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Business Planning Professional Support
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All new business owners feel overwhelmed when they are just getting started. Not only is there an incredible amount to learn about the mobile car wash and detailing business, there’s often even more to learn about business in general.
Most new business owners have very little, if any, experience in areas such as bookkeeping and accounting, business taxes, legal matters and business insurance.
Establishing a strong professional support network is important in your business. While your initial inclination may be to try and do everything yourself, this isn’t a wise decision.
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Not only will you be taking time away from finding new customers, due to inexperience you risk the possibility of doing something wrong with your legal or tax matters. The costs for correction are usually much, much higher than paying somebody to do it right for you the first time.
In your mobile car wash and detailing business, your professional support network will likely include the following:
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – A good CPA will help you in many more areas than simply preparing your taxes. A seasoned accountant will be able to help you determine the best entity for your business. He will also be able to help you with your tax planning so that you can avoid paying any more taxes than you have to. A CPA will also get your books set up properly so that you have the right chart of accounts, depreciation schedules for your equipment and so on. You will count on your CPA more than any other professional in your support network.
Lawyer – When just starting out, you shouldn’t expect to spend too much time (or money) with a lawyer. Your mobile car wash and detailing business should be fairly straightforward without the need to worry about too many legal issues. Nonetheless, it’s still a good idea to find a lawyer with whom you are comfortable and whose rates are reasonable. As you start your business you will need a lawyer to help you establish your business entity as well as prepare your service contracts and liability waivers.
Insurance Agent – You likely already have a solid relationship with the insurance agent who provides your homeowners, life, and automobile insurance. Speak to them about the different types of insurance available or necessary for your business. A good insurance agent will make sure you have the coverage you need without selling you coverage you don’t.
Web Developer – As a significant part of your marketing programs, you should build a website to advertise your car wash and detailing services online. While web development tools have become much easier over the past couple years, it still probably makes sense to find a web developer to help you build your online presence.
Before entering into a relationship with any support professional, we recommend interviewing at least 3-5 different individuals or firms. The most important takeaway from these interviews is that you are comfortable, confident and feel like you can trust the professional.
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