??For those with detailing businesses (shop)

[imported_MP525i]

My money is divided 4 ways.

1-employee

2-biz expenses

3-uncle sam

4-wife



I am lucky if I get anything!!

shouldn`t number 1 be replaced with number 4??? :lol :lol or that`s what it feels like.



i`m still starting out. doing it on the side. i`m making about $600 a month after all expenses taken out. since this is still a side job, it`s all money put into my pocket.



start small. gain experience. then go for the big time.



-mike

[imported_MP525i]

My money is divided 4 ways.

1-employee

2-biz expenses

3-uncle sam

4-wife



I am lucky if I get anything!!

shouldn`t number 1 be replaced with number 4??? :lol :lol or that`s what it feels like.



i`m still starting out. doing it on the side. i`m making about $600 a month after all expenses taken out. since this is still a side job, it`s all money put into my pocket.



start small. gain experience. then go for the big time.



-mike

[jerry@robs]

My reply wont give you much info since I`m from another country...



First off about how much did it cost to start your shop?

Approx $15K if converted to USD (inclusive of initial rent deposits, advance payments etc)



Did you build it or buy it built?

It was the garage of a popular local tuner shop before so it was designed for cars. We did add quite a few things to make it work as a detailing shop, added a customer`s lounge, 2 restrooms, crew locker area and our office.



How did you decide location?

The shop location is a few minutes from my partners` houses so it`s quite ideal for the managers to go to work.



As mentioned the previous shop is pretty well known by auto enthusiasts so it wasn`t that hard to tell people where we are.



It is a main road with an intersection 50 meters away, so every 3 mins or so, at least 50 cars will be stopping right in front of us.



It`s also the way to pass if you`re going to the "car shop district" locally.



How did you get the money for it (I assume loans)?

5 partners, equal investment. Cash savings. We didn`t want to start off with a debt hehe.



Kinda personal, but how much do you make, about, a year after all expenses?

As a shop, let`s just say we net around 50% of our gross.



Is it worth it?

Of course. I think as long as ANY business is making decent money, it`ll be worth it.



How long did it take to start making money?

Based on monthy balance sheets, 3 months. ROI was about 18months.



Would you recomend others to do the same (obviously none around you )?



No unless you really like it and if you really can dedicate yourself to be there on site. Unlike other businesses wherein you can leave it to your workers, the customer interaction and trust you give to customers can only be given by the owner.



High maintenance business for the untrained or unprepared. But it is worth it and rewarding.



We`re quite proud of our shop since it`s smaller than 2 other shops within a kilometer from us and yet they have less than 10% of our customer volume and traffic.



Degree? Marketing, Entreprenuer courses and of course, automobile vocational courses.

[the other pc]

I don`t make any money detailing, I spend money detailing. It`s a hobby for me. I`m a desk jockey. But I`ve worked in and around a number of different businesses and I`ve known plenty of folks who own/run their own.



So, the other pc`s first rule of business: Nobody makes big money doing the work.



And, the other pc`s second rule of business: You make big money by paying other people to do the work and charging customers more than you pay your employees.



Detailer, ditch digger or doctor, it doesn`t matter. It`s always the same.



What? Don`t doctors make good money, you ask? Sure, they make a darn decent living but the ones that make the really big bucks own practices where they may do some of the work but the bulk is done by a lot of other people (including other doctors).



In detailing, a skilled craftsman with good business sense can make a comfortable living. The guys that make the big bucks run the high volume shops (usually car washes) where they pay laborers (or at best, entry level craftsman) very little to work on an awful lot of cars, really fast.





PC.



(And you can make a decent living as a desk jockey in cubeville. You make the big bucks sitting behind a mahogany desk in a windowed office calling the shots.)

[pontman43]

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful.