True Profit Potential

B

bighip21

New member
I've read all these claims online, where if you do 'X' amount of cars, per 'Y' days, expect to receive '$Z' amount in profit potential.



I'd like to hear from you guys on how much true profit potential there is into detailing, from a business standpoint (FT vs PT).



Example being:



- Detailing PT, working FT, I make a cool 10K in profits per year



I'm really trying to talk myself into the trade, but let's be honest, money talks!



Thanks everyone in advance
 
:lol:In this business there is tons of profit. To really make "Real Money" you need to have a crew.



Here is Last months breakdown for me.



Gross Sales. $37,542.61

Payroll. 15,461.00

Electric. 405.00

Phone/Internet 103.65

Chemical Supplies 1700.00

Heat. 303.00

Lease. 1219.00

Insurance 845.00

Wife 1600.00 money to shut her up so I can make more lol:lol:



And there were a few other small exspenses but you get my drift. You can make money if you do it right!
 
That's pretty awesome, Barry. Does the bulk of that come from dealers/wholesale accounts?



OP, for me the profit lies in detailing services, although I do have car wash accounts that are solid and keep me busy, but the profit is very minimal there. In detailing I do $40-$80/hr as opposed to washing at $15-$25/hr. But hey, everything helps though.
 
Pretty dam good Barry for winter months..wait til spring and summer, wife will get a bonus.
Barry Theal said:
:lol:In this business there is tons of profit. To really make "Real Money" you need to have a crew.



Here is Last months breakdown for me.



Gross Sales. $37,542.61

Payroll. 15,461.00

Electric. 405.00

Phone/Internet 103.65

Chemical Supplies 1700.00

Heat. 303.00

Lease. 1219.00

Insurance 845.00

Wife 1600.00 money to shut her up so I can make more lol:lol:



And there were a few other small exspenses but you get my drift. You can make money if you do it right!
Click to expand...
 
Barry Theal said:
:lol:In this business there is tons of profit. To really make "Real Money" you need to have a crew.



Here is Last months breakdown for me.



Gross Sales. $37,542.61

Payroll. 15,461.00

Electric. 405.00

Phone/Internet 103.65

Chemical Supplies 1700.00

Heat. 303.00

Lease. 1219.00

Insurance 845.00

Wife 1600.00 money to shut her up so I can make more lol:lol:



And there were a few other small exspenses but you get my drift. You can make money if you do it right!
Click to expand...



respect... lol. True about the crew ;)
 
$99?! Wow, I can go to Downtown car wash and get a full detail for $65! Yep, they'll do everything! :lol:
 
mobile express detailing



I am having a new site develped and should be up next week, new shirts and sweatshirts made up, and a flier to be mailed out....going to mass market it. its going to be mainly waterless and faster, cheaper work that cater towards people who dont care about the details in a paint correction job, the ones who just want it shiney and clean.
 
I know shops whose sales range from hundreds of thousands to several million annually and they all cater to high volume/dealers. The biggest profit potential in this business is doing high volume work for dealers, rental car agencies, body shops & fleet services. The key is to price yourself according to your competition, but go above and beyond their quality, speed & marketing. The more volume you do, the less the impact it makes on your profit. After working all the costs and processes out, there's no reason why your total overhead can't be below 60% with a healthy book of business.
 
Generally, what do you guys make, as a per hour rate, when detailing? (depending on the type of detail of course)



Per hour?

Per week?
 
So many variables....I don't think there's a single correct answer. Using Barry's figures is a bit dangerous, because true to his good graces, he didn't factor in how many years of sweat, grime, and grief it took him to generate $37k/month in revenues. And, not to nitpick, but there are numerous other expenses that may take quite some time before you can consistently measure them on a monthly basis. Applicable sales taxes, business license taxes, income taxes, depreciation expense, marketing expense, accounting & legal expenses, the wife is really pissed at me this month expense, yada yada. :D



For us small-timers, you also have to factor in opportunity costs....both good and bad. What are you giving up in terms of revenues by quitting other job(s)? And, are you prepared to put up with the inevitable grief that comes with HAVING to take on a detail, as opposed to WANTING to do a detail? That's a big one for me. I love being able to say no when it becomes obvious that I'd be otherwise nickel & dimed to death by a customer who'll only compare my work (and prices) to the Ducky Car Wash down the street.
 
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