Should I try it?

[Lydia]

Starting a small detailing business as a side job, that is. I've considered it for a while. Here are the pros and cons I have come up with, and I would like it if y'all could suggest any other pros/cons y'all know of since you do it for a business.

Pros:
I live next to a very rich community, and since I would be coming to them, I could probably get a lot of clientel
I could probably get a lot of business by word of mouth (in fact that's how I would like to get ALL of my business)
I love detailing
I understand a pretty good amount about detailing from reading posts here, and I think I have enough skill to do a good job (I detailed a Honda Gold Wing Motorcycle to sell it, and the guy that bought it told me if I ever come down to the area he lives in I should bring my stuff, because he has 4 vehicles I could detail for him....he was raving about how good I got it looking, because he said black vehicles are hard to get looking good)

Cons:
There is another mobile detailing business in the area
I don't have a PC (all I have is a 3200 rpm 10 inch buffer)
My truck is not a very good advertisement for my work at all since it has a whole lot of scratches in the side of it (not anything that I can get out....they are through the paint)
I'm 16, so I'm not sure if people would not want to trust me to do a good job (hopefully this would only be a problem at the start; like I said I want to get my business by word of mouth)
I would probably only be able to work afternoons and saturdays, since I have a night job, and I have school in the mornings (I am homeschooled, though, so if I needed to, I could detail in the AM and then do my school in the afternoon)


If y'all think I would need a PC before I would set out on a venture like this, I could probably come up with the money for one in a few months.

I'm thinking the capital to start a little detailing business would be $400 (if I had to get a PC). Does that sound reasonable?

Does the thing about my truck being a bad advertisement even sound like something to worry about? Like I said, it has a lot of scratches, but it IS at least shiny and clean usually.

It looks like a lot of cons as opposed to pros, so I'm not sure whether or not this would be a worthwhile business venture.

I've done a few vehicles for friends/family, so I do have some experience.

Thank you so much in advance for any suggestions/help.

-Lydia

[MotorcycleDetailing]

Re: Should I try it?

Hey Lydia,

Your 16 and have your licence? Sweet here in QLD, Australia you have to be 16 1/2 to get your learners (able to drive but need to have someone in the car that has held there licence for over 2 years) and 17 before you can get your provisionals.

I started my mobile Motorcycle Detailing Business up with $2000. Which included Gurney, Aircompressor, dual action polisher, chemicals and a carton of Megs Terry Towels, Applicator Pads, Microfibres. As I started of with nothing I had to buy it all from scratch.

I use my Motorcycle to carry my chemicals and polisher to jobs and if really dirty I get them to bring it to my place to gurney or if the bikes are registered I ride them home to work on them.

I prefer word of mouth to advertising so no matter your age, if your client has a great job done then their friends will see the great result and be less inclided to veiw your age as a restriction.

I started of detailing my Bike then my friends (if they brought their own chemicals) for free then friends of friends until my wife told me to grow up and charge for my work and find a quaility product to do my detailing with. Hence Meguiars....

If you enjoy Detailing as much as I do, then there is no harm in giving it ago and seeing if it will work. If it does then great, if not then at least you gave it ago. Just remember most businesses die in 2 years due to lack of capital (but if not borrowing money then you should be right).

Have you tied scratch X on your scratches?

Trev

[Newport Viper]

Re: Should I try it?

Forget the PC.
Wash and wax by hand, until you can save up to buy the PC.
Start small, work your way up.
Most people think swirl marks are normal, they have no clue.
Once you get the PC show them a test spot on their car. It is sure to bring in more business.
You can then upsell them from the $30 wash and wax, to $150 buff outs.
Baby steps....

[hammer55]

Re: Should I try it?

nothing ventured nothing gained, a turtle never gets any where in less he sticks his head out, and go with what you have,

[Scottwax]

Re: Should I try it?

You have to ask yourself "how prepared are you to deal with something like this?"



And what steps would you take to make that mess turn out like this?



Doing your own, family and friends vehicles does give you some experience but in the real world, you will get calls about vehicles in absolutely deplorable condition and you need to be able to judge whether you can handle it or turn the business down.

I would definitely recommend getting a PC, proper pads and polishes. Start out small, just sticking with vehicles in decent starting condition. You don't want to get in over your head right off the bat, it is very frustrating. If you aren't proficient in interior detailing, take the time to learn. This forum and autopia will have several excellent threads to help point you in the right direction.

You should also check your state and local laws concerning what you need to do to operate a business legally in your area. If you just stick with neighborhood jobs, you probably won't have any problems but if you branch out, start advertising, etc you should make sure you are a fully legal business. You don't want to get in trouble because you didn't collect sales tax (if a detailing business in your state is required to) or you didn't have any required permits.

You can also have problems with your bank unless everyone pays you cash. If you decide to use a business name and people make checks out to you in that name, your bank will require that you at least get a DBA (doing business as) before they will allow you to deposit checks. If you stay small and deal in cash or checks made out to you personally, you should be okay though.

I started off much like you did, mostly doing cars for friends and family when I began detailing for money. What a shock I got when I started detailing cars that had horribly swirled/oxidized paint and interiors that looked like landfills. I wasn't fully prepared for those situations and some cars didn't turn out as well as I can do them now, many years later. You want to be as prepared as possible for any situation you might run across and be able to know if you can handle it or if you should turn it down.

[rascal]

Re: Should I try it?

When I started doing detail work on the side, I just used my hands to make my money. I used the DC 3 step system, 10 gallon ShoVac, wash bucket, various interior cleaning products and worked out of my old hatchback. My car wasn't perfect looking, but it was clean and shiney. It had scratches in the paint, but many of my customers didn't care. They wanted the tree sap, bird **** of their cars and the interior clean. I had about three to four people who were loyal to me and had me come back every two weeks to detail their cars again. The money was pretty good since it was either cash or a check made out to me. I would have made bigger name for myself if I would have stayed with it, but I let up on the detailing of other cars until this year. Thanks to MOL I have that spark to clean and shine again in the name of good. I would suggest starting out small with family friends and even have your parents help you out with the "word of mouth" sales pitch to their coworkers and friends. I always believe if you put your heart and soul into a customer's car like it was your own, the customer will call you back for more. Good luck with your quest and I really hope you succeed.

[Scottwax]

Re: Should I try it?

Another thing to consider....insurance. Since you are under 18, your parents are legally responsible if you should damage a customer's car.

[Ryan L.]

Re: Should I try it?

Another thing to consider....insurance. Since you are under 18, your parents are legally responsible if you should damage a customer's car.

That is the only thing keeping me from a little weekend/summer detail bussiness. I am 15 and love to deatail/wash cars and every time I wash one of my own cars I get at least 3-4 people stopping by and telling me to start a business or come and wash there cars, so I have plenty of cliental. I have almost every product from the Consumer line and plenty of towels, applictor pads etc. I have always wanted to start up a little business to earn extra money to spend/save, but I talked to one of my friends who said he a business like I want to start but stopped right after someone sued his parents for "sratching his car", which was already there...so untill i find a way to cover me, i'm just sticking to family and friends.

I wish you all the luck Lydia, and let us now how it goes

[skitelluride531@cubs]

Re: Should I try it?

I say go for it! I am 17 and am currently running a mobile detailing business in Austin, Texas (Windsor Auto Detail).


However, depending on what supplies your currently have, I do not think $400 is enough to startup. I know I spent $600+ in JUST supplies when I started, and then another couple hundred on some advertising. However, I have made back all the money I have put into my business, and then some! If you have any specific questions I can answer for you, let me know.

[JG_Detailing]

Re: Should I try it?

Some people may not go for the age. But who know's. If they see how great of a job you do with other car's they will think different.

[SL1CK]

Re: Should I try it?

Some people may not go for the age. But who know's. If they see how great of a job you do with other car's they will think different.

I have the supplies, the ads, and I think a good amount of skill to be able to detail a car with virtually no swirls/scratches.

But I think this is the hard part, I'm 17 and I don't think people trust me enough to do their cars, however, I haven't pushed my business much because of school lately, but for me, getting customers is the hard part.

[Lydia]

Re: Should I try it?

Wow thanks for all the encouragement/advice, y'all.

The supplies I have now are as follows: NXT metal polysh, GC Wax, NXT wax, cleaner wax, ColorX, QD, ScratchX, DC 1, DC 2, DC 3, DC car wash, clay, Hot Rims wheel cleaner, some other brand wheel cleaner (sorry Meg's, it was buy one get one free!), and tons of MFs. I just ordered some stuff from ADS including a grit guard, APCP, #40, a chenille wash mitt, and more NXT metal polysh. Do you think more supplies would be needed right away? FWIW I think my Dad would let me borrow his Shop Vac until I earned enough to buy my own.

About the age, it might not even be an issue since almost everyone says I look and act like I'm in my 20's.

I hadn't even thought of the thing about liability. Blech. I hate to think that someone would actually sue my Dad because they think I messed up their car, but I know some people would do that. I guess the thing to do is not mess up anyones car lol.

I'm glad to hear that customers didn't have a problem with your car's scratches, rascal. The scratches on my truck were kind of worrying me.

I will probably just stick with stuff in my neighborhood. I don't have any plans for a business name, so I hopefully won't have any problems with that. I will probably not advertise either. I will see what I can find out about my regulations in my area, though.

Probably a job like you posted, Scottwax, I wouldn't try to do anything with. I don't know though. I tend to try to tackel anything. I should put some thought into that to decide how much is too much.

That's a good point about the fact many people don't even realize about swirls. My Dad reminded me of that too. I might just start out doing wash and wax jobs until I have the money for a PC.

About the capital, I will not be borrowing money so if for some reason it doesn't work out, I will not be in debt or anything. I don't plan to start a business until I have a good amount of money in savings.

Motorcycle Detailing: Yes I am 16 and have my license. Here in the States you have to be 15 to get your learner's permit, and 16 to get your license. I also have my motorcycle license. You have to be 16 and take a course (and pass it obviously) to get that in the States.

I've tried ScratchX on my scratches. They are too deep (through the paint) for ScratchX to work, unfortunately.

Once again thank you so much for the advice and encouragement. I really appreciate it.

I will try to keep y'all posted on what happens.

Edit: Sl1ck posted as I was posting (I stopped in the middle of my post to eat lol.) Maybe I shouldn't put much more money into stuff for a business until I find out whether or not I will be able to get customers. One nice thing about it, though, is that even if my business doesn't work out, I can still use the stuff I bought on my friend's and family's cars so it's not a waste of money.

On a side note, wow Sl1ck I had no idea you are 17. You seemed much older than that (maybe because you have a Cadillac?).

Funny thing was right after I got off the computer when I was reading these posts earlier today, my friend (who is also my boss) called and asked me how much I would charge to wash and wax her car. Then later on in the day my sister asked me to wash her motorcycle.

[Scottwax]

Re: Should I try it?

Once you get a PC, get several polishing pads and a gallon of #80 and #83, they should be able to handle most light to moderate defects. You should also consider a 1/2 gallon of #21 Synthetic Sealant. In the end, it will be a lot cheaper than buying retail level products and you will get better results.

Start slow, with people you already know and with cars within your range of ability.

[vettemaniac]

Re: Should I try it?

Forget the PC.
Wash and wax by hand, until you can save up to buy the PC.
Start small, work your way up.
Most people think swirl marks are normal, they have no clue.
Once you get the PC show them a test spot on their car. It is sure to bring in more business.
You can then upsell them from the $30 wash and wax, to $150 buff outs.
Baby steps....

Ok, Newport Viper makes some really good points here. Start small, and work your way up. I believe I'm the youngest one here, being 14, and my partner just turned 15 a few days ago. But we started our business about a month before last summer. And you know what we have been doing the whole time? Working our way up.

When we started, I must admit we were pretty clueless. We thought it would be fun to clean up his Grandma's Lexus RX330. But we didn't have any of our own products, so we used stuff his dad had and stuff his grandma brought over. There was 1, only 1, Meguiars product. And that was the Deep Crystal system, completely unopened. So we did her car, and we thought hmm... this could be a good business. And there you have it, we started researching and found Meguiars sooo good.

Since then we have been doing family, close friends, and refferals. We don't advertise, its all refferal through family and friends, and we work by hand. Like Newport Viper said, people don't notice swirls and stuff. They notice interior, and the smoothness of the paint. That's pretty much it. If you make the Car look excellent to them, that's all that matters.

We have a company name, website, and e-mail address that are all very active. We do expensive cars from Corvettes to cheap cars such as Acura Legends. And I have learned so much that I laugh at myself from what we did in the beginning. So you know what, take a risk, and go for it. I love to detail, and I make money from it. Not much, and since we're partners even a little less, but it's all worth it.

Oh, and we started buying stuff with only 50 dollars of company money to our names. That's it, and I'm not joking.(Our first expense was 32 dollars. ) Now we're are readily spending 100 dollars or more easily at one time for products. So just start slow and steady, and set a driving limit for areas you get job offers to. We got offered a job 30 minutes away from us, and obviously that's out of our range since we don't even have our license's yet.

I wish you the best of luck, and if we could do it from just having fun in the beginning to starting a business, you can too. Go for it!!!!!!!!!

[Ryan L.]

Re: Should I try it?

I wont quote vettemanic's whole post because of length but his post and this thread only, have just encouraged me to finally start my little business up!! I have been holding back for about 2 years now because of cost/time restriants but I have figured out the way to do it and been encouraged greatly by this thread.

Thanks guys!!