soon-to-be new owner

[Cjanik]

I have a basic question. hmm well - actually a long basic question

For 3 years now, I have always wanted to open a mobile detail business. I have always loved cleaning cars and get a tingle in my stomach when it looks like a mirror.

Now that I have the funds available - I'm ready to purchase what I need and start the business. I even made up the name, logo, and business plans.

I however, am worried about one thing. I keep getting the impression that it is very hard, if not near impossible, to be able to have a mobile detailing business and live above average.

What kind of income do you make and how much work do you put into it? Keep in mind I said mobile detail. Did you start out this way and realize you needed a building to start making better income? Is it practical to quit my day job and detail for a living? Not like I'm going to quit my day job just yet - but that is what I hope to come to within ~ 2 years.

whats your story??

thanks for any and all responses - maybe its just me getting worried that it wont work out now that I'm nearing the day I start doing this.

[Derrick]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

you know to be honest its been real hard for me. I did alot of detailing in hawaii where i used to live. I would detail alot of vehicles for car clubs and auto shows for the people i would meet in car clubs and then i just recently moved here to san antonio and decided to start a mobile detail service. I got everything needed and made flyers, website and did alot of handing out flyers and constantly updating my adds on different classifieds and i also turned my garage into a detail shop and it honestly took about 3 weeks before i even got one call. I do an awsome job to and at dirt cheap prices. If it were not for my VA benifits i could not have made it. But its been a few months now and its still slow. I dont want to discourage you or anything i think it really just depends on where you live. I know out here there are so many mobile detail businesses but 80% of them dont even know what they are doing. The only problem now is trying to get people to try me out after they have been using all these other people for so long. Just remember if you are serious then just stick to it and things will work out. Also look around and see what others offer and try and out do them to get some quick customers to kind of jump start things.

[Ivan Rajic]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

Start on a small budget and build your name... I think you can easily break even within 6-12 months, (considering you buy just enough to get started and not go crazy trying out different products, etc.) if not make noticeable profit without losing too much of your free time from your day/regular job...

Like derrick said though, it mostly depends on your area and the demand for detailing there...

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: calculated risks and just taking chances

Chris,

In the process of becoming a successful entrepreneur you will sometimes be tested by your ability to know and understand the difference between taking calculated risks and just taking chances.

You see, most successful entrepreneurs are in fact, risk-takers. However, you will find that they usually do not take chances. Successful business people realize that taking a well-calculated risk will require careful planning and creative use of their time and energy. In most cases, they look at it as an investment.

At the opposite end are those people who like an adventure. They usually jump in with both feet and when the business begins to fail, they look around and wonder what went wrong. By that time it is usually too late. They took a chance and it did not work out.

Taking a well-calculated risk is an investment that you will make in yourself and others closely associated with your business. Your ability to plan ahead, do your homework and succeed will depend on your ability to assess and manage risk.

And just so you know. I have been operating my own mobile detailing business here in New Jersey for more than 20 years and I decided a long time ago that I never wanted or needed a building to start making a better income. And my clients like the convenience. They would much rather have me detail their vehicles at their location, instead of them having to waste time bringing the vehicle to me. It has been a win/win situation.

[Andy M.]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

Hey Chris,

Since this is your first post, welcome to MOL!

I think one of the main factors in doing this would be to look at the market you are in. You cannot base this decision on what some might say. You need to think about the area you are in and whether there is a "market" for your services. We don't all live in sunny California. Do you live in an area where people are concerned with how their cars look? Are they concerned about protecting the investment that they made in purchasing the car in the first place? I am in no way trying to discourage you from this, I actually admire your initiative and willingness to take "the chance" and wish you nothing but success. Just something to think about. Please keep us posted with what you decide.

Andy
101impala

[camisdad1]

Re: calculated risks and just taking chances

Chris,

In the process of becoming a successful entrepreneur you will sometimes be tested by your ability to know and understand the difference between taking calculated risks and just taking chances.

You see, most successful entrepreneurs are in fact, risk-takers. However, you will find that they usually do not take chances. Successful business people realize that taking a well-calculated risk will require careful planning and creative use of their time and energy. In most cases, they look at it as an investment.

At the opposite end are those people who like an adventure. They usually jump in with both feet and when the business begins to fail, they look around and wonder what went wrong. By that time it is usually too late. They took a chance and it did not work out.

Taking a well-calculated risk is an investment that you will make in yourself and others closely associated with your business. Your ability to plan ahead, do your homework and succeed will depend on your ability to assess and manage risk.

And just so you know. I have been operating my own mobile detailing business here in New Jersey for more than 20 years and I decided a long time ago that I never wanted or needed a building to start making a better income. And my clients like the convenience. They would much rather have me detail their vehicles at their location, instead of them having to waste time bringing the vehicle to me. It has been a win/win situation.

Frank,

I read your response with particular interest. I have also been considering starting up a mobile business and I am in New York. Being in New Jersey, how do you operate in the winter months? Your insights would be appreciated!

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: operating during the winter

Frank,

I read your response with particular interest. I have also been considering starting up a mobile business and I am in New York. Being in New Jersey, how do you operate in the winter months? Your insights would be appreciated!

Tom,

As we all know, most businesses are affected by seasonal changes and the daily operations should be adjusted accordingly. Just like a farmer would not be able to go out there and plow their fields when the ground is frozen, they also see a slow down during the winter months. It is all part of the business cycle. Here in the northeast, you can basically figure that most detailing businesses are not very busy during the months of January and February. Hey, who wants to get their car detailed with a foot of snow on the ground?

Once the weather starts to get a little milder, like the past couple of weeks and the chance of snow, ice and road salt are gone, that is the time when detailing really begins to pick up again. The demand for detailing here in New Jersey usually remains high until late August, right before schools open again. That bit of a slowdown usually only lasts a few weeks until everything gets back to normal after summer vacations. By the middle of September, the phone starts ringing again and does not stop until late in December.

The autumn is the time of year when just about everyone wants to protect their car from the upcoming extremes of winter weather. Usually, December is relatively busy, however when the extreme cold weather comes a bit early, that can have an effect on demand at that time of the year.

[Cjanik]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

Thanks for everyones replies.

One thing - my name is Chase :p

Other thing - I live in Las Vegas. We see maybe 20 days of rain out of the year. This was one thing that drove me to know detailing can be big in Las Vegas.

Another advantage is the coldest day of the year in winter of 07/08 was 29 degree's. There can be a market for detailing year-round due to lack of rain/snow, although a lesser market in the colder months since a lot of the target customers have their cars in storage.

Frank, I have one question since you obviously seem to have a wealth of knowledge learned over time - this one question I have not been able to find an satisfying answer for myself.
On a hot day, I will have a canopy that I will set up (a must in Vegas) to wash under. However, the paint will still be hot - how would you go about detailing a car when evaporation happens faster than you want. Especially in shade because when its 110 degree's outside - it still evaporates RAPIDLY. Most products recommend a cool surface to apply on. I predict the surface of vehicles to be above cool after a wash, even in the shade.

thanks!

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

Chase,

The only thing I would recommend when working on a hot day is to get started as early as possible in the am. Here in NJ I have been on the job as early as 5:30am in the middle of summer. That is probably the best approach due to the severe heat and low reletive humidity. Most people in other parts of the country do not have to deal with that rapid evaporation problem, however I am sure that is something that must be considered. Again, working early in the day would be your best bet.

ps- sorry about using a wrong name.

[wiseguys]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

I have a basic question. hmm well - actually a long basic question

For 3 years now, I have always wanted to open a mobile detail business. I have always loved cleaning cars and get a tingle in my stomach when it looks like a mirror.

Now that I have the funds available - I'm ready to purchase what I need and start the business. I even made up the name, logo, and business plans.

I however, am worried about one thing. I keep getting the impression that it is very hard, if not near impossible, to be able to have a mobile detailing business and live above average.

What kind of income do you make and how much work do you put into it? Keep in mind I said mobile detail. Did you start out this way and realize you needed a building to start making better income? Is it practical to quit my day job and detail for a living? Not like I'm going to quit my day job just yet - but that is what I hope to come to within ~ 2 years.

whats your story??

thanks for any and all responses - maybe its just me getting worried that it wont work out now that I'm nearing the day I start doing this.

You have to make one major distinction to yourself. Are you in it for the love or for the money? If your in it for the money you may as well put your time into something else, because your heart isn't in it. If you want to be successful your heart needs to be in the game so you put forth your best effort. The most successful entrepreneurs are doing what they love. Keep that in mind.

The first thing you need to do is market research. Find out what other detail places are in the area and learn everything about them you can. Maybe even ask a friend to get their car detailed at that place and flip the bill. Just learn what they do, how much they charge, and is their work any good. See what your up against. By learning everything about them, you learn more about yourself and what you can do to distinguish yourself from the competition. You have to find your own niche and market it as much as possible.
Next you need marketing material such as business cards and brochures. Advertise as much as possible. Practice your sales speech and elevator pitch (meaning you only have a few seconds to get the interest of the customer) Talk to some new/used car dealers and see what you can do about making them a client. Go to a real estate firm and talk to them about package deals, ect. Maybe even give out a free detail or two as a sample to those companies that you know will get you a lot of consistent business. Get out there, spread your name. It's not a "If you build it, they will come" philosophy.
You don't need to quit your job while doing this portion, although if you did it would allow you to invest more time into doing it. An entrepreneur often works some 70-80hr work weeks. Once you get up and running you make your own schedule as for when you do the detail, but for now, you should put as much time as possible into it. You really have to create a list and nail down each task one by one. Don't do several things at one time little by little cause it'll never get done and you won't feel accomplished. NAIL each one home and move on.
Once you start landing a couple of deals you should think about quitting your job so you can invest your full attention into this venture. If you aren't serious enough about this to do that then maybe it's not for you, or not the right time.
There's lots of places you can research more on this topic, but at least you have a general idea by now.

[Detail_Oriented]

Re: soon-to-be new owner

Since I just opened the doors on my shop on May 1st., I can tell you what I did to try and jump start my new career. The first thing I did was hit up all my friends to get their cars done. Most were done for free or next to nothing to help start a buzz about who made their car look so good. I did the same with some of my neighbors, my insurance agent, etc.
Next I went out and talked to people. I stopped at my bank and noticed that there was an Escalade sitting there that looked like it had been "cleaned".
I waited for the owner and spoke with her about the appearance of such a nice vehicle. I offered to "fix" the poor cleaning job for her if she would tell her friends who made it look so good. She brought me the Escalde and I earned a new customer for a once a month complete detail and a few of her friends for the same.
Please don't make the mistake of pricing yourself too cheap. A true professional in this industry has financial obligations that have to be met such as insurance, maintenance, equipment, training, etc. Educate your customers on this point.
I am facing the problem of having a "detail" shop a few miles away from me that are offering full interior and exterior details for $60! They say they are spending 5-6 hours per vehicle. They won't last working for $10/hr.