Detailing for Profit

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dieseldan

New member
I know there is a similar post to this but, i am more interested in doing it on the side as a paid hobby for know

I am considering starting to detail for profit. since i know there are a lot of professionals on this site i thought i would ask you guys a few questions.

1) Would it be a good idea to make up a portfollio of the work i have done(mainly my vehichles and other family) to show people the quaility of my work.

2) Would it be unproffesional to want to look at the vehichle before I agree to detail it?

3) I have no clue as to how much to charge somebody(and am worried if i charge them too much they won't be satifsfied with my work) should i start of with low rates and build them up as my experience and confidence grows?

4) I am not looking to get too serious right now as I don't have a PC yet and do everything by hand but i should be able to get quality results by hand right?

5) Should i make some sort of contract with the owners for things i can't clean such as very stained seats etc.(keep in mind this will be done at my house on the side not a full fledged buisness)

6) Any other suggestions would be great.


I may be new at this but i feel i need to start doing other vehichles to get better. Always doing my two clean trucks really doesn't teach me anything But, in the same instance i don't want to bite off more than I can chew.
 
I'm still working on this article, but CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT I'VE GOT SO FAR. It may help you a little. I am going to work on it some more today.

In answer to some of your questions...

1) If you can create a brochure with pictures of your work, then that will help. Another good way is to buy some webspace and host a site for your little business. That way you can post your prices and high resolution pictures of your work. THIS THREAD HAS SOME BROCHURE EXAMPLES IN IT.

2) It is not only professional, but it is an excellent idea to want to see the car before you quote a job. Very few businesses can quote a price for work when they cannot see the project. You can have a rough estimate of what certian cars will cost, but figure in to charge extra for extra dirty cars or ones that need alot of work. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT ONE SHOP CHARGES. Those prices aren't so far off what you can charge doing the work by yourself. They have different prices for different levels of dirty.

3) Looking at that price sheet in the thread I posted should help you determine prices. Check around with your local detail shops to find out what people are paying. You will make more money as you get faster at the process. I charge $40 per hour basically. I don't tell the client that, but when I inspect the car I am calculating how long it is going to take and then I figure the hourly rate and give them that number. The link to OCDetails might help too.

4) Without a PC you will be unable to handle tough projects like oxidation removal and swirl removal in a timely manner. You may spend 6 hours on a job that should take 2 just because you don't have a machine to work with. If all you offer are interiors and wash/wax service then you are fine. You will run into a lot of jobs that need a machine though. Having one is very helpful. I know you say you don't want to get to serious right now, but for an investment of less than $400, you will have the tools to earn back that investment two or three times over in a pretty short time. MY GUIDE TO DETAILING kind of outlines what products you could get. It includes the PC and the polishes, waxes, cleaners, and other items that I feel one should have before they start offering detailing services for hire.

5) Let your customer know what you can and cannot do. Obviously if you don't have a polisher you shouldn't offer swirl removal. If you don't know how to remove stains then don't offer stain removal. It sounds like you want to be more of a car washer than a detailer. Detailing is more than hosing off the car and vaccuming out the interior. Do a little more research and reading online and I'm sure you will gain a little more understanding as to what people expect when you say that you are going to 'detail' their car. It needs to be above just taking it through a coin op car wash and splashing some armor all on the dash. I created www.OCDetails.com to help people who want to know a little bit more about a hobby that I enjoy so much. Hopefully it will help you out. :bigups
 
Thanks for the great response. like i said i am just begining and am not going to start off offering alll services.(that will come in time) just one more question are there legality(sp?) issues with doing this on the side i know it will not be an official buisness but do i need permits etc. i know it will be different for each state but any ideas on if i should look into that and where. once again thanks for the detailed response.
 
Anytime you offer services to someone, you have a lot of liability if you were to screw it up. If you accidently flatten a tire or lower the garage door on their hood, then you are going to have to pay for it and probably more than that to boot. Be very careful if you are going to opperate without a business license and insurance. If you start making money at this, then the IRS is going to get curious about the large deposits of unclaimed income into your checking account. They aren't going to care about a couple hundred bucks here and there, but if you start making 15,000 bucks a year at this, then I would say it is more than a hobby. As far as permits go, you'll probably need to look into your local ordinances and laws for that. Contact city hall and ask them about it.
 
Once again thanks a lot for your timely response. I will check into the permits this week. I already have a couple of prospects lined up this week pending inspection and prices. so i'll let everyone know how it goes next week.
 
Welcome to DC! :dcrules How far are you from NC? there are quite a bit of detailers around here that can actually help you directly for permits etc. I want to detail for profit but school kills! enjoy your stay at DC!
 
I live in Hubert NC about 1 hour north of Wilmington, 20 minutes east of Jacksonville and 10 minutes west of Emerald Isle.
 
:bigups Cool! PM me if you want any info about detailing. I know clean4u, abcdetail, onthespot, dimedrol, and some others do professional detailing. I'm guessing they could help you out? :dunno
 
Woob said:
:bigups Cool! PM me if you want any info about detailing. I know clean4u, abcdetail, onthespot, dimedrol, and some others do professional detailing. I'm guessing they could help you out? :dunno
Click to expand...
:yeah Wecome!!!!!:dcrules
 
There is a good thread somewhere around here about contracts and things like that. We did have some bad advice given in it that said you shouldn't have your customers sign any waivers on certian jobs. Its not a bad idea to have some sort of form that they sign off on that has a small disclaimer in it to cover your butt if the need arises. Since you are just starting out, I think you have a whole mess of information in front of you. We know there are lots of forums that you can post on and there are a lot of ways of doing things. We welcome you to the hardest rocking site on the web and hope you'll post some more. There are several other guys in the same situation that you are in and are looking for the same answers. I think you will all be able to help each other out a lot. :headbang
 
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