Opening a Detail Shop

I

imported_scorpion

New member
Well this is where i was directed for my questions so i hope i'm in the right place.



I have always enjoined cleaning my car, washing, waxing, etc. That of course is a very small portion of car detailing.



I'm currently living in the Midwest, i own a liquor store, but am tired of the midwest and might just head out west.



I found a few detail shops but also considered starting one from scratch.



I know for a fact that starting from scratch i better be preppared for hell for first 6 months or so(depending on what season you open in and location of course).



My questions are to some that actually manage some and maybe even own one.



Two bays, fits 4 cars, including water and other utilities how much ROUGHLY does it come out to be.



Second question is about the supplies and meterials, again ROUGHLY how much does that come do.



And my last question but most important, and i know it all depends on the location, but in auto detailing is there such a thing as an AVERAGE amount of cars a day or a week, or could there be time where you have NO CUSTOMERS.



Starting out on my own from scratch instead of purchasing an existing one, how many cars at first could i count on a week, lets say first month not a single car, starting the 2nd month, just starting out how many cars a week would be a estimate.



Thanks guys
 
I think that you just asked for a ton of info and no one wants to take that much time. Many of the things you asked have been answered in other threads plenty of times before. If you search and don't fine it then ask again. You should already have some of the info you're asking the forum to help you with if you've been detailing long enough to think you can do it for a living. I'm not trying to discourage you, but that's probably why you haven't gotten any help.
 
The start up costs would be huge.



Rent would be massive. You'd have to sign a very long lease to be able to make big changes liek water tanks and wash bays.



You probably will struggle in the first year to earn enough to pay the rent let alone make a profit. If you have to borrow money to fund this business you will fail.



Unless you've got $100,000 sitting in shares and no loans then go for it.



Personally i'd start off much smaller. Try and detail at the local DIY car wash and pay the owners of the car wash $20 comission per car. Or work from home. Or do mobile detailing.



Flood your local area's letter box's and sit back and wait. Keep your normal monday to friday job. If you have enough clients to fill your weekend hire a young bloke to give you a hand so you can get more cars done per day.



There are quite a few high quality car washs that do detailing. Maybe consider buying into an existing business by taking out a loan. E.g pay $100,000 and then take 25% of the profits. Even put it something saying $50,000 of it has to be spent on upgrading the business.



Starting your own shop would require massive amounts of money to do well.
 
Tour Questions Are Unanswerable.......unless You Are Looking For Someone Who Is Just Going To Tell You What You Want To Here....it Seems That It Would Just Be A B.s. Answer..how Can I Say What To Expect From Scratch...
 
I started from scratch, in a fixed location, 5 years ago. It was a storefront with room for just two cars, but reasonably good visibility. I bought a white cargo van, put my logo on it, and parked it in the lot exposed to 35,000 cars per day.



For the first three months, I had a part time evening gig, which took care of my basic expenses. All income stayed in the business for the first six months, and I had a reserve of six months operating and living expenses. Just having that backup eliminated a great deal of potential stress.



I had signs up 2 months before I actually opened, so I was fairly busy from the beginning.



But, I believe a complete detail should take 6 to 8 hours, so, even with six cars a week ($1500), I wasn't about ot get any kind of rich. So, I hired my first assistant about nine months into it, and currently keep 4 of us busy, sixty hours per week. Also, we moved to a much bigger facility, with rent at $6.50 per SF.



Now, be aware that detailing in the Midwest is really rather different than in the South and West. Me? I'd stay in the midwest in a community that I am familiar with, and vacation elsewhere....



Also, look into working for a week or two in an established shop(s). You'll get new insight, learn some new tricks, and see the business/marketing side first hand.



Hope this helps.



Jim
 
how can you possible open a detail shop when you do not even have the supplies and materials?



sorry but it seems a little odd to me.
 
deathlok said:
how can you possible open a detail shop when you do not even have the supplies and materials?



sorry but it seems a little odd to me.
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The same way you open any shop. Buy some retail space and stock it.
 
deathlok said:
how can you possible open a detail shop when you do not even have the supplies and materials?



sorry but it seems a little odd to me.
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Just because you have supplies and can detail a car doesn't mean you can open a shop.
 
Well, since you are a current business owner, you know what it takes to run a business. If you are talking about California and or even Arizona, you are talking about a market that may be somewhat saturated with detailers. As for your fixed costs (rent, utilities), that is something you should look into, as it varies from area to area. The equipment costs will probably run you $5000 to $10000 depending on what you get and the quality. Supplies would be minimal, but would also depend on your volume. I would say the most important thing you could do is formulate a well thought out marketing plan. Without effective marketing, you WILL be sitting around for the first 6 months to a year. I would imagine that southern to central California and Arizona does not have much of an off season, the way the Northeast and some parts of the midwest do. Anyways good luck.
 
Jimmy Buffit said:
I started from scratch, in a fixed location, 5 years ago. It was a storefront with room for just two cars, but reasonably good visibility. I bought a white cargo van, put my logo on it, and parked it in the lot exposed to 35,000 cars per day.



For the first three months, I had a part time evening gig, which took care of my basic expenses. All income stayed in the business for the first six months, and I had a reserve of six months operating and living expenses. Just having that backup eliminated a great deal of potential stress.



I had signs up 2 months before I actually opened, so I was fairly busy from the beginning.



But, I believe a complete detail should take 6 to 8 hours, so, even with six cars a week ($1500), I wasn't about ot get any kind of rich. So, I hired my first assistant about nine months into it, and currently keep 4 of us busy, sixty hours per week. Also, we moved to a much bigger facility, with rent at $6.50 per SF.



Now, be aware that detailing in the Midwest is really rather different than in the South and West. Me? I'd stay in the midwest in a community that I am familiar with, and vacation elsewhere....



Also, look into working for a week or two in an established shop(s). You'll get new insight, learn some new tricks, and see the business/marketing side first hand.



Hope this helps.



Jim
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Great answer and great firsthand story! At least you gave the guy hope. After re-reading his original post, he's already got a business and said he understands the first 6 mo. he better be prepared for hell, so he understands the risks. And then too, he's always enjoyed washing and waxing, so has at least some experience and enjoyment in the trade. That's always a plus. I know a few months back when I was considering purchasing an already existing detail shop in my city, I got a lot of positive responses from this forum (which surprised me) and we are still considering buying it.



One other thing, having lived and operated an auto reconditioning business in Arizona for nearly 20 years, I can say there still are places out west where a detail shop could probably do well. Just not in the largest cities where the markets are flooded unless of course it is an already existing business with accounts. Just have to do the research beforehand.
 
You should never forget being mobile either. Many of us do fantastic being able to go place to place. The customer can sit at home while you work or at least have a greater piece of mind that the car is home. Theres much less overhead and you would be blindly surprised at how many people IME had no idea a mobile detailer existed. And IME thats partially why they never got their car detailed. They never wanted to sacrifice their car for a day or 3.



See if the market is there before you jump head first. Sell your work first as sort of a "test run" to see if its wanted before you even consider it as a business compared to maybe weekend work.
 
getcha said:
See if the market is there before you jump head first. Sell your work first as sort of a "test run" to see if its wanted before you even consider it as a business compared to maybe weekend work.
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how can you test a market without jumping in first? i'm looking to open a business of my own but either do mobile or out of my garage to keep fixed costs down.
 
By not neccesarily opening a shop, but seeing if people have a desire for your work. Ask around, chat with people, let them know what you have to offer and see if they have interest and are willing to pay what you charge..
 
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