Question for Part time detailers

F

Focusedonsound

New member
For you guys that Detial on the side?

Are you a ligit business?

Do you claim your additional earnings?



Im thinking of starting a lil partime business starting next spring and just wondered what part time detailers do!

Also awhile back someone had posted a sheet that was kinda like a check list to go over the car with the customer ect. and I remember it had a BMW on it!

Thanks for the help!
 
Focusedonsound

I don't have a check list but I know someone will. Iam a weekend detailer and have been for about 30 years on and off. A few years back after a lay off I decided to try a full time thing. It was at that point that I registered "Dave's Detailing" My CPA buddy said that I could write off a lot of stuff that would help me, and it has some. Here is the honset part and I'm wondering how many will admit this. I run this as a cash business for the most part, I claim what I need for the write off's but thats really it. I also have a full time day job so my income is not from the part time biz. I hope this helps but that's just how my biz grew and what makes income sence to us here.
 
Thanks Beemerboy,

Well lets all face it....I don't think there is a person out there that givin the opertunity to earn a little cash "On the side" the wouldn't.

Im not talking a boat load of money figure a detail every weekend so maybe 50 - 75 cars a year so at the most maybe makeing 8-9k a year!
 
Wish I could help but I'm not "legit" either yet. I'm only grossing $2k this year so it didn't seem worth it. Truthfully, I'm happy with that amount, it more than pays for the "hobby" and leaves a little left over. I'm happy to have a hobby that just pays for itself!
 
An accountant friend of mine gave me this advise, "If you don't have to claim it, don't. Especially if you're only doing it part-time." He went on to say that unless you have major capital expenses (big money investments), it wouldn't be worth my while to claim myself as a business. I'd like to think that, one day, I'll get to that point.
 
In my opinion, it is better to register your business and claim taxes on your earnings. In my case, I will end up deducting my loss from my taxable income. I have a loss because I bought lots of equipment, and did not get enough business. Thats fine for now, because the loss gets deducted. If your business is legit, you can also right of things like meals, hotel rooms, office supplies, computer equipment, etc. I you ever start detailing full time, like I aspire to do, your business has been established for x amount of years officially. In my opinion it is worth it to be legit. It doesnt take much paper work either.
 
Im with Beemer, i have a full time job, and detail weekends.....CPA's can work wonders cant they ??!! :phone:
 
PATRICK

Yea they can I would like to take this to a full time biz but I don't see that happening where I live. Rains a bit to much here and once that starts people in this aera jsut stop getting cars done.
 
I was also wondering about this topic too. This year I just started out detailing and did mostly family and friends cars. I had a couple people that wanted me to do there cars but I told them I would like to get a little more experience before I did any customers cars. It may sound dumb but I don’t want anything to happen to someone’s car :bigscream by accident and if it was friends and family’s cars that had the :beat then they would understand. So this coming spring I would like to get into the detail thing a little more serious.

Now for some of you guys that have a legit business do you carry insurance?? And what kind?? Maybe you can include how much you pay for it also just to give us an idea. (I know it all depends on where you are located) I like the idea of starting my own business and would like to be able to get the write offs but would like to be covered if anything ever happened to a customer’s car. Any help during the long cold winter months would be great so I can get a start on the paper work.

Thanks,
Mark :beer
 
Beemerboy has brought a valid point. I would like to ask all the pros and full time biz detailers what they do in cases where weather doesn't permit you to "detail" as many cars you need. I am new to the business and aspire to perfect this skill. Any help/advice will help tremendously...
 
Here's what I figured!

I have about 90% of the things I would need. So why not charge some friends and friends of friends to make some extra cash.

Now my other question is to the guys who do it on the side and don't have a Real business so to say. How do people contact you? also do you have business cards? Or work soley by word of mouth?
 
I have biz cards and when I clean cars that they are going to use as a write off I claim those. However if someone is paying me cash there are times that I do not always claim every penny.
 
Another related question would be at what point do you buy insurance for your weekend/part-time business & is there something cheaper (being bonded? I'm not sure what that means) than buying garage insurance. I'd like to here from the Pro's on the insurance subject. Good thread..Thanks.
 
There was a thread some time back about liability insurance for coverage up to 300K. It was cheap that I can remember but it was hell if you used it. You might want to a search and see what comes up
 
The goverment encourages small business because it boost the economy. So they give you breaks on your taxes . Guys go get your general excise lic. Its only $20 here in Hawaii. Your put your business name ( dba ) , doing business as. It's easy and only one form . You can do it online . Look up your state income tax site and go from there. Fill out the form online and print it out and mail in your check. Done. You have 5 years to make a profit or the IRS calls it a hobby . I write off my mileage , gas , equipment, supplies , advertising , any marketing , office supplies, a % of my rent at home , % of phone and electricity . The list goes on . Granted these deductions are not dollar for dollar off your total income but it helps and you write off all the wax and stuff for your personal vehicles ...

I'm just a weekend detailer , maybe 12k a year if I'm lucky but the deductions help with my regular job at 50k a yr. With the detailing I always have pocket money to play with and it allows me to bump up my 401k contributions for retirement.

I printed up cards and price sheets , got some logo stickers on my windows . I got alot of business from guys here at work which is funny because nobody takes care of thier cars..
 
I've alway's done it part time for 24 year's....alway's cash !!

Last year I did a little over 60 car's ...this year I did about 20. wanted to cut back as much as possible and sold more product than I did detailing. Those I did do were for car club member's ect.. friend's , family and a few good long time customer's.

I am still going to detail and maybe get more car's in the future , but I'm honestly trying to get more into the marketing of product's . I have thing's in place but keep getting set back's with personal issue's. I have a full time marketing / sales position where I make alot of money and have alot of perk's. It's hard to give that up, but I will be focusing on both and would like to move into this field eventually full time.
 
Well I used to be full time moblie, now part time at my house. I gross 4-6K a year from cash and checks made to me.
 
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