work on a franchising model.

“No one has really made a mobile car detailing business work efficiently or truly used the leverage of a strong brand, corporate image and service delivery system: all suited ideally to the creation of a franchise system. We found conclusively that we already had a great concept and were on the right track,” he said.

Cornish and Nicholls were very clear on what they wanted to achieve and where they wanted to take the company. They ran the first operational territory themselves, using that experience to refine procedures and the business model. The first franchise was on the road in September 2004.

“The model was pretty close to spot-on and we only had to make a few minor adjustments in preparation for franchising. We have a single brand and consistent flavour.

“At our current rate of expansion there are two new Ecowash Mobile units on the road every month,” Jim Cornish said.

“The business is successful because we offer a professional, convenient and high quality service. Being waterless opens the doors to opportunities that that would not be there if we used water.

“Our franchisees have a strong support system, an effective brand and the accessibility of a complete ‘business in a car’. Our branding is very strong. People recognise the bright orange cars and the uniforms all our franchisees wear.

“We work hard to present a professional image. Our cleaning products are exclusive to the business and are biodegradable, making them eco-friendly,” he said.

New franchisees receive two weeks of intensive training along with a comprehensive operations manual and once on board have access to continued business contact, regular counselling meetings, field visits and national marketing. The regular newsletter - Ecowrap - provides updates on the industry and other related topics.

According to Jim Cornish, an Ecowash Mobile franchisee can operate their own territory and expand to a fleet of units. The group currently has 18 franchises in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the ACT with 22 mobile units on the road.

Both owners bring complementary backgrounds to the company.

Stewart Nicholls has had extensive experience as a qualified motor mechanic and managing his own business as well as working at a dealership.

“It has helped me understand not only the opportunities but also the market we work in. My experience as Chairman of the NSW Rally Advisory Panel has helped me to coordinate and quote big events for companies like Hyundai, Octagon, Holden and Saab and that is why my role is Operations Director,” Stewart Nicholls said.

Jim Cornish has a background in sales and marketing having held several senior corporate marketing positions with companies such as Nestle Purina, where he was Marketing Director for Asia, Africa and Oceania. He also achieved a MBA, giving him a broad understanding of business management and marketing strategy for his role as Managing Director.

“I was acutely aware of the inefficiencies associated with large corporations, which is something we are determined to avoid. My academic background made it easy for me to research and set up our franchising system. We have written everything and it’s given us an intimate understanding of all aspects of our business model,” Jim Cornish said.

The company was recently chosen to look after the launch of the new Hyundai Sonata and is used by Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz dealerships to keep cars in show-room condition.

Ecowash Mobile detailing uses an innovative technique to provide a 2-in-1 wash and polish. As well as not using water, the product range is biodegradable, making it completely eco-friendly.

The Ecowash Mobile approach uses an exclusive product range that includes a polymer compound. The compound is sprayed onto the car exterior and encapsulates surface dirt that is then removed with a soft cloth, leaving behind a protective coating to guard against the elements and harmful effects of wear and tear.

A variety of services is on offer, from a basic waterless wash and polish right through to a full detail, called an Extreme Ecowash, to suit individual car owners, car dealers, smash repairers and corporate fleets.

For more information visit www.ecowash.com.au or call 1300 851 016.

The 2005 Australia Post NSW/ACT Small Business Awards are sponsored by NRMA Business Insurance (Customer Service category sponsor) and Optus (Technology category sponsor) and are supported by the NSW Department of State and Regional Development and the NSW Chamber of Commerce, recognise and reward the professional excellence of small businesses, and the vital role these businesses play in the community.

Photo Caption: From left to right: Leonie Eaton, Australia Post Retail Manager NSW/ACT; Jim Cornish, Co-Director of Ecowash Mobile; Stewart Nicholls, Co-Director of Ecowash Mobile; Elia Eliopoulou, Senior Manager, Marketing, NRMA Business Insurance Australia Group.

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Released for Ecowash Mobile by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations.
For further information please call Fiona Pennington on 0431 22 88 50 or 02 9413 4244.