professonal detailers?

clean4u

clean4u

Practice makes "PERFECT"
Have any of you gone to any type of training or took any type of special schooling to become a professional detailer or do you just get better at the detailing business the more you do it? Call me crazy but im very serious about this line of work and im just trying to get all the info. i can about it. Thanks!!!
 
Clean, I did the Meg's training out in California, then trained with Adam's Polishes for a little bit, and then practiced!!
 
You get better mainly from doing it. There is more to Professional detailing than just knowing how to detail.

I had help from a couple of the local professional distributors. They really like to help you out even on their days off after you've spent a lot of money with them... lol... They taught me how to use a rotary mainly.
 
I attended Equilibrium State -- and got my degree in BS from the school of hard knocks -- hehehe

Seriously though, the only training I ever had was that of those who came before me -- they handed me a buffer, some polish, and said there's a car, lets see what you can do. I started at a dealership, moved on to a detail shop, then another, and another, and yet another taking in and learning as much as I could at each stop. I then moved up to managing mobile units. From there I managed a Ming franchise, and then off to manage another shop. I started my own deal from there (1989), then due to a severe hand injury (1991, almost lost 2 fingers), I closed the doors. I then went on to doing Auto Shows at the OEM level nationally for about 5 years then to prep work for advertising (photo shoots and commercials). I moved up again to managing a detail center at a 200+ vehicle car/day carwash. Went back to doing commercials and print, Did two car's for pebble beach, one wining 8 awards (including Best in Show) the other best in class. After that I put down my towels to be an automotive product specialist. From there, I took about two years off, and now, I'm back to pushin towels once again doin my own deal -- I decide though what I want to do.

Along the way, I've trained lot's of people, (even a few who ended up Meg's Trainers) done more vehicles than I wish to even think about, and wrote multiple training & procedural manuals for OEM clients, dealers, and shops. My $0.02 -- spending the money on a training seminar would be like taking a 6 hour Photoshop class then expecting to get a job at Image Works -- you will walk away with something, but I think this type of work is hands on and wisdom will come only with experience -- keep pushing towels and you will get it, then duplicate the process or, spend $$, hire experienced people, treat them right, have them run your business and just collect the profits!!
 
If you are truly 'very serious about this line of work' and you are thinking about starting your own detailing business, then I would recommend that you focus 80% of your attention on small business training and 20% of your time on detailing.

If you need more information about small business courses, just shoot me an email at [email protected]
 
mirrorfinishman said:
If you are truly 'very serious about this line of work' Focus 80% of your attention on small business training and 20% of your time on detailing.

[email protected]
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This is great advise. My business has become successful not because of my skills but because I have extensive business and marketing experience. Over time, I became a good detailer.

You can be the best at anything but if you don't know how to run and grow a business, you'll fail. 90% of small businesses of all types fail for this reason alone.
 
That is some great advice -- yep marketing your product is good sound advice. I add though that the better your product the easier it is to sell -- and if it's an awesome product, it will just about sell itself :)
 
I think you have gotten a few different views of the biz. It's important as Frank said to remember this is a business, especially remind your friends about this. It is also very important as the dr. said that you learn yourself on how to tackle all finishes and problems by experience. Yes it may take doing some low level jobs, but look at them as learning experiences. Working as a painter's helper can give you the basics of how to paint, tape and prep a car as well as wet sanding and rotary use. Working in a high end shop as a helper can show you how to do certain tricks that will give you better results, and working in a volume shop would show you how to get decent results and move cars in and out.
Can this all be learned by going to a 4 hour or 2 day seminar? NO WAY!!! ....anyone can pick up equipment and supplies, and anyone can take pictures from one angle and then post a finished picture from another angle showing great results, but it's your customer that has to be satified for a long enough time with your work that will get you referals and repeat business to build upon. my 2 cents
 
I've done training for people locally before. I agree with Frank that if you are going to make a business out of this, then you really need to spend some time learning how that works. Obviously you know the ropes of detailing if that is what you are starting your business in. If you want to make the business a success then you need to learn things like advertising, marketing, book keeping, budgeting, etc. In the groups that I have trained we have primarily focused on detailing, but I do go over some of the other stuff with them one on one later if they are interested. The people I am training aren't generally going to go out and start their own businesses. They are mostly concerned with learning the process and products so they can take care of their own cars.

Training is in my blood and I would love nothing more than to teach detailing for a living for the rest of my life. Hopefully that will someday happen for me. There isn't anywhere in the world I wouldn't move to if I had the opportunity to train detailers. I would still like to learn some other aspects of the industry so I would have more to offer. Things like pinstriping, PDR, touch up, window chip repair, etc. would be nice things to know and be able to teach.
 
A good place to get information about small business training is to contact the United States Small Business Administration at: http://www.sba.gov To locate the local Small Business Administration office in your state, simply fill in your zip code once you get to the SBA website.

Also, most local colleges and universities are a good source for small business training. Many of these schools offer plenty of good courses which can usually be attended during the evenings. Taking a few small business courses is always a good starting point when it comes to writing your own business plan and establishing you basic advertising and marketing goals.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
A good place to get information about small business training is to contact the United States Small Business Administration at: http://www.sba.gov To locate the local Small Business Administration office in your state, simply fill in your zip code once you get to the SBA website.

Also, most local colleges and universities are a good source for small business training. Many of these schools offer plenty of good courses which can usually be attended during the evenings. Taking a few small business courses is always a good starting point when it comes to writing your own business plan and establishing you basic advertising and marketing goals.
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Yeah the SBA is a great place to get information , you can check out some of the online courses they have . Best of all you can do it from the comforts of home and its free. Good Luck Online Course List
 
clean4u...

I attended 3 seminars this year with this organization and the information you will receive about starting a small business is priceless. The speakers are successful small business owners !!!

http://www.score.org/

Look up your local chapter and I am sure that your chapter will offer the same seminars I attended. They are funded by the organization mirrorfinishman mentioned previously (SBA), and you cannot beat the price of the seminars.... FREE !!!

Video series... I also highly recommend the www.rightlook.com "Detailing for Profit" 3 part series. It is quite expensive, but I have seen it up on auction on ebay in the past for much less $$$. If I come accross my series I will gladly lend it to you, but I cannot figure out who I lent it too last and haven't seen it in a while. :( Regardless it was very well made and comprehensive with regards to detailing techniques. When I first started out detailing I followed their interior detailing techniques to a T, until I developed my own methods and chemical usage.
 
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i know megs is a good course. Detail king offers a whole training course buisness end as well . My mother is a made buisness women so she tught me money mangment deal making profiting all that ... but detailing , i feel every detailer on this site can go to the same course and be classified as the same thing... but in the end there are people on the site with awesome biz'nesses goin and can detail a car better then anyone could imagine and they are all self taught.
 
Sell, sell and sell some more

Remember you have to be obsessed to be the best look a all the best in each field of business the top guys are passionate they live it breath it and live for it.Be the business and remember the day you stop selling is the day your business starts dying.Some awesome books ihave read oh by the way if you only read one chapter a every day you will have read over 36 books in a year WOW what kinda of ideas could you get from that.Ok the books MAGIC OF THINKING BIG by David J. Schwartz,Start Small finish BIG by Fred Deluca, start with those and i will post more soon.
 
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