Waterless carwash guru to inspire young entrepreneurs

Written on the 27 May 2008

Stewart Nicholls, operations manager and co-founder of Australian waterless carwash franchise giant ‘ecowash mobile’ will be the key note speaker at the 4th Young Entrepreneur Workshop held at the SSHED (Sutherland Shire Hub for Economic Development) on the 21st June at noon.

Starting out as an apprentice mechanic at just 15 years of age, Stewart was foreman for over 50 mechanics by the time he was 21 and, together with brother Andrew, ran his own workshop by the age of 24.

His passion for motoring took him from under the bonnet to behind the wheel, rally racing from amateur level right through to the Australian Rally Championships and working behind the scenes with clubs and racing events as an official. During this time he met fellow racing enthusiast Jim Cornish, with whom he started ecowash mobile in 2004.

Born from a simple concept and the brain-child of the two rev-heads, ecowash mobile first operated in North Sydney with just two cars only 4 years ago. From early beginnings the waterless carwash business has grown into an international franchise operating in 12 countries, with over 58 cars in Australia.

Earning a car boot full of awards in the short few years including the 2007 Australian Business Award for Enterprise (in its industry category) and FCA Emerging Franchise System of the Year (NSW/ACT), ecowash mobile is an exceptional business model and is an obvious Aussie success story, making attendance to the Young Entrepreneur Workshop a must for anyone that has their eyes set on developing their own enterprise.

“I have a bit of a soft spot for young entrepreneurs as I believe anyone can be successful if they apply themselves, often they just don’t know how. If I can make even a small difference to any of these attendees then I would be completely satisfied” said Stewart, who reminisced about his early days where he did not have this sort of support and inspiration.

The Young Entrepreneur Workshop is held at Sutherland Shire Hub for Economic Development, 1 Pitt Street, Loftus by the Frank Team (formerly Youth 2 Youth) an organisation aimed at inspiring and motivating entrepreneurship in young people and offering support to those seeking it. For attendance please contact Lesley on 02 9966 4333.