Business Questions

First thing you need to do is build yourself a rolling 2 year P&L. I built one for something completely unrelated a few weeks ago and it's amazing the kind of overview it will give on your future business. If you do not want to build your own, you can find templates online.

 

hmmm anyway you can start slowly and do mobile first, its much easier and you will be able to bank more for growth, then starting up a shop and going full into it, slow and steady...I was doing side work for years before even opening up a shop, I believe Bob did the same.

 

yeah oakes right? he does good work. ive never met him, but i know who he is. id like to try and meet him sometime. tell him id be interested in meeting him sometime.

ok ken no problem. whenever you get a chance man!

thanks for your input phil. see the think is, i did start mobile years ago, got sick of the traveling and setting up and tearing down all of my stuff, so i decided to stay in a fixed location, which is currently the garage at my parents house, as i dont have a garage where i live (apartment). its been working out well, but still has its drawbacks. i just feel like i need my own space to completely dedicate to detail work, period. i honestly feel like i might get more business if i had a legit fixed location, so i can tell people just come to my shop, instead of, "oh, uh, yeah im working out of my parents garage because i dont have one". i mean im coming up on 24, i feel it takes away from my credibility somewhat. and its just not setup the way i want/need regardless.

 

I see, fair enough, if that's the case you should get something that has high traffic, with that its going to be expensive but it will pay off.

 

I just joined DB and been reading here for the last 4 hours.

I'm the kind of similar shoes and wonder this is done??

I didn't know I liked cleaning and detailing(not sure if I can call what I do is detailing yet) this much.

 

Without going into great detail a rough estimate would be $50K-$70K. Personally I would like to to have closer to $100K to back me. The most common problem for small start ups is being underfunded. I don't fancy the idea of starting out that far in the red. With that being said I suggest finding a partner or silent investor. Your biggest and most important expense will be marketing and advertising.

In the end it is your dream do what you have to in effort to accomplish that dream. One of my good friend went into serious debt to start his jewelry business and was able to pay off his business debt plus pay off his house in about 5 years from when he started. Good luck!

 

While thats a great story. Most business don't end up this way.

Are you even sure theres a market need for a detailing shop in your area?

What is your competition like and what sets you apart from your competition?

A shop is an expensive start up. If you didn't like going to peoples houses setting up maybe you won't like having your own shop. There's a lot of stress.

Not to mention at 24 you may not even be able to get the loans or find the investments you need to start a shop.

Although this sounds awesome, your best bet would probably be staying mobile. Working out of your own car and spending some money on a decent website and logo and google adwords.

Marketing-wise. Your best tool is your customers. How much repeat business do you have? Are you personal with customers? I think we underestimate old fashion techniques. Writing all your customers a thank you note goes a long way.

A shop really isn't neccesary if you don't have a large customer base yet. The "if you build it they will come" ideology does not always work.

Just giving you some business aspects to think about

 

Building long lasting customer relationships should be your main goal, ideally you want to establish a customer base that uses you not only for the major concourse details, but also for maintaining their vehicles on a weekly to monthly basis.

What is the best demographic to cater to as a detailer? If you live in an area where there are people with prestige cars and high disposable incomes, the sky is the limit.

Entrepreneurs: born or made?

Made - there is no doubt that here is aptitude involved and some people have more of it and some people have less, just as some people will be adequate entrepreneurs and some extraordinary ones. But all people who are successful need huge amounts of training, learning and support along the way, so by definition entrepreneurs are made.

Born - entrepreneurs are born because you need to have a slightly rebellious streak in you to be an entrepreneur. You must have an innate ability to challenge the status quo. You are someone who likes being in control of your own destiny rather than just joining a company and climbing your way to the top.

You can learn the basics of entrepreneurship, you can learn the steps you need to go through and the rules you need to stick to if you are to make any venture successful. But you cannot teach someone that they have to take all of the responsibility themselves and that they are going to have to provide all the drive themselves to achieve their business goals

Success is down to the hunger and passion that you are born with. It is a part of you and it’s instinctive. If you have it, you can’t switch it off. Often they are not driven solely by monetary gain; it’s more usually about independence and proving something to themselves.

Business Acumen

Being good at what you do is 25% the balance is business acumen, client relationships and marketing yourself and your services and product. Strive to offer customer-focused services that differentiate your company from the competition. Ensure that your marketing focuses on customer’s needs as opposed to what you think they want
Making the other person think that they’ve got a good deal; and always exceeding customer expectations

Business Start-up

There is a so much to learn about setting up and running a business as well as having the knowledge of your profession. Do adequate research on owning and operating your own business first

Adequate insurance, stable finances, available credit, a good working relationship with your banker or business backer, accounting, tax law, properly setting up your business (sole proprietorship, Limited Company etc.) as well as having the necessary discipline and organizational ability to pay bills on time, are just some of the things required and to start maintain business momentum. This is all in addition to sales, marketing, customer relationships, vendor relationships, and actually doing the work.

 

I love talking about entrepreneurship and starting businesses.

We should definitely have a thread started on like step by step processes to legitimately start a business. That's what I'm working on right now like a legit business. I think that would be really useful to a lot of poeple

 

A huge problem with businesses today is that they see their customers as a sole means of $$$ rather than people.

 

Customer Service

Always be polite, listen to your customers needs and focus on fulfilling them. Explain to your customer exactly what you will be doing and ensure that it matches exactly what they are expecting. How you treat your customers is the ultimate promotion, courtesy and delivering on time, as promised, is not enough. In fact, those only get you on a par with most others.

You need to exceed their expectations by delivering more than they necessarily expect due to their past experiences or preconceived ideas. Offer a first class, quality checked service that goes well beyond customers’ expectations. This is the way to create the kind of customer you want; a loyal one.

Customers today will tell their friends about the kind of service they received, positive or negative, but they do it online, using social media websites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

 

I would budget a healthy $100,000 to get you up in running. The location is critical in your decision where to set up.

This is how i'd do it if i were going into full blast.

I would really put a lot of thought and design, functionality and the look. Nothing turns me on more that a clean, well lit, and organized shop.

i would build it around this concept....

Car wash maintenance area first .... where clients can pass by and get a good quality wash in about 20-30 minutes while waiting .... Your car wash should be able to handle in a single file about 5-6cars at a time and lined up like going through a conveyer belt.....

While the clients are waiting I would have a small coffee shop/ muffins etc attached to the waiting area... This would be high end style like Starbucks / second cup .....

The detailing area would be the add on ... the "piece de resistance" that your washing clients would be able to see and watch you in action making paint pop and the tires glow.....

My idea behind this is to make sure you can pay the rent vis a vis the constant flow of car washing and coffee / muffin sales....... you would also have constant exposure of your clients watching and desiring your detailing services .....

I believe this concept would make your business plan work. So much so that i would be willing to invest .... Don't be afraid ... find partners who would want a piece of each part of the three part plan .. they may just want the coffee franchise or other parts...

Have a good business plan and be well financed. Go only with partners who have proven themselves in the business....

Its all about LOCATION, LOCATION , LOCATION and to bring detailing to the masses....

This is my vision of a new business concept and really think about whats good for you...

Good Luck ...

 

This almost describes word for word of what I have in the works right now. I am lucky to have someone like my dad who has the resources to help me make my dream a reality.

OP: best of luck to you in your business venture.

 

I wish I lived closer Billy, would be cool to merge forces if you were looking for a business partner. I have been wanting to get something going for the longest time.

 

My "grand" idea would be to start with a good multi-bay self serve car wash then have a touchless wash then one bay dedicated to detailing. In addition, you could sell detailing products.

The idea is that the self-serve (must be in a good high traffic easy access location) would insure more steady revenue.

 

i appreciate the continued feedback on this topic. as of right now my concentration has changed/shifted to completing my remaining college education and working on securing a more "stable" career, which in turn would really help me get something like this up and running in the future...at least financially. i've found that im not comfortable gambling with the chance of starting up a full-on business like this at the time, especially in this up and down economy. when things start to stabilize again, i will reevaluate and see where things stand.

i have a friend who is in the beginning stages of starting a few business ventures in the NYC area, one of them including a high end detail/car care service, and he has come to me seeking advice recently. so if things start to pan out well on that front, i may just try and become a semi-silent partner with him and his people, or just be used as a contractor for detail work. we'll see.