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Meet Garth Guthrie of Bubble Time Express Carwash

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Garth Guthrie.

Garth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Unless you are born into the car washing world, you never think you are going to be in it.

I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. From a young age, I always knew I wanted to be in business. As a little kid, my mom would take me to Staples for my birthday. I started my first business at eight years old – laminating people’s luggage tags as well as a local car dealership’s name tags.

Out of college, I moved to Austin, Texas to chase opportunity. At this point, I knew I wanted to get into real estate development. I ended up working for a young guy that was building a chain of car washes in the Austin area. I learned a ton and fell in love with the car wash world. After a few years, my now wife convinced me to move to Colorado, where we would chase the dream of building our own car wash.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. I always knew it was not going to be easy but I never realized how hard it would be. There are so many roadblocks along the way from finding the right sites to development to day-to-day operations. Sometimes they are daunting and make you think, but I knew I had to figure out a way to make the vision a reality. My drive is bigger than most obstacles I have encountered. I know there will be many more challenges in life and business. I’ve already learned so much and I am still learning all the time. I’m excited for the journey ahead. Though it may be frustrating in the moment, each obstacle I’ve faced has made me, and the business, stronger.

Please tell us about Bubble Time Express Carwash.
Bubble Time specializes in express exterior car washes. Our first location is at 1600 East 104th Ave in Thornton, CO and we are opening our second location at 12105 Grant Street in Thornton this summer. We have a large variety of wash club memberships and offer free vacuums, air hoses, and mat cleaner.

Our motto is: Wash Good. Feel Good. We want to give our customers more than just a carwash – we want to make their day a little better by offering ease of use, a fun environment, and a friendly team.

We are most proud of the culture of our team. Our goal is to maintain a fun, friendly environment that team members want to be at and customers notice. We care about our impact. We donate to meaningful causes such as breast cancer research, Australian wildlife/wildfire relief, and we’ve sponsored local school’s sports programs. We use naturally renewable, earth-friendly chemicals and reclaim our water through a special recycling system.

Overall, we aim to be more than just another carwash. We want to have a positive impact on our customers, our team, and the communities in which we operate.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I consider myself to be a very lucky person. For example, finding the right team. I can honestly say that our carwash wouldn’t be the same without the awesome team that we have in place. I feel lucky to have found the team members that we have, many of whom have been with us since day one.

I’ve also been lucky to have a supportive family and community around me. I grew up around different influences and perspectives. My grandparents were bankers, factory workers, and secretaries. My dad is an engineer and my mom is in HR. My family has always believed in me and supported my dreams. My father-in-law is in real estate and I’ve learned from him and my wife’s family from a young age as well. My wife has always believed in me and she’s a big help in supporting different aspects of the business.

I feel very lucky to have the people I have in my life. I think you can choose to look at the positives in your life and consider yourself lucky or focus on the negatives and consider yourself unlucky. Mindset and gratitude are important.

Pricing:

  • Ultimate “The Total Package”: $34.99/Month, $18 Single Wash
  • Wax & Wheels: $28.99/Month, $14 Single Wash
  • Wheel Deal: $21.99/Month, $10 Single Wash
  • Basic: $14.99/Month, $7 Single Wash

Contact Info:

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