Pay for an assistant?

We have a local shop that pays his workers $15 per car. LOL The owners does none of the work either. What a killing this guy makes. Charges like $150 for a detail, gives some goofy high school drop out $15 and he has cars lined out the door daily. Of course it's all express work. Wash the car with a power washer, throw some pink stuff on it, buff with a $10 buffer, call it a day.
 
MotorCity said:
Not to be rude but if your assistant only reduces your time worked by 20% you are not working him/her to the full potential.



I have my guy do everything but use the polisher.



Final bill comes out to be the same as it would have if I didn't have an assistant, only difference is my body is much less sore and I actually have time to sit with a drink and a cigar after and time for the woman and kid! It benefits my customers due to the fact that I need the vehicle for less time



By doing this I am able to do more vehicles which, thus far has worked as I am booked for the season
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I see. My guy is new, so your correct that I have not mastered how to use him to his full potential. The other issue is not having two of each piece of equipment; vacuum, carpet extractor etc.
 
I wish I could find someone/somewhere who details, isn't a hack and is in need of assisstance. I am right now trying to detail on my own, as a young guy I don't have a garage and no reputation so it is hard to book too many appointments. I already know how to do everything, including paint correction and would love to work with an established and knowledgeable detailer.
 
Flashtime said:
Just finding good help is another matter...
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+1 to that. My last guy (who I fired for not showing up to work and not calling in... again) broke my compressor and a few other machines.
 
Finding good workers is a crap shoot, and that isn't isolated to detailing. You may have to go through a few to find a gem. The way the job market is now you should have your pick of the bunch. Put an ad in your local paper advertising what you're looking for (no experience necessary but punctual, hard working, and dedicated/driven) and set-up some interviews.



A good place to look is your local vocational school. You can find kids there studying automotive technologies that need part-time work. They can work for you to get credit for class work so they will have extra motivation to show-up and work well. You'll also get the young before they've picked up any bad habits.



Get a training program together as well. Teach them how you want things done. Give them more responsibility as they prove they can handle it and reward them for it. Keep them interested and always moving forward. It will take some time but once you have them working the way you want they will be a profitable tool for you.
 
Your employees are only as good as their leader. When you learn how to become a mentor, your people respect your authority and everyone will be able to achieve their goals. The 1st 3 people I hired back in 95 stayed with me until the day I sold my business 10 years later. Extremely low turnover according to industry measurements. Some of the best detailers I had zero prior experience detailing.
 
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