Aquanought – Waterless Car Cleaning

According to Paul Thomson, and according to the Met office, Aberdeen has around 175 days of precipitation a year. Aberdonians are faced with more water than most, between the fog, rain and choice precipitation-of-the-moment, snow. Perhaps this was at the back of Paul’s mind when he set up Aquanought Aberdeen in November of last year - an eco-friendly, waterless, mobile car cleaning company.

Paul said: "Cleaning cars without water may sound unusual to some, but the process is becoming increasingly popular due to the fantastic protective shine it gives and the obvious benefits to the environment. It works by using the Prokote No-Water liquid, which makes any dirt particles become positively charged, suspending them and allowing them to be lifted off the surface with a negatively charged cloth. This leaves the car gleaming with no residue, scratches or streaks. There are no waxes involved either, instead a bio-degradable polymer chain coating left on the car leaves it water-resistant and anti-static."

Paul is a fully-qualified motor mechanic and boasts over 13 years experience in the oilfield industry, which has taken him all over the world. It was on one of these trips, in ‘a dump of a staff house’ that he and a friend dreamt of setting up their own business. Paul admits that his first ideas may have been overly ambitious – but that he found the solution eventually.

"I considered setting up a gym, just outside Aberdeen - somewhere like Stonehaven. But soon realised that this would be too expensive and out of my league in terms of start-up costs. I had a bit of money saved and didn’t want to have to take out a bank loan. I also wanted to do something small enough that I could handle it without having previous experience of running my own business.

"I then observed the increasing amount of car washes appearing in Aberdeen and believed this signaled a growing market – so I considered that avenue. What dissuaded me from starting a valet business, along with the price of power-washers and the rest of the gear, was new Government regulations that mean you cannot wash detergents down rainwater drains.

"Looking at waterless options, the Aquanought franchise was brought to my attention. Initially a franchise wasn’t my favoured option, I visited Leon Hamlett the managing director of the Aquanought Ltd franchise based in Chepstow and although I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the result of this meeting but it’s safe to say that I was astonished to see how well a car can be washed without water - leaving no scratches. And this is true for most of my customers today.

"Having no experience of running a business, I sought the help of Business Gateway, who allocated me a business advisor who I can email or call with any queries I have. I’ve also been on two courses. One on starting your own business and another on writing a business plan; these were extremely useful.

"I have always been a believer of doing things my own way – it can be a bit detrimental at times – but you can only learn from your own mistakes. That said, the help I have received from Business Gateway has been excellent and they are an invaluable source of information and any resources I need are never far away."

"At the moment, Aquanought Aberdeen is just me - although I do have someone who washes my clothes in their septic tank for environmental reasons. In terms of expanding the business in future, I’m in the fortunate position of holding the Aquanought franchise rights for the whole of the AB postcode so I have options available. I may franchise out some of the areas outside Aberdeen or bring in staff to expand on my Aberdeen operations."

The Business Gateway service in Grampian is delivered by Enterprise North East Trust. For more information telephone 01224 289725 or visit www.bgateway.com.

ENDS

For further information, contact:

John McIntosh

Tricker PR

Office 01224 646491

Email jmcintosh@trickerpr.com