How long?

**ShanesG** · 07-29-2008, 06:00 PM

How long did you detail before starting your own business.
Part-time, full time, just weekend, whatever. Just curious how long it took for you to feel comfortable doing other people cars.

**Beemerboy** · 07-29-2008, 06:15 PM

It started for me after a divorce, and needed extra cash to pay bills and such..I started with close friends and worked up to doing cars for about anyone...word of mouth spread...with in one summer I had a pretty good business.

I was really more of a wash wax service more than anything...no buffers or extractors at the time...

Today I`ll take on about anyone..and feel I do as good if not better work than anyone around me pro or not.

I guess with in a month or so, I was branching out to cleaning anyone`s cars...I lived in a small town and word spread fast...I was busy every weekend for months on end

**Troy@Protekt** · 07-29-2008, 07:02 PM

I bought my business from a friend. Before that I really didn`t take care of my cars. As long as the stereo was loud and you could tell what color it was it was fine with me.

**RyansAutoDetail** · 07-30-2008, 12:08 AM

i had a summer job doing this for cheap labour about 3-4 yrs ago and over time took it more as a hobby and this summer turned it into a weekend business to make extra money than the 400/wk i get which doesnt cut it in my books for a full time wage.
my goal is to eventually get 2-4 cars a weekend for the rest of summer and now charge 70 a car so i make 140 a weekend tax free

i hope

**ShanesG** · 07-30-2008, 11:13 AM

Cool deal!

**9D4E420** · 07-30-2008, 11:28 AM

I started out doing highline cars for a wholesale business when I was 17. Since then I have had my loyal side customers from word of mouth and the neighborhood. It`s been off and on for me the last ten years. I started working again detailing at the shop where I started. It is a good gig I`m a subcontractor now. I detail cars for the car lot and then have my own customers as well.

Once you get comfortable make yourself up some business cards and start networking. The business will start to come in for you.

**SocalRoyce** · 06-01-2009, 04:12 PM

Is anybody doing full time? Or just more as on the side gig?

**RTexasF** · 06-02-2009, 10:16 AM

I had just received my PC and was working on my `96 Mazda. Neighbor came over to view the results and asked "How much to do my Camry"? Did the Camry, his mother`s jeep, his brother`s truck and went from there.

**tmacsad** · 11-01-2009, 11:14 AM

It all started for us almost 6 yrs ago... my wife made some baskets for Mother`s Day for our mothers. She asked if I would put together a coupon for a detail for the baskets.

I had alway`s been into detailing my own vehicle and my wife knew how much I enjoyed it. So she (my wife) came to me and asked what I thought about starting up my own detail business. I had never giving it much thought up until that point. After giving much thought we begain our adventure in the world of detailing.

**sullysdetailing** · 11-01-2009, 03:37 PM

I been helping my dad detail are family cars since I was like 8. When I was 14 I started washing a nwaxing the family cars and i go pretty into it looking up products online and youtubing diffrent ways to wash and wax cars. When I was 16 my cars was always clean and I started washing cars in the neighborhood and family and friends vehicles. Now I will tackle pretty much anything.

**DJsDetails** · 07-30-2010, 12:32 AM

Was an instant hobby as soon as I bought a brand new black truck. Got laid off several times as an architectural intern. My part time gig than became a full time operation. It just this year became a legal business, no longer a side thing. I`ve been bartending to offset the ups and downs and to stay out of debt. I`m hoping by the end of this year it can fully support my needs (bills, my education, live more comfortably). I damn sure like working for myself.

One quick example: Tonight I worked the bar for 6 hrs and made $126. That`s $21/hr
This morning I worked for 5.5 hrs and made $225. That`s $41/hr

My point is that when business is busy, I`d much rather be working for myself making that last figure. Just gotta build the clientele base as we all are trying to.

**jdmser** · 07-30-2010, 02:41 PM

I worked as a porter at Jeep dealer for about three years and then went to college for automotive maintenance. I worked as a mechanic for a couple of years and decided the maintenance end wasn`t really for me. I like making them go fast more than fixing them. So, while I was trying to decide what I wanted to do I started working for a full service car wash. After 10 year with them, 8 in management, I got let go during down sizing. Starting my own detail shop was just a natural progression for me. The only thing that took some getting used to is going from having 100 employees to being just in charge of myself. Didn`t know what to do with all the free time.