Sydney business grows quickly – establishes new headquarters with government funding help

Jim Cornish and Stewart Nicholls are both ex-automobile-racers. So how did they go from the fast track of rally and super tourers, where the environment is far from the top consideration, to the equally fast-paced, but ecologically sensitive world of green business – establishing a rapidly growing green car wash franchise?

An eye for opportunity, a knack for guerrilla marketing, and a lot of hard work. In just six years, the company has grown into an international phenomenon. And recently, government funding support from the Western Sydney Business Employment Fund (WSBEF) has helped the company set up new international headquarters in Mulgrave, Sydney.

Jim Cornish began his business career at 18, opening a pinball parlour. He ran a couple of other businesses, then went back to school to get his MBA and became a marketing executive with a major international corporation. But after a few years, he became frustrated with the excruciating slowness of decision by committee at large corporations, and longed to be back in a job where he could take actions that had a more immediate effect on business success. "When we came up with the concept of Ecowash Mobile, Stuart [Nicholls, his friend and business partner] and I were just instantly in," Cornish told Luisa Saccotelli of the ABC's Inside Business. "So we formed the company the same day, set everything in motion, and within six weeks, I'd resigned and Stuart closed down his business, and it was on."

Nicholls, whose had a background as a motor mechanic, ran his own mechanical workshop. He came across the technology that became Ecowash in Europe, and brought it to his mate Cornish's attention.

Ecowash uses a spray-on polymer which binds to the dirt on the car. It lifts the dirt, leaving a lubricant between the dirt and the paint to protect it from scratches while the dirt is removed by cloth. The polymer residue remains on the car to give it a polished finish and a protective coating that lasts for weeks. And because it doesn't use water, it can be done anywhere – for example in your company's parking lot while you work. Thus, the "mobile" in Ecowash Mobile.

Cornish and Nicholls worked out an exclusive licensing agreement without paying a cent – if they produced results, they could keep the exclusivity. "That's key to our franchisees," Cornish told Saccotelli. "It really blocks competition."

With an initial investment of about $110,000, they set to work developing the business system and the franchise concept – initially by working hard at running their own mobile waterless car wash operation, to learn the business inside-out and develop best practices for franchisees down the road. They developed the recognizable branding early on – bright orange cars with a big logo and a memorable name.

Owning an Eco Wash franchise is a real steal, with an affordable initial territory purchase and modest weekly fees. And the marketing follows suit, eschewing expensive television ads in favour of direct contact and techniques proven in the field – as well as the orange cars on the road and word-of-mouth.

Today, Ecowash Mobile is the number one mobile waterless car washing franchise in the world, with units across Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Central America, and the U.S.

When the company decided to establish an international head office in Sydney, with centralised training facilities, they turned to Industry and Investment NSW to tap into the WSBEF. The fund encourages business growth and employment by offsetting business costs. Assistance comes in the form of payroll tax rebates, direct government grants and other business cost offsets.
www.ecowash.com.au

Would you like to get funding to develop your business idea? There's money available now for qualified existing and start-up businesses. Phone toll-free 1 800 813 863.

No claim is made the above funding success is due to ABFC.