Did you know a vinyl wrap business can make up to $1 million per year? We’ll share everything you need to know when you start a car wrapping business.
We talked to Fred Roman from WrapCo about how to get started performing custom car wraps. He went from doing mobile car wraps with just a torch, a knife, and a squeegee to opening a shop that made $500K last year and is on track to make a million this year!
Fred told us:
- Get vinyl roll
- Heat gun, knife, and squeegee
- Go to YouTube University (laugh)
- Do it on your car and share.
What Is a Car Wrap?
A car wrap is a vinyl decal or graphic that is normally applied to a vehicle for marketing purposes. Consumers may also want a car wrap if they wish to personalize their vehicle. The pictures below are examples of car wraps done by WrapCo.
What Is Car Wrapping?
Car wrapping is the process of adding vinyl to a vehicle to alter its appearance for marketing purposes. The process will normally include:
- Designing the car wrap based on a business’s branding guide, including:
- Design Requirements
- Color
- Font
- Images
- Providing a digital model of what the car will look like when complete
- Cleaning the vehicle before applying the vinyl decals
- Applying the vinyl decals
- Educating the customer on the care of a wrapped vehicle
Get ready to find out everything you need to know about the car wrapping business. Start by watching the excerpt below:
Businesses should be able to explain the pros and cons of adding wraps to a vehicle. Keep reading to be prepared to explain them to your potential customer base.
Pros and Cons of Wrapping a Car
There are pros and cons of wrapping a car. Let’s look at each.
Pros of Vehicle Wraps
Wrapping a car has several benefits including:
- Protecting the paint from damage
- Increasing or maintaining the value of the car
- Inexpensive to change the look of a car
Fred told us:
There are also some downsides, which we’ll look at next.
Cons of Wrapping a Car
There are several reasons why car wrapping services might not be the most profitable for a business to perform:
- It can take up to a week to add a vehicle wrap to a car.
- Removing vehicle wraps can damage the paint.
- It’s a lower profit than some other car services.
- Wraps might void warranties.
Next, you’ll need to know how to wrap a car.
How to Wrap a Car
You’ll need to understand how to wrap a vehicle before you start a business in car wrapping. The process is quite simple:
- Order or print wraps
- Clean the vehicle
- Cut the wrap
- Attach the wrap to the car
- Use a heat gun and squeegee to flush the wrap against the car
- Repeat with the next piece
Since Fred suggested going to YouTube University, we decided to find a video that shows you how to perform the installation process. Check out the video below.
How Much Vinyl Do You Need to Wrap a Car?
The amount of vinyl you’ll need to wrap a car depends on the type of vehicle, your experience, and the vinyl. For instance, a full wrap on a Porsche took over 75 square feet of vinyl wrap.
Some other vehicles require much more. For instance, to cover a whole tour bus would require at least 600 square feet of vinyl, according to the Sealy Bus Wrap guide.
How Much Does Wrapping a Car Cost?
Each car costs a different amount to wrap based on the time and materials. It will also depend on if you are providing a partial wrap or a full wrap.
Full wraps tend to be the most expensive and normally cost between $5,000 to $10,000, according to Tailored Auto Styling car wrap business owner Anthony Fisher. He talks about pricing at around the 5-minute mark in the video below.
How to Start a Car Wrapping Business
Now that you’ve got the basic idea, here’s a step-by-step plan for starting your business:
- Research the Car Wrapping Industry
- Choose the Best Way to Enter The Car Wrapping Business
- Write a Car Wrapping Business Plan
- Car Wrapping Business Name
- Car Wrapping Tax and Licensing
- Car Wrapping Equipment
- Complete Training Programs
- Car Wrapping Location
- Car Wrapping Employees
- Seek Partnerships
- Market Your Car Wrapping Business
- Install Car Wraps
- Educate Customers on Car Wrap Care
Step 1. Research the Car Wrapping Industry
You need to understand the vehicle wraps industry before entering it. We’ll get you started with the info below, and then you’ll do your own research.
Car wraps are part of the IBIS US Car Body Shops report. The report shows the following statistics for the subindustry of Painting, Detailing, and Body Conversion Services:
- Revenue Per Car Wrap Business: $695,195.97
- Profit Per Car Wrap Business: $54,229
In addition, the following table shows how the revenue is spent in NAICS CODE 81112 and US-based body shops. The final column shows how you could nearly triple your profits by carefully managing your business’s costs.
| Industry Benchmarks | Industry | Sector | Beat the Benchmarks |
| Wages | 28.60% | 33.80% | 28.60% |
| Purchases | 9.40% | 7.50% | 7.50% |
| Depreciation | 1.50% | 5.10% | 1.50% |
| Marketing | 1.90% | 1.50% | 1.50% |
| Rent | 4.60% | 3.70% | 3.70% |
| Utilities | 1.20% | 0.90% | 0.90% |
| Other Costs | 45.10% | 36.80% | 36.80% |
| Profit | 7.80% | 10.60% | 19.50% |
Step 2. Choose the Best Way to Enter The Car Wrapping Business
There are three ways to get into the vehicle wrapping industry:
- Start your own business.
- Buy an existing vehicle wrap business.
- Buy a franchise.
Each method has its unique requirements and will impact how you write your business plan. Let’s take a look at each.
Option 1: Start Your Own Vehicle Wrap Business
Both car-wrappers we talked to started their local businesses out of their garage. If you like figuring out how to do things yourself, this is the method for you. Most small businesses start this way.
Option 2: Buy a Vehicle Wrap Business
Business owners sell businesses for various reasons. If you can find an owner that is looking to sell their business, you can speed up finding potential clients by buying an existing car wraps service. Review our articles on buying a business.
Option 3: Consider a Franchise
If you have a higher net worth and can afford startup costs, you can buy a wraps franchise from companies like SpeedPro or Image360.
The advantage of buying a franchise is getting proper training, brand recognition, and business systems to help you get the most from your new company. Learn more about franchises.
Nex, let’s look at creating a business plan.
Step 3. Write a Car Wrapping Business Plan
When you start a vehicle wraps company, it’s helpful to put your plans into writing. Check out our business plan template to help you gather all your thoughts before you start putting vinyl wraps on commercial vehicles.
Step 4. Car Wrapping Business Name
You’ll want to choose a business name for your vehicle wrap business. The business name should be:
- Easy to remember
- Available on the Secretary of State website, as a domain name, and as social media handles
- Related to your vehicle wrap business
Try our name generator to find gems like MakeWraps.com or HighQualityWraps.com. Both domains are less than $10! A great name can be a key piece of your marketing plans.
Next, it’s time to make your car wraps business legal.
Step 5. Car Wrapping Tax and Licensing
Companies will need to get:
- An LLC or corporation
- Business licenses
- Tax permits
- Insurance
- An Employer Identification Number
Check out our learning hub for in-depth walkthroughs on how to complete all the legal requirements.
Now that you’re a legitimate company, it’s time to get the equipment to start a vehicle wrap business.
Step 6. Car Wrap Supplies
You’ll need the proper equipment to start doing your own wraps. You should purchase:
- Printer and Lamination Equipment
- Vinyl Materials: choose good quality vinyl like 3M or Avery
- Heat Guns: to get the vinyl materials to stick better and get wrinkles out of high-quality wrap
- Exacto Knife: to cut vinyl
- Squeegee: to remove air bubbles from the vinyl
Check out our Amazon shop where you can find products recommended in the interviews.
Step 7. Complete Training Programs
Training programs teach you the best practices for using a manufacturer’s products. Some products may require installation in a climate-controlled environment. Otherwise, the warranty is void. Fred told us:
Fred also explained that the reason the training paid off is that his company name was listed on these reputable companies websites.
Being recommended on 3M and Avery’s sites has helped him get major clients that his company would not have gotten otherwise. You can find 3M vinyl wraps training and Avery certification details on their websites.
Fred added:
You might want to take classes in Adobe Illustrator as well. It is one of the primary programs used in the design field.
Next let’s discuss where you’ll be wrapping cars and other vehicles.
Step 8. Car Wrapping Location
Both small business owners we talked to started by offering mobile vehicle wraps. They would go to the location of the job and perform the work on-site. Fred has since expanded his business and told us:
He also warned to be careful when you invest in a new location. His original investment in a location was too large and he had to downsize.
Invest slowly and only purchase what you need to perform quality work. Save money and grow organically.
You may also need to consider whether a location is climate-controlled because printer and lamination equipment need to be in specific conditions for optimum performance.
A lamination machine operates best at high temperatures, while car and truck wraps become brittle when applied to vehicles at temperatures between 59 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Learn more about selecting a business location.
Once you’ve got your physical space set up, it’s time to find clients.
Step 9. Market Your Car Wrapping Business
When it comes to marketing, Fred emphasized the importance of sharing your work on social media and getting good reviews. Anthony from Tailored Auto Styling suggested:
- Share on Social: In addition to sharing vehicles on your profile, share to social media groups.
- Outdoor Advertising: Go to car meets and car shows.
- Add Your Logo: Every full or partial wrap gets the “Tailored T” logo of Anthony’s company on the gas cap unless the customer asks for the brand logo not to be included.
Don’t forget to consider advertising efforts like building a website and business cards.
Step 10. Install Car Wraps
Now is the time when you get to show off your skills. It’s time to start providing service for vehicles. You’ll want to provide a great service whether you wrap an entire vehicle or perform a partial vehicle wrap. It’s rewarding work, but Fred warns:
He also explained:
Step 11. Educate Customers on Car Wrap Care
Companies love car wraps because it’s advertising that goes with them everywhere their vehicles go.
But the partial wraps on box trucks, work vans, and other vehicles must be cared for properly to maintain their appearance. Most people don’t think much about maintenance, so you’ll want to teach customers the best methods:
- Store Vehicles Indoors: Weather and sap can damage the vinyl and reduce the life of car wraps. For businesses, this can mean inefficient advertising spending.
- Avoid Fuel: Coming into contact with fuel will damage the wrap. Make sure to wipe spilled fuel and wash it off ASAP.
- Use Proper Cleaning Materials: Car business wraps must be washed with the proper materials. The best cleaning products for vinyl are:
- The products recommended in the manufacturer’s suggested care instructions
- Hot, soapy water solution
- Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water (ratio 2:1)
- Simple Green® All-Purpose Cleaner
- Household chlorine bleach; followed by IPA/water
- Mineral spirits; followed by IPA/water
- Avoid Abrasive Products: Some polishes and compounds can destroy custom truck wraps.
- Avoid Wax on Matte FInishes: These can make the vinyl shiny and destroy the advertising.
All this means your customers probably shouldn’t be using automatic car washes. It might help your cash flow temporarily if your customers ignore this, but you need to teach them to care for their new design to keep getting good reviews.
Once you get more business, you’ll want to consider hiring a team to help you wrap cars.
Step 12. Hire Car Wrapping Employees
If you do a great job, you will eventually need help. You can either outsource or hire employees. Fred told us:
He also explained that you want to outsource until it is less expensive to do it in-house. Fred said:
Another great tip he gave us was to look for mechanics who know how to take apart a car because they can be useful employees. Check out our blog about hiring to learn more about how recruiters find employees.
Step 13. Seek Partnerships
When you start a vehicle customization company, you won’t be able to do everything yourself. Sometimes installation requires equipment that you don’t have.
If you provide referrals to another company with the proper materials, you can build a referral relationship and show that you’re providing a service for your target audience even if you can’t perform the installation.
Get Paid to Wrap Your Car
At this point you understand the basics of wrapping cars for money. It’s up to you to learn everything you can about carbon fiber wraps, simple car wrap ideas, and related accessories. If you work smart and hard, re-invest in yourself, and keep pushing, you will succeed.
What experience do you have with vehicle wraps?
- I’m a pro
- I’ve wrapped my car
- No experience, but I want to try
