Is detailing a good business?

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LeeDiaz

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I'm interested hear what some of you guys who own a detail business have to say. What was the hardest thing about getting your business up and running? How much capital did it take to get it all started? Would six grand be enough to get everything I need including an enclosed trailer?

Eventually I want to start my own mobile detail business but I have a few things to work on. I've never polished or waxed a car before! But One of the guys on the forums has offered to help me with this.

Also, what are your biggest expense with mobile detailing? Last questions... Do you do any waterless detailing? If not where do you get the water to fill your tank? From your house?


I'm sure some of these question are very simple but I'm only asking because my lack of knowledge. Thanks guys!!!
 
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#1. You MUST have a quality web site. 95% of my business is from people looking online. The other 5% is referrals from existing clients.

#2. Mobile detailer's where I live have a really ugly reputation, most of it well deserved. So if you're going to do mobile detailing you have to do exceptional work to set yourself apart.

#3. You can make as little or as much money as you want detailing!
 
#1. Do better work than your competitors.
#2. Good website and make it easy to read and show your work.
#3. Your prices will have to be set to the area you live in.
#4. 90% of my business comes from word of mouth.
#5. Being mobile you will need a vehicle that you can be mobile with.
 
I'd recommend getting a job in an existing shop or dealeeship before making a large investment. Its a very monotonous job at times & very physically demanding. It really takes a special type of person to do it full time.

I have a friend that quit his job & bought an existing mobile business. I helped him one day & found out he had no detailing experience. After helping him for a few hours I had to really encourage him to pump the breaks & told him he needs to put hundreds of hours of research in & apply what he has learned to his vehicles before taking on customers. I got a call a few days later from him offering to sell me his business, because he didn't like detailing cars. I believe he spent $8k.

You are in the right place. There is tons of info here & some of the best in the world post here. I don't want to discourage you. It can be great. It is a grind. Mistakes are costly & easy to make with the amount of electronics & thin clear coats on newer vehicles.

If you can afford it, going to Mike's training would be a great idea. I've been detailing for 13 years now, & would love to go still.
 
Thanks guys. @ Scott I'm reading that book right now. Got it last week.
 
My usual disclaimer: Not a pro detailer. Don't wanna be. BUT;

My advice? Take yourself seriously. Someone who takes themselves seriously;

1) Asks a fair price for their work. If you do discount work, charge discount prices. If you do good work, charge good prices. Do market research and find out what your market will support (I could offer detailing with $10,000 wax and $4,000 glaze and charge thousands for a detail and it would be a fair price but I wouldn't get any takers in my market! Likewise, doing $50 paint corrections may drum up business, but isn't sustainable and customers won't like you jacking your prices up afterwards)

2) Is insured, and has formed their company legally under advice from a trusted business professional or an attorney (LLC or similar) to protect themselves and their assets.

3) Has developed a business plan, done market research (That's a big one. You may surprise yourself with the kind of clients you'll find. You might live in an area with a lot of high end cars that is saturated with detailers specializing in high-end exteriors. Which could mean, in an area stocked full of high end cars, there might be more money in lower-cost high volume detail work with a knack for interiors! Your market is NOT the cars you see on the road every day, your market is the cars people who are willing to pay a detailer own- and what detailers there already are in your market. Subtract one from the other and find your market!) and really spent some time going into this.

4) Pays their taxes and has a good tax preparer/accountant insuring that they have everything legal and squared away.
 
The best advice is get a job with a reputable detailer for a few months and get you feet wet.
 
In addition to the Renny Doyle book, it would make sense to get some top level professional instruction like an AG boot camp, or Renny Doyle offers courses here on SoCal, or Chem Guys has a week long course that is oriented towards the business end of detailing as well as the actual detailing skills. Any startup business is tough and it makes sense to invest in learning how not to make expensive mistakes if you want to make money with this as a career.
 
I pretty much agree with what everyone here is saying. I used to do this full time helping to put my way through school. That was 20+ years ago. Everything is different now. The technology in polishers and polishes has advanced to the point that you can take a two-week class and be able to produce 80% + results consistently. The days of years long learning curves and sniffing the dirt with a rotary are over.
 
What everyone has said, also Detailing is the most labor intensive and least profitable car industry. Oh ya, everyone is an expert!
 
Woob said:
What everyone has said, also Detailing is the most labor intensive and least profitable car industry. Oh ya, everyone is an expert!
Click to expand...

I dunno if I'd call it the most labor intensive. There's a lot of tedious hard work, but have you ever rebuilt a motor? Or pulled a motor for that matter? Replaced a front wheel drive transmission? Took me and another guy 12 hours to replace the transmission in a front wheel drive Buick (my buddies car). Afterwards we were covered in grease, sore, with cuts, scrapes and bruises. Now I've never done a full paint correction, but I have polished, sealed and waxed my own car. It's a lot of work; but I don't think it was near as much work as when we swapped that tranny.

Not saying it's not an industry that involves a lot of work for not a lot of money; just saying, with all the trades involved in the automotive industry, including industrial welding, working on very heavy vehicles, and even very labor intensive repair jobs- I don't think detailing is the most labor intensive profession in the automotive industry.

The 'everyone is an expert' thing is, I think, true of every industry! LOL.
 
Woob said:
What everyone has said, also Detailing is the most labor intensive and least profitable car industry. Oh ya, everyone is an expert!
Click to expand...

The most labor intensive? Give me a break. Detailer's have it easy compared to engine/transmission mechanics, welders, etc. That is one tough crowd.
 
How serious do you want to be? If you are looking at this as a full time career, you need to have a good steady clientele to make it pay. Look into insurance, including medical. Check out and understand the benefits of getting bonded, (some states may require it), know the difference and what insurance does and does not cover. A simple mistake could cost you thousands. IMO, don't take on a venture if you don't have the ability to do it right. Now, that doesn't mean you need to have thousands, it simple means work within your ability and finances. If you can only afford to take on the risk of doing mobile washes on a daily driver, then don't try to do a full paint correction of a $100K classic.
 
It's going to depend on the area and the clients one is targeting...

So it will vary.....
 
What was the hardest thing about getting your business up and running? Getting customers.

How much capital did it take to get it all started? in 1989 $2500

Would six grand be enough to get everything I need including an enclosed trailer? Yes, would be cheaper to buy an old van. I bought a 1995 Chevy van with 65,000 miles on it for $1600

Eventually I want to start my own mobile detail business but I have a few things to work on. I've never polished or waxed a car before! But One of the guys on the forums has offered to help me with this. GET TRAINING or go work at a shop for experience.

Also, what are your biggest expense with mobile detailing? Payroll and Insurance.


Last questions... Do you do any waterless detailing? YES, we do 90% waterless.

If not where do you get the water to fill your tank? From your house? Yes, I have spotless water filter at home.


I'm sure some of these question are very simple but I'm only asking because my lack of knowledge. Thanks guys!!!
 
it never ceases to amaze me that people who have never touched a polisher in their life stumble across a detailing website and open a business...DETAILING cars!

THEN every car they book, they come back tot eh website and ask "how do I...?".

good luck with your venture LeeDiaz.
 
Detailing can be rewarding and tiring at the same time. But I always think back to my old dragged out office job, putting up with my chain smoking, always yelling, angry, stressed out boss who made everyday miserable. I would go home just miserable and did not look forward to going to work the next day. I finally left, I couldnt take it anymore and decided I wanted to try detailing out as a career. I took quite a loss in salary to leave my job but the money wasnt worth the quality of life. I got a job in a shop and one day I plan to be on my own. Some days can be tough, especially when you get a daily driver that is not well taken care of and needs alot of work but then i think about how it used to be, sitting in front of a computer everyday feeling like crap and I never want to go back.

:buffing:
 
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