Newbie and need advice...

E

Elbow Grease

New member
Hi everyone! I just found this forum and I just signed up. I've been an auto enthusiast for a while, and I'm looking to get into the detailing business professionally.

I currently work a 40 hr/wk job that basically just pays the bills, but I want to do something that I really like--working on cars all day:D My problem is, I don't know where or how to get started in the business. Right now, I definitely need my regular job, since my wife is pregnant, but I also would like to become a professional detailer ASAP!

How can I transition into this business? If I start part-time, how and where can I perform these jobs? Any advice for a very hungry and confused soul is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Read, read, read, then ...

Welcome.

Best advice, read the forums, read until you understand and can get a better feel for the larger picture techniques and products. Tough part will be to remember that not all products and/or techniques discussed here will be the most appropriate for detailing as a business, but a large part will. There is not a "quick" answer that I have found, read, learn, understand and then practice practice practice. There are a couple of people in the Ohio area, few of us are a bit north of you, but we are close enough to help out if you need to try something and do not have the right tools.

Good luck and happy detailing.

-Matt
 
Detailing Seminar

I am just like you and I just started my own mobile car detailing business. I work on the weekends with a buddy of mine. We own Advance Detail and you can see our site at www.advancedetail.com.

I started by going to a detailing seminar put on by Detail King. www.detailking.com. It was on a weekend in Pittsburgh, PA were you learn marketing techniques, pricing, and most importantantly car detailing tips and what products to use in a certain situation.

Let me know if you have any questions. We've been in business for about a month and have picked up a few customers already. Its also great because I go to school in Boston during the week and go home to CT to detail on the weekends. I bring in an extra 200 - 500 depending on the jobs we have scheduled.
 
An Image of a job we just finished

Here's a Job we just finished, it was a lamboghini diablo VT

vwp
 
Welcome to DC. IMO, becoming a professional detailer is not something that can be done ASAP. You could certainly begin getting paid to detail ASAP but becoming a true professional takes time, practice and experience.

Dwayne here at DC has some Meguiars videos that can help as a primer. Meguiars offers seminars geared toward professional detailers and extreme enthusiasts that you could attend. Maybe see if you can do a p/t apprenticeship at an auto body place or detailing shop nearby. Read a lot, ask lots of questions and practice practice practice. Process and procedure is way more important than what polish or wax you are using.

Good luck.

Natty
 
replies...

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do. It's definitely a start in the right direction. Thanks for all your inputs, keep em coming!:)
 
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