Mobile Guys: Do you Detail Solo? Do you have employees? Are the employees Contract?

Austin M detail

Austin M detail

New member
I'm trying to get an idea of how others handle their Mobile Detailing Biz.



Are you a solo company? if you are, how do you convince potential customers to wait sometimes weeks to have their vehicle cleaned? Do you ever think about growing, becoming more than a 1 man show? and making more $?



If you have employees, are they contract or actual employees?



I've going at it now for about 8 years as a mobile company, and I have had many...many...people work for me over the years, and it's hard for me to understand the thought process of some of these guys.



Anyhow...any thoughts or feedback is greatly appreciated.
 
I detail with my wife! ITs just us two, we work together really well, really it was out of necessity but now we enjoy it.

So moral of the story is... get your wife (or girlfriend) to detail with you!

Seriously though, employee's can wreck things if they are not dedicated, which mostly they are not. if my wife was not so awesome, or I was single, I would remain solo, and do higher end work.

Since we can get booked up quickly I just either tell people that we are booked to a certain date, some take and wait and others not. But the ones who wait know that we are good and they are ok with the wait. I just explain our being a small business that focuses on quality instead of quantity and the good customers are good with that.
 
My son is helping me now while he finishes up college. Once he is done with school, probably go back to just being me. Since almost all my business is details and not washes, most people don't mind a wait if it isn't more than a few weeks. I can see how if you did mostly washing people wouldn't want to wait very long.
 
I'm a solo act, but am considering hiring someone next year to speed up the process such as set up and break down of equipment, vacuuming, etc.



I really feel like that if someone calls me they are wanting a professional detailer to work on their vehicle, not a "detailing company".
 
I think about this often. I have a friend help once in a while.



My main concern is hiring someone, then that someone goes out and starts their own detailing biz, thus becoming my competition.
 
DaVinciAutoSpa said:
I think about this often. I have a friend help once in a while.



My main concern is hiring someone, then that someone goes out and starts their own detailing biz, thus becoming my competition.
Click to expand...



If I have someone working with me, and I emphasis, working with me, I expect them to learn how to detail well enough they can start their own business. That's why I don't have employees - I have trainees or apprentices - but only part time and for the express purpose of teaching. I don't pay them and they are not employees.



Anyone who's good enough to work with me is good enough to work for themselves. I do have one rule: If I share information and vice versa, they are safe from me and I from them. I won't take their work and I expect the same.



If you're good enough, and good value enough, there isn't any real competition. There's always going to be more work than you can do, and anyway - just because someone knows how you do what you do doesn't necessarily mean they'll be able to do it.



If you do business in CA you should know this: California License.



Robert
 
I asked this originally, because I've noticed over the years that some people are either reliable but not very good at cleaning a car let alone detailing, or they're good at detailing & cleaning, but have too much drama in their life to actually hold down a job for more than a week.



My most recent ex employee was let go because of a combination of issues, such as coming to work stoned and tired and just pretty much worthless for the day......not to mention, that for the first time in over 8 years of existence, he stole an ipod shuffle out of a customers car. Granted, I can only go off of what the customer is telling me, since I didn't see the ipod nor did I see him take it, but she says it was there when she backed the car out for us, and then it was gone.



I normally do a walk around the vehicles and ask customers to remove anything & everything they want to keep, that way theres no issues, but I was on the phone with another client when we arrived and was unable to complete a walk around.



Customer is super nice and being really cool about it, and I have agreed to buy her another one.



It just really bugs the crap out of me that I have built my business in a professional way, and I have a lot of folks that trust me with very expensive vehicles and such, and then this turd comes along takes a $46 ipod shuffle (value has nothing to do with it, but just pointing it out).



Anyhow, I guess in a perfect world I wish I could just find "The One", that did everything the way I wanted them to do it, and we could both prosper.



Wishful thinking, huh? I think so!



Justin
 
I am a solo act also. I have in the past worked with employee's but it almost always has them leaving and starting there own business after I show them how to run it! Had some good workers had some bad workers. Only a few I trusted to represent me by themselves. Most we worked together. I prefer somebody that knows little about detailing, that way I can show them what I'm looking for. Not breaking bad habits. After a long while I may teach them on the buffer. Most start doing interiors and tires and wells and trim, while I'm doing the corrections. I like to emphasize quality vs. quantity, if there just going to half *** it doing the basics like interiors and wheel wells then there not going learn anything else, like buffing. Consistent good work doing the not so fun stuff gets rewarded. Maybe just applying and removing wax or sealant but goes from there.
 
"...they will never be you..." ~ Renny Doyle



Most people seem to hire their wife/girlfriend/kid/family member, or train someone to the point where they can open their own gig and become a contractor for them. I have my awesome girlfriend who is the best trainee ever. I have tried to train friends/roommates with no luck. They suck, period. No common sense and they can't follow directions. "DON'T EVER LET MY MF TOWELS TOUCH THE GROUND." I look over and see them using one as a knee pad on the black top and scrubbing filthy wheels with my silk banded, fluffy, expensive, polishing towel. Tried selling services to a neighbor that was walking by, only to look over and see my other friend's buttcrack and underwear showing. Had another friend completely ruin my Nanoskin towel and break my handheld sprayer. Another guy was using a microfiber cutting pad to spread wax at speed 6 on on my Griot's.



I've given up and work by myself, or bring my girlfriend when necessary. Great since I don't pay her...well, sort of. I usually take her out for dinner, movie and pay for nails or something that she wants done (still cheaper in most cases!!). Best employee ever.
 
This year I had two guys working for me and quality control went to ****. Typically once they "finished" a car I had to walk around, remove panels-worth of wax or vac out portions missed all together or re-scrub conditioned surfaces. (we were actually called "a 5-6 on a 10 scale" by a dealer, I was so embarrassed). My problem is in the micro managing and inability to properly train someone from the ground up-all this accrued knowledge and I just can't verbalize it. I got frustrated with things and didn't point out their mistakes because it was quicker for me to just redo and move on then pull them aside, attempt to explain, listen to their "excuse," etc. Now I'm down to one assistant and it's much easier to control the outcomes. I do enjoy solo work but the physical exhaustion takes a great toll and I'd rather loose a bit of profit to ensure the cars get flipped in a timely manner.



Anyone who thinks they are training their competition is wrong. Consider that the guy working for you is doing it because he needs money and is hardly in the financial position to start a business!
 
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