Complete Beginners Guide to Starting a $80K/Month Car Wash Business

I'm proud to have Bizee sponsor this video. #ad Their platform makes launching and managing an LLC straightforward, and it’s a service I genuinely believe in and recommend to anyone ready to start their business. https://bizee.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=content_sponsorship&utm_campaign=upflip Car wash wasn’t even on Chris Atkin’s radar at the start. He grew up in Melbourne, saved for years just to visit the U.S., and eventually landed a shot in WWE. But after a couple of years making around $45K and getting cut, he found himself back in Los Angeles with no clear plan. That’s when he stepped into his uncle’s car washing business, and what started as a fallback quickly turned into an opportunity. In the early days, he handled the basics of any car wash: cleaning bays, maintaining equipment, and learning how the day-to-day actually worked. Over time, he began to understand the numbers behind a successful car wash business and what separates thriving locations from struggling ones. Chris started noticing a pattern: underperforming car wash locations where owners had checked out. Instead of avoiding them, he leaned in, seeing potential where others saw risk. His first car wash deal came from a shut-down site he was able to take over with almost no money, structuring a lease and putting in about $40K in renovations backed by his uncle. Fast forward six years, and he now owns multiple car wash locations generating roughly $80K per month. In this episode, Chris breaks down how he evaluates a car wash opportunity, his approach to leasing versus owning, and what really matters when running a profitable car wash business day to day. 💥 Ready to start your own business? 💥 Begin with one of our FREE quick-start trainings: 🧽 How to start a $140k/month cleaning business - https://learn.upflip.com/cleaning-business-masterclass 🥤 How to start a $50K/month vending business - https://learn.upflip.com/the-vending-bootcamp-masterclass 🖌️ How to start a million-dollar painting business for under $1K - https://learn.upflip.com/how-to-start-a-painting-business-masterclass 🚛 How to start a $10k/month moving and junk removal business - https://learn.upflip.com/moving-and-junk-removal-masterclass 🔑 How to start a $8K/month mid-term rental business - https://learn.upflip.com/the-mid-term-rental-blueprint-masterclass 🏠 How to make $248K in tax-free profit from building and selling homes - https://learn.upflip.com/the-builders-blueprint-masterclass 🗺️ How to make $25K in one deal buying and selling land - https://learn.upflip.com/land-flipping-blueprint-masterclass OR… 🎓 Join UpFlip Academy to “copy-paste” the top million-dollar service businesses you can start in weeks and profit from in months - https://links.upflip.com/academy-yt More UpFlip Official Resources: 🏪 FREE REPORT → The 10 BEST and WORST Businesses to Start In 2026 (Under $5K) - https://next.upflip.com/10-biz-ideas-268 🎙️ Follow the UpFlip Podcast - https://links.upflip.com/podcast-yt 📩 Join the UpFlip Newsletter - https://links.upflip.com/newsletter-yt 👉 Check out Chris’c business - https://www.thecarwashchronicles.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 00:45 - From WWE to car washing?! 01:31 - Drive and deal 02:01 - Swapping washes for leases 02:22 - Own a car wash without spending a dime 03:02 - Break even in month ONE 03:58 - Customers are skipping this location 04:21 - Revamping rundowns effectively 04:59 - The business of selling time 05:29 - Average ticket price 06:05 - Monthly overhead 06:49 - Rundown ≠ Worthless 07:42 - Meet the brains of the carwash 08:53 - Always do your due diligence! 09:32 - Perks of buying the head start 10:15 - The hack most owners gatekeep 11:12 - Lease is covered. Repairs? Not so much. 11:52 - Harder than you think 12:46 - Homeless man invades my property… 13:28 - A business on the brink 15:01 - Not so glamorous after all 15:39 - People LOVE soap brushes 16:01 - Make your vacuums suck! 16:26 - Never negotiate without an exit plan 17:07 - Always busy but has done ZERO marketing? 17:54 - Time for everyone’s favorite part 19:26 - Cash vs Credit 19:56 - Wads of cash on hand! 20:31 - Pro-level renovation tips 21:15 - Revenue numbers 21:42 - Let’s talk numbers 23:39 - 6 car washes and counting 24:11 - Out and about in less than an hour 24:52 - Starting without an experienced uncle 25:34 - Freedom is priceless 26:41 - Drive for dollars! 27:26 - The more rundown, the better! 28:03 - Fan blitz 29:10 - On the lookout for gems 30:50 - Betting everything… even my wife’s savings 31:19 - Doing whatever it takes 31:51 - The verdict 32:12 - But why self-serve? 32:41 - Don’t quit your 9-5 just yet! 33:41 - A rescue mission 34:28 - The real reason this location failed 35:12 - Turning vision into profit 36:33 - Leasing vs. Owning 37:04 - There’s enough cars for everybody 37:43 - Cheap isn’t always the smart move 38:20 - Don’t let the years fool you 38:56 - Car Wash Chronicles 39:36 - Outro #carwash #carwashbusiness #carwashing