In Perspective

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by JBM

I tried doing it the "im going to work myself to death, to get rich" way, but all i got out of it was stress, and not much money...

Originally Posted by Intercooled

.. I learned at the beginning from an old timer who used to always tell me "work smarter not harder"!!

Yeah, my father always said "get paid for what you know, not for what you [physically] do". He did some hideously backbreaking labor as a kid during the depression and it motivated him to work his way through a lot of education and go white collar.

Originally Posted by rfinkle

have you guys heard of Jerry Seinfeld's Porsche collection... TALK ABOUT EXCESS...

I was initially thinking "yeah, that's just acquiring for the sake of it" as in, some kind of measuring contest. But then I considered that many collectors I know have dozens/hundreds of [whatever they collect] and they appreciate every piece in their collections. As long as you have a way to properly take care of whatever you collect (yeah, with vehicles at some point you *would* need full time mechanics/detailers/etc.) then OK, it's your money, hope you enjoy yourself.

[JBM]

I guess sometimes I'm dissapointed in myslef that I'm not going to make it "big time" or maybe I gave up on having a big compnay.

I have a new line, you may like it: Its smart to work your help hard.

I came to a realization a few years ago while i was working outside at -10.

You know who the best mason in the world is? ( Im a mason)

The one who makes the most money.

Everything else is cute, but its b.s.

I have shared my p.o.v. with some other people, in the trades, and they kinda agree but shake their head, i cant put out crappy work.

They didnt listen.

Crappy work wont get you rich, nor will being a perfectionist while you are loosing jobs. There is a middle road, and the lane is still quick, but not the Indy500.

I like to work backwards, from the end of the year to now, or Jan. 1st.

I say, for example, it isnt unreasonable for me to personally earn 60k as an employee, while my company also earns 50k.

Then i add everything up, add a % for missed stuff, and add the 110k ontop. Totally forget about 6-8 weeks of the year for rain days, problems with material, and holidays. That leaves about 10 months to make those numbers.

So lets say my total income has to be 500k to hit the 110k. 500k/10 months is 50k a month. 12,500 a week.

Now i gotta do what i gotta do. If thats a few jobs that get rushed, then they get rushed, its not a fashion show for me anymore.

This is just blabble, but i am trying to say, ya the business has to come first, but you have to come in a pretty darn close 2nd. If you can earn a comfortable++ living, have abilities to expand, have people do your work-doing quick details, then thats the nature of the business, and i at least wont hold it against ya

[Scottwax]

Originally Posted by the other pc

"Working hard" is not directly related to anything but getting tired. There are too many other factors that must be included.

I'm not saying that successful people don't work hard, only that poor people work hard too and that working twice as hard won't necessarily get you twice as far. It's not a linear relationship.

It is not physically possible for Bill Gates to work a million times harder than Joe Blow. He's a billionaire but you aren't going to become a millionaire by working a thousand times less hard than Bill.


PC.

Well, in a free market society, the marketplace determines what a job or business is worth. Everyone has to eat, right? And no one *needs* their car detailed but I make more working less hours detailing than I did in restaurant management.

[Intercooled]

Originally Posted by JBM

Crappy work wont get you rich, nor will being a perfectionist while you are loosing jobs. There is a middle road, and the lane is still quick, but not the Indy500

I agree JBM. I know exactly where your coming from. I'm a plumber. Building a Picaso out of pipe wont make you rich nor does anyone notice or care. Doing decent quality work at a reasonable pace will work. But acquireing customers that are willing to pay for other variables like : cleanliness, being on time, curtious and pleasant will get you that extra money and make you more valuable than your competition. I'm going back to service work where I'm worth more to the people who need me! The big jobs sound great, but its always rush, rush , rush, and your bidding against others who will under-cut all day long.

[Spilchy]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

I dunno....I'm more impressed when somebody pays cash for something like that. To me that means they can *really* afford it. I'm weirdly debt-phobic anyhow, but I truly :rolleyes when somebody buys something as extravagant and unnecessary as a Lambo on credit.

My parent's best friends of 45 years (like my second aunt and uncle) paid $16 million cash (I asked) for a pre-war, 6000 square foot duplex on Park Avenue in NY City in a historical landmark building - with an additional $3 million in EXPERT renovations and furnishings over 12 months.

It's beyond my ability to describe - 5 functioning fireplaces, insane woodwork, mantles, plaster work, painting, stenciling, faux finishing, marble work, 18 foot ceilings with renovated windows to match. The entire home is decorated in English and French antique furniture, some dating to the 16th century. The level of craftsmanship is jaw dropping. They have an audio / visual closet that requires it's own ventilation system it's so big and sophisticated (all hardwired throughout the premises in the original 90 year old plaster)

They have a full time staff of 5 including a driver that "details" their cars. I pointed out how bad a job it is and she wants me to detail all their cars over Thanksgiving when we visit with them at their summer home (no discounts!)

We're normal middle class and then it's like total high society when we go there. The beauty is that all that money has NEVER come in between 45 years of close friendship. But he accumulated all that money through YEARS of HARD, cut throat work and missing out on serious family time.

[Accumulator]

Spilchy- Those folks sound great and I bet their duplex is really something. Sounds like they are *not* the kind of people who have more money than taste. Hope they look back and think it's worth it and that their kids do too- sometimes that "at the sacrifice of family time" thing can be more of a big deal than all the money in the world. The way their affluence hasn't come between them and your folks says a lot about both couples.

Wonder if there's any way to get their driver up to speed on the detailing. I'm guessing that they have a Lincoln for their in-city car.

Heh heh this makes me think about the old adage that being wealthy isn't about being able to afford the limousine, it's about being able to afford the chauffeur A staff of five would make for some nice living....

[Intercooled]

Spilchy, What kinf of work did these people do for a living? just curious.

[Spilchy]

He is the managing director of the corporate restructuring and reorganization division of a particular private firm in Manhattan. Basically, bankrupt companies contact them (and pay them ZILLIONS) to help them either become solvent again or sell off their assetts in the most profitable way. He has dealings with some very large, well known comapnies. He is considered one of the country's leading experts in his field.

Accumulator, their chauffeur drives their black Mercedes S500 sedan with blacked out windows. He used a rotary and left buffer trails. A quick polishing with the PC and will take care of it

You know what's great about them - my grandmother died 3 weeks ago - She was an avid painter late in her life. They took one of her paintings and had it framed in one of those ornate, golden wood frames with her name, year of birth and year of death tag on the bottom. They have museum quality paintings that are shown throughout the country. My grandmother's painting is mixed in with them in their home in the same style frame with museum spot lights that are built in the ceiling. So you see famous artists and then my grandma's flower painting! She was very, very talented.It's really something special to see. I got a real good chuckle when I saw it over the Jewish holiday when we celebrated there.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Spilchy

.. their chauffeur drives their black Mercedes S500 sedan with blacked out windows....You know what's great about them - my grandmother died 3 weeks ago - She was an avid painter late in her life. They took one of her paintings and had it framed in one of those ornate, golden wood frames with her name, year of birth and year of death tag on the bottom... So you see famous artists and then my grandma's flower painting!

Cool that they have the Benz, yeah, you'll have it ship-shape in no time. Also cool that they put your Grandmother's picture up with their collectibles.

Oh, and condolences on her passing.

[G35stilez]

Originally Posted by Intercooled

I agree JBM. I know exactly where your coming from. I'm a plumber. Building a Picaso out of pipe wont make you rich nor does anyone notice or care. Doing decent quality work at a reasonable pace will work. But acquireing customers that are willing to pay for other variables like : cleanliness, being on time, curtious and pleasant will get you that extra money and make you more valuable than your competition. I'm going back to service work where I'm worth more to the people who need me! The big jobs sound great, but its always rush, rush , rush, and your bidding against others who will under-cut all day long.

I totally agree. I think it goes a lot with detailing too. Being Autopians, we finish cars and most of the time say "the wheel wells could have used a little more TLC" or "Maybe I should've gone with AIO under OCW". In the end, I have noticed 95%+ of my customers care about cleanliness in the truest sense of the word (IE: clean carpets, no tar down the side, no bugs on the front, etc). I also think customer service plays a large role in the business too. Many who come to me, have come from larger operation detailers. They complain about being pushed around, shoddy work, etc. In the end, I think if you give it a nice personal touch (speaking small business wise), you are going to have a lot of repeats.

[Scottwax]

Originally Posted by GSRstilez

In the end, I have noticed 95%+ of my customers care about cleanliness in the truest sense of the word (IE: clean carpets, no tar down the side, no bugs on the front, etc).

Same here. I was detailing a 740 a few weeks ago and it took some buffing to get rid of some scratches and halo swirls. The owner comes out and tells me I don't need to go nuts trying to get the paint perfect. He said "you don't have to make it good enough for your eyes, just good enough for my eyes...and my eyes ain't that great!"

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

The owner ...said "you don't have to make it good enough for your eyes, just good enough for my eyes...

I imagine this gets to be sorta a tough call, huh? You want to turn out a certain level of work, for all sorts of reasons, but sometimes that level is transparent to your customer. They shouldn't have to pay for more than they can appreciate but then you aren't gonna turn out shoddy work either.

Do you do it to the customer's standards, do it to yours, or find some middle ground?