Opening a Chicago detail shop?

[AndySRT]

Originally Posted by trl2112

That’s right a “hand wash” shop just went out of business by me in Crystal Lake IL, he was hard to see from the road tucked back in an auto strip mall.

there was a hand car wash in crystal lake wow i didn't know that. thats the next town over from me and i didnt even know that. shows you how important location is.

[PRB]

Originally Posted by David Fermani

With a fixed location and enough volume, it's quite possilbe to produce profits of 3-4++ times that amount. I think you'll need to cater to dealerships and/or do more than just basic detailing.

From experience, I know this can be done in the Midwest.

David is right: do dealer and body shop work as well as retail jobs.

JUST WORK: don't worry as much about profit margin as staying busy and getting your name out. Dealership work does that very effectively. I'm not saying to work for free, I'm just saying that you may have to back off a notch to keep the money coming in.

Definitely having a head for business will keep you ahead of the curve in this industry.

The worst thing about doing this in the Midwest is weather and the surrounding problems.

[WCD]

The odd thing about midwest or other areas that "have" a winter, is that most studies show that the winter months are the most busy and profitable.

Rob

[BlueZero]

That's good to hear. I figured with the winters around here I would never be able to do this for more than a hobby / part time deal. Good luck with your shop, I wish you the best of luck!

[David Fermani]

Originally Posted by WCD

The odd thing about midwest or other areas that "have" a winter, is that most studies show that the winter months are the most busy and profitable.

Rob

Working with dealerships insures a steady flow of business 365 days a year. It doesn't matter if it's raining or snowing, they still need them done. I never had a slow period, but spring and summer were typically the busiest.

[WCD]

I do hear that many guys use dealerships to pay the bills and keep the work steady. With that said, if you have not had a dealership account before, don't go in there "naked". Talk with a few that have. It's not like talking with a retail customer.


Rob

[gav'spurplez]

madice,
I'm familiar with you off of the ole fbody owners.com and ls1tech

i detail on the side too, and wish i had the cash to start a business.
do you have alot of cash saved up for this ?? i know that its going to take a few bucks to get your foot in the door, even if it is a small individual setup