Homepage -> Joint Reports: Searching for Entrepreneurial Heroes Around Me -> Main Content Today is: June 26, 2009 Chengdu College Students Open Car Wash Shop and Earn Tens of Thousands Per Month
June 26, 2009, 10:54:04 - The next goal for college students: to open the second model store of their own brand before the end of the year.
A group of college students pooled money to open a car beauty and decoration shop. Not only has business flourished, but they are also prepared to create their own car washing brand. This car beauty and decoration shop is located on the street behind the back gate of Shudu Garden in Shuangqiaozi. Despite the not-so-heavy foot and vehicle traffic on this street, they have attracted many repeat customers with their thoughtful and enthusiastic service. Sometimes, the shop even works overtime until after 12 o'clock at night.
The main shareholders of this shop are three college students: Chen Xiaohua, Tang Bo, and Zhou Xianbing, while the employees are also college students.
"Leader" Chen Xiaohua
The initiator of opening the car wash shop is Chen Xiaohua, a senior student at the University of Electronic Science and Technology. From proposing the idea of opening a shop to making the car wash profitable, it took less than a year. Who would have thought that Chen Xiaohua once applied for a job as a car washer at a well-known car beauty chain store in Chengdu, only to be rejected because he wore glasses! "I still remember he came to me with a thick report of dozens of pages to discuss his ideas," said Xiao Yan, counselor of the Software College at the University of Electronic Science and Technology where Chen Xiaohua studies. Chen Xiaohua started his entrepreneurship from the second semester of his third year, conducting research—determining the project—opening the store, all while frequently communicating with him." He is a down-to-earth, positive young man, not only with good academic performance, but also willing to work hard and put in effort, with a very strong entrepreneurial spirit," said Teacher Xiao.
After confirming the car washing project, in order to "learn the craft", last summer, Chen Xiaohua and others were hired by a nearby car wash station near Jinsha Station. "Worked 12 and a half hours a day," "earned 400 yuan a month," "hands and feet were washed raw"... These arduous experiences not only quickly familiarized them with the car washing business, but also quickly obtained franchise qualifications. Opening a car beauty and decoration shop requires more than ten thousand yuan in costs. Tang Bo and Zhou Xianbing raised money from home, while Chen Xiaohua contributed two-thirds. Besides borrowing money from relatives and friends, the six or seven ten thousand yuan Chen earned from stock trading and working part-time jobs were also invested.
Reasons for Choosing the Car Washing Industry
The University of Electronic Science and Technology has no shortage of examples and role models of student entrepreneurship, but most are involved in technology, networks, and other fields related to their majors. What made Chen Xiaohua, who studied software, choose the automotive service industry? It all started with a piece of news about entrepreneurship on Sina.com. The news analyzed the top ten current entrepreneurial projects in China, placing car beauty second. Moved by this, Chen Xiaohua, along with Tang Bo and Zhou Xianbing, conducted detailed market research and found that despite Chengdu having over 500 car beauty companies, the phenomenon of queuing for car washing still exists in large numbers. Therefore, they concluded that the car service market has great potential and is worth investing in. "The threshold for the car washing industry is low, and the technical requirements are not high. For our initial entrepreneurship, it's very easy to get involved," said Chen Xiaohua. Currently, the cultural level and management standards of car washing shops are not high, which makes it their first choice for their initial entrepreneurial project. The successful operation of the car wash shop proved that these college students' choices were correct.
Initial Challenges in Entrepreneurship
When these college students started their businesses, almost all of their families opposed them. Parents believed they should focus on studying and find a more stable job later, as doing business themselves was too risky and losing money wasn't worthwhile. Around October last year, Chen Xiaohua and his team rented three connected stores next to the back gate of Shudu Garden. Due to insufficient preparation, it took nearly two months without even completing the basic renovation of the car wash shop. Rent, wages... every month they had to spend more than 20,000 yuan. "Opening a store seemed far away, yet spending money flowed like water." This immediately poured cold water on the passionate group of entrepreneurial college students. Tang Bo and Zhou Xianbing both wanted to give up, but Chen Xiaohua didn't want to. He ran around tirelessly, completing procedures and handling issues, finally opening the car wash shop in December last year. They recruited car washers from the university, providing an opportunity for these college students to work part-time and study. After half a year of operation, the monthly profit now reaches tens of thousands of yuan, "finally stabilizing." "Our current ability to withstand risks is still very weak," said Chen Xiaohua, who doesn't think their car wash shop can be considered a success yet. He told reporters that even if the tens of thousands of yuan invested this time were lost entirely, they gained rich social experience and networking resources, which are the true capital of college student entrepreneurship.
Opening the Second Store Before the End of the Year
Through the experience gained from opening the first store, this group of college students plans to establish their own car washing brand and start their real entrepreneurial journey. "We are currently selecting locations, striving to establish our second store, and also our branded model store by the end of the year," said Chen Xiaohua. They plan to gradually offer services such as car beauty, maintenance, window tinting, fluorination, insurance, used cars, etc. During the interview, the college students were always busy, each face radiating with a bright smile. In their eyes, the light of their entrepreneurial dreams has just begun to shine.
Reprinted from Tencent Dacheng Network Talent Channel (C-02)
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