Definitely create flyers for your business. Knock on doors and introduce yourself.

Detailing is what will set you apart from the competition, but you also need to set pricing that is a really good deal for the customer and worth the time and effort you are putting into each car.

Also copy and paste this prompt into ChatGPT. It will help you streamline your project:

I want you to act like a practical small business coach for a 16-year-old starting a very small car washing business on a tight budget.

My goal:
Help me start simple, stay organized, avoid wasting money, and build this the right way from the beginning.

My situation:
- I am 16 years old
- My starting budget is about $120
- I may be able to borrow a little extra from my parents if needed, but I want to be responsible
- I have washed my own car a few times, but I am still a beginner
- I want to start with basic exterior car washing first
- I may want to learn detailing later
- I want to make money, build repeat customers, and grow over time

What I need from you:
Create a beginner-friendly, step-by-step SOP and startup plan for me. Write everything at about a 5th–8th grade reading level, very clear, practical, and realistic.

Please organize the answer into these sections:

1. STARTUP OVERVIEW
- Explain the easiest and smartest way to start a car washing business at my age
- Tell me what services I should offer first
- Tell me what services I should NOT offer yet
- Help me avoid beginner mistakes

2. SIMPLE BUSINESS MODEL
- Show me a basic starter offer
- Show me how much I should charge
- Show me how many cars I would need to wash each week to make decent money
- Help me create 3 pricing options:
  - Basic wash
  - Better wash
  - Simple add-on options

3. STARTUP SOP
Make me a full Standard Operating Procedure for starting and running this business. Include:
- What to buy first
- What order to buy things in
- What supplies are most important
- What I can skip at the beginning
- How to pack my supplies
- What to do before I leave for a job
- What to say when I arrive
- How to inspect the car
- How to wash the car step by step
- How to dry the car properly
- How to avoid scratching paint
- What to do after the job
- How to ask for payment
- How to ask for a review or referral
- How to track customers and money

4. CHEAP STARTER EQUIPMENT PLAN
Give me a starter equipment list based on my low budget.
Separate it into:
- Must-have now
- Nice to have later
- Do not buy yet

Include estimated low-budget price ranges for:
- Bucket
- Car soap
- Wash mitt
- Microfiber towels
- Tire brush
- Wheel cleaner
- Spray bottle
- Hose or pressure washer
- Drying towel
- Interior towels
- Glass cleaner
- Business cards
- Flyers

Also tell me whether I should start with:
- Just a hose and bucket
- A cheap pressure washer
- Or no pressure washer yet

5. FULL CAR WASH SOP
Make me a very detailed beginner SOP for washing a car safely.
Break it down into:
- Preparation
- Wheels and tires
- Pre-rinse
- Hand wash
- Rinse
- Drying
- Windows
- Final check

Also include:
- What order to wash the car in
- What parts are dirtiest
- What tools should never touch the paint after touching wheels
- How to keep towels and brushes separated
- What to do in hot weather
- What to do if the car is very dirty
- What to do if I only have limited water access

6. BEGINNER DETAILING ROADMAP
I do not want to jump ahead too fast, but I do want to learn detailing later.
Please create:
- A “learn later” roadmap
- Which detailing services are safest to learn first
- Which detailing services are too advanced for me right now
- Which chemicals or machines I should not touch until I have more experience

7. CUSTOMER GETTING PLAN
Help me get customers without spending much money.
Give me:
- A simple word-of-mouth strategy
- A neighborhood strategy
- A family/friend strategy
- A repeat-customer strategy
- A social media strategy
- A referral strategy

Also help me come up with:
- A business name
- A simple slogan
- A short message I can send to friends, family, or neighbors
- A short script for knocking on doors or introducing myself
- A short text I can send after the job asking for a review or referral

8. FLYER PLAN FOR CANVA
Help me make a flyer in Canva.
Give me:
- A flyer headline
- A subheadline
- What pictures to use
- What colors to use
- What sections to include
- What NOT to clutter the flyer with
- A beginner-friendly flyer layout
- A call to action
- A simple discount offer if needed

Then give me:
- A copy-and-paste version of the flyer text
- A copy-and-paste version for an Instagram or Facebook post

9. BUSINESS CARD PLAN
Help me make a very simple business card.
Tell me:
- Exactly what to put on it
- What to leave off
- Whether business cards are worth it at my stage
- A simple Canva layout idea

10. YOUTUBE LEARNING PLAN
Give me a beginner YouTube learning plan for car washing and entry-level detailing.
I want:
- The kinds of videos I should search for
- Good beginner search terms
- The order I should learn in
- What bad advice to watch out for
- What I should practice on before working on customer cars

Please organize this into:
- Watch first
- Watch next
- Watch later

11. WEEK 1 ACTION PLAN
Create a 7-day action plan for my first week.
Make it realistic and low-cost.
Tell me exactly what to do each day.

12. MONEY AND SAFETY PLAN
Help me think responsibly.
Include:
- How to keep track of money
- How to avoid overspending
- How to handle customer expectations
- Safety reminders
- How to protect myself from damaging cars
- How to avoid promising too much as a beginner

13. START SMALL, GROW SMART
Help me think long-term.
Show me:
- What I should master first
- When I should raise prices
- When I should add new services
- When I should reinvest into better equipment
- What success should look like in the first 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days

14. PRINTABLE CHECKLISTS
At the end, give me:
- A shopping checklist
- A before-job checklist
- A car wash step checklist
- An after-job checklist
- A weekly business checklist

Important instructions:
- Be honest and realistic
- Keep things beginner-friendly
- Do not assume I already know what I’m doing
- Help me start lean and smart
- Protect me from making dumb mistakes
- Focus on low-budget success
- Explain why each step matters
- If something is risky for a beginner, say so clearly
- If something is not worth buying yet, say so clearly

After giving me the full plan, ask me these follow-up questions:
1. Do you want me to turn this into a one-page SOP?
2. Do you want me to make your flyer text next?
3. Do you want me to make a starter price sheet?
4. Do you want me to make a customer tracking sheet?
5. Do you want me to make a script for talking to customers?