How many buffer pads does a new business need?

I am on the fence on that one?!!? On one hand, I want to believe in the little guy who's dialing in a business plan with our assistance... and on the other hand, I am lining up with Roshan. I did have to ask myself the question why?!? and I guess one of the reason is I made my "bones" for free and spent countless hours working myself to $30/hr average....... but dang it, if he can get paid $50/hr having just put his hands on a machine and working with new products then I say we live in America and he has the right!

More power to your Profits... or should I say more profits to you!

BTW, I don't have an answer for you because I am still buying more pads than I am using. My best advise is 3 pads/colors/cars/day (once your dialed-in and know your process), and wash and dry them every night and repeat the next day. :dunno:
 
Dont get me wrong, I hope he does well! I just wanted him to be realistic in his outlook. like I said, after friends and family,,,, where are your clients coming from if he can be underbid by a established shop?
 
Always have a variety on hand. Wool, foam, microfiber. A few of each. You'll learn quick what you like and what works well for you. I'd say start out with 3 Wool, 3 foam cutting, 3 foam polishing, 3 foam finishing, and a few odd sizes, several backing plates, spurs, brushes.
 
ihaveacamaro said:
OP, if I was nasty, I wasn't trying to be and I do apologize.

However, look at the last post. The OP is still learning how to do paint correction. Nothing wrong with that certainly, but to be opening up a detailing business when you are still learning, that's where I see problems.

There are enough people in the detailing business that do terrible quality work, I think we should all work to ensure that no one on AG opens up a detailing business when they aren't ready.
Click to expand...

Additionally, setting-up a business is not just about having the skills needed for the job - you also need to know how to manage your costs and set proper prices in relation to the effort and materials required. Part of the knowledge that's needed is being able to determine, based on your expected demand, the quantity of products - both consumables like chemicals, and tools like pads, brushes, mitts and buffer(s) - you need to run your operation; if you're not able to work that out by yourself, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a couple of business/entrepreneurial courses.
 
cleanmycorolla said:
If you're looking into production detailing, why not get the proper materials. You don't need Menz, get some D151 and have at it. And at 50/hr starting out good luck! There's legit pros who do good work who charge less than that on this very forum. You should look at others prices first then go from there.
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I disagree 100%.

I started out with crap correcting and polishing products and quickly learned they produce crap results. Use the BEST products you can afford. Stick with Menzerna and learn how they work with different pads. There are no better polishes. The 4 different pads are fine, just get a lot of them. I use at least 6 pads per vehicle. $50/hour for paint correction and polishing is cheap. Don't set your rate the same as others or that's all you will ever earn!
 
TundraPower said:
I disagree 100%.

I started out with crap correcting and polishing products and quickly learned they produce crap results. Use the BEST products you can afford. Stick with Menzerna and learn how they work with different pads. There are no better polishes. The 4 different pads are fine, just get a lot of them. I use at least 6 pads per vehicle. $50/hour for paint correction and polishing is cheap. Don't set your rate the same as others or that's all you will ever earn!
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So you are saying Meguiar's products are crap? I have not tried Menzerna's polishes or compounds but I have seen video comparissons of say Meguiar's M101 vs Menzerna FG500 and the results were not in favor of Menzerna at all. M101 cut better and finishes better than FG500. So what makes you say they are the best?

Follow this link to see the comparisson in question:

Menzerna FG500 Fast Gloss 500 vs Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound Review and comparison HD Polisher Buff and Shine Garry Dean Detailing Tampa FL Premium Custom Detailing Products - YouTube
 
Guys, lets not turn this into a big fight about what products are better. Most of the time it is the polisher, not the polish that makes the difference.
 
I am just curious. I have never used D151 but so far all the Meguiar's products I have seen are great. So I am really interested in knowing why ThundraPower thinks it is crap. Maybe he is right, I don't know.
 
umi000 said:
Additionally, setting-up a business is not just about having the skills needed for the job - you also need to know how to manage your costs and set proper prices in relation to the effort and materials required. Part of the knowledge that's needed is being able to determine, based on your expected demand, the quantity of products - both consumables like chemicals, and tools like pads, brushes, mitts and buffer(s) - you need to run your operation; if you're not able to work that out by yourself, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a couple of business/entrepreneurial courses.
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I'm on my 13th year of entrepreneurship, and I have a great group of professionals on my team. :xyxthumbs:
 
Dr_Pain said:
BTW, I don't have an answer for you because I am still buying more pads than I am using. My best advise is 3 pads/colors/cars/day (once your dialed-in and know your process), and wash and dry them every night and repeat the next day. :dunno:
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:iagree:

seems on point to me... if im reading it correctly
3 pads of each color per car detailed...

IE if i detail 2 cars in one day using hydrotech pads I would need 6 red, 6 orange, 6 blue. id keep an extra of each color in the truck just to be safe.

Price has always fallen on the 3 C's im not sure if it was the word of Mike, or if its just one that floats around, car, color, condition. There is always a goal and i say "Goal" because there are so many variables. $50 an hour is a GOAL in my eyes and I hope you can achieve this goal. Keep us posted with how it plays out.


Aside from your pad question, have you started on your package plans? I enjoy seeing the different prices that different places charge throughout the country and what they include or don't include. ie maintenance washes, sealant packages, wax's... painted wheel corrections etc.
 
Calendyr said:
So you are saying Meguiar's products are crap? I have not tried Menzerna's polishes or compounds but I have seen video comparissons of say Meguiar's M101 vs Menzerna FG500 and the results were not in favor of Menzerna at all. M101 cut better and finishes better than FG500. So what makes you say they are the best?

Follow this link to see the comparisson in question:

Menzerna FG500 Fast Gloss 500 vs Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound Review and comparison HD Polisher Buff and Shine Garry Dean Detailing Tampa FL Premium Custom Detailing Products - YouTube
Click to expand...

sorry to steer this off...
maybe im feeding the fire in the wrong direction but FG400/FG500 are compounds... ie not AIO's (although with what i have encountered FG400 comes out Pretty darn good... none the less a compound normally won't leave a show finish... it should be followed up with a fine polish for show results.) FG400 has a little more haze than 101 but again I follow this statement up with needing a fine polish. I usually chase FG400 with 4/4500 and have outstanding results.


Side note again maybe I have skewed technique but I have had better luck with menzerna with harder paints than meguiras.

The price of meguiras is hard to beat especially when bought in bulk.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
But Dave...that car looks shiny!
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Yeah, I spent about 10 hours removing paint over spray, then did a compound then polish then NXT 2.0. I only charged the guy $100. :doh: I didn't know much of anything back then, had walmart products, a mega Cyclo kit and towels that looked like yellow diapers. (flannel I think) In my mind I was ready. Looking back though, I guess that could be debatable. A lot of folks said it couldn't work, or I'd never get it off the ground but a few years later I'm still going and actually even know a little.:xyxthumbs:
 
Oh shoot, I came in late to this thread and didn't read the beginning, I didn't get the joke :o

I have some of those yellow diapers, I got them at Target, I use them on the bathroom mirrors and sometimes for furniture polish :p
 
If you are going for cutting down time spent per car and ease of use I would recommend the Megs DA Microfiber system.

Especially since you have yet to detail a car.

The system is "almost" fool proof and a great way to introduce yourself to machine polishing. I wouldn't call the results achieved a "show car" finish, but for DD's it is much more than sufficient.
 
tuscarora dave said:
Yeah, I spent about 10 hours removing paint over spray, then did a compound then polish then NXT 2.0. I only charged the guy $100. :doh: I didn't know much of anything back then, had walmart products, a mega Cyclo kit and towels that looked like yellow diapers. (flannel I think) In my mind I was ready. Looking back though, I guess that could be debatable. A lot of folks said it couldn't work, or I'd never get it off the ground but a few years later I'm still going and actually even know a little.:xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

Setec Astronomy said:
Oh shoot, I came in late to this thread and didn't read the beginning, I didn't get the joke :o

I have some of those yellow diapers, I got them at Target, I use them on the bathroom mirrors and sometimes for furniture polish :p
Click to expand...

I guess my post was intended to project a few different messages, for more clarity I'll add these beliefs/experiences of mine.

1. Nobody can say that you're ready but you, if you are the one paying the freight for the effort and are willing to right any mistakes due to inexperience.

2. Usually when just starting out you tend to sell yourself short, not charging anything near what your services will become worth into the future after gaining lots of experience and learning some hard lessons along the way.

You might even cater to "price shoppers", these folks who look for the cheapest in town usually stop shopping once they achieve that Ideal. They do it over and over and they get the cheapest, and the quality of work usually is commensurate with the price being paid. They are typically not too hard to impress if you're willing to practice "your all" on their cars for the price they want to pay. In other words, they make for great practice guinea pigs. The practice is priceless in this endeavor, so you should value the opportunity as if it were actually money.

3. Down the road when you do gain tons of this valuable practice and experience, you'll likely raise your prices and lose the early "price shopping" customers. This is a good thing too. Just be sure to get all your before, after and 50/50 photos while you have these "guinea pigs" in your possession so that you can compile a stellar looking portfolio to use to reel in the type of clientele you'll want into the future.

4. If you believe in what you're doing, no matter how hard it gets or who says you can't do it, just keep working at it.

5. Using the crappy products I used in the earlier days of my detailing adventure kind of proves the theory of "process trumps product" (J.M. quote), just choose a product line and master it's use, It'll be much easier to order supplies from one source when you do this.

I could likely go on and on but I've probably rambled on too long already.
 
Dave is on fire!

I like the quote "process trumps products", since detailing is less about the product (although they do facilitate a better, faster end result) and more about the technique and methodology.

I also agree that we are not to decide if he is ready or not to open a business. Our job as fellow enthusiast and professional is to bring about personal experiences which will help him grow in the right direction. $50/hr may be a "goal" he'll never achieve but having such a high goal may force him to raise his standards from "suds in a bucket" to "OCD detailing", which will provide the kind of results which will give him job security. Too many settle for cut corner methodology, and many of them fail. Those are the ones we should be careful about, not the guy that is buying top of the line stuff to "experiment" or ask tons of questions to make his end result match his vision.

We cannot gift him the artistry and finesse of our hands, and the keen sensitivity of our eyes, and/or the algorithmic methodology which is second nature for us (having a few years behind our belts), or even our business abilities etc..... but we sure can teach him some of the ins and outs, and assist him through the growth process.

Ultimately we are not responsible for him, and his market will decide if he survives or not. We do have a responsibility to interject a certain dose of reality, not only to protect our trade but to protect his long term interest and prosperity.

Continue learning my friend and capitalize on every and any opportunity for growth. Don't forget to set realistic goals and never forget your dreams.
 
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