Shutting Down

B

biff

In Exile
:(



Well after my first spring and summer in business, I've decided to pack it in.



Things have not gone as planned, mainly due to me not being able to give a new business as much attention as it needs because of my crappy full time job.



I'm pretty sure that the business is out there and I know what needs to be done, so I may be back next year, or maybe not. I've got to do some serious re-thinking.



Thanks to everyone here for all your help. This is a great community and I've learned a lot. :xyxthumbs
 
Sorry to hear about that Biff. I pray things go better for you next time around and I would also hope that you stick around!



Take care,

Anthony
 
I too am sorry to hear this news, Biff. Do you want to give more info (for those aspiring Pro Detailers out there) about why you decided to pack it in?



BTW, I'm awed that you tried to make a "go" of it on top of another full-time job.
 
It is real hard to build a new business when you have to devote a lot of time to a full time job. I ended up having to quit as a Denny's manager (I wanted to anyway) and work nights as a waiter at another one for nearly a year to get my detailing business off the ground. I realize most people can't take that type of paycut though, but I had inherited a modest amount of money that gave me a little cushion. Besides, I was so unhappy as a Denny's manager and actually made a lot more per hour waiting tables.





The business is out there. Unfortunately, it does take time to get established. Hopefully in the long run you can make a go of it. Good luck!
 
Sorry to hear that Biff. :( I hope it was good for you while it lasted, and at least now you'll be able to give 3x the attention to your own vehicles. :)



Who knows though, maybe the future will let you get in on this again. Take care!
 
Lynn said:
Do you want to give more info (for those aspiring Pro Detailers
Click to expand...



Well, there were a lot of factors working against me:



1. Full time job that pays the bills.

2. Being the city's only mobile detailer

3. Northern climate and a wet summer.



Since I'm working M to F 8:30 to 5:30, I am limited to detailing on evenings and weekends. Now you all know how long a full detail takes, and there aren't enough hours of daylight to do one in an evening. I've actually had to turn down a few jobs because of this.



My phone hasn't been ringing off the hook, because I really haven't been advertising (on purpose) and haven't had enough customers to start a buzz by word of mouth.



The reason for not advertising is because being the only mobile detailer in town, once the big shops in town get word about my brilliant concept to go mobile, they can jump all over it and destroy the one competitive advantage I have by putting one of their flunkies on the road. So I chose to stay under the radar which obviously doesn't generate a lot of business.



The obvious solution is to quit the day job and jump in with both feet and promote the business properly. I'm sure this would solve all of the problems except one major one: being a mobile detailer in Eastern Canada means you only have about 6 months at the most were you can detail outdoors. So I'd have to shut down in the cold months and that means no income. There is the option of getting a fixed location during the winter, but that market is completely saturated here and there just isn't enough business to go around.



So I had to opt for the year-round income and just pick up a few details on the side.



I am going to give this some more thought over the winter and perhaps be back with a revised business plan in the spring, if I can figure out what to do during the winter months.



The moral of the story is that you have to be able to give your business your COMPLETE attention and be thoroughly professional. Turning down jobs makes me feel ill because it is terrible for business and your reputation long term.



Hope this is of some use to anyone starting a part time detail business.
 
BY ALL MEANS...DO NOT GIVE UP!



I am currently in the same situation. I started a mobile detailing business back in March. It wasn't going as successful as I thought it would. I have a family to take care of, the bills started to pile up, and found myself having to go back to a full time job! The good Lord has given me a blessing which is coming to me at the end of this month. I will use that blessing to re-start my business...this time with some serious powerful advertising, and also fill in the voids that were pulling me down last time. I just recently left that full time job, and I am currently drawing up a business plan to run my business the right time this time. I'm doing a few details here and there from old customer's I've had to keep some money coming in for now.



BUT, whatever you do....DO NOT GIVE UP! If you love detailing, if you want to be a entrepreneur, if you want to be financially free, if you want the best for your family's future...stick to it. Keep your job for now to get the bills paid, but in the mean time...write up a business plan for your detailing business. Save some money, borrow some money, do some details on the side on the weekend if possible, and next time you start your detailing business...it'll be done right.



A Detailing Business is unbelievably hard to do part-time! This is a full time commitment. Doing friends, co-workers, and family on the weekend is the best shot for part-time.



Keep your head up, and do not give up. I'm pretty sure every detail business owner on Autopia agrees with me.



Keep on shining!!:xyxthumbs
 
Biff said:
Well, there were a lot of factors working against me:



1. Full time job that pays the bills.

2. Being the city's only mobile detailer

3. Northern climate and a wet summer.



Since I'm working M to F 8:30 to 5:30, I am limited to detailing on evenings and weekends. Now you all know how long a full detail takes, and there aren't enough hours of daylight to do one in an evening. I've actually had to turn down a few jobs because of this.



My phone hasn't been ringing off the hook, because I really haven't been advertising (on purpose) and haven't had enough customers to start a buzz by word of mouth.



The reason for not advertising is because being the only mobile detailer in town, once the big shops in town get word about my brilliant concept to go mobile, they can jump all over it and destroy the one competitive advantage I have by putting one of their flunkies on the road. So I chose to stay under the radar which obviously doesn't generate a lot of business.



The obvious solution is to quit the day job and jump in with both feet and promote the business properly. I'm sure this would solve all of the problems except one major one: being a mobile detailer in Eastern Canada means you only have about 6 months at the most were you can detail outdoors. So I'd have to shut down in the cold months and that means no income. There is the option of getting a fixed location during the winter, but that market is completely saturated here and there just isn't enough business to go around.



So I had to opt for the year-round income and just pick up a few details on the side.



I am going to give this some more thought over the winter and perhaps be back with a revised business plan in the spring, if I can figure out what to do during the winter months.



The moral of the story is that you have to be able to give your business your COMPLETE attention and be thoroughly professional. Turning down jobs makes me feel ill because it is terrible for business and your reputation long term.



Hope this is of some use to anyone starting a part time detail business.
Click to expand...



Sorry to hear that you are packing it in for now. Unfortunately, the weather here in the great white north is not particularly friendly to a mobile detailing operation due to the cold winters. However, I have seen it done. If I might offer a small bit of advice: 1) Don't worry about what the local detail shops are doing - most detail shops are owned and staffed by morons. They are only your competition if they actually compete with what you do 2) offer something that sets you apart from the so-called competition (mobile service, additional services etc..) 3) price yourself based on what YOUR costs are and how much you are worth (you don't see Cadillac pricing their cars to compete with Kias and neither should you). 4) Don't give up if you really want it. We could have packed it in a hundred times when things were tough but we stuck it out and worked harder than the other guys and we eventually won. Good luck and don't give up on your dream.
 
Oh great. I decide I'm done (for this year at least), and the phone starts ringing. So I'm off to look at Full Detail including engine bay on a Protege tonight.



"Just when I think I'm out, they keep pulling me back in".



I've been working on a revised business plan and I think I've identified what I have to do differently next year. So I'll just play it by ear for now.



Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement. I will have to admit though, I'm not in this because I love detailing. I actually find the work to be a frustrating PITA. But I love the results and the business and marketing side of things. I am determined to have my own business, and detailing happens to be the best option for me right now. Someday perhaps I will be able to run the show and hire and train some good detailers to man the trucks. That would be ideal.
 
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