Got my first round of funding soon..

[jessispop]

Invest $700 in a vapor steamer, long term it will cut down on use and expense of chemicals.



Buy or check out from your Library E-Myth By Michael Gerber



make an appointment or visit ??????????????????????????? (http://www.score.org) and sba.gov



two invalubale resources for small business owners in my opinion.

[dmw2692004]

Good point. I do have a PC if worse comes to worse with the metabo. Also, I don`t have a generator or water tank, etc. yet because i`m not gong full mobile probably until the end of the year or so. Also, the steamers I found are like $1k is that about normal for a steamer? I found the aztec extractors for like $620 which is somewhat reasonable. I`ll look at the optimum products, thanks!



Aaron



Lets say the metabo decides to stop working at the begging of a full paint correction detail.. be realistic, your not going to do a whole car with a PC that you thought would take you 6 hours with a rotary. You would be looking at 10 hours just doing paint correction with a PC if my rotary gave out.



Do you NEED a steamer?

Nope. It saves you a small amount of time, but you can do anything that you do with a steamer with chemicals or a carpet extractor.



And i would go with the carpet extractor. Saves you some time on the carpets and helps maximize efficiency.



Yes, optimum`s line is amazing. Im almost totally converted to them with ONR, OHC, OP, and Poliseal. Amazing combos that can get almost anything done. I would strongly suggest you invest in their line of products.

[imported_d00t]

Lets say the metabo decides to stop working at the begging of a full paint correction detail.. be realistic, your not going to do a whole car with a PC that you thought would take you 6 hours with a rotary. You would be looking at 10 hours just doing paint correction with a PC if my rotary gave out.



Do you NEED a steamer?

Nope. It saves you a small amount of time, but you can do anything that you do with a steamer with chemicals or a carpet extractor.







Good point on the rotary. Maybe I`ll look into the hitachi or the like for the future.



As for the steamer. All I hear is to get a steamer, but you said it only saves a small amount of time. This is where the classic production model comes in to play. So does the cost of a $700 steamer, out way the extra x amount of time, as opposed to the y amount of dollars you are saving by getting just chemicals? I`d need that input from steamer users.



Also, don`t worry about the extractor, that`s at the top of the list for sure! :).



Keep the advice coming! I`m really appreciating all of it and trying to take it all in!



Aaron

[the other pc]

Personally, I think you aren`t looking at this the right way.



Broadening your supply of products isn`t necessarily going to increase your business. Think of the money, if you get it, as a business loan and use more of it towards the business rather than the details. If it were me, I`d probably stop at $500-$750 in supplies and put the rest into licensing/registration, insurance, and advertising. You say you`ve got most of the high dollar equipment already purchased- so you`ve got that going for you.



Also leave yourself a safety net, just because you get $3000 doesn`t mean you need to spend all $3000. What are the terms of repayment? What happens if you drop $2999 on polishes, pads, and towels but don`t pull in any clients or make any money?



Bingo! d00t, listen to the man. He’s right on the money.






.... My company (hell, any detail company) is pretty much high risk/return. ...



Detailing high return? I’d like to see that business plan.





PC.

[imported_d00t]

If you can network well, market well, and be really good, I KNOW the potential to make good money is out there. So is it high return? If you can find it, of course it is. Part of the challenge is finding it..



Going to get my licenses this week actually :).



Aaron

[PrideSS]

I don`t think there is much of a business plan.



I was about to write a long post, pointing out flaws and questioning a lot of your reasoning, but instead i will sum it up like this...



:bestwish

[imported_d00t]

Why wouldn`t you want to help me out and point out the flaws? And I do have a plan, I didn`t think I needed to post up exactly how I`m going to go about doing things and every single step I`m taking to get credit here??



Aaron

[VroomVroom]

Random questions that are rolling through my mind...



What are you doing for insurance?



Where will you be performing the detailing work?



Have you figured out how much it costs you per hour to operate?



I know you mentioned you`re on top of things contractually, but have you covered all the bases? What happens IF...? Do you have time tables, milestones, etc. well-defined? You want to protect yourself and your investor, and this isn`t easy.



How will you be marketing your company? (What`s your value?)



What`s your plan to schedule the work? Scheduling and managing the cleanup and maintenance efforts? I do maybe five vehicles a month and I`m always amazed at how things stack up and just how quickly the hours disappear. Fail on this end, and it doesn`t matter how good you are with the rotary or what wax you use, or how perfectly you nail the lines on the floor mats. Customers want...and deserve results.



I definitely wish you well. I live in the SF bay area too, and I`ve often thought there`s more to the market than what is currently being covered by the many excellent detailers here. Even in bad times there is a ton of disposable income ready for the taking.

[imported_d00t]

Random questions that are rolling through my mind...



What are you doing for insurance?



Where will you be performing the detailing work?



Have you figured out how much it costs you per hour to operate?



I know you mentioned you`re on top of things contractually, but have you covered all the bases? What happens IF...? Do you have time tables, milestones, etc. well-defined? You want to protect yourself and your investor, and this isn`t easy.



How will you be marketing your company? (What`s your value?)



What`s your plan to schedule the work? Scheduling and managing the cleanup and maintenance efforts? I do maybe five vehicles a month and I`m always amazed at how things stack up and just how quickly the hours disappear. Fail on this end, and it doesn`t matter how good you are with the rotary or what wax you use, or how perfectly you nail the lines on the floor mats. Customers want...and deserve results.



I definitely wish you well. I live in the SF bay area too, and I`ve often thought there`s more to the market than what is currently being covered by the many excellent detailers here. Even in bad times there is a ton of disposable income ready for the taking.



I`m researching insurance as I speak.



The detail work is going to be mobile/at my house. And yes, with the right permits.



I have thought about how much it costs me per hour, and as I get more and more experience, and more and more clients (to hire a co-worker) I make more money detailing, then I do at my day job.

`

The bases are getting covered. I`m trying right now to get everything set-up on my end as the owner, before I dive into the contracts, but everything will be in writing and we do/will have an agreement. Yes, we do have timetables and milestones to reach, but I need the money for marketing to come first, which I`m waiting on right now.



I`m marketing on websites, craigslist, word of mouth (couple of bargain details for first customers, so they bring people to me), and dealerships in order to get my name out there. As lame as it sounds, my value is to not screw the customer, and to provide the best CS possible, which I do pretty well or I wouldn`t be in the situation I`m in.



Thanks for the kind words! I do believe there`s more potential in the bay area then anywhere else as far as high-end detailing goes. Like I`ve said, just a matter of finding it and grabbing on to the customers :)



Aaron

[baseballlover1]

wow seems almost too good to be true hah

[fergnation]

Good luck to you!!



My advice to you, keep it simple in the beginning. Make sure you have the permits and insurance just to make sure you are covered. I would start out while you are still working your other job. Build your business while there is no pressure. Don`t accept a lump sum from your friend. See if you can have access to the money only as you need it. Since you have a job to pay the bills, put the money made from detailing back into supplies and equipment. This way you have the least amount of debt hanging over your head while you build the customer base.



This is one business that can be started with little capital. It sounds like you already have some of the things you need. Impress your clients with the results, not the location or products and equipment on the shelves.



Once again, best of luck to you.



Oh ya!! I almost forgot. Tell the naysayers to shove it up there ***