With many people now obsessed with the look of their vehicles, the industry of wrapping vehicles and cars is snowballing. This industry can be your next go-to if you want to enjoy an entrepreneur’s life while starting your own exciting business. This post will give you some ideas about how to start a car wrapping business.
What’s a car wrapping business, anyway?
Your business idea here is based on putting together a wrapping material, vinyl in most cases, over your car’s original paint. This can cover your whole vehicle or just a part of it. A car wrap usually adds something new to the car’s look. This can be some graphics, a matte look, bold patterns, metallic finishes, and others.
Additionally, a trending practice now involves wrapping a vehicle to advertise a specific business or brand.
Also, we should think together about who you are starting this business for.
If you target businesses that advertise through wrapping vehicles, you will hunt business owners, especially startups and new ones. Other potential customers include car owners who wish to pimp their new cars, redecorate old ones, or hide some accident bumps in the car.
Having said that, let’s dive into the details of this business idea:
Step 1: Get trained – for you and your team
Don’t worry. That’s easy to learn.
You can quickly contact a well-known and reputable car wrap or graphics dealer to discuss training options for you and your team. Most trainers will provide in-person or computer-based instruction. Since there are different materials used in car wrapping, remember to get trained on each to make sure the customer is satisfied.
Step 2: Location, location, location
Alongside, you need to search for a garage to rent or purchase (that will require a lot of money, though) for your business. You need to consider a couple of things when looking for the perfect spot:
- Be close to your target. Your place should be near the neighborhoods of the people who are most likely into wrapping their cars.
- Well-ventilation is critical here. Some adhesives emit fumes that can be harmful to your employees. Also, the place needs to be climate-controlled as a shop that is too cold will cause poor results in vinyl materials.
- Spacious. The place needs to be tall enough for SUVs and trucks.
Step 3: Supplies and equipment
You need to decide between producing your own wraps and graphics or designing them and ordering them from other suppliers. Buying your own printer and lamination equipment with all the related accessories can cost you more than 20,000$. Also, this requires training to operate the equipment (which you can also need in your training package from the beginning).
You need to prepare a list of suppliers for your vinyl wrap and other related equipment to make sure you never run out of the supplies you need.
To create a list for you, some items that you will need for your car wrapping business include (not inclusive):
- Heat guns
- Tucking tools
- Cutting tools
- Adhesive Promoters
Step 4: Launch your car wrapping business
You now have the knowledge, the place, the supplies, and the equipment.
You are ready to go live!
Some of your business will come from the casual passerby or online visitors, but you should still invest in digital marketing! You need to spread the word about your business to make good money. So pay for advertising on social media and other easily accessible advertising platforms.
I have a SEAT Ibiza, and I believe that young adults are the main target group to own this car. Because I am a member of many groups on social media related to the car, I find many car wrapping businesses posting their work on the groups. I believe that’s a great place to advertise!
Also, I always encourage you to create a website for your business and link it to your social media accounts. This may be an additional cost. However, it is crucial since your website is your online presence and helps convince clients of your expertise and professionalism. This will also be a fast and user-friendly medium for clients to find the available time slots and book their appointments to get their cars pimped conveniently. Remember that you can use the services and features of WordPress to create your website easily.
Warning!
We mentioned earlier the importance of training. Despite that, it’s easy to make mistakes when wrapping a car, which presents a risk for vehicle wrapping businesses. Poor installations will reflect poorly on your business.
What you need to do to encounter this is to practice wrapping on your own vehicles first. Also, you can just start inviting customers only when you and your team have completely mastered the skill.
Also, sometimes the market faces a vinyl wrap shortage. This is due to a need for more raw materials to produce it. This can lead to delays in vinyl wrap installations, so please look out for market trends and supplies to save your business.
Final Gig on how to start a car wrapping business
If you want to start a business and you love cars, one of the best things you can do is begin a car wrap endeavor. The steps mentioned in the post can help kickstart your business. By following them, you follow a business plan. It isn’t easy to succeed in any business (including wrapping cars) without following a well-constructed business model.
So, if you’re out of time and would like a consultant to help you plan this, here’s a detailed gig from one of our freelancers. I highly recommend it.
Meet The Author Of This Article
I’m Jenny Ayman, a project manager in the development field with specific knowledge and experience in capacity building and entrepreneurship programs. I aspire to transfer the hands-on experience I gain in my professional career through writing.
Also, if you need help planning your business, I recommend checking out some of our freelancer’s business plans or pitch decks!
