HELP: Starting a LEGIT Detailing business!!!

Derek Short

Derek Short

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I didn't know where else to post this so I hope its ok to post here.....
I am looking to start a LEGIT detailing business and needing help knowing the steps in order to do so...
I plan to do my detailing as a side business on my days off which are fri, sat, sun.

Ive got in contact with a insurance company and it looks to be $650 a year for a 1mil. liability, and 30K property.

Still working on a company name...

But here is where I am lost....

Once I get a company name what do I do about getting it registered and set up for taxes etc...

From the guy I spoke with about the insurance he mentioned I don't need to do all that in order to have insurance for the company...

Here is what I am thinking....

I want to have a website... And don't want there to be an issue down the road where if something happened to a customers car they report me for not being a legit detailing company etc... what do I do about that?

Kinda lost here and would really appreciate the help on the detailing weighing in on my situation...

Thanks!
 
I'm not an expert but I think the best start is to register a tax ID number and create an llc
 
You'll contact your local department of commerce or clerk's office usually and register with the state for you specific business (costs are determined by type of business).

Here in NV it's roughly $120 a year, contact the IRS to get setup with an EIN tax number, then research forming an LLC which will allow you in the event of being sued to not worry about them going after your personal holdings. Insurance you seem to have set, just ensure you are carrying enough coverage and you understand the terms. Does it cover only cars in your garage, are you planning on picking up cars and driving them? If so ensure you're covered in the event of an accident out on the road with a customer's car.

With the website look up regular domain holders about creating your own website. Initially most have templates setup to assist you, last year I was lucky that Nevada offers one year free website hosting for new businesses but I decided to forego that (although now I've got the bug again). A basic template with plenty of photos and business pricing is needed, you can work on it and tweak it to your liking. I am no expert on HTML so I used a basic template and tweaked it to my satisfaction.

For marketing start with friends and such, move on to local car clubs, Cars and Coffee events, etc... Add your business to Google Maps so you can be added, preferably have a few clients that can give reviews initially once you start it up. Vistaprint has pretty solid deals on business cards, roughly 250 for $10. Also start expanding onto social media, craigslist if you wish.

I would also look into something akin to a Square reader so you can take credit cards and it gives you a receipt for every customer.
 
^^ +1 to all of that; great advice af90. Reviews, a website, square reader, proper insurance, decals on your truck (especially if mobile) t-shirts with your logo, business cards, a work email address, listings on google maps each add to your credibility. Just work on one a time and slowly continue to add to the credibility as you build.

Looking back 9 years to when I started, my business looked pathetic lol. But I have slowly improved it, and contine to try a do so even more, and I feel like it's turned out alright now. Just don't try doing everything all at once or else you can easily get overwhelmed and end up not getting near as much accomplished, or possibly even give up because it feels like too much.

Depending on what your working on and how you center your biz, you may be able to just open it as a sole proprietorship and save some $$$. There are different variables that go into that decision though, so be sure to do your research on that stuff. Good luck!
 
How can you insure a detailing business that's not a legit detail business?

Start there first

Go to the county clerk and register your ficticious business name. For me it was $30.
I then had to go to the local paper to have my business name published. That was around $200

You can bypass the first part by just using your actual name as your business name.

Then go to your city hall to get your business license. For me I paid $50 initially, but I have to pay a yearly renewal fee based on our revenue

Then you're legit

You can get insurance, get a business bank account, do your online marketing (facebook, google plus, youtube, Instagram, yelp, google places for business aka google maps, make a website (drag and drops are cool if you're a little creative. I used weebly), search engine optimization, google webmaster tools, google analytics), etc etc
 
If you plan on incorporating, there's more that goes into it, but im not speaking from experience
 
Next buy Renny Doyle's book. I got it on Kindle, it's awesome. I just did all this in my state and am now a legit business. Have fun and good luck. Remember, enjoy it and don't let it discourage you. I feel if I get frustrated my quality of work go down. Just always keep a positive attitude and work hard.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using AG Online
 
Start asking at the 'local' level what is required. It is possible that is as far as you need to go. They should be able to tell you about any county and state requirements you will need to address.

Check your states web site under (usually) "Department of State" there well may be a lot on info for opening/operating a business.

Good luck...

Bill
 
I wouldn't do anything you just mentioned

Get 10 people to pay you $150 for your detailing services and then look into all that "business" stuff
 
thebamboo23 said:
I wouldn't do anything you just mentioned

Get 10 people to pay you $150 for your detailing services and then look into all that "business" stuff
Click to expand...

Bah. He isn't doing anything drastic or overly costly. Why should he not create a proper foundation before starting a business? It's like telling a resteraunt to not put a sign up front until they have started serving diners.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
 
VP Mark said:
Bah. He isn't doing anything drastic or overly costly. Why should he not create a proper foundation before starting a business? It's like telling a resteraunt to not put a sign up front until they have started serving diners.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
Click to expand...

That's exactly my point

Make sure people like your food
Make sure you can handle cooking all day long
Make sure you can take the pressure of staffing
Make sure you validate you actually want to do this legitimately..

then look into the business stuff

everyone likes to buy tools, get a website, get insured, get social media running, buy shirts, THEN get customers

how about get customers, THEN buy tools, get a website, get insured, get social media running, buy shirts, etc..
 
thebamboo23 said:
That's exactly my point

Make sure people like your food
Make sure you can handle cooking all day long
Make sure you can take the pressure of staffing
Make sure you validate you actually want to do this legitimately..

then look into the business stuff

everyone likes to buy tools, get a website, get insured, get social media running, buy shirts, THEN get customers

how about get customers, THEN buy tools, get a website, get insured, get social media running, buy shirts, etc..
Click to expand...

This is not awesome advice, unless you're looking to get sued.

All it takes is one pissed off customer, and you're hosed for life.

"No your Honor, my 'business' is not recognized by the city, county, or state."

"No your Honor, I do not have business insurance."

"Why yes your Honor, I would love to spend $14,590 to have the client's Ferrari F430 Spyder repainted. And his $6,450 legal bills."

We're not talking about selling crocheted photography props, candles, or makeup here. We're talking about messing with someone's stuff. Someone's possibly very valuable stuff.
 
thebamboo23 said:
That's exactly my point

Make sure people like your food
Make sure you can handle cooking all day long
Make sure you can take the pressure of staffing
Make sure you validate you actually want to do this legitimately..

then look into the business stuff

everyone likes to buy tools, get a website, get insured, get social media running, buy shirts, THEN get customers

how about get customers, THEN buy tools, get a website, get insured, get social media running, buy shirts, etc..
Click to expand...

Incorrect. Your premise is that you should find out if you 'like' detailing for a living before setting up your business.

Well, if you don't know if you like detailing or not, work on your own, family, and friends cars for free or at cost to decide that.

The minute you start charging money and making profits, you are a business.

Many detailing businesses fail specifically because they do not spend enough time/money building the foundation of their business before launching.

Not to mention the fact that people are not attracted to new businesses that don't have any sort of legitimate operation set up. Are you going to get your first 10 customers by showing up to people's houses in t shirt and jeans asking if you can detail their cars? How will people even find out that you exist without a website, facebook, ect.?

I know that people think it's best to start at art detailing business with little or no risk, but it's the risk that gives you the capability to light a fire that will burn for years to come.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
 
RevitalizeAutoSpa said:
This is not awesome advice, unless you're looking to get sued.

All it takes is one pissed off customer, and you're hosed for life.

"No your Honor, my 'business' is not recognized by the city, county, or state."

"No your Honor, I do not have business insurance."

"Why yes your Honor, I would love to spend $14,590 to have the client's Ferrari F430 Spyder repainted. And his $6,450 legal bills."

We're not talking about selling crocheted photography props, candles, or makeup here. We're talking about messing with someone's stuff. Someone's possibly very valuable stuff.
Click to expand...

I understand where you're coming from.

But you're over thinking it

10 details for $150

5 interior cleanings on a mini-van

5 wash and wax on a daily car

That's ~$1500 in revenue with ~$80 in cost

Now he will have money that he's earned detailing and getting experience from.. to reinvest into everything else.

Is someone gonna get sued? That's always a possibility.

Will someone get sued? Most likely not unless you set their car on fire

VP Mark said:
Incorrect. Your premise is that you should find out if you 'like' detailing for a living before setting up your business.

Well, if you don't know if you like detailing or not, work on your own, family, and friends cars for free or at cost to decide that.

The minute you start charging money and making profits, you are a business.

Many detailing businesses fail specifically because they do not spend enough time/money building the foundation of their business before launching.

Not to mention the fact that people are not attracted to new businesses that don't have any sort of legitimate operation set up. Are you going to get your first 10 customers by showing up to people's houses in t shirt and jeans asking if you can detail their cars? How will people even find out that you exist without a website, facebook, ect.?

I know that people think it's best to start at art detailing business with little or no risk, but it's the risk that gives you the capability to light a fire that will burn for years to come.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
Click to expand...

I understand where you guys are coming from.

I use to think just like that:
Let me get a website
A proper email address
I need to look professional in a company shirt
I need business cards, blah blah blah

When you're starting off that is all unnecessary

A Facebook page and a gmail account is all you need to get started

it's called bootstrapping= starting a business with no funding
 
RevitalizeAutoSpa said:
This is not awesome advice, unless you're looking to get sued.

All it takes is one pissed off customer, and you're hosed for life.

"No your Honor, my 'business' is not recognized by the city, county, or state."

"No your Honor, I do not have business insurance."

"Why yes your Honor, I would love to spend $14,590 to have the client's Ferrari F430 Spyder repainted. And his $6,450 legal bills."

We're not talking about selling crocheted photography props, candles, or makeup here. We're talking about messing with someone's stuff. Someone's possibly very valuable stuff.
Click to expand...

This is why I would have limits on worth of the car when operating without a license or insurance. And be honest with clients if they ask, be fair stress what you do know and your work but I wouldn't touch a car worth anywhere near that much without insurance. Take the couple days and get setup as a legitimate business before working on it.

Even friends and friends of friends can easily turn into a bad situation.
 
Bootstrapping is fine if you have no money to start with. If you have money however, bootstrapping is a waste of time when you can be launching your business much faster, more professional, and more efficient by making an investment.

I find it interesting how many people think the detailing business is different than any other business when it comes to risk/reward potentials. A basic SWOT analysis should tell you where you need to invest your money, if you have any.

Curious, is boot strapping how you started your business? How did it work for you?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
 
af90 said:
This is why I would have limits on worth of the car when operating without a license or insurance. And be honest with clients if they ask, be fair stress what you do know and your work but I wouldn't touch a car worth anywhere near that much without insurance. Take the couple days and get setup as a legitimate business before working on it.

Even friends and friends of friends can easily turn into a bad situation.
Click to expand...

Do you honestly think if you start a car detailing business today, you will even come moderately close to touching a high-end car?

a lot of people will not agree with me, that's fine

I come from an entrepreneur perspective

I don't waste time when i have a business idea..

I come up with an idea, within 24 hours im getting people to pay me, and if I like it i keep the momentum going
 
VP Mark said:
Bootstrapping is fine if you have no money to start with. If you have money however, bootstrapping is a waste of time when you can be launching your business much faster, more professional, and more efficient by making an investment.

I find it interesting how many people think the detailing business is different than any other business when it comes to risk/reward potentials. A basic SWOT analysis should tell you where you need to invest your money, if you have any.

Curious, is boot strapping how you started your business? How did it work for you?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
Click to expand...

Just cause you have the money doesn't mean you need to spend it

The Foundation builds software for a variety of different industries.. they spend as little money as possible building the software

and yes, I guess you could say I'm bootstrapping right now

I have no website, no social media pages, no testimonials,

But businesses are paying me ~$1000 a month as a marketing consultant..

I provide copywriting and auto-responder services to increase bottom line sales, increase customer retention rate, increase customer service/experience, and so forth

Will i eventually need a website? Of course

Do I need one right now? nope
 
Ok... out of curiosity do you or have you ever owned a detailing business?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
 
Wow, Lots of good info here!

Really appreciate it everyone.

I am only looking to do this as a side business. I have been detailing cars, all word of mouth, but am looking to go legit as its the right thing to do and it will give me and my business a lot more credibility.

Any more helpful info. would be much appreciate.

Thanks!
 
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