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Detailing NY

New member
Well, I have not been around in a few weeks, so I though I would give you an update. Now that I have left my full time job I am now running my own business and I want to make one thing very clear "IT IS SO FREAKIN HARD TO RUN YOUR OWN BUSINSS"





Independent adjusting services takes up most of my morning. I run around and look at cars that are wrecked writing estimates on them for different insurance companies and other people.



I then have detail appointments in the afternoon.



It is crazy I do not get home till 10pm. It is a long day. You dont want to tell someone you cant do it as they will go somewhere else and you just lost money. Owning the business full time you need to take the money in, not let it go somewhere else.



I will start the investigation service within the next few months, I am in the process of getting everything together on that. Lots of stuff needed for this. I will mainly be doing insurance investigations as that is where my experience is, but i will go into other areas once it is up and running.



Sorry I have not got back to so many people but I have been so busy, i even forget to eat lunch some days. I plan on hiring people soon, not sure when though. I am thinking of training some people for adjusting so I can send them out on assignments, but it takes time to learn and you reall need to know your cars, and i dont mean knowing the HP in the car, i am talking about the frame and unibody, mechanical and structure of it.



How is everyone else doing??



Hope everyones summer is going good and everyone is making money and enjoying it.



If you need to get me, you are better off sending me an email with a link to the post. It gets hard reading all the post some times when all i want to do is sleep.
 
congrads on the business. i hope you like it better than that 'other' job... :)



but i bet your summer was better than mine!



good luck with your new venture.



ya know, the best detailing asst.'s are ALL located in VA... ;)
 
Business wise, our shop is doing well, especially if you factor in the fact that we do pay a relative high rent, have 6 crew members and importing products ourselves. Sales have been increasing steadily and consistently since we opened last May 2003.



But it is so hard for the owner(s), pretty much a 7AM-9PM job if you count everything.



We're sure it'll be a rewarding effort as the business continues to grow, but if people think that "hey, they're doing great, maybe I should start something like that and just sit back and enjoy the cash" then you'll be in for a GREAT surprise... You'll either work 2-3x harder than when you were working in an office or you'll close shop sooner than you say "CROSS LINKING POLYMER BONDING!"



:D
 
Tell me me about it. I was always told its best to be your own boss but no one told me about the 14 hours a day it involved. Get up go to work go to sleep Get up go to work it get old oh yea tell my girl good night because you never get home before 8or9 but you know what I would not give it up for nothing your doing the right thing keep it up it will all pay off soon .....:)
 
:wavey Hey Brian!



Had a soggy start to the summer, June had 17 days of rain. Funny thing though, I had a slightly better than average month. Been pretty dry since then, save for a 12 hour period at the end of July where we got 6 inches of rain (just to the south of us, they got almost 13 inches!). Pretty busy all summer and my kids helped while they were here. They are turning into decent detailers and they took home some Vanilla Moose, Poorboy's EX w/carnauba, Carnauba Moose and some microfiber towels. I'm sending them some QEW and Quikshine too.



Glad to hear you are keeping busy but I understand how tough it is when you don't have time for yourself. Hopefully adding some help will ease your workload.
 
"Being your own boss"



One of the worse "catch phrases" you can use to lure people to starting their own business... Nobody can be more mean in schedules and requirements than yourself. hehe...



You'll end up thinking seriously about work even in your dreams...



I think people should change their perception of "being your own boss" as a come-on to "making your money work for you - eventually" might be a better lure :D
 
Quote: I think people should change their perception of "being your own boss" as a come-on to "making your money work for you - eventually" might be a better lure





~ One man’s opinion / observations ~



And when “eventually" arrives it sure feels great…



.



~Hope this helps ~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon
 
My Wifes Uncles has his own printing company for years and is doing very well. He has one of the best saying about owning your own business.



"I can't be late for work tomorrow, my boss is a *****"



You guys are so right about people looking at you saying wow, i should open up a business just like that and suck in all the money. They really have no clue the amount of hours you put into your own business. Then even when you go away for the day with your wife, your cell phone still rings 1 million times and it's almost like you cant go away.



But the up side is that in a year or so, when i have all the kinks worked out and I hire some people, I can really start to let enjoy the business.
 
NY detailer said:
But the up side is that in a year or so, when i have all the kinks worked out and I hire some people, I can really start to let enjoy the business.
Click to expand...



Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that. Every year I say the same thing "Why, next year when I rich... I'll take a vacation." I have not seen that vacation land yet. :confused:
 
Thanks for posting this. A lot of people don't realize that the first couple years are always painful as you work out the kinks or worse--fail altogether. However, when things do work out the rewards can be greater than you ever imagined.



It sounds like you are doing it the right way, making careful, informed decisions and not getting in too far over your head. As your resources grow so will your ability to hire more people and spread out the workload.



For such a young business it sounds like you are doing very well so far. You already have the most important part--the customers, and your doing the right thing by not turning them away. Good luck!
 
Good luck NY. We started today at 4:45 am and worked till 6pm. You just have to be thankful you have the business. Now when you get home it's all the paper work and thank you notes
 
DavidB said:
Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that. Every year I say the same thing "Why, next year when I rich... I'll take a vacation." I have not seen that vacation land yet. :confused:
Click to expand...



:lol I keep on saying I am going to hire help but I just can't seem to bite the bullet and do it. My kids help out in the summer and have both turned into pretty good detailers but the weather here can be so iffy, I'd hate to hire someone, get them trained only to cut their hours drastically if we get a wet winter. Trying to find part time helpers who really share your passion isn't easy.
 
Good luck Brian with your business!



I can't even remember the last time I slept running my business...but in the end it's all worth it. Running your own business is a challenge, and is not for everyone, but as long as you endure the good and the bad and don't quit, unbelievable success is the big payoff.:xyxthumbs
 
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