Start-Up with $250 and a driveway?

J

jared6180

New member
I have been detailing cars for a little while now, not for profit, but just for enjoyment. I do my cars and some family members cars. With my personal (family) economy taking a hit this month I am looking for a way to bring in some extra money, and this is the first thing that crossed my mind. I have a porter cable, some products from Adams and a driveway with a two car garage to work out of.



I am looking for stories of how you made your business work, and how I can make mine work. I have a name in mind, and found a deal with $500 business cards for $20. I know there are a lot of details to starting any business, but would like to do this without taking out a bank loan.



Thank You,

Jared
 
At least you enjoy doing details, seems like once a month someone starts a thread saying they want to start a detailing business but have no supplies and no experience. Keep it simple and invest as your customer base grows. Word of mouth is amazingly powerful.
 
Well I did it, so there shouldn't be any reason you can't. Start with offering hand washes, express details and one-steps. Keep the choices simple to make it easier for the customer to choose a package and easier for you to remember what's included in each package. And maybe do headlight restoration as well, it's easy to learn and makes good money. Do all the legal stuff, get insurance and be professional, polite and honest to your customers. Don't put a dime into advertising. Use craigslist, yelp, google, handing out fliers and business cards, send a press release into local papers telling people what you can do that separates you from the rest (you enjoy it, it's your passion, you are eco-friendly (if you are), you use the newest products and techniques, etc., but never bash your competition even if they are hacks. A great way to spread the word, but do your research first, is to do a Groupon type deal. I did a couple last year and I'm starting to get alot of return customers and also alot of word of mouth customers from it.



Back to starting with $250, you must realize you are not going to make $$ overnight. You will not have a cash flow to begin with that little amount of money and you will have times when you wonder if you be still be around in a month. You will be putting every penny back into the business while you grow a customer base. Plus if this is something seasonal where you are you need to be ready for some down time in the off season. Make sure you either have enough money saved up to get you through both your startup time while you are finding customers and your downtime if any.



Ok, that's all I got for now. Hope it helped a little.



Oh, and don't give into price shoppers and hagglers, it will kill you.
 
All good advice so far. I will simply add that you should focus on being efficient on the basics before trying to cover all aspects. The majority of customers are looking for a clean car rather than the perfect finish. Read a lot here to learn. Plan on spending a lot of $$$ on supplies. The more you do the more you realize that a certain tool or product can make your job easier. It is a never ending cycle. Make sure your customers are happy but don't give away the farm. It takes time to build momentum.



Good luck.
 
I might be trying to do this at the wrong time of year. Seems as soon as I might get some momentum the snow will start falling and I will be right back in this position, unless what I do now builds a bit of a spring board for next Spring. What do you think of simple flyers aimed at the basic wash and wax crowd. the higher end work seems to be a stretch for this area unless you reach into the show car scene, which frankly, I don't think I am ready for white glove inspections.
 
If you wait for the right time to start you never will. You never know when you will get that one big break that gets things rolling fast. Educate youself so you can educate your customers. You have to demonstrate the value in your service to get them to keep coming back. Learn to do ONR washes and you may very well be able to carry the momentum through winter.



I've never had a lot of luck with flyers. Better to talk to people and hand them a card. If you can get them to ask a question you are half way there. It shows they have some interest. Gas station, grocery store, or anywhere else you can catch people getting in and out of their car and can't walk away is a perfect scenario.
 
Nth Degree said:
If you wait for the right time to start you never will. You never know when you will get that one big break that gets things rolling fast. Educate youself so you can educate your customers. You have to demonstrate the value in your service to get them to keep coming back. Learn to do ONR washes and you may very well be able to carry the momentum through winter.



I've never had a lot of luck with flyers. Better to talk to people and hand them a card. If you can get them to ask a question you are half way there. It shows they have some interest. Gas station, grocery store, or anywhere else you can catch people getting in and out of their car and can't walk away is a perfect scenario.
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Good advice. Never be afraid to approach people. One thing get what they call your "elevator pitch" down. Be able to say what you do and how you are better at what you do within a minute or two. Write it down and practice. A chance meeting can be a client or waste of their time. Always sound confident (not cocky) but professional and polite. Be prepared some may get offended because they don't see what you see. This is where professional and polite come into play.

Some of the best sales people already know what they are going to say to someone before they meet them. It's just being able to read where the conversation goes from the introduction. Be ready with a card or flyer. Don't push once card is in hand or to get it in hand. Leave them

with enough info to be intrigued but not overwhelmed. Your material needs to be to the point but not to stuffy and also catch their attention along with what you say about yourself.
 
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