A day at the spa – for your car?
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/carspa.jpg” caption=”Natalie Marshall and Ali Ushaksaraei, owners of The Car Spa, a mobile interior and exterior automotive cleaning service. “]
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A summer spent behind a deep-fryer or bagging groceries just wasn't what third year
commerce students Natalie Marshall and Ali Ushaksaraei had in mind.
For Marshall, coming from a long line of entrepreneurs and car enthusiasts, and
Ushaksaraei, who also shares a lifelong passion for automobiles, becoming summer
entrepreneurs in the automotive industry seemed like a rewarding opportunity compared
to typical summer employment.
With a foundation in business from the DeGroote School of Business, the duo started "The
Car Spa" at the beginning of the summer. Based in Burlington, The Car Spa is a mobile
interior and exterior automotive cleaning service which also provides professional,
showroom-quality detailing services. All the customer has to do is schedule an
appointment with Marshall or Ushaksaraei, and The Car Spa will show up at the location
chosen by the customer and provide the service.
Separately, Marshall specializes in the interior cleaning, and Ushaksaraei focuses on the
exterior detailing, but together they run the business.
"We were both looking for something unconventional to do this summer and when we
heard about the Summer Company program, we decided to write a business plan and go
for it," said Marshall. "Through the Ontario Summer Company Program we have been in
contact with many successful entrepreneurs and former CEOs who are more than willing to
share their past experiences with us."
With provincially funded young entrepreneurial programs such as the Ontario Summer
Company Program and the Small Business Centre of Hamilton, Marshall's and Ushaksaraei's
business is financially supported. In addition to on-going mentoring and coaching,
Marshall and Ushaksaraei received a $1,500 grant from the Government of Ontario to jump
start The Car Spa.
After only a few months of operation, The Car Spa's services have been in high demand.
Since the official launch, the duo have been working well over 40 hours a week fulfilling
service orders and growing the business.
"The support from the community has been absolutely amazing and our business has
continued to grow," added Ushaksaraei. "The community truly supports young students
trying to run a business."
Marshall and Ushaksaraei are not alone in their pursuit of entrepreneurship. The
Government of Ontario reported that more than 100,000 new businesses are started each
year in Ontario, with 40 per cent of them being started by young people aged 25-34 and
16 per cent being started by individuals under 25.
Historical data of self-employment collected by Statistics Canada shows a steady increase
in student self-employment since 2002. This trend may continue if the student
unemployment rate (10.3 per cent) continues to remain higher then the national average
(9.2 per cent).
"After this summer we hope to franchise The Car Spa into other markets across southern
Ontario," said Ushaksaraei. "We still want to run the business, but we want to give other
students the same opportunities we had to succeed."
The Car Spa can be contacted at thecarspaburlington@gmail.com.
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