Chris Keir (left) and Jamie Cullen
26-year-old South Tyneside entrepreneur cleans up with car valeting franchise
29th October 2015
A former shop worker who turned his hand to mobile car valeting in the midst of the recession has now launched his own franchise.
Jamie Cullen, 26, quit his furniture store job in 2010, the height of the credit crisis, to launch Mobile Car Spa, using a converted transit van to drive to customers and deliver top quality washes.
Within five years he had built the business up to be a seven-days-a-week job.
Operating the van, with its own water supply and equipment, Mr Cullen, of South Tyneside, travels around Newcastle, South Shields, Sunderland and surrounding areas and in March, he sold his first franchise agreement to Chris Keir, who occupies the Cramlington, Ponteland and Morpeth territory.
The pair travel to customers at home or work and provide washes, interior cleaning, alloy wheel cleaning and deodorising.
Mr Cullen said: “I started the business five years ago and it quickly grew to a point where I knew there was room for expansion. I was making good profit and it was always busy.
I wanted to bring customer service to valeting and at £8.50 an hour I wondered how I could get others to share the same enthusiasm as I did for the business. That’s when I thought of franchising as a way to grow. It’s a good opportunity for people to earn money and be their own boss.
Mobile Car Spa faces competition from a number of players in the region but Mr Cullen is confident that his approach, which includes a strong focus on customer service including uniforms for the staff, helps him to stand out in the market.
The young entrepreneur received help from The Franchise Company in Darlington in order to get his offer up to the standards of the British Franchising Association.
He is also working with an accountant and business advisor to shape the model.
Customers now range from Lamborghini drivers to family saloon owners.
Mr Cullen added: “We get a really wide range of customers and we’ve even done a few boats recently at the Royal Quays Marina and Sunderland Marina. I’ve even cleaned a few aircraft at Northumbria flying school, at Newcastle airport.
A lot of our customers have come via word of mouth and through the website. I was working seven days a week. Now I’m down to five so I can concentrate on growing the business. But, it goes to show the scope.
To get started franchisees require £9,900, which includes the deposit on a van. Operators then pay Mr Mullen a monthly fee and keep the rest of their profits after running costs.
He added: “At the moment my ambition is to get other franchisees around the North East, but eventually I’d like to take it around the country.”