Thinking of Taking the Plunge

T

TN9thSi

New member
Well, my mind is made up. I'm gonna start doing some mobile detailing come spring. I have several people at work asking for details right now and I'm gonna try to get around to them before cold weather hits. I did a co-worker's 2000 Pheonix Yellow Integra Type R and he was extremely pleased with it (I wasn't because I couldn't remove all the swirls) and word got out around work. I have a 2002 red Sebring coupe to so soon and a few others proabaly.



My whole reasoning for deciding to make detailing my job (at least part-time) is that I get a lot of satisfaction out of it and I really enjoy working with my hadns. I've done computer work and I'm currently working the retail biz. To sum up, Being confined indoors to one area all day is not for me.



Living near Nashville, TN affords me several nice weather months during the year. Usually I can detail outside through late October to mid November before it gets too cold. In March-April it's normally warm enough to get back out there. I am a single male and have only one income at present. Unfortunately (fortunately from a financial perspective) I still live with the parents. I can do detailing for at least 7-8 months out of the year. Now, here's the part I haven't figured out yet: What am I to do for cash during the winter months?? Get a temporary, seasonal job somewhere? Hoard up cash to last those few months? I'm unsure and am at a roadblock. I have read some of DavidB's book but haven't gotten all the way through it yet. Any further assistance/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading so far and sorry for the novel.
 
Wow. No replies? Surely all you mobile guys don't detail with snow on the ground. I'm just trying to get it all sorted out before spring and need a little advice. Thanks
 
I live in Hendersonville and am in the process of opening a shop in Greenbrier. I plan on detailing year round if all goes well. I dont have an inside bay to work in so if its around freezing then I wont be able to do anything detailing wise, so in a way we are in the same boat. I dont really know what to tell you. I am thinking about getting one of those metal carports that I see for around 5-600 dollars, closing it up, and heating it with a kerosene heater. You might think about one of those tents that are at Sam's club that you could park a car in and put a Reddy heater at one end. Might be a solution for ya. Good luck.
 
TnM6i said:
What am I to do for cash during the winter months?? Get a temporary, seasonal job somewhere? Hoard up cash to last those few months? I'm unsure and am at a roadblock.
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First of all, almost every business has there busy season and of course, they usually also have a time when things slow down a bit. Operating a mobile detailing business is really no different.



Something else to think about, with regard to starting your own business, is the fact that you have got to begin to think long term. It is really not about the money you make today or this week or this month. It is more about being in business and staying in business for years to come. For example, there will be quarterly estimated income taxes that you will have to pay and unless you have put aside that money; where do you think it will come from? The point is, it takes a lot of planning to effectively run a profitable detailing business. It is not just about going out and making money. Hey, anybody can do that. A true business person will do the planning necessary to establish a successful business strategy.



In summary, you would be very smart to start thinking about your new detailing business as a year round business, where 80% of the work is done from March thru November and 20% from December thru February. What this means is that 80% of your income will be made during your busy season.
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
Man, I feel for you guys, no detailing from Nov to April?
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This simply not true. There are plenty of cars (and boats) that are stored indoors during the winter and they surely can be detailed during those cold winter months. Also, as long as the temps are above 32 to 35 degrees there is really no reason why a vehicle cannot be detailed. Hey, I have been out there on cloudy, blustery 55 degree days in April that felt much colder than a sunny, calm 35 degree day in January.



Here in New Jersey, I usually stay busy right thru mid-December, as long as the weather doesn't get extremely cold too soon. Of course, January is usually slow due to the cold and snow. However by mid-February I have a few customers who store their boats indoors, so I always look forward to getting started on those jobs. Then it's March and things start to pick up again. And the cycle starts all over again.
 
TnM6i - Mirrorfinishman is absolutely right, there is business out there year round. I have been Mobile Detailing 3 years now and the cold weather doesn't stop me. If the temperature is above 35, I'm out there working. I use my Propane Forces Air Reddy Heater when it gets cold. And I tell you it makes a world of difference (Lowe's have them for about $140.00) I have the 50,000 BTU unit, simply awesome. I even use it while tailgating at the Falcons home games when it's cold. As Mirrofinishman said, think year round. Good luck! :xyxthumbs
 
Out there do you have places that offer self storage lockers? Here in AZ it is a huge business and many places offer drive in garage like spaces. You might rent one for both storage and to work in. They're unheated and have some poor lighting-electrical but might work out. You might see if a storage lot owner would give you a break for an empty one and in return you give it back to him all cleaned up?
 
Well, here's a thought:



Although I have a fixed location, it is adjacent to a Self Storage complex, that also rents U-Haul trucks. Same Landlord.



He's going to switch to Ryder trucks, and they require a 'mini detail' after each rental.



If you could find a similar situation, I would think a landlord would be willing to trade space for the 'mini details'.



Just a thought...



Jim
 
It's nice to see that a lot of people are still detailing all year long adn live up north. I really didn't think about finding stored cars and boats to detail. I've been doing detailng on the side for friends and others for several years now and looking into going into biz. next year also. My problem is that I might not have enough work to do over the winter to keep me happy. Not money wise, just out of trouble. haha. I live in PA right next to Lake Erie, it's pretty much my backyard. We had a little bit of snow two days ago and I have a detail tommorow and next weekend as long as its above 32 degrees. I have a 2 car garage to detail in I just have to get them washed outside. I'm amazed I still have cars to do. It's kind of cool to look back on how many cars I've done each year prior and how it keeps increasing each year.



Chubs
 
Find out the laws before you start. All the laws are trying to shut down the small guy. With water reclaimation laws and the Government starting to ban sealants, car detailing is getting harder and harder. I wouldn't doubt if in 5 yrs they do away with water reclaimation mats because they are not effective enough. I wouldn't doubt if the government says you can't even wash your own car in your own driveway, I bet you can't now in some places. Go mobil and look for loopholes, like having a washed car before you start and charging less or having a car wash near buy where you can wash then drive it to your current mobil site. Go mobil but if you love it think Non-mobil and take on a partner. Open a shop and add to it window tinting, spray in truck liners, window repair, aftermarket applications (brush or bug guard application etc.), open a detailing school at your shop too, or other things to keep the money coming in. You can find a shop to work out of too. I once worked with a guy who had a carbon fiber shop, he had a second garage he didn't use. GL buddy just some ideas.
 
tpgsr said:
Huh?? where are you getting this information from?? Any sources?
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Here's what poorboy says.

"Due to new VOC regulations, the current version of QD+ will be discontinued as soon as stock is out and we will be working on a new version...IF you like the current version, get it while you can."



Do a search. This is one but there are many more examples of this lately. There will always be something for a detailer to use probably but there's no doubt this field is getting more and more regulated.



:scared :nono :scared :nono :scared :nono :scared :nono :scared
 
Oh the VOC regulations. That isn't something that is really going to make a huge impact on us. At most it will increase our wax and sealant drying time by a couple min.



I dont understand why they went after car waxes though, they have so little polutants compared to so many other things. Oh well, i guess our legislators have to find something to do
 
Don't get to worried about VOC regs. They have been hitting hard on alot of things. Look how refrigeration changed with the laws for that. No more R-12 for cars and so on the list is huge, but they are making to formulas every day for something better. These new VOC regs apply to alot of things I do believe. Look how paint has changed over the years. First was single stage which was nice to work with. Then came along B/C, nice but that clearcoat is a Magnifying glass for scratches and can be pretty soft. Now look at the new paint thatâ€â„¢s on Mercedes that PPG developed. It has ceramic nano particles in the last couple layers of clear to help from the scratches and other things.



Itâ€â„¢s true it will become harder for the little guy to stay up with things. Some laws arenâ€â„¢t really enforced on a lot of cities right now either. Iâ€â„¢m not saying ignore the laws, but they will give you time to accommodate for the new laws into your business, if you stay up on things.

The biggest thing about getting into business for yourself is getting educated. Iâ€â„¢m not saying go back to college, but there is a wealth of information on the net and around your community available to you. Look into SBA (small business assoc.), or SCORE they can help you out with a lot of business questions you might have and best of all itâ€â„¢s free. There even might be a local chapter in your area. Look into colleges too, I know one near me offers some business classes for people going into business and its all paid for by financial institutions.



Hope this helps,

Chubs
 
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