Elizabeth King, 51, and Vanessa Payne, 39, run a new car wash service in Cheshire. The business is based on Vanessa’s professional expertise in car valeting and Liz’s hands-on approach and willingness to learn something entirely new.
The two women were friends before deciding to run a business together. “We are both horsey and we actually met when I bought an Arab mare from Vanessa, who was then living in Cumbria,” explains Liz.
When Vanessa subsequently moved to Cheshire, the two women realised there was a potential business opportunity for them in the local area. Vanessa had several years’ experience in car valeting, while Liz had noticed the growth in car traffic and realised there was a gap in the market.
It has taken Liz and Vanessa almost two years to get their business up and running. Finding the right premises was a particular challenge. But they have now launched Arclid Car Wash, based in the village of Arclid, between Sandbach and Congleton, not far from the M6 motorway.
“We have done a lot of local research on valeting and car wash services and we are in a good spot here to capture trade,” says Liz. “We did start to look for premises nearly two years ago, and at one point we were waiting for some new units that looked promising. But then these premises [in a former garage] came up and they are better because we now have a workshop, with the pits, as well as offices and a waiting room area.”
While Vanessa has a professional background in car valeting, this is a new business area for Liz, whose main experience is in design.
Having studied design at college, specifically design for wallpapers, fabrics and other surfaces, Liz then worked for a local firm before joining her mother’s business, decorating goose and ostrich eggs in the style of the world-famous Faberge eggs. “I was employed full-time, designing for the business,” she explains. “We sent the products out worldwide and did work for all kinds of customers, including the Greenwich Maritime Museum. We were producing high quality, original items.”
The entrepreneurial spirit clearly thrives in Liz’s family: before starting this business, her mother had been a teacher. Liz herself worked in the family business for 20 years before changing direction. Initially, she did some work producing hand-painted furniture, before getting into property development. “I was involved in property development professionally in the 1980s,” she explains. The Cheshire-based business focused on buying and selling local stone cottages, was successful at the time. “I decided to get out of that business when it was the right time to do so,” says Liz.
She then worked as a freelance artist, but wanted to find a more solid business venture, something less high-risk than going back into property development, but that would provide greater returns than working for herself as an artist.
A complete change of direction then presented itself, as she began to research the car wash business with Vanessa. Liz says the shift into something that is very hands on is not as dramatic a shift as it might first appear. “When I was involved in property development, we literally did everything ourselves,” she explains. “I’ve done roofing and plastering. I glazed all the windows and plastered walls, so although I may be a designer by trade, I’ve done a lot of different things.”
Liz is also used to dealing with the public, following a stint in her youth as a bunny girl in a Manchester club. “It was when I was at college,” she explains. “I had a holiday job as a cocktail waitress and it was such an interesting time. We had footballers, actors, lots of interesting people. So I am quite used to dealing with people.”
Despite this mix of talents, Liz has had to learn a lot more, now she has started a completely new business. Her first stop in the learning process was a PRIME course, which has provided her with a good deal of business advice and ongoing support. “I got a lot of general business advice from PRIME and a lot of business tips from the PRIME business adviser,” comments Liz. “It is really good, because I know he is always at the end of the phone, if we need any help.”
Liz and Vanessa do not have a formal business plan. “I’m an impulsive person,” explains Liz, “I firmly believe this business is going to be a success.”
Nor have two women needed to approach finance companies or banks in order to fund their fledgling business. The main investment required has been for the power washers, but the initial investment has been relatively low – about £5,000. “My partner and I have funded it together,” explains Liz. This is typical of the approach the women are taking, which is very largely based on personal networking.
“The people who supply the equipment have been tremendously helpful,” says Liz. “They have been in the business a long time and the gentleman who runs it has put us in touch with family members in various trades, as well as advice about where to put sockets and pipes.”
With the business now up and running seven days a week, the two women are looking for extra staff, but are determined to keep it a family business, employing relatives rather than hiring external staff. Liz, over 50 herself, has even enticed her mother partially out of retirement, to produce flyers for the business, and to do the accounts.
“The biggest challenge has been learning a new trade,” acknowledges Liz. “But Vanessa knows exactly what she is doing, so that has been great. And we are determined to put the emphasis on quality. We are already getting bookings for high-quality cars and that is the market we are aiming for. It has been a lot of hard work, but we want to build up our good name and reputation. As women, we are very particular about working to a high standards and providing a service second to none.”
Liz says her age has been utterly irrelevant. “Age is just a number to me,” she comments. “It’s not an issue. I’m still the same person I was at 18.”
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