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General Business: Worthwhile Business??
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- CommentAuthorYouthfulMind
- CommentTimeApr 9th 2007
Im currently researching and expanding on the idea of a mobile car detailing business. I have grown up around cars since I was four and have learned alot. I live in Florida and have come to notice with the heat alot of people pay to have their cars washed. Alot of the local mobile detailers are usually booked solid and there is a waiting list to get your car cleaned. Some of things i want to know is would it be a worthwhile investment both time and money wise and if anyone has any experience or knowledge with the costs that comes with the startup and continuation of the business.
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I think it's a great idea. I think that service industries are great for entrepreneurs with little experience and or start up money because they are, relatively, low cost and forgiving.
I think that it could have serious potential and if you got busy you could easily bring on a couple of guys to do your additional work.
Phoenix, AZ Foreign Language Lessons - Tutoring Indianpolis, IN web design -
here's a website that sells detailing supplies but that's all I know about costs.
Phoenix, AZ Foreign Language Lessons - Tutoring Indianpolis, IN web design -
My brother used to run his own auto detailing shop and he made a killing. It's just hard work, bad on your back - total sweat labor. But it's profitable and there's always a need. Become a master at making paint look good and you'll be booked solid all the time, especially in a boat-heavy market.
Side note
Proud founder of YGG
My 5th grade teacher started the year off by going to the black board and writing "A LOT" on it. He turned to the class and said "a lot is two words. never forget it". He was my favorite teacher of all time. I'm not breaking your balls, but its hard not to reiterate the story when I see "alot" written anywhere :) -
I agree. It's got to be extremely hard work. Unless you are working for elite clients that have air conditioned hangars for their fleet of cars.
Phoenix, AZ Foreign Language Lessons - Tutoring Indianpolis, IN web design -
YouthfulMind,
We have a "Mobile Car Washer" come to our facility once a month
(Melbourne Florida) and I would estimate he averages, $1200 in one day.
He's extremely expensive, but he does a great job. He mostly caters to
to high-end clientèle.
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Schwing! Damn, $1200 a day?
My Personal Finance Blog -
Remember though. The goal of a business is to phase yourself out as the worker and bring others on to do the work.
Not so you don't have to work but so that you can focus on more important aspects of the business. Sales, Marketing, Customer Service. Eventually phasing yourself out of those until you are at a point where you can choose what you want to do when.
Phoenix, AZ Foreign Language Lessons - Tutoring Indianpolis, IN web design -
Well do you know what type of equipment you're going to need yet?
For supplies, I recommend using PRO car products (www.prowax.com) - IMO the best on the market.
You need a good air compressor, a powerful pressure washer, a top of the line buffer, a vacuum that sucks big time, and a carpet steam cleaner wouldn't hurt.
The mobile detail idea is fine and dandy but you're not going to be able to get power and/or water to your equipment sometimes, that's something to think about as well. You might have to be a bit more selective on who can become your clients because of this.
Anyways...if you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them for you if I can.
Proud founder of YGG -
Well it wasn't a mobile detail shop, so that's one huge difference. Most of his customers were dealer accounts and he would just have a constant flow of cars to do from probably 4-5 different dealerships in the area. He charged them $75-$80 for the quick detail on a car that was in "OK" shape, and probably around $100-$125 for bigger rigs that needed a lot of help. Retail customers could expect to pay $150+ for their cars and trucks.
PRO is the company he used for his detail supplies. They have local distributors all over the place, but their website doesn't seem to be that off the wall.
Don't go buy a van like the one you spoke of until you've done the job a bit and know that it's something you want to pursue heavily. All too often I see guys spend a shit load on infrastructure and then they're left with all this debt and no customers and sometimes no desire to continue the venture. Get a few customers that fit your needs, see how you like it - go from there.
Proud founder of YGG
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