Selling the business...

5

5IVE

New member
(I'm not sure if this is appropriate for this forum, mods please move/remove as you feel necessary.)



Due to the current economic conditions of the country and my region, I have seen a sudden decline in my auto detailing business. There are less phone calls and emails coming in and my "go to" customers have decreased the frequency of their set appointments. I have tried to increase marketing efforts, decrease overhead costs and even lower prices in an effort to maintain a steady flow of clientele.



However, at this time I have decided that it is not in my family's best financial interest to continue on with my business. I am putting it up for sale Monday morning. I am selling everything including all rights to logos, domain name, customer list, graphics and intellectual property.



I would like to thank the members of Autopia for their generosity of knowledge, advice and experience. I would like to thank the people who helped me better myself as a professional detailer and those who critiqued my work. I have enjoyed being a part of the professional detailer's community and culture and I am damn proud of the work I did.



I will continue to detail my personal cars as a hobby and if the opportunity to open another business in the future comes up, I would seriously consider it. If anyone is seriously interested in purchasing, please feel free to PM me.



So, in parting, if I could pass on any word of advice to the detailers on this forum, it would be to cherish and treasure this experience because a job opportunity with amazing colleagues like this comes along only once in a lifetime...



5IVE

Proud Owner
 
Regardless of the crap situation there, a correct detail will always be a necessity. Make yourself known somehow and be that necessity. That's how the strong survive :). Please don't think I'm trying to be Mr. Tough Guy or anything, all I'm trying to say is that this situation is as bad as you make it. Again, please don't think that I'm trying to be a bad ***, but I live in a country where they don't even know what car wax is... literally.
 
Sorry to hear that man. Good luck with your decision.



I've been feeling the pinch myself with my business. To deal with it, I've been running an online business since February 08 that's been bringing in some pretty good extra income.
 
i started detailing cars for BMW, and it seems like theres lots of business...

but good luck man and to ur family!
 
If selling your biz is what you need to do to keep the family on the right path , I say go for it. Family is #1 and I would say you are doing the right thing. You can still do side jobs and make some extra cash that way.

But for crying out loud, you don’t need to leave Autopia. We’re family too.



Good luck…:2thumbs:
 
Well, good luck to you Sir!



I lost my 9-5 job last September and the job market for 65 year old's is very dismal. My Social Security + detailing at the BMW dealer + wife's income is keeping us afloat.



Seems like all business is down somewhat, but that's the nature of today's economy.



You might try a couple of part-time gigs and still detail vehicles as a cash income.



See Ya



Toto
 
Sorry to hear about your loss of business, I went through some pretty rough times for 3 months last year when we pretty much had non-stop rain. However, I knew that would be short term pain since such weather is highly unusual in the Dallas area. Just like economic conditions though, it was out of my hands so I can understand how frustrating it is for you. Hope whatever you choose to do in the future works out well for you. I second the suggestion of maybe doing weekend details still. It will keep you and your name out there and if your local economy improves it would be easier to get back in full time.
 
Speaking with many local business owners, sales are down about 20% from

last year (which wasn't great either). I'm down about that much as well.

I'm guessing most detailers will see a serious drop. But i have 2 numbers

of local mobil guys and i've been giving out their numbers. So, networking

with others can help. Support your local businesses!
 
Flashtime said:
Speaking with many local business owners, sales are down about 20% from

last year (which wasn't great either). I'm down about that much as well.

I'm guessing most detailers will see a serious drop. But i have 2 numbers

of local mobil guys and i've been giving out their numbers. So, networking

with others can help. Support your local businesses!
Click to expand...



:nixweiss I haven't noticed any drop-off. I do have less weekly wash customers but that was because I haven't replaced people who for whatever reason decided to use me only for details. Frees me up for larger projects and I still work pretty much every day the weather is good. The Dallas area hasn't been hit as hard as other areas of the country though.
 
I'm sorry about your business. However, I have noticed no difference in business (if anything, actually more). As well, the calls and emails from price shoppers has almost ceased completely and that's always a good thing.
 
Holden_C04 said:
As well, the calls and emails from price shoppers has almost ceased completely and that's always a good thing.
Click to expand...





How can that be a good thing? Seems more like a sign that demand is dropping.
 
MichaelM said:
How can that be a good thing? Seems more like a sign that demand is dropping.
Click to expand...



Price shoppers are a different type of clientele. The first question they ask is how much it will be (without an inspection), despite a complete listing of the basic rates on my website and the explanation of how my rate structure works. Once I explain the superior nature of my work and offer a basic idea of how long it will take, I will never hear from them again.
 
MichaelM said:
How can that be a good thing? Seems more like a sign that demand is dropping.
Click to expand...



Having price shoppers as customers isn't a good thing unless you only care about doing cheapie details. I dropped my Yellow Page listing since all I was getting was price shoppers. When I get contacted through my website, people already have a basic idea of my pricing structure and the level of work I do. Through the YP, I was getting calls like "how much to clean just the front seats in my '92 Grand Am". :wall
 
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