Questions for the business owners

[Crazy3rdgen]

Did you start detailing on the side part time and then did your business eventually grow?



Or is it still just a side business?



Say a high end customer comes in and wants the works done on his porsce, about how long does your typical over the top detail take on a 2 door sports car?



Charge by the hour or by the intensity of the job/whats being done?



What special type of certification do you have/where did you take it or maybe you don`t have any its all just experience of the trade. I have heard of one so far.



Would you suggest this as a good business to start? Detailing has been a passion of mine, I have an artic white ss camaro and I`ve always kept up on it with zaino.. the reward really pays off when youre all done and I enjoy stepping back to see the end result.



I`m having a pretty nice size garage built shortly and thought it would be pretty neat to start up a little side business.. Im not sure if business owners like to see more people joining their field of work but I`ll take any useful information you are willing to give.



thanks!



sean

[mini1]

If you don`t know how to detail at a professional level, go work for someone else who will A.) Teach you how and B.) Pay you. Detailing your own car is very different from doing others. The last thing we need is yet another hack job illegal operation stealing business from people with legal quality operations.

Unless your garage location is zoned for commercial usage, then forget about operating a detailing business out of it. Neighbors will complain left and right and the city/county will shut you down. You might be able to get away with doing a car or two per week, but after that you are a business.

[rexrock]

You can start your business out of your garage without being zoned commercial. You can have what is called `special exception` on a residential lot. All this depends on your lot size and what type of residential setting your are in. Basically it is up to your zoning board. If want to do it, do it the right way and go through them so you don`t get in trouble later.

[Crazy3rdgen]

well thanks for the good suggestions.. first to post is just getting all defensive like im going to steal all of his business or something

[WAS]

well thanks for the good suggestions.. first to post is just getting all defensive like im going to steal all of his business or something

No.... not really. You have to understand, the folks in this forum are professionals. We own fixed shops or mobile operations, we pay our business taxes, we pay our insurance premiums, and we pride ourselves in our work and businesses that we have built.



The first responder has a very good point, you need to make sure you can operate legally out of your home. His concern is that we don`t need another "bad example" in our industry. It`s similar to not wanting another greasy-haired shafty used car salesman to open a lot.



If you`re going to get into the detailing business, do it properly and by the book. Which gets me to the next point, if you`re going to do it properly, often (and this applies to most businesses in most industries), it takes more work than a "side business" is worth, if you`re serious about making some money.

[brwill2005]

Yes, detailing can be a good business to start. You have to choose and price your services carefully, and target the right people. Do things right, such as getting a license and insurance. Be professional, and offer great service. The technical side of this business is less important than your actual business skills; IMO.