Taking things slow

[kevinw2345]

Have been detailing my own vehicle for a while now and am have been wanting a shop for a long time. I have found a place about an hour away that trains detailers for interior/exterior revival and ultimate paint restoration which i think i need just to broaden my knowledge and get some hand on experience with an instructor or someone who knows what they are doing. Once i take that and pass the courses i will become a "certified detailer" and will start looking into goverment grants, dont know what all grants we have here in canada but will look into what there is. Hopefully everything works out perfect and i can quit my crappy job once buisness picks up!

[Reddwarf]

Best of luck to you. There seem to be a lot of successful detailers on this forum.

[kevinw2345]

There is and i owe a lot of what i know now to people on this forum who have helped me. Hopefully soon i can be one of the people helping someone else . May also join the internation detailers association since one of the busiest shops in my city pride themselfs on being the ONLY detail shop registered in our city.

[mrclean81]

Good luck to you. I would suggest taking some business classes if possible. Its one thing I wish I had done differently. I would put my work against anyones, but Im a terrible business man, and thats why I have struggled at times with certain things. There is a lot to take in at first. Marketing, accounting, overhead, meeting EPA regulations, insurance, taxes, I could go on and on. Learn everything you can while you have time to. If not, you`ll get a crash coarse in business management. Get a solid business plan together too. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress

[Stokdgs]

Glad you enjoy Detailing enough to want to do it as a business.
It can eat you alive if you get in over your head so be careful.
Have you considered finding out here for example, how many Detailers live close by to you, and see if perhaps you can Intern with someone for awhile?
It would have to be way less expensive than taking those classes, and you get to see what it is like on a day-to-day basis if you took time out to go do that.
There are a zillion questions you could ask a good Professional Detailer and we are not even getting to hands on working with a great Detailer yet...
Everything Mrclean81 said above here, is so true...
It is all Preparation work that should be completed before going full on into this business...
It would also be a great help to have another source of income going on to help you get started the first few years too... This is even more critical if you go out and lease working space somewhere.. The lease payment comes every month no matter what...
It cannot be the type of work that consumes you completely because it can if you allow it or make choices that are not the best for you.
Then, it will be a job you dread every morning... You dont want to ever let it get to that point...
Ask as many questions as possible... Get some face to face time with some really good Detailers, and learn, get a feel for how its working for them, try to understand how that set of circumstances would be for you in your particular situation, and learn all you can from other`s experiences...
One does get wiser as one gets older, unless one is a complete idiot, etc...
There is so much to discuss, good luck with this !
Dan F

[kevinw2345]

Glad you enjoy Detailing enough to want to do it as a business.
It can eat you alive if you get in over your head so be careful.
Have you considered finding out here for example, how many Detailers live close by to you, and see if perhaps you can Intern with someone for awhile?
It would have to be way less expensive than taking those classes, and you get to see what it is like on a day-to-day basis if you took time out to go do that.
There are a zillion questions you could ask a good Professional Detailer and we are not even getting to hands on working with a great Detailer yet...
Everything Mrclean81 said above here, is so true...
It is all Preparation work that should be completed before going full on into this business...
It would also be a great help to have another source of income going on to help you get started the first few years too... This is even more critical if you go out and lease working space somewhere.. The lease payment comes every month no matter what...
It cannot be the type of work that consumes you completely because it can if you allow it or make choices that are not the best for you.
Then, it will be a job you dread every morning... You dont want to ever let it get to that point...
Ask as many questions as possible... Get some face to face time with some really good Detailers, and learn, get a feel for how its working for them, try to understand how that set of circumstances would be for you in your particular situation, and learn all you can from other`s experiences...
One does get wiser as one gets older, unless one is a complete idiot, etc...
There is so much to discuss, good luck with this !
Dan F

Thank you soo much for your response. I have taken everything into account and have decided to go to an adult school in my area to take some business class`s so I can at least be prepared, also have a friend of mine who has owned a business in the past who could give me a little guidance if needed. Also don`t think any detailers in my area would take someone on to train them to own their own business because its a competition thing in my city. Have contacted CG to see how much their training school is, much just go on a trip who knows. Thanks everyone! a quick question though just out of curiosity I know you cant give me an exact number which is not what I am looking for but on average roughly how much can a business owner expect to pocket each month or week give or take. I would be the only employee. Thanks guys hugely appreciated!

[mrclean81]

That all depends on you, what kind of client base is in your area, what kind of work you are doing etc.
There are 2 kinds of detail work. Wholesale and retail. Wholesale is dealerships and such, retail is individuals. Some guys can make a damn good living just doing wholesale work, but they arent normally doing the level of work that many retail customers would expect. Its lower end stuff in volume. Retail customers will uaually pay more, but expect more. Speed should come from efficiency. You will eventually get a smart system down to where its almost like a dance around the car. Once you get that down, its all up to you and how many you can do in a day.

[kevinw2345]

I think I would mainly do retail, not a kit of high end vehicles in my area. May be just a rough estimate

[kevinw2345]

Would may be 2-3 grand a week be possible?

[mrclean81]

Doubtful unless you were really cranking them out. Its possible with a crew, but you`ve gotta have the volume to justify it. I spent a lot of time this evening digging this up for you. Might help a little. Tex knows his stuff.
http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/...an-i-make.html

[Todd@RUPES]

This thread is an excellent example of what makes this forum so great! Thanks for all the feed back!

[Trouble]

Would may be 2-3 grand a week be possible?

[sprocketser]

Wish you good luck fella .

[kevinw2345]

This thread is an excellent example of what makes this forum so great! Thanks for all the feed back!

For sure I love this forum, filled with great people who know their stuff

Doubtful unless you were really cranking them out. Its possible with a crew, but you`ve gotta have the volume to justify it. I spent a lot of time this evening digging this up for you. Might help a little. Tex knows his stuff.
http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/...an-i-make.html

Thank you soo much, I have read this and have taken a lot out of it. Thank you for taking your time out to help me!

Wish you good luck fella .

Thanks man. Will be a long but hopefully fun journey!