Hobbiest vs Pro

silverfox said:
Love staying a hobbyist. I'm the type that could never work on a car that I didn't put the same effort as I would with my own car...and that's not practical in a market where most people just want a clean car at the lowest cost...not premium detailing.

I just accepted an early retirement package. Done at the end of the year. Money in the bank...soon its my time to really enjoy my passion on a whole new level.
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Silverfox, you will love retirement. Best way to describe retirement is "every day is Saturday." Don't have to wait for Saturday to get things done.

Detailing wise, I am a hobbyist, mostly just take care of my car and my husband's car. I do have a running list of friends who want their cars detailed. I do as many as I can for no pay. I just tell them if they are happy with my work to make a donation to a local non-profit. I have the enjoyment of detailing the cars, they get back a clean and shiny car and hopefully, a local non-profits gets some money.
 
DetailKitty said:
I'm glad I'm not the only on here that feels this way...

People thought I was nuts using my long vacation weekend to detail a car.

They don't realize that's my "zen time" as I call it. My get away from everything and just work on my car by myself.
Besides, the car doesn't talk back or give me crap.

I don't think I could ever detail full-time... I think it would loose something.
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I agree with the Zen time. I've made that comment myself, truly enjoy it as a hobby........put about 8 hours into my neighbors minivan, with their help, truly enjoyed it.
 
Jsgn...that's a wonderful idea...detailing for local charities.
 
I am a hobbyist. I am retired and enjoy working on our cars. Neighbors are always telling me that I will wear the paint off my car but when I drive down the road they are staring at my car wishing theirs look this good :)

:xyxthumbs:
 
I am would consider myself a "pro" hobbyist. I love detailing like everyone else hear, but I also cherish my free time and always have projects to work on. So on occasions like birthdays and holidays, I give my family members gift certificates towards detailing work, and I will buy them a very nice product (Bought my brother Pinnacle Souveran for Christmas) that I will only use exclusively on their car. They love this, and it also keeps my expenses for gifts low.

I have people calling me weekly wanting me to detail their cars. I have a few normal clients (friends) that I detail for, and my work speaks for itself, so I get a lot of referrals. People will call me because I usually charge half of what the legit businesses charge, and my work is just is good, if not better. I can charge this much less because the only overhead I have is product. However, I turn a lotttt of people down, because I just dont have time for it.

That is how I maintain my business/hobby relationship of detailing.
 
Matt....more great ideas, especially the gift cards. I could hand these out to some folks in my gated retirement community of which I recently built a house. Thanks for sharing
 
BulldogAuto said:
It is more like a hobbytunity for me. I have a business so I can make a little cash pay taxes and not have the Law after me. But I end up using all my income for supplies and tools that I will use on my cars as well. It's not going to make me rich enough to tell the boss man to kiss my ass.
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Rule #1 Don't get high on your own supply.

Sent from my N9810 using AG Online
 
Hobby for me. Making my cars look great is more fun than golf. I also have enough product to probably start a detail shop. (Thanks AutoGeek sales!)
 
For me detailing is a hobby when its for my own car, a job for cars I don't care about, and obsession for those "point of interest cars" I get every now and then. I'm only 18 and using it to make some money before college, but I'm still addicted to the feeling of getting a dirty worn out car and making it look like it just left the showroom in mere hours.
 
Here are the definitions (that I agree with)
of what Hobbyists and Professionals are:
_______________________________________________

Hobbyist:
"A person engaged in activities, in their spare time, that bring them pleasure."

Professional:
A person who is currently engaged, was engaged, or strives to be engaged in a career; who conforms to a professional set of behaviors; and who seeks to become an expert at their chosen career."
~Robert Bogue
___________________________________________________

Also, following in this vein of thought, and IMHO:
•Although "being paid" serves a purpose, (and is an important distinction) it is the least useful definition.
•Deriving pleasure from an activity should not be limited to being a Hobbyist...It should also apply to being a Professional.

Accordingly...When it comes to detailing vehicles:
I am a Hobbyist.

Bob
 
hobbiest , was my start , i didn't get paid , or not enough , i did a lot of mistakes (buying a lot of crap that i don`t use just cause "the forum" said , i waist time with products that doesn`t do it`s job etc)
pro , the sky is the limit ,i value my time, i think detailing as a business, i set my mind in that direction, in weekend i don`t wanna see-hear or drive a car , motorcycle only
 
I started as a hobbyist but soon realized I could make money doing what I do so I started my business. I have been successful at it ever since I started back in 2012 and I haven't regretted it since. I ran the numbers and if I went full time id actually make more than I do at my current job but I'm not ready to switch to full time just yet.

At first I didn't feel comfortable actually charging people and I kept my prices down. I took small business classes and learned to value my time more and I've gained a lot of insight and confidence with those classes. Im a big part of a local Houston car club and I do a lot of business with enthusiasts so im happy with where i'm at but i'm always looking at expanding anywhere I can.
 
I consider myself a wannabe. In a few years when I retire and get the GQ, I plan on working my way up to hobbyist.
 
Hobbyist here.

I have a lot of respect for those that does this professionally because at the end of the day, it is back breaking work and the amount of detail that goes into this to produce showcar results is almost endless.

However, one thing I have learned along the way is that the reason why I can't do this for a living is because I like working on my car... but not so much working on other people's car. If I did, I would probably end up being a hack! :D
 
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