Not just a business, but making a living!

crash93ssei

crash93ssei

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Currently I work full time and make ok money for the area ~$55,000 / year. However, to make that money I am working in a shop as a machine operator and in the summer it gets about 110 degrees in there and is overall miserable even on the super easy days.

I have been detailing as a hobby now for four years and have had excellent results and all customers have been extremely satisfied.

Trouble is, I have about 35 years left to work before I can retire and I am maxed out for pay in this shop. Other then moving to supervision or managent there is no more room for advancement for me and I do not like the idea of making the same money for the next 35 years!

So, I have been toying with the idea more and more recently about turning my hobby not only into a part time business but eventually breaking all ties and making a living off my detailing only. This seems like a fantastic idea, but the winter months really scare me as I fear business would be completely dead and I wouldn't make any money during those months then spend all summer trying to play catch up.

How many of you out there are in a more northern climate with snow for a few months and actually make a living out if detailing? I know there is auto lavish and deep gloss auto salon a few hours south of me, but just looking for more experience and info on making that complete transition.

I dream of making cars beautiful for my full time job, working outside or in my own air conditioned shop and being my own boss.... not working in a shop sweating my butt off all summer working under a dozen other people up the line all the way to corporate.
 
Nothing wrong with dreaming a bit, but in this economy I'd keep my day job. Why? Because I'm afraid we ain't seen nothin' yet. Just wait 'till these gas prices climb up over $4 in the midwest and see what happens.

Nothing wrong with working and detailing too. Be thankful you've got a good paying job. A lot of us don't. The insurance alone is killing me, not to mention gas prices.
 
It is SUPER hard to be a small business owner, especially with detailing. I live in So Cal, so the weather is to my advantage for the most part, but that being said, there are detailing outfits a dime a dozen. I am always getting flyers on my car from a new detailing company offering the "$50 inside/out" detail.

I've been detailing for 12 years now and it is my primary source of income. However, I also do mobile auto & equipment repair which makes me the most/ offers the steadiest amount of money. You have to think that in order to provide yourself a living off detailing, you have to come up with a lot of new clients every day/week in order to pay your bills. You still work your butt off but it becomes on you to make it work and make money. If it was an easy way to make a ton of money, everyone would be doing it, which seems to be happening a lot per the numerous posts that go along the lines "I wanna quite my job" or "looking to make extra cash" or "I've detailed my car and think I can make some fast cash doing detailing, I'll start by doing my friends and family".

Once a customer gets their vehicle detailed, you wont be seeing them for 3-6 months, granted you may be able to offer washes and touch up details. That is the hardest part with starting up a detailing business IME. Also, when doing it for a living, it stops being AS fun, and becomes more like work. Flash said once that detailing can become boring and monotinous, which is so true. Cleaning a car and making it look great is just like anything else, you do the same steps/procedures but insert a different vehicle over and over again.

I know a lot of machine shop workers and that work can be SUPER hard and boring at times especially in a shop setting. Getting stuck in the same pay grade sucks and the glass ceiling really starts to hit you. Have you looked into working for a bigger shop or a refinery? I know the operators at the local refineries are clearing $120,000 a year with OT.

In the end, its up to you. You can make money detailng, but you have to realize how much you have to make in order to survive. You'll have to pay for your own insurance, overhead, rent, and everything else and that starts adding up really quick especially when you start thinking about how many cars you have to do in order to make that kind of money. Add on to that the crazy cold winters you have & and the local established car washes (whose price you can't compete with) and the other local detailiers, its going to be a lot of work.

Sorry for the rant, but just wanted to say what my experience is. I love my job and can't see myself doing anything else but it took a LONG time to get where I'm at now.
 
No worries on the rant, trust me, I am not looking to do this overnight, looking more for a few years yet down the road, and not even saying 100% sure I am going to do it at all, just getting more information exploring possible options as it always helps :)

As for going to a bigger shop, I am working on that as well but looks like that will be a year out yet.
 
crash93ssei said:
...I do not like the idea of making the same money for the next 35 years!

... eventually breaking all ties and making a living off my detailing only. This seems like a fantastic idea, but the winter months really scare me as I fear business would be completely dead and I wouldn't make any money during those months then spend all summer trying to play catch up.



I dream of making cars beautiful for my full time job...
Click to expand...

Just as technology changes, so does whole industries.(1) Who would have foreseen the textile industry all but disappear in the south?(2) NASA along the space coast(3)Auto plants in Mich, ETC...
With smart cars and the likes on the forefront, gas prices rising, and oil not being a renewable commodity - I don't think detailing will have too much of a future in America in this new millenium.

Well, that's my two cents - and yes I am a pessimist by nature.
 
When starting B & B, I was in school for accounting and had a full time job - I thought "man I am so slammed detailing that I need to get out of school, leave my full time job, and build this company!" Funny how being slammed to me then was a few cars a week (cause of the work load around detailing). After a year and a half of building B & B - I can now say that we are truly slammed and can make a descent living out of it. I can say with out a doubt that - without having a woman that believed in me and carried our financial burdens that there is no way that I could have kept B & B going. Here is something I posted recently in an AG social group :

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=65

May be something to check out - hope it helps man.
 
I say follow your dream. You only live once. No point in doing a job you are not happy with. Obviously start slow. Maybe take some business classes too.
 
B&B Tennessee said:
When starting B & B, I was in school for accounting and had a full time job - I thought "man I am so slammed detailing that I need to get out of school, leave my full time job, and build this company!" Funny how being slammed to me then was a few cars a week (cause of the work load around detailing). After a year and a half of building B & B - I can now say that we are truly slammed and can make a descent living out of it. I can say with out a doubt that - without having a woman that believed in me and carried our financial burdens that there is no way that I could have kept B & B going. Here is something I posted recently in an AG social group :

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=65

May be something to check out - hope it helps man.
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That was a very good read! I had no idea about that section, you posted up some very good information, thank you!
 
Follow your dream. Having said that, I know this sounds crazy but for me detailing car's is far too enjoyable to even consider making a living at it.
 
crash93ssei said:
B&B, I checked out your fb page, good stuff there! I liked it as well.

Check mine out and see what you think, I just put it up a couple days ago, still working on it - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Next-Level-Automotive-Detailing/232233813536216?ref=tn_tnmn
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Liked :xyxthumbs: - Love the pics and separating them accordingly into proper "folders" - I just throw my pics up randomly when pics are actually taken lol. BUT - pics are VERY important for sure! Nice facebook page man.
 
Thanks for the compliments on the page! The "like" didn't show up, but not a big deal LOL

I plan to have a folder for all the pics of one car alone after I do some more in the spring, so I hope it will be even better then.
 
crash93ssei said:
Thanks for the compliments on the page! The "like" didn't show up, but not a big deal LOL

I plan to have a folder for all the pics of one car alone after I do some more in the spring, so I hope it will be even better then.
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Thats odd - it shows up on my page that your fb is liked by B & B.... hmmmm, facebook hiccup maybe?!?!?
 
Odd for sure, it does show on your page, yet I didn't get any notification of it and still the same number of likes. Maybe a page can like a page but it doesn't count as a "like" LOL who knows....
 
crash93ssei said:
Odd for sure, it does show on your page, yet I didn't get any notification of it and still the same number of likes. Maybe a page can like a page but it doesn't count as a "like" LOL who knows....
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Well you got a B & B like and a personal page like from me :dblthumb2: That one showed up for sure.
 
Yup, the personal like just showed up. I guess a "like" from a page doesn't count LOL

Learn something new every day!
 
crash93ssei said:
Yup, the personal like just showed up. I guess a "like" from a page doesn't count LOL

Learn something new every day!
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With my experience man - I would seriously tough out the job you currently have - SAVE money if possible - Get to that "overwhelming point" - then go full blown detailing. When I say overwhelming point, I mean.... till you have no more than 4 hours of sleep a day because you have jobs AM and PM. SAVE SAVE SAVE! If you take the money made by detailing on the side, save it, and dump it into your full time deal in say 4 months or so you will be in descent shape - but I can say that the first year for B & B was TOUGH and that I lucked out with great people surrounding me, and I enjoy unorthodox details as opposed to most on this forum (larger scaled detailing). Hope all this helps bro. You are more than welcome to call me as well anytime if you have any questions man.
 
B&B Tennessee said:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=65

May be something to check out - hope it helps man.
Click to expand...

Good stuff. Definitely a bit nerved as to "how" my 1st year w/ mobile detailing will go (?!)

I recently got laid off 'permanently' from a job that I hated; so, failure isn't exactly an option. Hopefully, I can employ some of the knowledge gained here, along with my prior 16+ years surviving as a swimming pool contractor and make a good run at this business.

Like was said prior, I too believe in pursuing the dream, and I'd rather not try working a regular job ever again, the pay sucked and the attitude my supervisor's carried was far below the standards I myself exercised for all the years of self-employment. *Not putting down regular hourly/salaried employees or anything, just not my cup of tea. I need the freedom to earn or burn!

B&B congrats on your success, and thanks for sharing.:dblthumb2:
 
B&B, congrats on the recent success. I just looked over your site, and I must say I love you pricing/service structure. Everything is a little on the low end for my area, but the actual level 1-3 with the option for exterior or interior only within each particular level is great in my opinion. Probably the least confusing menu I've seen in a long long time.
 
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