Opening a Chicago detail shop?

M

madicev8

New member
I have been really considering opening up a pro detailing shop in my town. I've detailed a decent amount of cars and have always had happy clients. It also surprises me to hear how much interest people get when I tell them I do detailing. So it has been making me think about doing this for my career. The questions I want to ask you guys is:



1) Are there any guys/gals here that detail cars for the profession in the Midwest? And are you able to pull in at least 50-60k a year?



2) Being in the SW Chicago burbs I know the winter months will hurt... but would there still be steady business if I had an actual shop/garage location?



My plan if I do go ahead and do this is to start off going a little more mobile and doing detailing full time. Create a classy website as well as business cards to hand out. If it takes off and I do end up renting shop space I would also want to sell products from that location (Which I would have to become a distributor of a product then).
 
Welcome to Autopia.



I operate a 5 year old shop in Indy.

Yes, the money is feasible, with employees.

Two pieces of advice:



Know that your detailing skill set is less important than your business skills.



You will need more capital ($$$) than you anticipate.



Do some reading in the Pro Forum...



Good Luck.



JB
 
Madicev, where are you located? I'm in Chicago on the North side and have been detailing for a while now on the side... I've also give this some thought but it wouldn't be in the near future, maybe 2-5 years out

Good luck
 
What burb are you going to? One of the key ingredients is your location. You need to be in a moderately visible area.
 
I am out in Lemont IL (30mins SW of chicago). Its a nice area with a lot of nice cars around from older restored cars to BMWs, Audis, Porcshe.



The location that I noticed for rent is a old ducati bike shop with one garage... its right on main street. If your familiar with lemont you probably know about the big bridge, and the shop is basically under that. What is good about that location is that every WED in summer Lemont has a cruize night on Main St. So I'm basically thinking that would be good exposure right there.



Now in Lemont there is already 2 car washes, one that is just a basic wash and then the other one has the same but with 3 indoor garages (Which I assume they do detailing).
 
PrinzII said:
What burb are you going to? One of the key ingredients is your location. You need to be in a moderately visible area.
Click to expand...



That’s right a “hand wash� shop just went out of business by me in Crystal Lake IL, he was hard to see from the road tucked back in an auto strip mall.
 
Go to BizBuySell - The Internet's Largest Business for Sale Marketplace. You will find plenty of washes for sale. I found a couple in Chicago this week- detail shops. Check financials carefully. For some, this is easier than finding a site and putting in equipment. I checked around my area and just got too frustrated with junk for rent in junk neigborhoods. A sale where you see potential is good- maybe a seller "thinks" he's maxed out the sales, but is he a business person, or detailer? If you are a business person, you will have ideas and thoughts that can generate far more than what is presently coming in.

I think it is important to be a part of the community- join the Chambers, support youth sports, volunteer. Service minded customers are loyal to these businesses and are not as consumed with finding the best price.

Rob
 
madicev8 said:
Are there any guys/gals here that detail cars for the profession in the Midwest? And are you able to pull in at least 50-60k a year?



My plan if I do go ahead and do this is to start off going a little more mobile and doing detailing full time. If it takes off and I do end up renting shop space
Click to expand...



How many mobile (1 person) detailers earn this amount of money after insurance, chemicals, gas, cell and everything else? I have a feeling that it would take a while to get that steady of volume for 1 person and it would be much easier/faster to earn more in a fixed location.
 
David Fermani said:
How many mobile (1 person) detailers earn this amount of money after insurance, chemicals, gas, cell and everything else? I have a feeling that it would take a while to get that steady of volume for 1 person and it would be much easier/faster to earn more in a fixed location.
Click to expand...



When I was talking about the 50-60k, I was actually assuming that at a fixed location. Being mobile I'd hope to make 25-30k a year...
 
With a fixed location and enough volume, it's quite possilbe to produce profits of 3-4++ times that amount. I think you'll need to cater to dealerships and/or do more than just basic detailing.
 
madicev8 said:
I am out in Lemont IL (30mins SW of chicago). Its a nice area with a lot of nice cars around from older restored cars to BMWs, Audis, Porcshe.



The location that I noticed for rent is a old ducati bike shop with one garage... its right on main street. If your familiar with lemont you probably know about the big bridge, and the shop is basically under that. What is good about that location is that every WED in summer Lemont has a cruize night on Main St. So I'm basically thinking that would be good exposure right there.



Now in Lemont there is already 2 car washes, one that is just a basic wash and then the other one has the same but with 3 indoor garages (Which I assume they do detailing).
Click to expand...



The good thing about your location is that you are also not too far from Village Hall and the Metra Station. You might want to blitz the station for business or, have a deal with the village where you come in and detail commuters' cars.



Besides that, I would consider dealerships, body shops, and other businesses in the area.
 
trl2112 said:
That’s right a “hand wash� shop just went out of business by me in Crystal Lake IL, he was hard to see from the road tucked back in an auto strip mall.
Click to expand...



there was a hand car wash in crystal lake wow i didn't know that. thats the next town over from me and i didnt even know that. shows you how important location is.
 
David Fermani said:
With a fixed location and enough volume, it's quite possilbe to produce profits of 3-4++ times that amount. I think you'll need to cater to dealerships and/or do more than just basic detailing.
Click to expand...



From experience, I know this can be done in the Midwest.



David is right: do dealer and body shop work as well as retail jobs.



JUST WORK: don't worry as much about profit margin as staying busy and getting your name out. Dealership work does that very effectively. I'm not saying to work for free, I'm just saying that you may have to back off a notch to keep the money coming in.



Definitely having a head for business will keep you ahead of the curve in this industry.



The worst thing about doing this in the Midwest is weather and the surrounding problems.
 
The odd thing about midwest or other areas that "have" a winter, is that most studies show that the winter months are the most busy and profitable.



Rob
 
That's good to hear. I figured with the winters around here I would never be able to do this for more than a hobby / part time deal. Good luck with your shop, I wish you the best of luck!
 
WCD said:
The odd thing about midwest or other areas that "have" a winter, is that most studies show that the winter months are the most busy and profitable.



Rob
Click to expand...

Working with dealerships insures a steady flow of business 365 days a year. It doesn't matter if it's raining or snowing, they still need them done. I never had a slow period, but spring and summer were typically the busiest.
 
I do hear that many guys use dealerships to pay the bills and keep the work steady. With that said, if you have not had a dealership account before, don't go in there "naked". Talk with a few that have. It's not like talking with a retail customer.





Rob
 
madice,

I'm familiar with you off of the ole fbody owners.com and ls1tech



i detail on the side too, and wish i had the cash to start a business.

do you have alot of cash saved up for this ?? i know that its going to take a few bucks to get your foot in the door, even if it is a small individual setup
 
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