14 years old with a REAL detailing company

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yea, yea. see thats where i am not a proffesional i just know it works. and thats what i use it for. ile keep that in myind next time so i dont do damage. thanks. and yea, ide only do the driving schools that SCCA has, car guys (my dads an instructor) and possibly badurant or skippy later on to refine my driving skills. but i basicly have my own driving school in my living room. my dad is great driver or atleast everyone thats raced against him has said that. i think he is the best teached ile ever have because me and him relate REALLY well. also we have some proffesional freinds like tom long (races an M3 in grandam) and a few other guys that could help me.
 
Dagonz has as much right to post in the pro forum as you do. The guy with the lambo humored you, no business is sold until you work on the first car.



Lets just put this in perspective, a 14 year old can not enter into most contracts. I know a kid who at 12 was working for his father and many treated the kid like an adult as a sign of repsect to his father, plus if the kid complained he was complaining to the owner of the company. If the kid was on his own, no one would have given him the time of day.



If I ever saw someone post with no spelling checks, no grammar and poor train of thought I certainly wouldn't want to have them do ANY kind of work for me. Occasional errors are one thing, attention to detail is another. If a person can't take pride and a few extra seconds for a post, I would think that they treat most things like this.



As for making 24k a year, why bother, if at 14 you can work for your father and already own 2 cars then you are going to end up making more than that I would hope.



Look at what you stated you use: "this pink stuff my father got frum a body shop a while back" and that clay removes scratches and you then say again after being corrected that "I just know it works". It doesnt remove scratches, it was not designed to nor can it. This alone shows me you are still learning. Just because you fixed up a car should you start your own import car repair business? Thats why some treat detailers like glorified wash bays, people getting in the business because of the low overhead cost with little real experience.



Sorry to sound harsh but stay in school, learn to spell and get a decent job when you are ready, whether it involves detailing or not. Ask yourself this question, if your mechanic / doctor / tattoo artist / whatever stated that he started doing this two months ago and had no formal training or apprenticeship would YOU hire him?



Forgive me if this post is somewhat rambling, 24 hours awake working can do that.
 
[quote name='01SVTvert'] This alone shows me you are still learning.
I never said that i didnt need to learn. On the contrary, i think that (and if i didnt i should have) i said that i had a lot to learn and i know that. That is one of the reasons why i am trying to figure a way for me to go to San Diego to go to the rightlook clinic. If anyone has a better idea about me getting training closer and cheaper, please let me know.



As to the 12 year old that worked for his father and was treated like an adult. I can somewhat agree to what you are saying. However, I also think that the respect that people give me (most people, because there is always the ***** that lauphs at me when i tell him what i do) is because of who i am, and not my father. All i ask of people is to let me earn my respect. In which cases i have. Be it, showing a young driver how to drive a track (which i do not know from past experiences, i know because my dad told me), or helping out a freind that is in need.



I do not think that i earned anyones respect posting this thread. I think it was bad of me to word my question the way i did. For that, i am sorry.
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Oh holy hell. Why don't all you retards just answer his questions. He didn't ask your opinion on his ability or his age.



Looks like a lot of guys are jealous of this guy's ambition.



Sure, he may be a little short on maturity, but he sounds more mature than most of you likely were when you first got into detailing.
 
bjlee said:
Oh holy hell. Why don't all you retards just answer his questions. He didn't ask your opinion on his ability or his age.



Looks like a lot of guys are jealous of this guy's ambition.



Sure, he may be a little short on maturity, but he sounds more mature than most of you likely were when you first got into detailing.
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I take it you're an expert at recognizing maturity? Noones jealous of anything this young man has to offer except for maybe his youth. Even though you didn't ask I'm going to give you a little piece of advice. When speaking in public (which you just did) try not to use words like retard out of common courtesy towards others for you will run the risk of looking like a complete douchebag moron.
 
VaSuperShine said:
I take it you're an expert at recognizing maturity? Noones jealous of anything this young man has to offer except for maybe his youth. Even though you didn't ask I'm going to give you a little piece of advice. When speaking in public (which you just did) try not to use words like retard out of common courtesy towards others for you will run the risk of looking like a complete douchebag moron.
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I think that bjlee is right (about the maturity) i am lacking some maturity, and i know that. also, i think that VAsupershine is right also in saying you shouldnt say things such as retard. it can be a very hurtful thing to say toward someone and making fun of someones disablilty is not cool (i regret saying it and for that reason i try to tell people not to say it).





Also i want to ask everyones advice about another issue, i thought that everyone might be able to help me with. A man down the street from my neighborhood has an AMAZING detailing shop, he claims that he went around the country and couldnt find a "mousetrap" better then his. Yesterday i called him and asked him if he offers a detailing clinic, he said "ive never thought about it but now that i do there is a big market there." I think that he thinks he is one of the best detailers in the business and as hard as it is to compare 1 man to a whole country (and even world of business) i think he is VERY GOOD. I had the feeling that he wouldn't be trying to offer a clinic until next spring. After i got off the phone with him i thought about a way that i could get training by him sooner. Do you think he would be interested in (for a few hundred dollars) taking a saterday (or more) out and training me. In turn if ever one of his men was out for a week or something on vacation i could take there place and he would know that i knew how to detail and work right? does this sound like a good idea? does anyone know how i could aproach him and ask him this?



Thanks,

Daniel
 
Daniel,

One thing I've noticed after reading this thread is your posts have gotten much better and more professional (please remember how that's spelled!) That shows to me that you are actually making an effort to take advice, no matter how degrading the source.



My initial response to you opening your own shop... if you are still learning, you simply should not operate a detailing business. I had been detaining on the side for 5 years before starting my own shop and I waited until I had the confidence to honestly tell people "I am the best detailer in the Minneapolis area." Remember, when you run a business you are selling yourself just as much as your skills. You also have to have quite a business and management background because there is a lot more to operating a business then just having the skills to perform the service.



With that said, talk to your neighbor that has that detail shop and work for him part time. I've hired on a few younger kids and trained them myself and in a couple weeks they were on par with my high-quality standards to detail clients vehicles without me looking over their shoulders. Work a few hours a week with him for minimum wage and he will show you his process and educate you on the business. This will be so much better than any detail clinic you will find.



Just present yourself to him with confidence, but do not boast your 'skills' as he will be just as skeptical as many on this forum. Anyone can make a car look good in the shade from 20 feet away.
 
why don't you just hire him to detail one of your porsches and watch and help him. I have done similar things for many of my customers. whether it be watch and learn throught he whole job and getting experience with a machine or just basics as far as less harmful hand washes.
 
todd@bsaw said:
Daniel,

One thing I've noticed after reading this thread is your posts have gotten much better and more professional (please remember how that's spelled!) That shows to me that you are actually making an effort to take advice, no matter how degrading the source.



My initial response to you opening your own shop... if you are still learning, you simply should not operate a detailing business. I had been detaining on the side for 5 years before starting my own shop and I waited until I had the confidence to honestly tell people "I am the best detailer in the Minneapolis area." Remember, when you run a business you are selling yourself just as much as your skills. You also have to have quite a business and management background because there is a lot more to operating a business then just having the skills to perform the service.



With that said, talk to your neighbor that has that detail shop and work for him part time. I've hired on a few younger kids and trained them myself and in a couple weeks they were on par with my high-quality standards to detail clients vehicles without me looking over their shoulders. Work a few hours a week with him for minimum wage and he will show you his process and educate you on the business. This will be so much better than any detail clinic you will find.



Just present yourself to him with confidence, but do not boast your 'skills' as he will be just as skeptical as many on this forum. Anyone can make a car look good in the shade from 20 feet away.
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At the beggining of the summer i aproached him and asked him if he needed any extra people around here to help out. He told me that he actualluy did need a morning guy but he was interviewing a woman for the job that saturday. he told me to come back on monday or tuesday and we would talk then. when i came back he told me that he did hire the woman and didnt need any help. He said that me being the age that i am, his insurance company frowns on him hiring me (understandable). Also, the fact of me being unable to deliver the cars.



i would be perfectly happy with working for minimum wage or even for free in order for me to get training and guidence from a pro.



also, to getting one of my cars detailed by him. He wouldnt take my cars due to there age. He doesn't take ANY cars over 5 years old (it actually might be 7 but im not sure). I thought it was funny how he also doesnt take anything that is high class (he wont take saturns or anything like them).



I also thought it was funny how he calls himself the best detailer in roanoke yet, HE himself doesnt lift a hand in his business. i dont understand why he wouldnt want to do the cars himself (i find that it is very fun and relaxing to do them). I understand your advice of needing business and management skills in order to excell in any business. Where i lack in management and business skills, my dad exceeds. He would help me and guide me in managing the business (if ever i did it). He has operated his own store since he was 27, he now 63 (as i remind him all the time :grinno: ).



After i thought about getting my own beulding i relized that i would rather be a mobile detailer anyways i think. I think that there is a bigger market out there for them also (i could charge more since i go to them). Any thoughts on this also?
 
Look at what you stated you use: "this pink stuff my father got frum a body shop a while back" and that clay removes scratches and you then say again after being corrected that "I just know it works".
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also, to getting one of my cars detailed by him. He wouldnt take my cars due to there age. He doesn't take ANY cars over 5 years old (it actually might be 7 but im not sure). I thought it was funny how he also doesnt take anything that is high class (he wont take saturns or anything like them).
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This above quotes are proof that the child has no clue as to what he is talking about. Would you trust your car to someone who cannot even tell you what products he's using?



Sometimes reality is harsh.
 
Baseballover:



Don't listen to the haters on here. My wife and I own a couple of small businesses, including a mobile auto detailing business and a cleaning business. We are always looking for people with the ambition that you have to work for us. We never find them. Would you like to know why? It is because they are out doing their own thing; running their own business. Not only are you now, but I have a feeling that you will for a long time to come in one way or another. That being said, there is no substitute for a good education, but there is no reason you can't do this part-time while in school and eventually college. If you have the right circumstances and plan, maybe you could even have other people run a shop for you while you are in school at some point.



Don't let anyone slow your ambitious goals. I applaud your efforts, and honestly, I'm a little jealous myself because it sounds like you have been "born" into a good situation for this type of business. I grew up poor and have had to fight for everything I've ever had. That isn't to say that you haven't yourself, but it does sound like you have been raised in somewhat more favorable circumstances. Maybe some of the haters on here are just jealous, or maybe they have nothing better to do and get off on being mean to a kid.



In my opinion, if you want to learn, maybe you could look into contacting a detailer an hour or two away and see if you could work something out with them for a weekend or maybe a couple. They might be more willing to help if they don't feel you will take what you learned and compete with them at some point. Just a suggestion.
 
VaSuperShine said:
I take it you're an expert at recognizing maturity? Noones jealous of anything this young man has to offer except for maybe his youth. Even though you didn't ask I'm going to give you a little piece of advice. When speaking in public (which you just did) try not to use words like retard out of common courtesy towards others for you will run the risk of looking like a complete douchebag moron.
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And "douchebag moron" is any better? :LOLOL



Sorry, I don't buy into the whole Political Correctness bullcrap about "retarded" being a bad word. Had a daughter with special needs. Never found the term offensive. People need to relax and stop worrying about the power of words in our common lexicon.



As far as what the young man is offering - well, he didn't offer anything here. He's asking the advice as pertains to running a detailing shop. He didn't ask advice as to whether anyone thinks he's old enough to do the job.



Either way, I wish the boy the best of luck. I'm sure someone as driven as he is will be plenty successful in life.
 
bjlee said:
And "douchebag moron" is any better? :LOLOL



Sorry, I don't buy into the whole Political Correctness bullcrap about "retarded" being a bad word. Had a daughter with special needs. Never found the term offensive. People need to relax and stop worrying about the power of words in our common lexicon.



As far as what the young man is offering - well, he didn't offer anything here. He's asking the advice as pertains to running a detailing shop. He didn't ask advice as to whether anyone thinks he's old enough to do the job.



Either way, I wish the boy the best of luck. I'm sure someone as driven as he is will be plenty successful in life.
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I sortof agree with you, with it doesnt really matter about the wording of all this stuff. Like i have a cousin that is gay and he uses the "bad words for gays" all the time. He sais "i could care less what people say, there just words".



Anyway thank you so very much for your best wishes.



I told my father about going to a clinic and he told me to ask you guys what steps you guys took in transforming to a proffesional detailer from a car enthusiast that just loved to detail cars. Can anyone give me advice?
 
Are you in Richmond? There is a new shop in Richmond. The first store has been operating here in Arlington for a long time. The only fixed location I'd take my car to.



The new shop won the best in the country award I believe for 2006. Can't think of the name right now though.



However I would.t think of trying to learn from them. I tried years ago (know the owner) and they wouldn't help me out. So I trained myself.



This class is good and isn't too far from you.



Car Detailing Training | professional auto detailing school | detail class
 
baseballlover1 said:
I told my father about going to a clinic and he told me to ask you guys what steps you guys took in transforming to a proffesional detailer from a car enthusiast that just loved to detail cars. Can anyone give me advice?
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5 years experience

Knowledge

Writing a formal business plan

Forming a formal business identity with the state

Printing business cards, brochures, and flyers

Maintaining a detailed client database

Building relationships with local executives and business owners

Operating and maintaining a website

Having a large portfolio of client referrals, testimonials, and pictures

Marketing myself as a PROFESSIONAL



Notice "being a really good detailer" isn't anywhere in that list. With out all or most of the above, you are just a technician that is good at detailing. Having a wealth of knowledge of every chemical made as well as nuances of paint and product helps as well.



If it sounds like I'm trying to be intimidating, I am. Starting and operating your own business is a lot of work and it's not all cleaning cars. If your dad is willing to help you with all that, good for you. But you should still have a working knowledge of everything in the business.



Know how to descriptively explain the difference between a wax and a polish, what is harder between aluminum or chrome, when you'd recommend a wax or a sealant, where the hood latch is on a Porsche Boxter, why you cool brakes before spraying a degreaser, and who you would send a car to for PDR.
 
todd@bsaw said:
5 years experience

Knowledge

Writing a formal business plan

Forming a formal business identity with the state

Printing business cards, brochures, and flyers

Maintaining a detailed client database

Building relationships with local executives and business owners

Operating and maintaining a website

Having a large portfolio of client referrals, testimonials, and pictures

Marketing myself as a PROFESSIONAL



Notice "being a really good detailer" isn't anywhere in that list. With out all or most of the above, you are just a technician that is good at detailing. Having a wealth of knowledge of every chemical made as well as nuances of paint and product helps as well.



If it sounds like I'm trying to be intimidating, I am. Starting and operating your own business is a lot of work and it's not all cleaning cars. If your dad is willing to help you with all that, good for you. But you should still have a working knowledge of everything in the business.



Know how to descriptively explain the difference between a wax and a polish, what is harder between aluminum or chrome, when you'd recommend a wax or a sealant, where the hood latch is on a Porsche Boxter, why you cool brakes before spraying a degreaser, and who you would send a car to for PDR.
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Would you mind if i tried to answer the questions that you asked if i would know how to answer?



Difference beetween a wax and a polish: A wax is putting a protective layer on the paint where as polishing is just buffing to get the imperfections and such out of the paint. polishing also adds a shine to the paint. i know that i am lacking some major wholes in that, but am i somewhat right?



I do not know the difference beetween alluminum and chrome however i do know that alluminum doesnt rust. What is harder beetween alluminum and chrome?



To open the hood of a Porsche boxter you pull the lever in the inner car just like any other car and move the latch to the left while pushing down slitely on the hood. I am not completely sure of how to do this but i do not think that that is a hard question to answer if i had the Boxter in front of me. I also think that question was retoricle.



the Reason why you do put degreaser on brakes before they are cooled is 1. You might start a fire if the brakes were THAT hot and 2. you might worpe the brake callipers or pads or rotar. Was i right?





When i asked "what is the next step" i was trying to convey that i understand that you don't transform from a car enthusiast to a pro over night. However i want to become a pro, and i am willing to work hard at it.
 
tdekany said:
Are you in Richmond? There is a new shop in Richmond. The first store has been operating here in Arlington for a long time. The only fixed location I'd take my car to.



The new shop won the best in the country award I believe for 2006. Can't think of the name right now though.



However I would.t think of trying to learn from them. I tried years ago (know the owner) and they wouldn't help me out. So I trained myself.



This class is good and isn't too far from you.



Car Detailing Training | professional auto detailing school | detail class
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I live in Roanoke, VA. I think the guy thats near me might spring to train me, on the condition that if one of his workers is sick or is on vacation i come on temperarily. He is a REAL business man and i think if i spell it out for him like this he will want to train me. However i am not sure. I am either going to bike down there or call him up on monday.
 
I can see why some people are calling BS on this, but based on what I've read so far, I would highly suggest you make your education your #1 priority, instead of trying to run a profitable business. You'll have plenty of opportunities in the future trying to figure out how you're going to make money and survive. At 14, just enjoy your teenage years. Even though in your eyes you may think you're a young man, you're still a little boy. You'll only live once and in 10 years, you'll look back and wish you could go back to a point in time when life was so carefree.



If detailing is something you enjoy doing and you like having some extra money to buy material things, then do it on the side during the weekends. There's no reason why a 14 year old needs to be concerned about bringing in the dough for the family and even though you may feel your family is not well off, you haven't a single idea what being poor really is. The fact that you got enough money from your barmitzfah to buy a car proves that neither you nor your family need extra income from a 14 year old to survive.



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