I got the Marina!!

[googledude]

Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll....lol , as the title says I got the Marina!! Now that I`m finished my with my trailer setup I wen`t down to the Marina that my uncle boats out of and lives at during the weekends to try and get in as the marinas detailer.



Well to say the least I did. The guy doing it for them previously is now a mechanic for them so they needed someone else. So for 5% of my sales on the property I will be detailer for them.



They are very friendly folks and very happy to have me down there and all seem to think I`ll have way more work than I can handle for the next three months or so at least. (I`m not complaining - that`s what I wanted).



Anyhow I have 3 boats lined up right now, one of which has to be done by april 4th. Charging $624 for a 52`. It`s just about brand new and there for some motor work, and the rich owner and his PERSONAL ASSISTANT (who will be driving it for him) are comming to pick it up the day after. All it needs is more or less a wash and wax. Not a bad first gig.



edit: I also got insured yesterday (FINALLY) by state farm as follows

$1,000,000 General Liability

$7,000 Equipment Coverage

$125,000 Garage keepers policy

Price Paid - $1411/ 1YR



Do you all that have insurance feel thats a decent price?

[joburnet]

If you need help on anything let me know, I`m a little far away, bout an hour, but I`d be willing to come down because I would like to learn how to do a boat.

[googledude]

Once I get the hang of it I`d be glad to have you down with me for a day or two to learn the ins and outs of it....once I know them of course! The boat that I have to have done ASAP for the one guy is actually my first, but I have the advantage because the owner will be no where around to see what I may be doing or trying. I am planning on trying quite a few products to see how they will look before I do the whole boat.



But yeah anyhow once I`ve got the hang of what`s going on I`d be glad to have you come down with me for a few.



Take Care

[saltydog]

Nice Job ! Good luck with it, would like to see some pictures when you get going. :bigups

[googledude]

Originally posted by saltydog

Nice Job ! Good luck with it, would like to see some pictures when you get going. :bigups



Thanks!! O and you believe me, there WILL be pictures...LOTS of pictures!!! :bounce My D70 is going to be exhausted :D

[the other pc]

Congrats! :xyxthumbs

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Mark,



Do you want to be a detailer? or a detailing business owner?



I believe that as a professional detailer you need to concentrate on business principles even more than you concentrate on being a detailer. I would say that 80 percent of your efforts should be focused on learning more about what it takes to own and operate a successful and profitable business. The other 20 percent should be learning more about the actual process of detailing. Most detailing businesses usually fail because the owner is too busy taking care of the technical side of the business. In other words, you may be a good detailer, however, that does not necessarily make you a successful detailing business owner.



In order to become a successful detailing business owner you must constantly be focused on meeting the needs of your customers. You must create a mutual respect for one and other that goes well beyond the scope of detailing. You must respond to meeting and exceeding the needs of your customers.



Mark, as we both know, doing work for the marina only serves to keep you busy. You may have plenty of work, but you will quickly find out that you will be expected to fit into the marina`s schedule, like all of the other marina workers. Sure, you will make some money, however, you will never truely be your own boss. And the boats you will be working on will be owned by the marina`s customers. Your customer is the marina, not the actual owner of the boat.



Personally, I would much rather get my own customers, set my own prices, make my own schedule, and be my own boss.

[tpgsr]

Originally posted by mirrorfinishman

Mark,



Do you want to be a detailer? or a detailing business owner?



I believe that as a professional detailer you need to concentrate on business principles even more than you concentrate on being a detailer. I would say that 80 percent of your efforts should be focused on learning more about what it takes to own and operate a successful and profitable business. The other 20 percent should be learning more about the actual process of detailing. Most detailing businesses usually fail because the owner is too busy taking care of the technical side of the business. In other words, you may be a good detailer, however, that does not necessarily make you a successful detailing business owner.



In order to become a successful detailing business owner you must constantly be focused on meeting the needs of your customers. You must create a mutual respect for one and other that goes well beyond the scope of detailing. You must respond to meeting and exceeding the needs of your customers.



Mark, as we both know, doing work for the marina only serves to keep you busy. You may have plenty of work, but you will quickly find out that you will be expected to fit into the marina`s schedule, like all of the other marina workers. Sure, you will make some money, however, you will never truely be your own boss. And the boats you will be working on will be owned by the marina`s customers. Your customer is the marina, not the actual owner of the boat.



Personally, I would much rather get my own customers, set my own prices, make my own schedule, and be my own boss.





1st paragraph: WOW do i agree! I have been growing so fast that i am afraid i will only get to do a small percentage of the nitty gritty this year. However it is possible to do both. Assuming that you like working 12-15 hour days like myself, you get the customers taken care of, then you go straight to the office and get the business taken care of. It is a tough schedule, but it can work. I did it like that last year, and did very well, but since i never slept, i am doing things different this year. I have assigned positions, and a hierarchy toour organization, and all employees will be managed in the most efficient way that i can create. To succede in busines you must know business, not necessarily a craft or trait, business men hire the skilled labor so they are free to use their brain and entrepreneurial spirit.



Paragraph 2: :xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs Customer service is CRUCIAL. Without customer you have nothing, so even if you have to suffer a little, the customer comes first!!



P3: I cant agree with this at all. It all depends on how you set up the contract`s. If this is how yours are setup, you are getting the shaft. The marinas i work with have a hanging file on the wall where they place a "Request for quote" If it is a boat that the marina owns, or has taken possession of (repo), then it is billed to them, and the work is completed in the order it walked in. If it is a private customer that docks or stores at the marina, their contact information is printed on the quote sheet, and a phone call is made to the vessel owner with a quote, and an aproximate completion date (for a full detail) washes and small things are done immediatly. the customer then comes down to inspect the boat, and they pay me. I then pay the marina their % of all of the private side jobs at the end of the week. They have no control over me or my staff. They are treated just like any other customer. If i dont have a hole in my schedule, then they wait just like everyone else. They get no special treatment, and arent allowed to dictate to my staff anything but matters of quality control and the such. As far as pricing goes, the marina pays what i ask. I submit a quote, they never haggle, it is "allright looks good, when do you think she will be done?" Therefore i set my prices, if they upsell to a customer of theirs and go around me to make themselves more money, it is a good thing. I dont pay them back a dime on their own work, where i would have otherwise had to pay out a % of my income, so instead of getting a say $50 fe tacked off the job, i get the entire 100%, and they get whatever profit they upsold to. What do i care if they sell services on their own property, and then call me to contract it. As long as i am making my $$, and working on my schedule, i am happy.



I decided well before i started this that i wouldn`t be in it for myself for very long. I knew over a year before i started that i was going to be a detailing shop owner, and most likely not a full time operator. I am very comfortable with the people we hire, and the training that i personally conduct, and the management skills of my VP. It just takes a good solid grasp of business, a few great employees, and no real bad ones (thats the tricky part), some salesmanship, and confidence.



Best of luck with the marinas, and if you ever need any help, tips whatever, feel free to shoot me a pm, and i will give you my phone #, it is always nice to talk to the other pros on the phone, and see what directions other companies are heading in, especially the new ones. Like Rich`s MAD for example (quamen). I bet if you asked him at the beginning of ast year where he thought he would be this year he would have never guessed how great things would be going!



Sorry for being long winded, i am bored all for now

Mike

[googledude]

Originally posted by mirrorfinishman

Mark,



Do you want to be a detailer? or a detailing business owner?







Well you can`t have one without the other now can ya?



:D



I appreciate the feedback guys! And just FYI to anyone interested; I do not actually work for the marina (unless a customer is paying them directly for the work and they in turn are paying me). I work on their property and give them a percentage of my sales (5%), and in turn I am the first person they mention or call for a quote. If there is not time, then it will wait. At the marina I provide my own water, power, equipment, products, manpower and knowledge to get the job done - at the other end the marina staff provide me with advertisement in rerturn for their 5%.

[googledude]

Heres a shot of where I`m doing the work at :

http://www.goosebaymarina.com/images/marina_94k.jpe

[Greg Nichols]

so how is the job going?