More then I could chew=- What would you do?

NBD

NBD

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Well,
Ive been detailing over 15 years started with hot tubs in a pool place -- I know its a far stretch from acar but a begining is a begining.

Well
I got a phone call on Monday that a local very upclass golf course needs a detailer on sight sat and sundays. I gave my express detail prices (95 for external 135 for internal and external). They said they are reasonable prices and want me to start this weekend, I pushed it back one more week -- Im not ready supply and staff wise .. the staff is the issue... The Consierge Manager (sorry I have horrible spelling) showed me the books from the last guy who used to do it (he was inconsistant with showing up) -- and on most saturdays and sundays he had between 10 - 16 cars a day at this club.

I was told the old detailer did it with just 2 guys and was done generally in 6 hours with the jobs.


My problem --
How do I get help, how have you ladies and gentlemen found staff that is reliable, will show up on time and is trustworthy (they have some well known golfers that frequent this place.

I have a guy I have known for 10 years but its a trek for him on a weekend about an hour drive.. but I dont know if I need 3 of us total, ive never done quantity -- always quality work.

please help any advise would be wonderful.
 
NBD said:
Well,
Ive been detailing over 15 years started with hot tubs in a pool place -- I know its a far stretch from acar but a begining is a begining.

Well
I got a phone call on Monday that a local very upclass golf course needs a detailer on sight sat and sundays. I gave my express detail prices (95 for external 135 for internal and external). They said they are reasonable prices and want me to start this weekend, I pushed it back one more week -- Im not ready supply and staff wise .. the staff is the issue... The Consierge Manager (sorry I have horrible spelling) showed me the books from the last guy who used to do it (he was inconsistant with showing up) -- and on most saturdays and sundays he had between 10 - 16 cars a day at this club.

I was told the old detailer did it with just 2 guys and was done generally in 6 hours with the jobs.


My problem --
How do I get help, how have you ladies and gentlemen found staff that is reliable, will show up on time and is trustworthy (they have some well known golfers that frequent this place.

I have a guy I have known for 10 years but its a trek for him on a weekend about an hour drive.. but I dont know if I need 3 of us total, ive never done quantity -- always quality work.

please help any advise would be wonderful.
Click to expand...

First I think you need to decide if you want to to quantity work? If the answer is yes. DO NOT start the job without the staff. And I mean trained staff. Nothing is worse than botching a gig and ruining your name in the game. You should explain that you need X time to ramp up staff for the weekends. They should be glad you are preparing. Explain that you don't want to employeee detailers that have not been trained by you and approved by you.

My 2 cents.
 
Congrats! This is a big door opening for you. First off, do you have a tax ID number? Business checking account? All the equipment you need? Next,your employees can be youth. Those that don't mind working,and that will listen. Do you have any car detailing experience? These are just a few questions to ask yourself. Better to do it now than to get in over your head!
 
JSFM35x said:
First I think you need to decide if you want to to quantity work? If the answer is yes. DO NOT start the job without the staff. And I mean trained staff. Nothing is worse than botching a gig and ruining your name in the game. You should explain that you need X time to ramp up staff for the weekends. They should be glad you are preparing. Explain that you don't want to employeee detailers that have not been trained by you and approved by you.

My 2 cents.
Click to expand...
:props: Good Posting!
 
Showroom Shine said:
Congrats! This is a big door opening for you. First off, do you have a tax ID number? Business checking account? All the equipment you need? Next,your employees can be youth. Those that don't mind working,and that will listen. Do you have any car detailing experience? These are just a few questions to ask yourself. Better to do it now than to get in over your head!
Click to expand...


Yes I do have all this, I have a lawyer I am very close friends with (was in her wedding, she was in mine etc, I put it all in her hands lol but I do have it all. I have all the equipment,

The youth is a good Idea, I just need to find some, I do have teenage neighbors that im sure their parents woudl love to have out of hte hosue for a few hours.

As for putting it off, oportunities like this do not come along ... ever ... I know he had a few places he interviewed and my personality more then anythign else won out in the end.

ITs just for the res tof this golf season maybee another month and a half, but if all works well I will be on call for the off season and back in full swing as soon as the golfers get back from florida and come back to NJ/PA.



Its just all happening so fast..

AG -- ill be placing a big order this week -- lol jsut waiting on any sales you may have for friday.
 
The difference between success and mediocrity is timing.
 
NBD said:
My problem --
How do I get help, how have you ladies and gentlemen found staff that is reliable, will show up on time and is trustworthy
Click to expand...

That is the problem and it's a common problem for all successful detailers when they try to grow their business...

Besides finding good help, once you train them on how to properly detail a car they will often times quit and start their own detailing business...

Since it's weekends, you might be able to find high school kids with a strong work ethic. When I read this post the first name that came to mind was Renny Doyle, if anyone would have some tips on how to get great employees he's the man. I'll shoot him an e-mail and see if he'll chime in...

NBD said:
ive never done quantity -- always quality work.
Click to expand...

You can do quality production work, it's just a matter of does it suit you? Making a profit and getting a system in place that gives consistent results, including employees that will do the job right is the key to your success.

Even if you don't like to do production work, for the right profit you can learn to appreciate it.

I had a friend that opened a shop with the idea of detailing cars for the local dealerships, he got a few clients and found himself overwhelmed with more work than he could do by himself. He asked me to help him out, I buffed out one car down and dirty and had to excuse myself... just couldn't do production detailing on used cars... he hung in there for a few months and then moved on to become a Diesel Mechanic.

:)
 
I have always gone about finding local help either within the neighborhood (HOA announcement/community paper) or maybe church etc. You're right in that most parents would love to see their kids out of the house & learning some responsibility in the process.

At any rate, put the help on the easiest & least demanding of the work like vacuuming or wiping down the exterior etc. This way you aren't looking over your shoulder every other minute wondering if they're doing something wrong.

Sounds like management likes you enough that the idea of letting him know what you're doing in preparation would be a welcomed & responsible sense of business practice. I'm sure he'll cut you some slack with knowing you're doing all of this to create the best service for the course & its patrons.
 

If you hire an employee, you'll need workmans comp. I'm sure you have insurance

Good luck :buffing:




 
Fly bye said:
If you hire an employee, you'll need workmans comp. I'm sure you have insurance

Good luck :buffing:
Click to expand...

If he hires 4 or more employees & has them working for 25 + hours per week he'll need WC ......... varies from state to state, but that is the normal WC requirement.
 
Thanks everyone, I am covered with insurance yes, Work comp not yet, ill call my agent.
 
Pay them as if they were a contractor and you wont have to pay WC ;)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
When I read this post the first name that came to mind was Renny Doyle, if anyone would have some tips on how to get great employees he's the man. I'll shoot him an e-mail and see if he'll chime in...
Click to expand...


***Update***


Just spoke with Renny and he's going to chime in with some suggestions... Renny is a not only a Professional Detailer but he's an expert on the business or marketing side of the detailing industry...



:xyxthumbs:
 
Thank you Mike, I look forward to reading his sugestions.
 
Thanks for the invite Mike to add in my two cents to this tread. I sure miss hanging with you man and I hope that we get some time to kick it and share some passion about detailing this year at the SEMA event!

Down to the biz at hand...first...NBD ...what a great opportunity for you to look at such a project...congratulations on getting the call! You are smart for taking a long, hard look at this before jumping right in as your apprehension is justified. As in any service business the weakest links are usually people and staff related and with this opportunity and the numbers you shared, performing at a high level right out of the gate will be a challenge.

That is a great deal of work and with you being accustomed to performing higher levels of quality vs. volume work...you will most likely over perform and therefore realize less profits per hour than what you are accustomed to?

I am sure your system and processes will grow and get better in realationship to that volume but first impressions are everything and that learning curve could effect your reputation until you and your staff grow into the account.

Someone noted "sub contractors" and while a great idea, there are very strict tax and workers comp issues to face with that situation and note that time and time again, sub contracting workers within the detailing industry has been shot down and has closed a lot of detailing business doors with massive fines so I would stay clear of that! UNLESS...you network with another professional detailer and you both join forces on this project...now that situation has been very rewarding on many project that our company has undertaken these past 20 years so that could be an option to look at.

Also...you need that additional man-power for just those days each week...now with our own golfing relationships, we hire, pay and train as part time staff members (yes including workers comp) off duty fire fighters...these guys work hard, most learn quickly and almost every firefighter I have known over the years has lot's of time and is always looking for a second gig to earn money.

Another resource is your local high school and Jr. College body shop programs. These young people are passionate about cars and usually eager to learn and earn so those have been a great resource over the years.

To keep good staff and make sure we are making the most profits per man-hour as possible, , we pay a base hourly wage of minimum wage and have a formula for a commission structure and that keeps them working hard as they are rewarded for the amount of work they perform and it keeps the work flow moving along quickly and they can make a very solid hourly wage...our top guys are in the $17.00 - $22.00 an hour range!

Also, ask yourself a few additional questions before you jump into this!

  1. How is this contract going to effect my personal life, my family life and my down time? Will it help or hurt me?
  2. How is this contract going to effect my current clients? Will I still be able to maintain those who are supporting my business now?
  3. Can I maintain the level of professionalism within my services that will keep my reputation and branding solid and healthy?
  4. Can I rebuild the menu at that location and perform simpler services such as washes and express level details and then schedule the full service work off site? This would decrease your staffing needs and allow for a shorter learning curve with new hires.
  5. Do I want this project?
  6. Can I handle this project in reality?
  7. Why did the other guy give up such great account? This could be that he was a flake or it could be an indicator that the account could be a pain in the A** or he made his money...built up his clientele from the account and moved on...which you could do also?
I hope this helps...it's a huge topic and I am afraid there is no easy answer. Our Detailing Success site has a ton of information on it so feel free to look it over and subscribe to our Detailing VIP newsletter as I give a ton of advise on not just detailing but more importantly PROFITABLE PROFESSIONAL DETAILING!!!

Again...what a blessing to have an opportunity to look at such an account...I wish you the best on this opportunity!

Renny Doyle


Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
***Update***


Just spoke with Renny and he's going to chime in with some suggestions... Renny is a not only a Professional Detailer but he's an expert on the business or marketing side of the detailing industry...



:xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...
 
Wow, Renny Thank you so much for your insight. I will check out your webpage also.
 
Reading some of what Renny wrote, I really like the hiring of the off duty firemen for employees. They npormally keep those trucks in good condition but this way they could improve their techniques by working with a professional detailer. Id also have to add the service prices are quite low. Id use at least double the labor cost of your employees wages per hour just to break even on the job. DONT FORGET YOUVE GOT TO PAY OR FIGURE YOUR HOURLY RATE IN ALSO. So for example: 2 people on car 9-12 fo 3 hours. Employee wage $13/hourx3=$39x2=$78. You $22x3=$66x2=$132, for total of $220. Use some variation of this and all will be happy.
 
Just an update,
This was our first weekend at the golf club, the season is winding down, the members of the club are not used to a detailer showing up. Overall I could never ask for a happier cusomer base that listens, tips, and is understanding. We detailed 6 cars, and one customer from day 1 came back the second day with his Jaguar XK6 because he was impressed with the job we did on his VW Toureg on day 1.

Overall I think 6 cars was perfect for us for the first weekend, I am still training the staff so slow and steady is the best bet.


Now its time to do the invoice -- the not so fun part :)
 
NBD said:
Just an update,

Overall I could never ask for a happier customer base that listens, tips, and is understanding.

We detailed 6 cars, and one customer from day 1 came back the second day with his Jaguar XK6 because he was impressed with the job we did on his VW Toureg on day 1.

Overall I think 6 cars was perfect for us for the first weekend, I am still training the staff so slow and steady is the best bet.
Click to expand...


Congratulations!

And thank you for the follow-up post to keep us up to date as to your success!

We hope to read more posts like this one. Sharing what you learn from this experience could even help someone else into the future that finds themselves in a similar situation.


Pictures?
(Happy customers at the Golf Course or shiny cars at the Gold Course)


:)
 
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