Whitney Elkins-Hutten on Car Washes, Cash Flow, and Passive Wealth

Whitney shares her path from early house hacking to building a diverse portfolio across asset classes and layers of the capital stack. She explains why express car washes (not gas-station automatics or high-labor full-service models) can be a high-margin, subscription-friendly business—when you buy right, operate at scale, and choose the right corner. We dig into seasonality, water-use rules, equipment choices, and competition, plus how her team centralized third-party management across 30 locations in ~15 communities to gain purchasing power and in-house tech talent. Whitney also lays out how passive investors can evaluate these deals, target a healthy mix of subscription vs. single-pay customers, and balance cash flow today with equity plays when market cycles turn.

Key Takeaways

• Express car wash ≠ automated gas-station bay. It’s a long, smart tunnel with minimal staff and strong unit economics.

• Subscriptions smooth revenue. Targets around 75–80% recurring, while keeping single-pay volume for new-customer flow.

• Location is everything. Right submarket, right side of the road, and strong daily traffic (convenience wins).

• Scale matters. Centralized ops, in-house techs, and bulk contracts can lift margins beyond mom-and-pop levels.

• Risk & fit for LPs. Understand seasonality, local water policy, equipment vintage, and whether you’re taking development risk.

• Portfolio strategy. Diversify across asset classes and up/down the capital stack to ride different market cycles.

 

- Get Interviewed on the Show! - ================================== Are you a real estate investor with some 'tales from the trenches' you'd like to share with our audience? Want to get great exposure and be seen as a bonafide real estate pro by your friends? Would you like to inspire other people to take action with real estate investing? Then we'd love to interview you! Find out more and pick the date here: http://daveinterviewsyou.com/