Looking to startup!

Hello all,
I`m currently seriously looking into starting a detailing business in my Kennesaw, GA area. Currently there are several 5 min car wash areas and maybe 1-2 "detail" shops that have performed flaws on family members cars that I have noticed at a $150+ price points. I just want some input as to how well I could do as a startup out of my garage at home. I would like to do this mostly on the weekend, but depending if I`m able to get repeat business then I will consider more days because I am still in college at the age of 22. I am currently obtaining bulk supplies as I save earnings from my current job. I am developing a Facebook page as of right now and I plan on getting some car magnets made to market as well. My question is will I even be held as a reliable source of business considering many will assume I`m a college kid trying to make a quick buck? I would love to take a detailing class, and I am trying to take one within the next few months to hone my skills. I most definitely have a passion for it and have been told my several people how that have seen me detail that I show good skill and passion. I would love to start this up and make a name for myself especially since I am a Business management major and think this would look great on a resume. I am just looking for some more specific focus as to what tips I can use and as to how to help me succeed in the business.

I plan to offer these services and am currently looking at my local market to determine the price points of each:

1. Wash: the most basic service I will offer. A 2 bucket method with pressure washer use and foam gun followed by drying and tire dressing

2. Wash and wax: basic wash with a premium caranuba wax topping (I`m thinking p21s for its easy on/off application)

3. Wash/clay/wax: the services provided above with the added cleanup of a clay bar to allow for smooth paint before the waxing process.

4. Wash/clay/ 1 step polish
5. Wash/clay/2 step polish (depending on paint condition)
6. Wash/clay/polish/ sealant (more than likely klasse aio and hgsg or Blackfire)
7. Interior cleaning: vacuum, interior cleaning and protectant application

Materials I currently have:

PC7424
Pressure washer
Wash buckets with grit guards
Multiple microfibers for various use (waffle, applicators, etc)
Polish: Meg`s 105/205, on order is Menzerna and Blackfire assortment.
Klasse: Aio and high gloss sealant glaze
Shop vac for interior
Interior cleaner and protectants: 303 aero
I have others too but that is what I came up with off the top of my head.

Any input is appreciated as I`m here to learn from the best and hopefully I can post some of my clients details in the upcoming months! It`s hard to get it started since I work and go to school 5 days, but I really want to try my shot at this to see how far I can take it and hopefully it can be a rewarding industry for me if I take notes from all of you!
Thanks in advance!
-Kyle :autopia:

good luck. IMO you just need to set yourself apart from the others however you can and find your niche within your area and then hopefully it will grow from there

as far as the age and being taken seriously, i feel that it is all about how you present yourself.

you might want to consider a business name, possibly filing a dba, a nice shirt with your company name on it---in my experience those things go along way in presenting yourself as `reputable`--but naturally your still have to do a good job

Thanks for the feedback!
I am definitely already considering a name and more than likely will be going with Mortensen Auto Detail since it has my last name, and I didn`t want to sound to cliche with other names. With the concern regarding my expertise for my age, I feel like I am capable of putting in the hours to do a successful job. Just this past weekend I did a job on my cousins 2014 Ford Focus that was just purchased with dealer installed swirls and performed a wash, clay bar, Meg`s 205 on a white pad followed up with a black pad, and then performed 2 coats of Klasse AIO and High Gloss Sealant Glaze and my family was amazed at how much more depth could be brought out in the paint. :drool: I am currently making a pricing chart outlining my different packages, and hopefully will have a logo made by myself in the next few days to get my name out around my city. I do believe that I do have a few setbacks since I don`t necessarily have all the products available, but I do have a system with reliable products that have worked for me as well as others and I am purchasing from the sites store every chance I get with leftover earnings. I would love to get some shirts made and plan to once I get my first few customers under my belt, but I really need to get some marketing going to display my work, so I will start a Facebook page to keep costs down and get some magnets made to put on my car.

I am in no way trying to justify that I don`t do a good job, but I do have the determination and initiative to start it up and give it a try and set myself apart from the local car washes and few detail places near my home. I am a Customer Service staff at a Publix in my area so I will try and post flyers in our break room to get some business, plus I have felt that the job has prepared me to help deal with customers and maintain healthy relationships for repeat business! I`m really excited to get it up and running to earn some extra money, plus I find it very relaxing to detail and love the after shock of what can be achieved with all the materials!:yay

I will soon post my Pricing sheet and package information to see if I am within range of what everyone believes to be a reasonable offering for time and price for my area.

You need to shop all the other Detailer`s Shops around you either physically or on line and look at their Pricing structure.

Then look for the real Custom Detailers who do the higher end vehicles the most and see if you can get pricing from them as well.

Then you need to really do a self-evaluation of your skills, knowledge, and experience, and decide how ready you are to get into this profession - part time or full time, perhaps later..

There are hundreds possibly thousands of people that "Detailed Cars" while going through College.. I know of none that stuck to it after graduating, to make this profession their own..

Tell us a little bit about your experience, perhaps if you have pics, post them?

Do you have your Detailing Website built yet ? Company Name? Logo ?

Good luck with this !
Dan F

Thanks for the input. I am currently looking at the shops around to see how there pricing goes for their offerings and base my prices around the same for some of the services I plan to offer. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures posted of my experience yet, but I will try to in the next week to show what all I have done. As far as a website goes, I wasn`t planning on creating one until I have a solid revenue coming in so my plan was to make a Facebook page and some business cards to pass out. I am mainly trying to do this as a part time right now since I am still in school and can`t dedicate all my time to it

Also I am creating a logo this week that I came preview with everyone in this thread and show my price breakdown for each package I plan to offer

Advice from one of our members a while back

How To Leverage Craigslist « OCDetails

As far as my experience goes I have had experience with an PC 7424 for a little over a year now and have a fair bit of uses on various pads (blue,black, white, orange) with multiple polishes (mainly Meg`s and Menzerna). I caught the bug around 2 years ago when I made my first new car purchase and have been obsessed with a clean car ever since. The biggest thing I will prob need advice and some more in depth uses in are in the upholstery areas because I don`t have a lot of experience in that area, but I am reading most of this forum to get a good base knowledge on some good combos

Ok, so here is a breakdown of what I would like to offer for services. I`m still trying to determine if prices are too low or high and I will probably make adjustments to the times as well since I am the only one doing this as of right now. I am a little limited to interior cleaning right now since I don`t have an extractor, but I do plan to purchase one and offer more interior service. Any input or feedback is much appreciated! I have browsed around my area and a typical full detail on a vehicle is 150-175. Also I am developing a logo this weekend when I have some more free spare time :rockon

Basic Wash: pre foam treatment to loosen road dirt and grime, followed by a thorough hand wash with a sheepskin wash mitt. Wheels and tires are cleaned followed by an exterior drying using plush microfiber towels.
*30 - 40 minute service
Car: $25
SUV: $30

Bronze Wash: ALL the amenities of the Basic Wash plus:
-Application of tire dressing
-Cleaning of interior windows
-Interior vacuum
* 35 - 50 minute service
Car: $30
SUV: $35

Silver Wash: ALL the amenities of the Bronze Wash plus:
-Console/Dash/Interior trim cleaned and protected
-Door jambs cleaned
* 50 min - 1 hour service
Car: $35
SUV: $40

Gold Wash: ALL the amenities of the Silver Wash plus:
-Rain-X application on exterior windows
-Exterior trim pieces protected
* 1 hour - 1:15 service
Car: $40
SUV: $45


Detail Packages

Bronze Detail: ALL the amenities of the Bronze Wash plus:
-Clay bar of the car to decontaminate the paint`s surface
-Hand application of sealant / or Caranuba wax
* Typically 1.5 - 2 hours
Car: $75
SUV: $85

Silver Detail: ALL the amenities of the Silver Wash plus:
-Clay bar of the car to decontaminate the paint`s surface
-1 stage polish to remove minor swirls and imperfections
-Hand application of sealant / or Caranuba wax
* Typically 2.5 hours
Car: $100
SUV: $115

Gold Detail: ALL the amenities of the Gold Wash plus:
-Clay bar of the car to decontaminate the paint`s surface
-1 stage polish to remove minor swirls and imperfections
-1 stage of a finer polish to add depth and shine to the paint
-Hand application of sealant / or Caranuba wax
* Typically 3.5 - 4 hours
Car: $125
SUV: $140

^ that`s one hell of a good deal. It takes me 1.5-2 hours just to wash/dry my car by hand. It takes me 4-8 hours to detail my car and one-step polish with AIO/SG as my LSP. If you were in my area I`d be there once a month (at those prices)!

Did you ever end up doing it?

P.S. sorry to bring an old post back from the dead...