You Think 53 is to Old To Start???

[distrbd]

but then he has someone to blame

As a mater of fact people in our age group can do well managing ,or delegating rather than doing the actual physical work.
I work in custom metal fabrication and still at age 53 have to stand on my feet 8 hours a day 5 days a week,but to tell you the truth lately is becoming harder and harder to continue , sometimes I can hear my joints squeak.

[Poorboy]

As a mater of fact people in our age group can do well managing ,or delegating rather than doing the actual physical work.
I work in custom metal fabrication and still at age 53 have to stand on my feet 8 hours a day 5 days a week,but to tell you the truth lately is becoming harder and harder to continue , sometimes I can hear my joints squeak.

i totally agree I have Pockets to do some of my heavy work ....ok when he shows up or he`s not in school, but a real hard day now takes a day or two to recover

[Pander5]

I say give it a shot too. Like someone else mentioned, you gots the skills my friend.

Ask yourself, however, if you did this for work would you continue to enjoy it as much? I ask myself that question every once in a while (when my real job gets me down and I want to say "screw it") and I think I would. I just haven`t made that leap of faith yet.

Make sure your business plan is thorough and play the what if game for any/all contingencies to be safe.

I see many mobile detailers here and on other boards that seem to be making a pretty good living doing this stuff but again remember that it is work. Also, because it is work, you might find yourself losing that weight you say you could lose! I know I would lose a few lbs.

Good luck with whatever your decision is.

[rabbi]

I`m 50 years old and I`m telling you doing a full detail(inside and out) on a car takes me all day(5 to 7 hrs) and wears me out.If it`s really dirty(a lot of work) or I feel like I have to do it then it`s no fun for me.
If you do decide to start your own business I wish you nothing but good luck.

[LikeaRock]

Hell you more mature members are making me worried, I`ll be 20 on Monday and I already feel old, mentally and physically
Wouldn`t be so bad, the physical part that is, but I`ve had some naaaasty spills on dirtbikes, go-peds (believe it or not ), snowboarding... and I already feel the pains from it all. I don`t think I`ll be doing this work at age 53, at least full time.

If it makes you happy then go for it, just do one car a day max if you want and just charge enough to make a decent living. You do great work and already have a steady client base, you should have no problem surviving
Heck we could bounce work off one another as well, if one of us is too busy for something urgent, or something like that

And if you`re going to drop the weight, I know that "Planet Fitness" has lots, and lots, and lots, of "motivation" for you to look at, especially with SSU nearby

[Beemerboy]

Let me start out by saying thanks for all the feed back one way or the other...Steve I fully expected that answer from you....When I was laid off in 2001 I found myself in a new area of the SF bay, and no real ideas as to how to find a job in my field....I turned to detailing as a catalyst for income while I looked for steady work again...it took 6 months for something that was the right fit for me...in that time I supported the family on detailing....it wasn`t the big dollars that I was making at corporate world, but I was real happy with myself personally.

Addressing my age and physical abilities and or lack of...I have spent the last 30 years staying in decent condition. I raced bicycles into my mid 40`s and still today hit the gym on a regular bases...conditioning is what it takes the older we get, where most people become sedentary, I have refused to let that be an issue...My workouts are less intensive than my younger years but I get more from them as I have gotten better at it, and I am striving for a different result, flexibility and strength....as for loosing the weight that`s just my ego talking to me.....

Let me tell you a bit about my back ground. My father was a dirt farmer...5000 acres of row crops...tomatoes, sugar beets and beans....I was rasied on hard work and its never bothered me in the least..so detailing cars was something that seemed easy to me.

Now how I am looking at this today for a income / carrer...TRUST ME I fully understand the upside of it and the down sides from both angles...I have told myself over these last several years that I was to old to make this change, or another was "if I was 20 year younger" as Norah said one day I will wake up and say "I wish I had done this" I refuse to be that person...I took a huge risk some years back and became self-employed as a sales consultant and made good money at that..so the self-employed part doesn`t scare me in the least.

The physical end dose in some ways but again I am in better shape than most American men my age, I have the drive and determination to make this work!...coupled with my passion for it


In closing I want to thank everyone for your replies and those that will add below this.

I am going to give this a lot of thought before I do anything, I have some demographics to get about the area, talk to some people that are in the industry and related to it...then make the decision about if its feasible and how many cars I would have to do monthly to make the overhead and a decent income.

This is not about me being feed up with my current job, its about pursuing a dream and passion that I have had for some time!

[Pander5]

Dave - sounds like you have the perfect approach my friend. It sounds like your good business background will serve you well.

I`ve had several days at my real job lately where I`m not really fed up - just more pushed toward doing something that I, too, am passionate about. If I could approximate my current income doing detailing I`d be all over it but don`t think I can at this point. I envy your well thought out aspirations.

Again, good luck and know your friends here are sincere in our wishes for your success and keep us posted amigo.

[dr_detail]

all I can say to ya is best of luck...

[Poorboy]

..Steve I fully expected that answer from you....

would I let you down

[Beemerboy]

would I let you down

I spoke to my local detail distributor this AM he would like to have a guy like me on board in sales for there fleet division....that could result in a decent in into the industry..I still have to look at the details of the job, tio see what the $$ looks like...Anywho no matter what it is I am going to get into the auto care industry at one level or another, I`m on a mission now!

Thanks Steve one thing about me is that I do not see any limits in what I do...If I want something I find a way round it, threw it or over it!

I learned this with a company that I went public with in 1999....we grew from stand alone location to multi location world wide, in 9 years...when I joined them they where doing 250K a month...at the time I left them...they where doing 1.5 million a day...Threw that time I developed a strong sense for success and today I care that with me

[clarks2ndwind]

Sounds like you are on the right track with your thinking.. Age is a consideration as you`ve pointed out, but in your case, you`ve made a point to stay "healthy". Having worked in the health care field, the 50`s these days for some folks are like the 40`s 20 years ago.. thanks to health education, and a push for increased exercise and some good perscribed drugs. IMO. Most importantly, you`ve found somthing you have a passion for that is more of a lifestyle than hobby. Your knowledge/experience, and genuine desire to "do it right" will give you more business that you`ll likely want. I know, in my experience, if I find someone dependable, and does a job that meet my expectations, I keep going back. Just looking at your personal cars is enough to demonstrate to others what your abilities are! Having watched your daddy work his fingers to the bone, work ethic was instilled at an early age. I`m sure you dont take for granted what you have worked hard to earn! My dad was raised on a dairy farm and lost his father at the age of 8. He is in his early 70`s now and can still work circles around us kids! But, he never followed his dreams and has some regret. Having read your posts I know you are putting a TON of thought into this and you`ll made the decision that is right for you. BEST wishes on your decision!

[e-klasse]

Beem, if you have any trouble pulling demographics for your market shoot me a PM... my data is media-specific (which shouldn`t matter, and often we find is more accurate) and what I have in-hand for your market is a few years old, but it would only take a few calls to get current data for you.

My .02, FWIW... I`m with Steve on this one. Few years back my partners and I looked at several detailing business options... TV and radio business models are not what they once were . In a nutshell, our findings were:

1. It would be insane for me to try and do the work on my own, regardless of how hard I tried or how good my work was/is. Three surgeries on from that decision (along with resulting time off work) proved the point. My income and client base would`ve died on the vine (sorry, Sonoma-specific humor... lol). Agewise I`m right behind you, if that helps.....

2. We looked at many options to partner with existing businesses. Probably our most realistic option was to invest in a new tunnel-wash project that offered us three HUGE detailing bays plus retail space. It was hard to get over the "tunnel-wash phobia", but we looked at the bright side... every finish the tunnel ruined was another prospect for us!! In the end we couldn`t make the deal pencil-out.

3. Through development investors we had the chance to get in on the ground floor of a super auto mall planned for our area... negotiated a deal to co-op both the land needed to build central detailing bays PLUS retail on all the dealerships floorspace. Fleet work was also on the table, but there`s no money there. In the end local politics and the economy killed our plans before the project ever broke ground. They`ve since built-out one dealership and work has started on a second, but the project is nothing like once planned.

Obviously options 2 & 3 required me to be in a management role, with little or no hands-on detailing. I did financials for all three options, and the results were painfully clear... option 1 would`ve been my preference, but options 2 or 3 offered the only way to financially survive at any level comparable to what myself and my family require (and to say "comparable" would definitely be a stretch).

Another issue to consider is health insurance. You may have options there (I did), but to be in a position where you need to make it happen on your own as a small business is prohibitive these days.

Bottom line... don`t let age be the determining factor. In business age is only a state of mind. To do what you enjoy and be able to earn a living at it is the holy grail of business.

Only you know what it takes to make that happen for you and your family. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!!

[Beemerboy]

Thanks for the great post very informative to say the least. To date I have decided that taking on this as a full time position as an one man show is not that best way to go...20 years ago, less overhead and family, in a heart beat!!

I have decided to look at other possibilities connected to the auto industry, as a supplement to my current carrier, as stated earlier I am not unhappy with what I do for a living, just wanting to pursue the passion and dream..I think that I have found the way into that at a part time level, and hopes that I can convert that to a full time position in time. This way I can couple my current passion and expertise in sales and marketing and apply that to the auto care industry.

I again applaud you for the offer on the demographics and your R&D into what I was looking at

By the way what part of the state are you in?

Beem, if you have any trouble pulling demographics for your market shoot me a PM... my data is media-specific (which shouldn`t matter, and often we find is more accurate) and what I have in-hand for your market is a few years old, but it would only take a few calls to get current data for you.

My .02, FWIW... I`m with Steve on this one. Few years back my partners and I looked at several detailing business options... TV and radio business models are not what they once were . In a nutshell, our findings were:

1. It would be insane for me to try and do the work on my own, regardless of how hard I tried or how good my work was/is. Three surgeries on from that decision (along with resulting time off work) proved the point. My income and client base would`ve died on the vine (sorry, Sonoma-specific humor... lol). Agewise I`m right behind you, if that helps.....

2. We looked at many options to partner with existing businesses. Probably our most realistic option was to invest in a new tunnel-wash project that offered us three HUGE detailing bays plus retail space. It was hard to get over the "tunnel-wash phobia", but we looked at the bright side... every finish the tunnel ruined was another prospect for us!! In the end we couldn`t make the deal pencil-out.

3. Through development investors we had the chance to get in on the ground floor of a super auto mall planned for our area... negotiated a deal to co-op both the land needed to build central detailing bays PLUS retail on all the dealerships floorspace. Fleet work was also on the table, but there`s no money there. In the end local politics and the economy killed our plans before the project ever broke ground. They`ve since built-out one dealership and work has started on a second, but the project is nothing like once planned.

Obviously options 2 & 3 required me to be in a management role, with little or no hands-on detailing. I did financials for all three options, and the results were painfully clear... option 1 would`ve been my preference, but options 2 or 3 offered the only way to financially survive at any level comparable to what myself and my family require (and to say "comparable" would definitely be a stretch).

Another issue to consider is health insurance. You may have options there (I did), but to be in a position where you need to make it happen on your own as a small business is prohibitive these days.

Bottom line... don`t let age be the determining factor. In business age is only a state of mind. To do what you enjoy and be able to earn a living at it is the holy grail of business.

Only you know what it takes to make that happen for you and your family. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!!

[MoparAddict]

I spoke to my local detail distributor this AM he would like to have a guy like me on board in sales for there fleet division....that could result in a decent in into the industry..I still have to look at the details of the job, tio see what the $$ looks like...Anywho no matter what it is I am going to get into the auto care industry at one level or another, I`m on a mission now!

Thanks Steve one thing about me is that I do not see any limits in what I do...If I want something I find a way round it, threw it or over it!

I learned this with a company that I went public with in 1999....we grew from stand alone location to multi location world wide, in 9 years...when I joined them they where doing 250K a month...at the time I left them...they where doing 1.5 million a day...Threw that time I developed a strong sense for success and today I care that with me

If you go work for Eric. I think youll start to see Dolan and I there pretty often. you might have to hook us up every now and then.
Side note. I use to work with a guy at Wood PCM who use to work for GGN. He said if you work strictly comission, you have to work your but off. Not that would be a problem for you. You can also do 50/50 hourly and comission. The guy said he made pretty good money. The best part is your around detailing all day and you get first dibs on all the new products.

[e-klasse]

Thanks for the great post very informative to say the least....

By the way what part of the state are you in?

No worries. I`ve wanted to do the same thing you`re considering ever since media (my career) started down the tubes with ownership and deregulation fun & games.

I`m in Visalia. Haven`t been around DC much lately (health, time, etc) but I`m the guy who`s friends with the owners of the Vintage Press... an old client of yours.

Just let me know if I can help. Good luck.