Any Pointers on Opening a Brick & Mortar Location?

My Detailing Guys

New member
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
238
Reaction score
0
Have an opportunity to open a Brick & Mortar location next year. I know one factor of many is location, location, location. I would great appreciate any tips you may have to offer.

Thank you in advance!
Greg
 
I know this is obvious, but try to get as low of total overhead costs as possible. That usually interferes with a great location but here's the deal,

Once you open a fixed location shop you have by default just become a production shop.

Nothing wrong with that just saying...


Now here's why, for easy discussion, lets use simple numbers. Say your total overhead is $1000.00 a month.

You want to work 5 days a week. That means you need to make $50.00 a day profit to pay overhead. That's just for overhead.

If one day you have no cars, that means for at least 2 of those days you need to make $100.00 a day profit to pay overhead.

None of the above includes taxes, your income and everything else, just shop overhead.

The effect this has is to make you buff and detail anything that drives onto your lot. That includes a way-cool Ferrari or an even cooler Town & Country Van.


Even one of these...

1986ChryslerTCconwoody001.jpg



So try to balance location with overhead...


Wishing you success!


:xyxthumbs:
 
Thanks Mike! After more research, and coming across your article (which I came across after writing this thread) I've decided having a brick and mortar location isn't for me. I don't want to become a production detailing business. I prefer to be a "One Customer at a Time" detailing service. I live on several acre's maybe I'll build an additional garage to detail customer cars, plus continue to offer mobile service. I would like to have another option for customers when weather is so friendly to be mobile.

Greg
 
Back
Top