14 years old with a REAL detailing company

[imported_themightytimmah]

Running a shop like that will likely eat up a ton of your time, all for money that you've got nothing to spend on (once you get past a PS3, it's not like you've got a mortgage or child support). Your ambition is impressive but you're still 14 and you've gotta live a little.



I'd suggest knocking out a detail or two a week in your driveway, by the time you get to high school you'll be making 2-3x what your friends make working less hours - it worked out exceedingly well for me. I've never been able to justify the additional costs of a rented shop - yes I could make more money overall, but the first 10 hours of every week would go into overhead instead of right into my pocket.

 

[imported_truzoom]

Anyone think this kid isn't gonna come back? He hasn't responded since asking the first post....

 

[Brian_Brice]

Remember, 'people who say it cannot be done, are usually interupted by others doing it'.

Most of us aren't saying it can't be done, if you think a 14 year old entering this business and forgoing everything else is a good idea you would make a horrible father imo.

 

[Brian_Brice]

Remember, 'people who say it cannot be done, are usually interupted by others doing it'.

Most of us aren't saying it can't be done, if you think a 14 year old entering this business and forgoing everything else is a good idea would make you a lousy source of advice and info imo.

 

[GranPrix]

You guys are so gullible.

 

[Accumulator]

You guys are so gullible.

Heh heh, do you know something the others don't?



I take it you figure baseballlover1 was just pulling the ol' Autopia chain and that his original post was a load of bull....

 

[baseballlover1]

i am very sorry about not responding. but i am going to address some of peoples responses before saying sorry again. now to the finish school side of it. i am 14 going into 9th grade (high school), my family knows that i am going to finish school and as do i. i am not that tupid as to drop out of the private school that i go to a start trying to pursue a job that as it sits right now is going to earn me 24,000 a year with no overhead. as to being too young to buy a building, i would get my mother to sign for me or my grandmother and not my father becuase he recently bought a brand new building and owns a retail store and any1 that has been in retail knows that your credit is very low (expecialy now). now also i have worked in my fathers store and it doesnt seem as tho any1 cares about me being 14, on the contrary i think they rather like the idea of a 14 year old trying to sell them 100 shirts and 700 suits. as to the not enouph beuseness, i am currently doing about 4 or 5 cars a week, and even though my posts may not be up to the caliper that some of you people may be used to i do have some skill in this area. i am kindof offended that some of you may think that i should just throw in the towel and give up. now also 2 days ago me and my father found another garage/shop which would be more suited for my needs. it is a little bigger and with it i would be storing peoples car there. and me being the son of a SCCA driver, and being freinds i already have people interested in the area to store there racecars and trailers there. the way i would do it would be make it so that the storage income would pay for the mortgage and alll my expenses and all the detailing money would go straight into my saving FOR COLLEEGe. now if anyone else has any other recomendations or advice for me please ask me. all your posts are very helpful even though they may be a put down but i was probobly asking for it given my 1st post's wording. and im sorry that i didnt respond i was at VIR for the weekend and before that i was at market for my dads store.

 

[baseballlover1]

I too would like to know how you have the money to buy these cars, especially with the work laws for people your age, it's obvious no one would hire you because of your age let alone give you the kind of wage to buy these cars let along insure them and put gas in them...so my guess when you say "your" money you mean money your mom and dad put in your bank..either way, stick with school...Way to young to get yourself into something like this...once you hit high school you wont have time for running this business, unless you plan to fit some details in during recess.

no this was my money earned from my barmitzvah and detailing a little of it was also the money i got from working on dads racecar.

 

[Brian_Brice]

good luck whatever you decide to do, all im saying is if youre planning on washing and waxing a high volume of cars a week you should have no issues. if youre planning on intriguing high dollar customers who demand top notch work i'm afraid you're going to have a tough time getting the respect you need to do so.

 

[Accumulator]

baseballlover1- I'm glad to hear your query is on the level, and you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders.



The others here can offer better advice concerning going into this business than I can, but I hope that it works out for you.



If you ever have any questions about how to do some specific aspect of detailing, please don't hesitate to ask; there's usually somebody here who's dealt with a given issue.



Being the son of an SCCA driver helps explain your taste in cars..wonder if you'll have more fun in the 911 or the 014 :think: Either one oughta be a lot of fun.

 

[imported_truzoom]

I'd like to offer some advice since you seem very eager to try out your plans...



PLEASE brush up on your writing skills. I know detailing probably doesn't require you to do much writing, but properly formatting sentences and paragraphs can really give you a "professional" boost.



Other than that, best of luck, and don't forget about us little guys when you're doing $6000 details for Jay Leno.

 

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

As long as you are good at what you do, there is way more money to be made working on vehicles of high dollar customers, compared to serving the masses with high volume washing and waxing.

 

[baseballlover1]

I'd like to offer some advice since you seem very eager to try out your plans...



PLEASE brush up on your writing skills. I know detailing probably doesn't require you to do much writing, but properly formatting sentences and paragraphs can really give you a "professional" boost.



Other than that, best of luck, and don't forget about us little guys when you're doing $6000 details for Jay Leno.

hahha... yes yes i do know that i need a little work on my writing skills. it seems that private schools do not pay off lol. but jay leno... NO. i think he's a funny guy but i dont support guys who drive motorcycles lol. but i do have some good news about detailing. this past weekend i was at a race crewing for some old freinds. and as i was pulling into the hotle parking lot there was a guy talking on his phone in his lamborghini gallardo. we started talking about his car and about mine. (i was driving the 914) and after he started talking about my car he said WOW that really does look good. how old is that paint. i said that it was painted 3 years after my father bought the car (it was painted in 1977). he said how do you get it to shine like that. and i explained i detail cars on the side. he said o wow do you have a card. i gave it to him and he said "good deal maybe ile have to fly you down and get you to detail all mine fore a week, i have enouph to keep you busy." i was EXTATIC (sp).



and as for everyone else that sounded as if you were being to hard or an a$$ hole. i know that you were just trying to help me so thank you very much. The way i have ran my life lately is if someone sais i cant do something it pushed me harder to get it. which was the case with the 911 i have. my dad told me it would be idiotic to waste my money on such a peice of crap as that particular 911. it wasnt too good to the sight and wasnt much better mechanically. now i have the car running smothlely and i only have to put a pop off valve in it until it will be drivable. so thank you so much for your support or lack there of.

 

[baseballlover1]

baseballlover1- I'm glad to hear your query is on the level, and you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders.



The others here can offer better advice concerning going into this business than I can, but I hope that it works out for you.



If you ever have any questions about how to do some specific aspect of detailing, please don't hesitate to ask; there's usually somebody here who's dealt with a given issue.



Being the son of an SCCA driver helps explain your taste in cars..wonder if you'll have more fun in the 911 or the 014 :think: Either one oughta be a lot of fun.

thank you. and you seemingto know what scca is gives me the thought that you are a driver. if so what class do you race? dad and i race ssc. maybe if your ever at a race in the southeast or northeast or at the runnoffs look us up. we would be under jeff wendell... but right now it looks as though im going to have more fun with the 914 becuase its in prestine condition. and the 911 is driving on the road a lot. buttt it will be soon. thanks and if your ever in roanoke VA. give me a call, maybe you can take one of em for a test drive!

 

[DaGonz]

Sorry, gentlemen.. But I am calling BS on this kid....



Cases in point #1 from the upgrading to rotary? thread

i currently own a PC... i am now starting to get serios with detailing (or serios for me anyway, i detail a car everyweekend). i have been reading posts and things and it seems everyone has a rotary...

He details a car a weekend and makes $24K?



Would you pay a 14 year old an average of $417 to detail your car?



Case in point #2

hahha... yes yes i do know that i need a little work on my writing skills. it seems that private schools do not pay off lol. but jay leno... NO. i think he's a funny guy but i dont support guys who drive motorcycles lol. but i do have some good news about detailing. this past weekend i was at a race crewing for some old freinds. and as i was pulling into the hotle parking lot there was a guy talking on his phone in his lamborghini gallardo. we started talking about his car and about mine. (i was driving the 914) and after he started talking about my car he said WOW that really does look good. how old is that paint. i said that it was painted 3 years after my father bought the car (it was painted in 1977). he said how do you get it to shine like that. and i explained i detail cars on the side. he said o wow do you have a card. i gave it to him and he said "good deal maybe ile have to fly you down and get you to detail all mine fore a week, i have enouph to keep you busy." i was EXTATIC (sp).

A 14 year old driving on the roads?

 

[baseballlover1]

Sorry, gentlemen.. But I am calling BS on this kid....



Cases in point #1 from the upgrading to rotary? thread







He details a car a weekend and makes $24K?



Would you pay a 14 year old an average of $417 to detail your car?



Case in point #2







A 14 year old driving on the roads?

haha your calling ******** on me huh? wwhat i ment by pulling into the hotel parking lot was my father was driving into the parking lot. would you like to see a picture of me in front of the yellow lamborghini? (because i have it) and when i wrote that post i was doing about 1 car a weekend. Now i am doing 4 or 5. would you like to see the pictures from the latest car? because i have those also. and what i said by 24,000 was i did the math of how much it would pay me if i detailed cars full time and dropped out. however it seems that i am more grown up than you are arguing about (if you were right) a stupid kid who was bull shitting about his cars and yearly income. now just to see what you say, would you like me to go outside right now and take pictures with my two cars?

 

[DaGonz]

Whatever floats your toy boat..



FYI...



I command a group of 18 firefighters, one of 4 groups within my city's Fire Department.



With 26+ years on the job, rising through the ranks, dealiing with my personnel under my command as a Lieutenant, a Captain and now Deputy Chief, as well as the public and the politicians, my BS detector is finely honed.



I'm sorry, son.. but in my eyes... your credibility is already shot to hell. and I am sure that there are many who will agree with me.

 

[Brian_Brice]

hate to bag on the kid, but im with dagonz. i think the best advice or cliche i can offer this little guy is "don't talk about it, be about it".

 

[Accumulator]

.. you seemingto know what scca is gives me the thought that you are a driver...

While I do have a fair amount of training under my belt, I never took the whole on-track thing far enough to get my SCCA license. But many of my instructors were members/competitive drivers, as are a number of my friends.



And BTW, heh heh, you'd probably catch a little less flak here if you ran your posts through a spell-checker

 

[codiddy]

Somethings not adding up here

haha your calling ******** on me huh? wwhat i ment by pulling into the hotel parking lot was my father was driving into the parking lot.

and as i was pulling into the hotle parking lot there was a guy talking on his phone in his lamborghini gallardo. we started talking about his car and about mine. (i was driving the 914)