Some thoughts on mobile detailing....

1 Clean WS6 · 07-07-05, 12:53

Hey all!!!

Let me first start off this rant with the disclaimer of I LOVE MY JOB!! After graduating college I worked a cushy corporate desk job for almost seven years before leaving to start detailing as a profession...and no matter what I would not go back. There is something to be said about doing something you love for a living and being your own boss.

That said...

Detailing is hard physical work and mobile detailers in particular have to deal with some aspects of the business that most fixed location folks do not. In the summer you sweat bullets and in the winter you freeze your melons off. There are times like today when it is raining and you still are out there working. Your equipment gets wet, you get wet and in general you have a very soggy day. I was lucky enough to have a regular client that likes their vehicles cleaned NO MATTER WHAT...otherwise today would have been a loss with no money made. Even with my moderate sized client base these types of clients are rare and in most cases bad weather days are wash outs. This is where learning the "business" end of running a detailing business comes in to play. Regardless if you are mobile or fixed you quickly learn to live and budget yourself off the "fat" weeks and months because sooner or later the "lean" times will come...and the bills still need to get paid. As many have said before there is a lot more to running a successful detailing business than knowing how to operate a PC or rotary. First and foremost you need to know how to run a business or you are destined to fail.

Another thing to think about is what I call the "Autopia Syndrome". This is the idea that you will be doing nothing but paint correction on BMW's, Mercedes, Porsche's and the like for all of your detail work. That every car will get a PakShak ultra fine MF and Souveran. I have seen it brought up in this very forum more than once with folks asking if they could run a detail business without having to detail interiors. Speaking from my business perspective that is a recipe for disaster. While I do have a percentage of my client base with high end vehicles that enjoy getting multiple step paint details done with all the latest and greatest boutique products the bulk of my detailing (and the lions share of my income) comes from soccer Mom's with dirty SUV's and minivan's. While these vehicles are not glamorous by Autopian standards and don't get "sexy" paint details their owners are like gold. All it takes is for you to make the interior of one Honda Odyssey look immaculate and before you know it you are cleaning a dozen of that Honda owner's friends vehicles. I do aspire to one day have a fixed location wash/detail shop allowing me to still be mobile for my high end clientele but that is a long way off. One needs to pay their dues before they can pick and choose which vehicles to clean.

I guess you could see this ranting as a scared straight program. If you are passionate about detailing for a living and have a well thought out business plan then by all means DO IT. If you are enticed by the low start-up costs of a mobile business and think you will be cleaning immaculate high end rides all week...see you in the "failed business" line (and it is a looooooong line)!!

Here are some pics of the detail I did today that got me thinking about all this. As I said before it was raining and the owner is a weekly regular of mine (and has been for almost three years now) getting her '00 C5 washed rain or shine. Today she had her husbands '00 GMC Jimmy with her. I see this truck maybe 1-2 times per year...only when her Vette is in for service or something like that. Her husband is a cigar smoker and they have 4 yellow labs. This is a "typical" detail for me with not a single Maserati in sight

....

1 Clean WS6 · 07-07-05, 12:57

Some folks clean out their vehicles when they know it is going to get detailed while others give you their vehicles "as is". This client tips very generously every single week and is super nice. I didn't think twice of having to "empty" the vehicle to detail it.

Ah yes.... rain

Afters....

1 Clean WS6 · 07-07-05, 01:01

More afters...

JamesLA · 07-07-05, 01:12

Beautiful work, and a car that desperately needed it.

I have fun taking care of my paint too, but for me the interior is critical. That's where I spend all my time, not standing gawking at the beautiful Zaino shine. (I keep a swiffer in my center console and wipe down the dash at red lights.) And, anyone can get the outside of their car looking decent by taking it to the car wash, but getting the inside looking like this takes attention that neither most owners nor the car wash will provide.

The point about running a business is very important. It's not enough to be good at what you do, the detailing part. In fact, that is actually secondary.

themightytimmah · 07-07-05, 05:36

WS6 - great writeup on the realities of detailing. I'd say about 90% of my details aren't click and brag material, but they pay the bills. So far, I've had about one pristine car for each one that is an "extreme detail contest" contestant. On the bright side, that makes it a real treat when you get a garage queen that just needs a little RMG + Souveran

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ZaneO · 07-07-05, 05:48

Mike - those are some very good points and good advice.

On somewhat of a sidenote, how many hours a week would you say that you work?

Dent's & Details · 07-07-05, 05:49

I totally understand what your saying. I can remember 10 years back driving all over southern California to do work on a few nice cars and a lot of beaters. I soon was able to shrink my service area and add another service van. When I sold the business we were servicing around 80 regulars per week plus the details and PDR.

I'm now in Texas and starting all over. I think it is harder to start the same business over again. You think that you can just go anywhere and do well. It dose not work that way.

There are some days I will drink 2gal of water and never pee it so hot here.

Any way thank God for soccer moms and mini vans.

1 Clean WS6 · 07-07-05, 05:58

Thanks guys.

Zane it varies from week to week all depending on the weather and my work load. If we have a stretch of bad weather or business just slows down (which it does at certain times of the year) it could be as few as 25-30 hours. If the weather is good and business is strong 60+ hour weeks are the norm. I've had stretches where I've gone 14+ days without a break but have also had 3-4 day spans without a single job due to weather.

series1 · 07-07-05, 06:07

Interesting write up. I have though of doing detailing as a profession since I love it and am rather good at it. ( I'm not trying to sound full of myself I'm just playin to my strengths.) Nice clean up on the interior of the Jimmy.

Sullybob · 07-07-05, 06:20

Great write up on the realities of detailing. Hopefully it will put a different perspective on what you will be detailing and what to expect for people trying to get started in the detailing business.

Scottwax · 07-07-05, 06:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1 Clean WS6

Thanks guys.

Zane it varies from week to week all depending on the weather and my work load. If we have a stretch of bad weather or business just slows down (which it does at certain times of the year) it could be as few as 25-30 hours. If the weather is good and business is strong 60+ hour weeks are the norm. I've had stretches where I've gone 14+ days without a break but have also had 3-4 day spans without a single job due to weather.

Sounds very familiar. I busted all June but this month has started soft because of scattered thunderstorms.

Excellent write-up of what the business is really like.

Clean Dean · 07-07-05, 07:42

Awesome write up !!! I can definitely relate with how you feel. I love the way my competitors advertises detailing SUV like that for more than 50% less than I charge. I guess that is why I go up against new competitors every year, and never hear from the "detailers" from a year ago again.

Mobile detailing is hard work, and should charge accordingly. BTW.. Incredible job !!!