Posted: August 13, 2010

BY LAKESHIA ARTIS

lakeshia.artis@insidebiz.com

Mighty Wash brings its detailing and pressure-washing services to its customers, who are often people on the go.

"Customers don't have to go to the car wash and automotive detailer," said Ash Gilpin, co-owner. "They can be at work or at home and we can come over and detail their car."

Mighty Wash, co-owned by Luke Bilger, serves the Hampton Roads area and offers additional services including pressure-washing boats, planes, driveways, decks and home exteriors.

"We can literally come to the home, pressure-wash the house and detail the car while we are there," Gilpin said.

Open seven days a week, Mighty Wash says it offers consumers competitive prices and allows them to go online, schedule an appointment and pay with a credit card.

"It's really for people with busy schedules who don't have the time," Gilpin said. "They get the convenience of calling someone for a low cost, and people really find that a valuable service."

No stranger to the business world, Gilpin is the president of Eyepinch Inc., a website development company, and HR Dating, an online dating service that caters to singles in Hampton Roads. Delving into the mobile business was unfamiliar territory for him.

"I was getting into a business I didn't know a whole lot about except from personal experience," Gilpin said. "My industry is website design. I spent a lot of time online and on YouTube learning how to do things correctly."

Gilpin was surprised by the amount of knowledge he needed, such as how much pressure should be used in detailing a car.

"You don't want to do a pressure-washing with too much PSI because it could strip the paint," Gilpin said. "If you're doing the side of a house, you do need something powerful to get the dirt and grime off the siding.

"We had to learn what cleaning supplies worked better than others," he said. "It was really a matter of utilizing the Internet to search and reading Consumer Reports to find out what folks were saying about the products."

Gilpin has always had a drive to become a successful entrepreneur. Now 29, he started his first company when he was 17.

"I knew that working for others, you won't achieve a certain level of financial success. I never cared about following in the footsteps of others and taking instruction. I've always wanted to be my own boss with my own schedule and the ability to take care of things when I needed to."

His advice to future entrepreneurs is to make sure the product will be of interest to the consumers.

"Ideas are a dime a dozen. There's a lot that goes into a business that people don't think about. You have to get business licenses, workers comp for employees, insurance, liability, a website and a graphic designer. Having started several businesses before, I pretty much know it like the back of my hand. Been there, done that."

And why should someone use Mighty Wash?

"When we come to you, you will get a professional job by men who are polite and courteous. We will get the job done in a timely manner at a cost-efficient price." nib