How'd you get your start?

I always thought it would be cool that someday open up my own shop, I would work alone though, its hard for me to trust others especially in such a meticulous profession such as detailing where the end product so heavily determines the success of your business and chance for referrals.

Like many of you have mentioned detailing is the ultimate form of relaxation for me. My friends and family think I am nuts that I relax while detailing. I just throw on my favorite tunes and let the atmosphere take me away.

 

I can see this becoming a Super Thread :chips:

I feel like I'm in the Boy Scouts, getting to know each other and all :campfire:

 

I agree, in all honesty I feel like all you guys are like my second group of friends would be cool to meet you guys in person and put faces to names

 

easy there tree top ranger!! LOL j/k, i wish some other people lived closer. i like talking with like minded individuals

 

I started my business in 1993 after a ten year run managing other peoples businesses. I was working for my buddies construction company and just got tired of chasing people for money all the time. I took $900 I got from my income tax refund and bought a Craftsman polisher (junk) a Shop Vac ( ditto) and blew the rest with the Autoglym guy. I started working out of my garage but had to move into a shop after a few months as the neighbor called the bylaw officer on me. Grew the business over the next 8 years and then sold it and concentrated on my mobile stuff. Much happier now. No staff and I make almost triple what I did then. Now I have a shop again that houses the warehouse for the online store and my detailing bay. Theres nothing better than the look on someones face when they see their resurrected car for the first time. That smile makes all the effort worth while.

 

Wow you guys have some amazing stories!

 

:agree:

 

began detailing Mercedes-Benz / BMW helping out at my Father’s dealership as well as his Jag collection back in the late 50's, he enters them into Concours d’élégance events (detailing to another level) and as such I’m used to a large number of high-end new and used cars. The one thing I learned (and still have that last 98% to learn, mind you) way back then still holds true today “ It’s the surface preparation that makes the difference, not the product”.

I detailed my first car when I was fourteen (a mere five decades ago) it was a 1929 Bentley that belong to my Fathers friend Brigadier John Dix of Kensington, London. If, as they say, "God is in the details," then a 1929 Bentley is truly a religious experience. I knew then that detailing would become a passion and my métier
.
It has always been a relaxing past time for me (Its my 'golf') and while at college I had a part-time business detailing classic vintage cars. From there to Concours d’élégance entrant then judge, and then on to writing car care articles and How-to: instructions, then writing a series of books on my favourite subject.

It is my intent to educate, based on five plus decades of experience; passing on to my readers the dynamics that take place; the cause and effect not just “ How” it works, but also “Why” it works, as well as an explanation of the scientific terminology and chemicals involved with detailing products. I try to write in a way that helps the reader to understand the technical and scientific facts along with any relevant chemical information, but if you’ve read any of my forum posts / threads you'll already understand just what I mean

I've always believed in empowering my reader’s with facts based on knowledge, experience and scientific facts as opposed to marketing hype and letting them make their own logical decisions. Because I’m passionate about what I do and care about making sure detailing is a safe, fun and rewarding experience for the enthusiast and professional detailer

An extract from “Automotive Detailing, Inside & Out; Knowledge Base for the Perfectionist “© TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2009, all rights reserved.
This book will enable direct access to my five decades of detailing knowledge and experience ​

 

Thanks TOGWT, you help us all out so much with your articles

For myself, I started to gain an interest when I purchased my first car, a 3 year old Suzuki Swift (1989 model) and wanted to take care of it
I began trying Kitten products then Re Po, Series 500 then Meguiars

A friend of my fathers who did car cleaning and detailing via a mobile van was my first teacher and at first, I doubted that I could ever be as good as him
in 2001, I got the internet and bought my first machine polisher, a Makita 9227 rotary

Autopia forum was the first detailing forum that I found and thanks to all of the members there from 2001 to 2007, I learnt so much and began spending big dollars buying and testing brand after brand that at the time was not available in Australia
87 brands all up - from Optimum, Poorboys, Clearkote, Menzerna, Blackfire, FK1, Megs, Prima, Sonus, Driven, Glare, Four Star, Pinnacle, Wolfgang and more

Every year I have refined my skills and developed my own products and found ways to use products that no one else even thinks of
I started Dream Machines Auto Refinishing in 2005 after four years working at a car dealership and doing detailing part time and now offer exclusive services that are not available anywhere else in the world including TRIM DREAM permanent once off exterior trim machine or hand polishing, permanent orange peel defect burial (abrasive free peel reduction without removing any paint) and non abrasive paint restoration and enhancement, crystal Lacquer clear coating of all car surfaces inc tyres and Leather to turn faded leather seats from their dull colour to just like new

I love what I do and it's so exciting to work for myself and be able to each day work on cars valued from 20,000 to 500,000 and get anything from $250 to $2,000 for a detail with results that are true and last permanently.

However I must remain humble and have many people to thank

Anthony Orosco - Ultimate Reflections
Scottwax - Autopia
Porta - here
Brian - Detailwerks
Dave Kg - Detailing World
Dave - DSMS Detailing - thanks heaps matey

All the pro's on Detailing World and most of all, the Pro's and Enthusiasts of Autopia who were members from 2001 onwards

 

nothing special about how i started. Just always got complimented on how clean my car was. I also had seen write ups in the detailing section of an Lancer Evolution forum I'm part of and the writeups that just blew me away were from the one and only FMINUS. I also had been for the longest time looking for a side job to earn a little extra cash and one day it hit me like a truck. People tell me how nice my car looks, and i could do the same to theirs. So I then began to research and see what people charged to do the job what the proper products were for the job...and within 3 months I am where I am today. I have spent over $1000 in detailing supplies, and I have quickly picked up the right info thanks to this forum. I know I've only been in the game for 3 months but no lie i feel like a pro because of the great info and people on this forum. I recently joined autopia and honestly i dont think i would have gotten this far knowledge and skill wise with the type of "Pros" that post on the forum (Some not all :thumb So thanks guys for all your help, and I hope to only get better from here.

 

Pops always kept his cars immaculate... Even his DD, and almost always had a garage queen theat you could eat off of.

The bug got me as well...

I simply got tired of people saying "hey is mine next" as I spent all day in the driveway on my personal vehicles so, as kind of a "smart ass" thing to do I made up some business cards to give to these people... NEVER intending it to be anything more than a joke... Kind of like "yours could be right now if you want to fork ober the dough" - lol....who woulda known...lol

 

I was born with a rotary in hand................:headbang:

 

my buddy is a detailer and he kind of gave me the STD..... now Ive just learned to live with the burning......

 

nice!

 

get the package yet... its STD free!

 

not yet. std free? :lol:

I'll let you know when I get it. Thanks again.