Part-Time Detailers, how do you do it!?

ShaniV

ShaniV

New member
Oct 30, 2014
16
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Hello fellow detailers, I hope everyone is doing well.


I have a question that's more directed towards the detailers doing there work part time or used to do it part time, on the side after their full time gig. So a little about my situation so you know where I'm coming from, I used to detail full time then decided to take up the trade as a automotive tech since I've always wanted to get in that field. I put most of my efforts toward that while I put detailing on the backburner. Three years later which is now the present I am strongly considering getting back into detailing as a business but part time. I have no intent of leaving my full time job. I enjoy both parts of the automotive field, dirty and clean. Problem is I am trying to plan my schedule out, and I'm finding it quite difficult to make it happen. I don't work weekends at my full time job, and I live on my own so the weekends I try to see friends and family. I'm willing to dedicate my weekends towards detailing but not all of it. During the week I can get about three hours a day towards detailing but working in a repair shop in itself can be quite draining. Trying to get out again to work in the sun is another challenge. To me it seems like the weekends is my only option. So how do some of you guys doing this on the side make it happen? I look forward hearing your replies and advice. TIA.
 
one car per weekend is all I want and occasionally I'll have someone leave the car overnight for me to work on in the evenings. this week I did a co-workers car, single step correction/polish with HDSpeed. They dopped the car off on Monday and picked it up this morning. I worked on it Monday and Tuesday night for a coupe hours each night.
 
I do this full time now but back when I was working a full-time day job and detailing part time I mostly scheduled stuff on the weekends. Also, for quickie wash and wax type services I might have scheduled a car in the evening. Sometimes I didn't have a single day off for over a month and on some days I only got 3 hours of sleep; however, I was working towards building the business into a full-time position for myself. Since you aren't trying to build the business and are just seeking an additional source of income (doing something that you enjoy) you can be selective about how you schedule clients and even what type of services you offer. Everything has an opportunity cost. Would you rather do a barf interior clean up or enjoy a Saturday off with some friends? That's what's great about detailing part-time... you have a ton of flexibility to enjoy life how you want to.
 
I only detail on weekend and I try and strive for 1 weekend on, 1 weekend off, to allow me some time with the family and friends etc, but because of demand I often land up doing 3 to 5 cars is a row before taking a weekend off - currently I am fully booked out until November.

Typically I will have the client drop their vehicle off on a Friday evening - this allows me to then make a very early start on Saturday morning and with the car having sat in the garage over night, it means things like the engine bay and wheels are completely cold, allowing me to start straight away on those. I then spend most of Sat morning handling engine bay, wheels, washing and decon. Sat afternoon into the evening is spent correcting. Sunday morning correction is completed, LSP, interior, glass, exhaust tips, trim and all the other bits, and the client collects Sunday afternoon.

I intentionally do not offer any wash n wax type services, and so all of my work is 'full correction' type details, so for me it is always only 1 car per weekend.
 
My full time job gives me off on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. Since my wife is a teacher, and before the baby came, Mondays and Wednesdays were my days to schedule details. I usually do jobs that don't require more than one day so this worked out great for me.

I can still squeeze in a detail here and there on a weekday if I can find someone to babysit, and it being the summer I try to do all I can during the week while my wife is off from school.

There is a rare occasion where someone will book a full correction and coating job and I usually try to have those cars dropped off Monday morning and picked up Wednesday night (the car would sit untouched in the garage on Tuesday while I'm at work), but I have done Sunday-Monday jobs too. The wife understands because those types of jobs pay well and I don't do them very often.
 
op I'm right with ya. I tried doing this part time to make some extra cash on top of my full time gig. But turns out I rather have my free time to myself and just work on my own car. Either I'm lazy, not money hungry or just enjoy time relaxing.
 
I ENJOY detailing on the weekend! Some people like to read or Golf to relax, I LOVE detailing. I try to get 2 cars per weekend. However, 4th of july weekend I did 5 cars (Thursday-Monday).

I don't do much correction as my typical customer is a mom with a 2015 suburban that doesn't really car about swirl marks and just wants a shiny truck and a clean interior. I can knock out a suburban interior and exterior (decon, clay and sealant) is 6 hours.
 
I currently work a super odd 12 hour schedule where I work 2 days on 2 days off 3 days on 2 off 2 days on 3 off. So it works out for me to do 1 car typically a more major correction or cquartz coating on each of my groups of days off. For me I'm looking to transition some day into full time detailing. Unfortunately this forces me to over do it sometimes, but for me to try to get close to what I make now I really need to push myself to fill up spots and work extra hard. Hopefully it pays off but off not I'm making a killing doing it and my current job.
 
If you want to work full time & detail part time, sacrifices have to be made.... trust me, I have been doing that exact thing for a while now. You will sacrifice time with friends, time with family, sleep, time to eat, etc etc etc. You will have to miss out on some events, you will have to give up some other hobbies (I used to play golf almost every weekend, now I am lucky if I get a handful of rounds in each year)... but it doesn't bother me because detailing is also something I enjoy and the additional income allows for great financial freedom for my family.

I work full time as an engineer, and operate my detailing business mostly on weekends (I meet with potential customers on weeknights for inspections and quotes). Due to our limited availability and high demand for services, we are able to be quite selective in the type of work we do. We tend to only do paint correction work, which is where my passion lies. I have 1-2 guys helping me most weekends, and we do between 1-3 cars per weekend depending on the job and how much we want to work. Before I had any help, I would just schedule 1 job per weekend. I have cars dropped off on Thursday or Friday evenings so they can be cleaned & decontaminated. This leaves us the entire weekend for the correction & protection process.

In the end, it is a job, and you should be making enough money to make it worth your sacrifices... otherwise, what is the point? There is plenty of money to be made in detailing if you do it right. Good luck!
 
I work full time, monday-friday, 7a to 4p, weekends and bank holidays off. I try to only schedule one car per weekend, I used to do 2 but its just too much to do with dogs and a girlfriend. She gets her kids every other week, the kid week I might do 2 cars on the weekend if I see fit. I will schedule an exterior or interior only one night during the week. On the weekends I try to request a Friday evening drop off so I can wash and decon the exterior, maybe get the tires dressed. Then its into the garage for a test spot. The next morning, off to the races to finish. She understands this is my side gig, she also understands it pays for all our vacations and blow off money. I'll bust my butt for a few weeks, then we spend a week in Florida all expenses paid. Not too many complaints that way!
 
ShaniV said:
I don't work weekends at my full time job.
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the weekends I try to see friends and family
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I'm willing to dedicate my weekends towards detailing but not all of it
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Stripped you paragraph out to three separate quotes to see if this helps narrow things...
The thing about starting a business, be it full-time or part-time is dedication to the business.
Even a PT business is going to require time, money, asset acquisition, gear, promotion.

It's going to be difficult to tell a customer you are only available certain hours on a job that may take 8, 12, or even 24 (depending on the services).
Last thing you want to do is feel that your time is impeded upon by a detail job when you'd rather be out with friends and family.
It's also hard to narrow down to just "wash/wax/vacuum" jobs... Your efforts and investment may not be worth the return.

It sounds like you can survive on your full time job and detailing is more for fun than income. If so, Here is what you can do:
Start the business, make the investment but don't advertise, do not do any social media. Only do word of mouth.
That way you control what you take and what you don't take. If you want to do the two day job (paint correction w/ coating and full interior for $$$$) then take it while knowing next week you have nothing lined up and you can go off with your friends and family and you're not under pressure to line something up if you don't have anything.

It's nice to balance work and down-time. I find taking a break and getting away, (day trips) or even a full vacation, helps keep perspective on things.

Good luck!
 
I am in the same boat as Zach and some others here. I am in my 23rd year of a policing career which I have absolutely no intention of giving up. I detail on the weekends. It's just me, so I detail on weekends when time permits. I like doing it from home so if the kids need me for something, I'm right there. Having said that, I don't like to be bothered when I'm working. You will and do make sacrifices of time with your spouse and children. Make sure the financial rewards are worth that sacrifice (that's something that's very hard to put a dollar figure on). On Friday, I get up at 5:30 am to be at work for 7. I'm off at 3 and usually start to work on the car by 4 or 4:30 at the latest. I will stay up until 1 or 2 am (sometimes 3) and then finish either Saturday or Sunday depending on how big of a job it is. I am glad to be away from everything when vacation comes around (although I usually take a week and just do cars) and am glad to have a break in the winter too.
 
zmcgovern45 said:
If you want to work full time & detail part time, sacrifices have to be made.... trust me, I have been doing that exact thing for a while now. You will sacrifice time with friends, time with family, sleep, time to eat, etc etc etc. You will have to miss out on some events, you will have to give up some other hobbies (I used to play golf almost every weekend, now I am lucky if I get a handful of rounds in each year)... but it doesn't bother me because detailing is also something I enjoy and the additional income allows for great financial freedom for my family.

I work full time as an engineer, and operate my detailing business mostly on weekends (I meet with potential customers on weeknights for inspections and quotes). Due to our limited availability and high demand for services, we are able to be quite selective in the type of work we do. We tend to only do paint correction work, which is where my passion lies. I have 1-2 guys helping me most weekends, and we do between 1-3 cars per weekend depending on the job and how much we want to work. Before I had any help, I would just schedule 1 job per weekend. I have cars dropped off on Thursday or Friday evenings so they can be cleaned & decontaminated. This leaves us the entire weekend for the correction & protection process.

In the end, it is a job, and you should be making enough money to make it worth your sacrifices... otherwise, what is the point? There is plenty of money to be made in detailing if you do it right. Good luck!
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My scenario is almost exactly like Zachs except I don't have anyone helping me. Even though I say I'm only going to take on 2 cars a month I tend to book every weekend unless I have an advanced notice to take it of for friends/family events. So as Zach mentioned, there are definitely sacrifices that have to be made. I typically have my cars dropped off on Friday and picked up Sunday evening. Some larger jobs may require more time and often end up getting picked up later in the week when it's convenient for the client. Since I only do it on weekends I also have the ability to keep cars inside longer if it works out better for the client because of weather, traveling, or issues finding a ride, which they seem to really appreciate.
 
Having been following some of the members here that have already chimed in(Richy, Zach, Rasky) for a long time now, I try to emulate their style of business because that's what works for me. I meet with clients for inspections or quotes during the week and have them drop off the vehicle for the weekend and do most of my work then. Sometimes if I feel up to it I can do a quick job on a weeknight as well, but I'm usually doing homework for my MBA then.

It's all very dependent on what you do full-time and your personal situation. Sometimes it gets overwhelming and I catch some flak from friends/family for always having something going on, but I think it's worth it and that's another personal call you have to make. I imagine it's much harder for someone that has a physically demanding job throughout the week to find the energy and motivation to get up and sacrifice your hard-earned time off.
 
I echo others sentiments on here and follow similar principles as other Part Time detailers whom I have learned from. I also detail from the house incase my wife needs me, we have a newborn baby (4 weeks old). I really pick and choose my jobs and try to only go for bigger jobs where I will make a worth while profit. I will still take jobs for Wash/ Wax and Interior (especially for existing clientele) but if potential clients call me and haggle and try to get my pricing down because the express wash place down the street is cheaper I just politely explain the difference of services and in the end they can decide to go there instead if they really want, but I can't lower my prices.

It is definitely a fine balance; you will sacrifice going out with friends/ family when you have a detail job. You aren't going to be able to just go out somewhere on a whim, you will need to plan your time/ weekends accordingly. Detailing part time can be rewarding and worth it since you have a full time job and don't solely rely on this as your source of income you can select the jobs you want and build up your portfolio, but you will definitely have to work for it. You will really have to enjoy this as mentioned you will be giving up your hard earned time off to detail. Make it fun and try to make sure you earn a profit which is worth while for you.
 
I just started my business this week. Part-time, since I have a full time job. This is good advice for me as well! :0)
 
Really, this looks to be a very simple answer for the OP. If you want to do this part time without giving up your day job, weekend warrior will most likely be your status for a while. I assume we all love doing this because it is not easy by any stretch so sacrifice is necessary.

As a young professional, I cannot give up my day job as I am still trying to move up. I don't advertise any service. I typically post some shots and shorts clips on social media (Instagram and Snapchat) and that generates enough interest to keep me busy on most weekends.

You may want to look into small shops and/or car wash centers that offer detailing- interior cleaning, steam cleaning, paint correction- and see if they need part time help. I live in RI and those jobs pop up frequently.

Best of luck!
 
You guys have some really good advice and I appreciate it, I guess the answer is quite simple I will just have to dedicate my time towards it if I really want to go that route. It is quite difficult to convince myself to get out and do more work after beating myself up at the shop all week, but like you guys said I will have to make the time. Discipline and dedication will really be the key factor. It sounds like the best option is to book 1 car or so on the weekends, and maybe a small job during the week. I also really liked the idea of doing a inspection and quote during the evening on weekdays. I will have to begin building up my clientele once again, give it my all and just see where it goes. I was also worried that once I get my insurance set up whether it will be feasible to do this part time so that I still come out with a decent profit, but I can clearly see the way some of you guys are doing it that it is possible. Thanks for the advice and support.
 
I detail part time. My full time job is 4 days a week, I work Wednesday, Friday-Sunday. That leaves me Monday, Tuesday, Thursday to detail. My wife works for the school district so during the summer she and the kids are off, but during the school year everyone is gone. Then it is no big deal to detail all day all three days, but for summer I try to take at least one day off we spend as a family.
This week I did two cars, a just interior on Tuesday and full interior, and exterior wash, and HD speed today. The interior was mostly just dog hair, today the interior was already spotless. Today's took 5.5 hours or so and I am done to spend the afternoon doing what ever, the interior took 2.5-3. Again the rest of the day I had off. I start at 8 so I still get half day off even when I detail.
It is working out well, I am using detail money to buy more stuff and more equipment I want for me anyway, without it really coming out of the family budget.
I second the do a couple cars a month, charge $150-200 and call it a day. One detail will buy all the chemicals you need to do your cars and the customer cars, the next will buy a da if you don't have one, the next all the pads you would ever need. If you don't need the detail money to pay shop rent or a mortgage it is all profit to play with.
 
Shani, I haven't worked as a detailer, but I've run my own part-time business. Maybe you've already taken a hard look at how efficiently you work, but to me, that's a huge part of making a labor intensive business run well. Optimizing all of your services can save you a lot of time, even if it's only a few minutes here and there. Try to standardize what products you use for a task, and keep them grouped together. Time yourself doing a routine task; shooting video may even be helpful. You'll have a better idea of how you should bid a job based on your time, and you may find ways to speed up the process. Something as simple as adding quick-connect hose fittings or a third wash bucket dedicated to wheel washing may save you time.

If you plan to work out of your garage, make it a nice work space. A well-lit, insulated shop with HVAC is a much more pleasant place to work, and it can't help but impress customers. If you do the work yourself, it may not be terribly expensive, either. In my case, I can cool down my 20' x 20' garage with a small, window AC unit that I installed in a simple casement I custom made for it. The room is insulated well enough that I can heat it with a small electric heater. As a mechanic, I'm sure you can appreciate how nice it is to work with some control over the temperature. Adding 8' high output fluorescent fixtures is cheap and very helpful. Painting the walls a light color, and possibly the floor, will brighten the space even more.

Good luck with the business!
 
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