Who details for a side gig?

[Bdubbs]

Because he's a Ford guy.

They get a little misdirected at times.

Know why Ford guys drink warm water?

Because they lost the recipe for ice cubes.....


:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Hey now! We might try to buy a Chevy at some point!

In that case, id say just test the waters wiith a vehicle or two with the setup ya have. See if its something you want to do more of.

Ya may just say F it..and load up the shelby and go golfing lol

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That's exactly what I'm thinking. Half the time I plan on taking a car out for cruising in the evening, then I'm too tired from golfing

I used to go for 100% perfection on vehicles but I was doing far more work than the client was paying for. I asked my mentor to what level of polishing he did his coating jobs and he told me to make it shiny. At first I thought he was half assing jobs but he explained that the average customer looks at their car and never sees the defects we see. They just want it shiny. Of course he does two and three step polishing for those discerning customers that want that level of service but those are few and far between. I thought about my customers and only one had ever asked for paint correction and he scratched his bumper on his garage door. Every other customer wanted their car ceramic coated and wanted it shiny. They pull up, see the car, thank me, pay and go on their way. You’ll drive yourself crazy going for perfection. Do what you are getting paid to do.

I feel the same way as you about your last point. I’m a teacher by day but I detail on weekends. I officially opened my detailing business last June and I went pretty hard from August to November. It was great money and got me enough to upgrade all of my equipment to more professional grade stuff but I was burned out. I now only allow myself to work only two weekends a month. The money is nice but I’m not willing to sacrifice my family time or personal time for money. I don’t even post what I do on my social media because I’ve already got as much work as I would like.

Some very good information. It's hard to put a price on free time. I get so much of it I get frustrated when I actually have obligations .

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[Optimus Grime]

That's the other hard part for me. I hate committing to a lot of things because I love my free time.

I have a lot of free time while still working a full time job. My main summer hobbies are golf and car stuff.

Only working 14 days a month and I already want to work even less.

I don't think I'd detail too many cars if I did it. And it's not like I need the money. I value my free time, even if it's just sitting in the recliner with the dogs.

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Find your balance. I generally do two cars a month. I’ll typically do one ceramic coating and get a nice payday and then an exterior. If a job isn’t going to bring you pleasure don’t do it which is why I turn down 95% of all interior details. At the suggestion of the guys that trained me, I shoot for $100/hr. That price keeps the filthy mom vans and SUVs away and attracts people who appreciate quality but aren’t afraid to pay for it. Detailing is a lot of work and you should be adequately compensated for it. Don’t be the most expensive but also don’t be the cheapest.

 

[DFB]

Hey now! We might try to buy a Chevy at some point!

Why would we want to downgrade though..............................

 

[Bdubbs]

Why would we want to downgrade though..............................

To be fair, it would be a 69 Camaro.

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[Eric7810]

At the suggestion of the guys that trained me, I shoot for $100/hr. That price keeps the filthy mom vans and SUVs away and attracts people who appreciate quality but aren’t afraid to pay for it.

That’s what I do.. I can grab $80-100/hr doing it on the side. And I can deflect most of the disaster mom vehicles with quotes of $340-480 for interior-only.

Important fact: I was only able to reach 80-100/hr after investing $6k across four yrs into professional tools, extractor, 60gal compressor, and outfitting my garage for heavy electrical loads.

I am 35 now and this gig has allowed me to do home improvements and buy brap toys (quads, snowmobiles).

I have three kids and a wife who are always waiting for me to be done with the job I am on, so it is a balance for sure. If I hadn’t invested in pro tools for efficiency’s sake my wife would’ve ended this side gig, as it would take me literally all day to do an inside and out with AIO on a crew cab. Now it is done before lunch time and she loves that.


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[Optimus Grime]

That’s what I do.. I can grab $80-100/hr doing it on the side. And I can deflect most of the disaster mom vehicles with quotes of $340-480 for interior-only.

Important fact: I was only able to reach 80-100/hr after investing $6k across four yrs into professional tools, extractor, 60gal compressor, and outfitting my garage for heavy electrical loads.

I am 35 now and this gig has allowed me to do home improvements and buy brap toys (quads, snowmobiles).

I have three kids and a wife who are always waiting for me to be done with the job I am on, so it is a balance for sure. If I hadn’t invested in pro tools for efficiency’s sake my wife would’ve ended this side gig, as it would take me literally all day to do an inside and out with AIO on a crew cab. Now it is done before lunch time and she loves that.


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I was fortunate to really hit the ground running. My state finally decided to give us teachers the Covid relief money the feds sent each state that they had been withholding. Between that and my local supplement I was able to get some pretty good equipment early. My wife had an old friend who’s a pretty big detailer in Atlanta. I met him and got to train with his group from the Detailing Success network and was doing coatings two months after starting and the rest is history.

My interiors start at $200 and I still feel that is a bit low. I met a young detailer doing some work in my neighborhood last week and got his info. He prefers interiors so I told him I would gladly refer all on my interior inquiries to him. He did a great job on a minivan (interior and exterior) and told me for that level of work he charges 200-250. He was working on the van for a good 4 to 5 hours from what I saw and maybe even more. I wish more young detailers weren’t afraid to raise their prices. The interior on a mom van should start at $300 in my area and that’s for a well maintained vehicle. I live in the most affluent area of my city and you’d be hard pressed to find a single family home for less than $500K so the people near me have money to spend and I wish detailers would charge accordingly. They would help themselves and help all detailers in general not just get by but be able to prosper and grow their businesses.

 

[Lance Mark]

I have a pretty great job and love the folks I work with. I love detailing though, and do it as a side hustle.

I start every conversation with a prospect by asking, "What do you know about detailing, and how much were you hoping to spend?"

Sometimes when they give you their budget, you need to look them in the eye, smile, and say "I love an optimist!"

Get that money, because from experience I can tell you...I don't need practice, and working for chump change only makes me feel like a chump.

I've already developed a reputation as a bike detailer, and it suits me just fine. I'm told I'm way too slow, way too expensive....but nobody does bikes like I do bikes.

First thing I usually say to a customer when they see their finished bike is "AAhhhh ahhhhh ahhh...put your towel away. It's not wet. I'm just that frikken good!!!"

If all this could be summarized, if you are doing as a side hustle, charge a premium, or you'll turn something you enjoy into something you resent. Some good guys here gave me that advice. It makes for some very uncomfortable conversations, because frankly, some folks just don't see the value, and well....I'm the value...it's a little personal. But getting paid well, for the 110% I give makes it a great outcome for everybody.