Who has full time employees?

[Superior Shine]

I am about to jump into the ring with full time employees. I have had my own business (full time) since 1992 and have finally decided to get a crew going. Problem is - I still find detailing very demanding. It really takes allot of work to get these vehicles really nice. It is going to be hard to trust somebody else for work I am responsible for.

Your thoughts?

[Tassadar]

Ive tried to get people to help me (friends for example) and just compensate them for their time (a little money, buy lunch, something). But I ALWAYS find myself having to go back over their work. Its hard to find a perfectionist that goes after every little detail. Its a little less obvious on the outside, but once you get inside the car, yeesh.

[Boss_429]

I agree! Detailing is very tough work, and it takes a special breed to want to do it for a living!

My buddy was in the detailing business for many years, and the only one he trusted to help him out was me. He tried a few other people, but none of them worked out. So, good luck finding someone............... they are out there, but tough to find.

[Tassadar]

Finding a good employee to detail cars is like a body shop finding a good painter. Once you get em, dont let go of em.

[Scooter]

A good employee, and a detailer to boot is goig to be very hard to find. There are some things that I look at in an employee, even though detailing is not my prime business.
1. When I do an interview, does he dress the way I would expect soemone to dress to work for me, and possibly a little nicer?
2. When interviewing, do the statements that he or she makes ring true?
3. What kind of experience do they have, and is it from a company that I recognize as being a good operation, and one that would make sure their employees are properly trained? (I am not talking about just detail shops, any company can ruin a potentially good employee)
4. How many jobs has the employee held in the past? Is the person steady or a drifter?
5. Does the employee talk big, and how ambitious does he appear to be?
6. Walking him or her out to their car, what does the car look like, and is it in good condition?
There are about a thousand other things, but this is a good start

Scooter

[frankie]

how would you pay them by the hour or by the job, and also what would be a typical hourly/job rate?

[Poorboy]

Originally posted by Boss_429
I agree! Detailing is very tough work, and it takes a special breed to want to do it for a living!

My buddy was in the detailing business for many years, and the only one he trusted to help him out was me. He tried a few other people, but none of them worked out. So, good luck finding someone............... they are out there, but tough to find.

Who can argue with the Boss....:rolleyes:

I`ve tried many times to get someone to work for me over the years and it`s always the same...they either don`t really care or they feel they`re under paid...no matter what they get...if they show up on time is another problem...you schedule a car and they`re no where to be seen....my dog ate my alarm clock was the best one....:eek: Actually it did but not ingested but totally chewed up...dog got a good jolt on the cord I heard too:)

Best way to initially grow the biz ..would be to look for a partner, someone with experience and as much to lose as you if the work is done improperly. Other than a really good friend or relative..hiring help for quality work is nearly impossible:(


ps how are much you paying..I want to come back to some nice weather this winter

[GraniteState]

Well good people are out there but I agree hard to find. I would recomend this.. I would hire someone who enjoys doing this type of work and who does NOT have years and years of experience for the simple fact they have there own ways and no matter what you want them to do they feel they know better. ( comes from years of working in a dealership and training new people ) I am a perfectionist and when it comes time to hire someone my self I will look for someone who enjoys cars and enjoys keeping them looking spotless ( i read a article on hiring detailing help and it stated training is key send them to detailing seminars and also give them responsibility for decisions about what the car needs have them run it by you first as they build there knowlwdge slowly break them from consulting you first. Give them something to work towards ( whether it be a quarterly profit sharing, etc..) Also get them involved with the hiring process after all they will be the ones working side by side with the new person.) Over all it states getting the employee involved in key rolls of the business makes them feel they have a important part in keeping the business going and growing.And a sence of overall job satisfaction.. as far as pay. pay them a hourly rate but flat rate ex** $8.50/hr and a flat rate of 5/hr per full detail. That way they stay motivated to keep working but also can earn a good wage and the catch is if the work is not satisfactory they have to do touch ups to the car without being paid for doing the car again. I know this is long but this seemed to be a realy good article and gave me some really good ideas to implement myself. As I know how it feels to be making someone else rich with nothing in return but headache... hope this helps.

[Superior Shine]

Thanks for the info,