Payment Solutions for Small Businesses

Buzz Wax Malibu

Buzz Cadenhead runs a hand car wash nestled behind the gates of California country clubs. His crew is outfitted in white uniforms. His business, Buzz Wax Malibu, is humming.

Turning an all-cash business into a successful auto concierge.

After a decade of work, Cadenhead knows what it takes to scale. Outside of elbow grease and some good wax, here are the tools he trusts to keep cars rolling in.

In the beginning, Buzz Wax Malibu only took cash. But customers kept asking about credit card acceptance. He wanted to find a payment provider that would solve the problem fast. “My business is customer service.”

“Back then, you had to work with a bank. You had to work to get a machine. You had cables. It wasn’t hip,” said Cadenhead. Then Square came out with its first Reader. “It worked out fantastic.” Easy setup and a convenient design allowed the business to process credit cards quickly. That was the starting line.

It worked out fantastic.

In recent years, new product launches have allowed Cadenhead to provide even more convenience to his customers. “They just want to drop off their keys, go play tennis, get in a clean car, and drive away.” To shorten and smooth out a service, Cadenhead uses Square Invoices. By capturing a phone number or an email address at the start, a crewmember can email or text an invoice to the customer and move on with their day. No need to wait for payment.

Hear how Buzz grew his business with Square Payments

“So Square has been fantastic in helping my business grow and helping my business change things to gather data all within a one-stop shop. So I don't have to have a CRM system. I don't have to have a marketing system. I don't have to have a POS system. I can have it all in one spot.”

I can have it all in one spot.

With the Square Customer Directory, the team sets custom fields to gather information on washer fluid levels, oil changes, detail work. That data allows Cadenhead to run reports and upsell services the next time the cars roll in. When done well, Buzz Wax Malibu can triple or quadruple its revenue per customer.

Combining payments with customer relationship management has proven itself to be a winning combination for the west coast business. “I don’t need a CRM system. I don’t have to have a marketing system. I don’t have to have a POS system. I can have it all in one spot,” said Cadenhead.

How Buzz gets work done

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