How did you get started?

NY detailer - May I be the General on the island??!?! :D



As steve pointed out, auto care usa, 5.55 cars a day is a lot, you must have help, and lots of it. I am sure you run a good business, but how many cars have you personally detailed?
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by JasonC8301 [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>May I be the General on the island??!?!
[/b]</blockquote>
I refuse to visit if it's going to be military rule... :D


And, I got that 5.55/cars/day figure by figuring a work "month" at 30 days - that means <strong class='bbc'>NO vacations, breaks, sick days, etc., FOR THE FULL 35 YEARS[/b], and I gave him the benefit of the doubt at rounding his 30+ years up to 35, and trimming his 70,000+ cars down to an even 70K...

*sniff, sniff* Does anyone smell something funny? :nixweiss
 
What makes it even funnier is that he states you cannot do a full detail in a 3 hour period. So unless he is working at least 15 hour workdays he can't possibly do 5.5 cars/day.



Another thing I find strange:

"Competitors’ Coupons

Bring in one of my competitors’ coupons, and I will honor it. It’s that simple. We not only honor their coupons, but we use my top of the line products."



A busy company that does super high quality work will be kept busy and people will be willing to pay his prices and not need to accept competitor's coupons.
 
To all you jealous detailers out there. Sorry that you all find my statistics so hard to believe.I not only PERSONALLY WORK ON EVERY SINGLE VEHICLE THAT COMES INTO MY SHOP, I also write articles for some of the trade magazines out there. The latest one is Americas Car Care Business How to market your detail business. You skeptics out there should read this and get some tips so you can put yourself in my position. I am 51 yearts old I out work and out hustle anyone who has ever worked for me. I go to work at 5 am every morning. Americas Car Care Business talks about my passion for the business, which is unheard of today. I cannot even take a vehicle for 2 weeks. I do no wholesale work what so ever. Matter a fact it actually snowed here today. We detailed 7 vehicles today @ $179.95 for a total of $1259.65. not bad huh. By the way if you guys out there get the Detailers DIGEST look for me on the front page the paper wrote an article about me and what it takes to stay in business for 30 years. I hope i can read about you guys 30 years from now. Look just a little lesson. Don't put your competitors down in life just make yourself better. I compete with a multi-million dollar car wash 1/4 mile from my business. They did not have 1 vehicle there today. Guys we should all be out there helping one another that is the only reason that I vist the web site. I am here to give something back to the industry that has given me so much and if i help just one person make the right decesion then my day is complete. Best of luck to al you guys out there. joe
 
Uh, Joe, before you get all hot and bothered with us, there's a few things you should know:



1) With the exception of about 2 - 5 posters on this board, none of us are professional detailers, but rather perfectionists who enjoy detailing our cars.



2) $1259 today? Not bad. Let's see, it's 8:00pm EST right now, you started at 5am, you detailed 7 cars, spending no less than 3 hours on each car (quoting your other post about how "anyone who can detail a car in under 3 hours isn't doing it right")...somehow, it seems like you spent less than 3 hours on each car - maybe 2 hours, max...and you didn't eat, go to the bathroom, answer the phone, etc.



3) I've written an entire 62-page magazine (no advertisements, just content) on auto detailing and wax testing, and I take exception to your 100% Carnauba wax claim. As you know, no wax can contain 100% carnauba wax; you wouldn't be able to apply it, and it would be as dull as heck, but I digress...



4) I'd get your facts/stories straight before I started blasting everyone on here. Please, explain how you detail 7 cars a day (at more than 3 hours per car), 7 days a week for 35 years, all without vacation, sick days, etc.



In my book, quality counts more than quantity. I could eat a nice steak for $30 at my favorite restaurant, or, I could go to McDonald's and have 15 quarter pounders...funny, I always choose the steak.



/flame
 
Well, I too think 70K cars in 30 years is a stretch unless we know exactly how he got to that number. Hopefully Joe will tell us some real info about starting and building a successful detailing business instead of all the self-promotion and mirror-gazing he's offered so far.

But I do think the accepting of competitor's coupon is a good tactic. Let your competition spend their money promoting business then take every opportunity to close potential customers. No real difference than retail stores beating a competitors price (<em class='bbc'>"if you find it for less, bring us the price and we'll beat it by 110% of the difference[/i]")

At least a little something for you budding businessmen to think about.
 
I can smell something and it ain't roses!!

There is no way that you detailed 70,000 cars and you personally did each one. THE SMELL IS GETTING STRONGER!

nyd
 
ok auto care.. i have been closely monitoring your posts, claims, replies, and what not.. but i must agree with geeky and NY detail.. you story seems first off VERY fishy, and second off, you seem to be lacking mathematics skills..



7 cars in one day.. all by your self?? wow.. how many pairs of arms do you have? you say you spend approximately 3 hours per car. that is still VERY quick in order to do a "perfecionist" job.. i mean 3 hours?? i spend 3 hours simply washing, drying and doing the interior.. and not even begin to wax.. i usually get up at 10.. start by 10:30.. and finish by around 5:30 with the car.. and i STILL continue the next day, and i always find some little spot i missed.. come on.. a quality job cannoy be done in 3 hours.. unless all the cars you detail are small Beetles or Suzuki Swifts.. regarding your Einstein math skills.. 7 cars.. multiplied by 3 hours, gives you a total of 21 hours... so, being that you started at 5 am.. you STILL should be on your 5th car.. maybe starting your 6th.. according to the time.. I see no feasible way that you can be done.. so there are several parts to your story which seem VERY fishy..



Please explian to me how this is possible.. if you work on every can yourself?
 
Yea guys 70,000 cars is alot. & 7 cars in a day is alot. But did I ever say that I am a one man operation. Read Americas Car Care Business for march 2002. The story is Titled New York State Of Mind. then you not only were I come from as a Professional detailer but as a human being. Quit the bashing and lets help one another. I have taught this business to detailers as far as california and as south as florida. Have a great night yall joe
 
All:



Hey guys, let's let this drop. One of the things we all really appreciate about this forum is the total lack of flaming battles.



Obviously Joe has a lot of experience and runs a successful business. Great for him. Many of us question his math but we really don't understand the size of his business, the number of people working for him, what he means by "being involved in every car" etc and frankly it doesn't matter if we do. That's not the point.



So let's all agree to disagree a bit and move on...



I think what I have taken away from this thread and others like it is that there is a difference in detailing for a business and the kind of detailing that we do. If we charged what we would have to charge to make a decent living and spent 8-10 hours on each car like we do with our own cars, no one would pay the price. So as I have learned with Jason's comments the key is finding HIGH QUALITY ways to speed the detailing and also offer "Chinese Menu" pricing in addition to package pricing.
 
Totally agree with you there. After the first few exchanges on this thread (I started it, and it mutated to this flame fest), I asked around to people I knew who don't like to wash their cars. The answer was as you stated. They wanted the "Chinese menu" pricing. I told him how long it would take for me to do my car, and how much I would have to charge to make it look like mine, and they said, "I don't need it to look like that, I can't even tell the difference. I just need it cleaned and waxed."



Actually, more people were interested in engine detailing and interior shampooing than exterior work, as they viewed washing and waxing as something easy that they can do in under an hour on a sunny day. :eek:
 
* reaches for guitar

* tunes

* starts singing Kumbayhah

* starts swaying back and forth while singing

* offers hand for everyone to hold on to



:rolleyes:
 
Hey 2wheelsx2. I'm in a similar situation as you. I started doing this for friends and family within the last year and found pricing to be tricky. I get all sorts of reactions, "That's it?" or "Who would pay for that?"



My thing is I made a price list and I stick to it. If a job is slightly harder, I don't necessarily charge more. I get some jobs that are really easy too. I think it balances itself out.



If friends and family are willing to get you referrals, I think it is very okay to give them discounts. Referrals are going to be your best source of advertising, no doubt.



I too am stuck in the "Should I make this a full time career?" boat. I really enjoy it, and working for a tech company is just plain scary these days.



You do a good quality job at a fair price and you'll be successful. That's what I'm shooting for.



Good luck and keep us posted on your thoughts.
 
Ritzdogg, thanks for the encouragement.



The situation has changed a bit since my last post. I got a great job offer and will start this Wed. in a startup hi-tech company. But when it rains, it pours. In another thread, I posted that I got my first full detail on Friday, and it went great, but took a bit longer than I wanted. And tonight, I was having dinner with some friends, and a relative of theirs wanted her car done, so I am going to do it tomorrow. I guess word of mouth is going to start getting around soon. I have been getting nothing but compliments, so I am quite pleased. And you're right. I made up a price list, and stick to it, except for extras like heavy contamination, which polishing, etc. Seems lots of people are willing to pay top $$ for good work.
 
I'm laughing right now because I swear you're going through the same crap I did. Things improve at "work" then you are sure you're going to stay there and just do detailing on your own cars, then someone wants a detail job done, it turns out perfect.....



What a terrible situation to be in! :D



Best of luck.
 
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