Tex Star Detail
Formerly TexasTB
INFO: Starting out. How much can YOU make? [READ]
So you want to get in the Detail profession.........
What do you have to do? Well, if you are going to do this for a career, and not just looking at money, get insurance, do your homework, advertise, have something to fall back on during the days/weeks where nothing is coming in.
Get professional training. Know what the hell you are doing. Learn to use a buffer. (Not the Wal-Mart junk) Business cards to hand out are nice. Know what you are talking about when a client asks you a question about detailing.
Have fun at what you are doing.
What to charge or what amount can I make at detailing?
No one can answer your question. Probably not even yourself. Detailing is a a tricky business to get into, as stated time and time again. You have to work hard at it to get it started and even harder to keep it going. After the first 5 years, you should have your system down.
Ask yourself this: "How much do I NEED to make to make ends meet, pay bills, cover insurance, buy supplies when they are low, have money set aside for when something goes wrong (buffer or shampooer break) Figure that out and add another $500. That is what you NEED to make.
The harder you work, the better you get, the more referrals you get, will all affect your bottom line. It's UP TO YOU and how much you can make, or not make for that matter.
If you have the drive to work hard every day for 6-7 days a week for the first year, whether working, advertising, mailers, and so on, will eventually pay off. I'm going on over 4 years and growing every year. I have a system down and know what I need to make to get by and live comfortable. My prices reflect what I need to make and do not reflect what Steves Scratch and Swirl Car Wash Center down the road charges. I could care less what they charge and how much cheaper they are. You can charge anything you want (to a reasonable amount) as long as you are good and KNOW HOW TO SELL YOUR SERVICES. Something that I think I have done well, and still working on....... I charge probably 1/3-1/2 MORE than other shops here charge, and I have a line 2 weeks out.
Some places are concerned about how many they can do in a day. If you get that mind set, then good for you. But I prefer the QUALITY over QUANTITY attitude. If I do 1 or 2 cars a day to my standards, I'm fine with that. When I see the local tunnel wash/detail(swirl)center with lines out to the street, I know they are making money.... BUT.... My clients are educated about my services. They return time and time again. Hence, learn how to sell yourself and business without sounding like a salesman/woman.
Don't fall for all the hype about products, you'll go broke, faster than you can imagine. Buy what you need to start off and then buy other products/equipment as you need it. (I still have products from 4 years ago that I thought I needed but never even opened) Read the forums and gain knowledge from people that have been doing this for a long time or for a living. They know how to survive downfalls and bounce back.
Retail versus Wholesale:
You'll probably be confronted with this after a while. With Retail, you can charge more than Wholesale. With wholesale, you'll most likely get more vehicles, but again, at a cheaper price. One example of Wholesale is a dealership. From my experience: I was contracted by a car dealership (newer used cars[05 and up]) to clean their cars bought from either auction or traded in. I said clean, not detail, as what I was doing was far from what I consider a detail. They gave me anywhere from 70-100 cars a month, at about 1/3-1/2 less than what I would normally charge a retail client. Why? Because I had volume, and that is what they were willing to pay. Normally, not always, with wholesale, you can cut corners to keep costs down and cut time. It's nothing you want to do for retail by any means. Wholesale is a dog eat dog business. If you get undercut by XXXX Detail, they will drop you, unless you are good at what you do, do timely work, and BE ON TIME.
Retail to me is more rewarding mentally. Wholesale is more rewarding to the bank account. Adjusting to the 2 sounds easy, but you will get in a groove to do one or the other and have to step back for a moment when you do the other.
I'll have more info when I let my brain rest.
(Sticky??????)
So you want to get in the Detail profession.........
What do you have to do? Well, if you are going to do this for a career, and not just looking at money, get insurance, do your homework, advertise, have something to fall back on during the days/weeks where nothing is coming in.
Get professional training. Know what the hell you are doing. Learn to use a buffer. (Not the Wal-Mart junk) Business cards to hand out are nice. Know what you are talking about when a client asks you a question about detailing.
Have fun at what you are doing.
What to charge or what amount can I make at detailing?
No one can answer your question. Probably not even yourself. Detailing is a a tricky business to get into, as stated time and time again. You have to work hard at it to get it started and even harder to keep it going. After the first 5 years, you should have your system down.
Ask yourself this: "How much do I NEED to make to make ends meet, pay bills, cover insurance, buy supplies when they are low, have money set aside for when something goes wrong (buffer or shampooer break) Figure that out and add another $500. That is what you NEED to make.
The harder you work, the better you get, the more referrals you get, will all affect your bottom line. It's UP TO YOU and how much you can make, or not make for that matter.
If you have the drive to work hard every day for 6-7 days a week for the first year, whether working, advertising, mailers, and so on, will eventually pay off. I'm going on over 4 years and growing every year. I have a system down and know what I need to make to get by and live comfortable. My prices reflect what I need to make and do not reflect what Steves Scratch and Swirl Car Wash Center down the road charges. I could care less what they charge and how much cheaper they are. You can charge anything you want (to a reasonable amount) as long as you are good and KNOW HOW TO SELL YOUR SERVICES. Something that I think I have done well, and still working on....... I charge probably 1/3-1/2 MORE than other shops here charge, and I have a line 2 weeks out.
Some places are concerned about how many they can do in a day. If you get that mind set, then good for you. But I prefer the QUALITY over QUANTITY attitude. If I do 1 or 2 cars a day to my standards, I'm fine with that. When I see the local tunnel wash/detail(swirl)center with lines out to the street, I know they are making money.... BUT.... My clients are educated about my services. They return time and time again. Hence, learn how to sell yourself and business without sounding like a salesman/woman.
Don't fall for all the hype about products, you'll go broke, faster than you can imagine. Buy what you need to start off and then buy other products/equipment as you need it. (I still have products from 4 years ago that I thought I needed but never even opened) Read the forums and gain knowledge from people that have been doing this for a long time or for a living. They know how to survive downfalls and bounce back.
Retail versus Wholesale:
You'll probably be confronted with this after a while. With Retail, you can charge more than Wholesale. With wholesale, you'll most likely get more vehicles, but again, at a cheaper price. One example of Wholesale is a dealership. From my experience: I was contracted by a car dealership (newer used cars[05 and up]) to clean their cars bought from either auction or traded in. I said clean, not detail, as what I was doing was far from what I consider a detail. They gave me anywhere from 70-100 cars a month, at about 1/3-1/2 less than what I would normally charge a retail client. Why? Because I had volume, and that is what they were willing to pay. Normally, not always, with wholesale, you can cut corners to keep costs down and cut time. It's nothing you want to do for retail by any means. Wholesale is a dog eat dog business. If you get undercut by XXXX Detail, they will drop you, unless you are good at what you do, do timely work, and BE ON TIME.
Retail to me is more rewarding mentally. Wholesale is more rewarding to the bank account. Adjusting to the 2 sounds easy, but you will get in a groove to do one or the other and have to step back for a moment when you do the other.
I'll have more info when I let my brain rest.
(Sticky??????)
