The $500 Mobile Detailing Startup - A Simple Walk Through

[VP Mark]

The $500 Detail Business Startup

I wanted to write a little article to help out our friends who are considering cracking into the auto detailing business. Often times people start up on very strict budgets, so I wanted to create as basic guideline for a $500 startup. In this article I assume you have a vehicle, know how to perform basic detailing tasks, and are willing to start from the ground up to build a detailing business.

This guideline is based off the idea of a mobile service. The reason for a mobile service is this:

1. A mobile service can look legitimate without spending a lot of money. As long as your personal vehicle is clean and in reasonably good condition, people do not have to know that you are just starting out in the business.
2. A mobile service has very little startup costs compared to a set location. If you have a home based location such as a garage or pole barn you can detail out of, you can acclimate this guide to that type of set up as well. The assumption with this however, is that it will cost you no money in addition to what I mention to start detailing out of this location.
3. A mobile service meets the convenience and needs of your prospective customers, and often times can be the auto detailing niche that does not exist in a lot of areas.

So that being said, here goes. I will try and break up the different sections by cost and category.

Business materials and legal matters. Total Cost - $100

1. Business marketing materials. Go to www.vistaprint.com and you can get 250 business cards for no charge, just pay shipping. There are automotive templates you can choose from. If you catch them at the right time you can get rack cards, brochures, and other misc. basic and simple marketing materials for free. Remember, we are just starting up here and are not going to have the money for a fantastic logo, or expensive print materials. The basic stuff is good enough to get you going. Make sure to put your name, contact information, and that you are offering detailing services. It really does not have to be more than that. Total Cost - $20 (shipping and handling)

2. A website. There are many free website builders and hosting companies out there. You are just getting started, so don’t need your own domain name. You can send traffic to your website even without a domain name. Also, consider just making a free blog and using that as your business page. It is easy to create, easy to design, and search engine friendly. Total Cost - $0

3. A business license. In the state of IL where I live you do not even need a DBA (doing business as name) or any sort of registration if you are just going to operate under your own name or your business name has your full name in it (such as Auto Detailing by Mark Barger). Many states however do require registration or a license to do business. I’m going to generalize here and put a number on it. This is one of the few items I will be talking about that will vary in cost. Total estimated cost - $50

4. “How to start a home based auto detailing business” by Renny Doyle. This is a fantastic book that will get you started with great ideas and a general framework for a detailing business. This is a must read, and something you should learn and study BEFORE you start your business and actually detail for money. Total Cost $30 (you might find this cheaper on amazon.com used)

So to conclude materials and legal matters, you’ve got your basic print materials, website, and business license. You can also print basic flyers from your very own computer or printer or go to a local library and print them from the computers there for a very small fee (I’m talking just a few dollars). They don’t have to be super fancy, just start out with a couple of basic packages with pricing. These are sufficient to hang up at local billboards, hand out to your friends, family and neighbors, or hand out a local social events. This is guerilla marketing! Cheap, smart, and efficient. Many grass roots business have started this way; don’t be afraid to go this route yourself.

Auto Detailing Equipment & Supplies Total Cost - $398.93

Ok, I want to start out with this by saying that this is a budget start up guide, and that you are going to buy enough product and supplies to get you started with a general framework. You can always upgrade your supplies and equipment after you start making some money. I generally only buy detailing products in bulk (1 gallon or more when available), but for the premise of this guide we will be purchasing smaller quantities. Most of these products can be purchased from Autogeek, and if you can catch a 15% off and free shipping deal it will save you even more money.

Optimum No Rinse with Wax, 32 oz. $19.99

Great overall product that has many uses. Rinseless wash, clay lubricant, quick detailer, even a great glass cleaner. Why buy many products when one will do?

Optimum Car Wash, 32. Oz. $11.99

Sometimes a rinseless wash will not do. This is a great car wash that will wash many vehicles.

Two five gallon buckets from your local hardware store. $10

I think buckets with your favorite detailing brands logo on it are cool looking, but let’s face it. You are on a budget here, and I have never had a client come up to me and say “You don’t have Pinnacle on your wash buckets?! Get off my property!”

Grit Guard $10

Two is better, one is just fine. The odds starting out that you are going to run into completely flawless paint that will require the most delicate touch is very fleeting. Be careful with one grit guard, you will be fine.

Microfiber wash mitt $8

Some people like other stuff, microfiber works fine for me when washing. If you are doing rinseless washes look up the Gary Dean method, you don’t even need a traditional wash mitt.

Ridgid 2.5 HP 3 Gallon shop vac. $30

Home depot constantly has this small, powerful, and portable vacuum on sale for less than $30. It comes with a crevice tool and brush, which will cover almost any job you will need a shop vac for. You will want to upgrade to a bigger vacuum pretty quick, but this will do the job for you just fine to start out.

ProForce microfiber towels, three 24 packs. $12 for each pack, $36 total

These microfiber towels are sold at Sam’s Club, and for .50 cents each, are impossible to beat. I have used them for years with no issues. Recommend buying two packs of one color to use for rinseless washes, drying, and paint, and another pack of another color to use for interiors. This way you are sure to not sure your interior towels on exterior surfaces.

Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner Plus, 1 gallon. $15.99

This should be a go to product for you. It can be used to clean interiors, carpets, engines, wheels, tires, wheel wells, and many other things. It is highly dilutable and will go a long way.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Paste Wax. $18 at Wal-Mart.

Some people might disagree with me on this one, but hear me out. This product is EXTREMELY sun friendly, goes on easy, comes off easy, will not stain trim, and will last for months. Sounds like a good product for a beginning detailer. This is a polymer sealant and one tin will go a LONG way. If you have some other LSP you prefer, this is fine to switch it up, but remember you are going to be mobile service and it needs to be sun friendly.

Nano-Skin Speedy Prep Sponge, Medium Grade. $12.99

Remember how I said we are on a budget here? What is worse than buying $15 worth of clay and having to throw it away because you dropped it? The Speedy Prep sponge is cheap, easy to use, and will decontaminate a vehicle quickly. You are mostly going to be dealing with vehicles to begin with that have NEVER been clayed, so the medium grade will just make your work quicker.

Clay bar lubricant. $0

Remember the Optimum No Rinse with Wax we bought? It just saved you some money here.

Glass cleaner. $0

See above!

Misc. Brushes. $30

Interior upholstery brush, vent brush, wheel well brush, and tire brush. You will need at least one of each of these. They are not expensive, but they are essential.

5 inch dual action polisher backing plate, $17

You will need this for the polisher you are about to buy! See below. The Lake Country backing plate is the brand I recommend.

Harbor Freight Dual Action Polisher $49, plus $9 shipping, $58 total.

This is actually a very high quality, powerful DA polisher that will get you started in the polishing world. The backing plate it comes with is garbage however, which is why we need to buy a replacement

6 pack Lake Country CCS polishing pads, 5 inch. $34.99

This might cause some disagreement also, but here me out. These pads are affordable, work well, are durable, and are very new polisher user friendly. I recommend 2 orange, 2 white, and 2 green. You are not going to be doing many full corrections to start out so this should get you started with one step polish jobs and some two steps.

Meguiar’s M205 Polish, 32 oz. $27.99

There are a lot of good polishes out there, but this is just a standard that will give you consistently good results despite lack of experience. It will also cut at varying levels depending on what type of pad you use, which is why I left out a compound.

Meguiar’s Hyper Dressing, 1 gallon. $37.99

This fantastic product can be diluted for a multitude of uses, from engine dressing, wheel wells, tires, and even interiors.

Five generic spray bottles, $2 each, $10 total

Cheap spray bottles will break. It’s a fact of life, but expensive ones break also, and you don’t have much money. Get some general use spray bottles and upgrade to some nicer ones later. Remember, after your first couple of details you can upgrade some of your equipment such as spray bottles to a higher quality product.

Two Rubbermaid containers with lids, $10

You need something to put all of your products in! You can keep anything in a couple of generic Rubbermaid containers. Remember we are looking for effective not fancy here, you can upgrade to the detailers bag, trunk organizer, Husky tool box, and trailer or van later. You just need something to put your supplies in and keep them organized.

Conclusion

Well there you have it folks, for a grand total of $498.93 you have all of the basics needed to start a very simple mobile detailing operation. Now I realize that there are things left out, such as liability and garage keepers insurance, pressure washer, air compressor, etc., but there are things that you should have but do not need to have. There also might be some variance in the amount due to whether or not you can catch sales, talk people down, and take advantage of discounts. Every penny counts and you should act that way, be aggressive in watching your money.

About Me

I’m Mark Barger, owner of Visual Pro Detailing out of good old Southern Illinois. I am not the most seasoned, experience, and professional detailer and businessman in the world, but I would also like to think that I have seen a lot, have a successful business, and have some knowledge to offer others. I have learned much of what I know about detailing and the detailing business from the online detailing forums and other professional detailers, and I feel it my responsibility to give back and help out the next generation of guys and gals that are interested in this business.

If you disagree with my list, disagree with the products, the money needed, etc. that is fine. I’m not trying to build the “perfect” setup here, but trying to give those new to the detailing business a general framework to help get them started. If you have any questions or comments you want to direct to me personally, feel free to private message me or e-mail me at mark@visualprodetailing.com.

I hope you enjoyed the article!

[EddieF]

Great write up. What about insurance?

[VP Mark]

Covered insurance under conclusion. Thanks!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online

[T3 AutoDetails]

Great thread. Should be a sticky. Anyone that's been around AGO for a few months or more has always seen the " I think i'm going to start a detailing business" than inside they ask everything you just covered like what should I buy. Great read thanks again.

[Kyle@PrecisionPolish]

Great write-up. I was unaware of the free vista print offers. Good to know.

[JonFD]

In Lake, Cook and McHenry County up here way north by Chicago, you have to have a DBA account/business license and assume ownership of company name. $65 for name, which includes running it in the paper for 3 weeks. $250 for business license in my county.

Even so, a very informative write-up! Thanks!

[mwoolfso]

Good article. I like the Paste Wax argument justifying why you selected Megs Ultimate. That shows thoughtfulness to your craft and a value statement to your customer base.

[charleyh2]

The $500 Detail Business Startup

I wanted to write a little article to help out our friends who are considering cracking into the auto detailing business. Often times people start up on very strict budgets, so I wanted to create as basic guideline for a $500 startup. In this article I assume you have a vehicle, know how to perform basic detailing tasks, and are willing to start from the ground up to build a detailing business.

This guideline is based off the idea of a mobile service. The reason for a mobile service is this:

1. A mobile service can look legitimate without spending a lot of money. As long as your personal vehicle is clean and in reasonably good condition, people do not have to know that you are just starting out in the business.
2. A mobile service has very little startup costs compared to a set location. If you have a home based location such as a garage or pole barn you can detail out of, you can acclimate this guide to that type of set up as well. The assumption with this however, is that it will cost you no money in addition to what I mention to start detailing out of this location.
3. A mobile service meets the convenience and needs of your prospective customers, and often times can be the auto detailing niche that does not exist in a lot of areas.

So that being said, here goes. I will try and break up the different sections by cost and category.

Business materials and legal matters. Total Cost - $100

1. Business marketing materials. Go to www.vistaprint.com and you can get 250 business cards for no charge, just pay shipping. There are automotive templates you can choose from. If you catch them at the right time you can get rack cards, brochures, and other misc. basic and simple marketing materials for free. Remember, we are just starting up here and are not going to have the money for a fantastic logo, or expensive print materials. The basic stuff is good enough to get you going. Make sure to put your name, contact information, and that you are offering detailing services. It really does not have to be more than that. Total Cost - $20 (shipping and handling)

2. A website. There are many free website builders and hosting companies out there. You are just getting started, so don’t need your own domain name. You can send traffic to your website even without a domain name. Also, consider just making a free blog and using that as your business page. It is easy to create, easy to design, and search engine friendly. Total Cost - $0

3. A business license. In the state of IL where I live you do not even need a DBA (doing business as name) or any sort of registration if you are just going to operate under your own name or your business name has your full name in it (such as Auto Detailing by Mark Barger). Many states however do require registration or a license to do business. I’m going to generalize here and put a number on it. This is one of the few items I will be talking about that will vary in cost. Total estimated cost - $50

4. “How to start a home based auto detailing business” by Renny Doyle. This is a fantastic book that will get you started with great ideas and a general framework for a detailing business. This is a must read, and something you should learn and study BEFORE you start your business and actually detail for money. Total Cost $30 (you might find this cheaper on amazon.com used)

So to conclude materials and legal matters, you’ve got your basic print materials, website, and business license. You can also print basic flyers from your very own computer or printer or go to a local library and print them from the computers there for a very small fee (I’m talking just a few dollars). They don’t have to be super fancy, just start out with a couple of basic packages with pricing. These are sufficient to hang up at local billboards, hand out to your friends, family and neighbors, or hand out a local social events. This is guerilla marketing! Cheap, smart, and efficient. Many grass roots business have started this way; don’t be afraid to go this route yourself.

Auto Detailing Equipment & Supplies Total Cost - $398.93

Ok, I want to start out with this by saying that this is a budget start up guide, and that you are going to buy enough product and supplies to get you started with a general framework. You can always upgrade your supplies and equipment after you start making some money. I generally only buy detailing products in bulk (1 gallon or more when available), but for the premise of this guide we will be purchasing smaller quantities. Most of these products can be purchased from Autogeek, and if you can catch a 15% off and free shipping deal it will save you even more money.

Optimum No Rinse with Wax, 32 oz. $19.99

Great overall product that has many uses. Rinseless wash, clay lubricant, quick detailer, even a great glass cleaner. Why buy many products when one will do?

Optimum Car Wash, 32. Oz. $11.99

Sometimes a rinseless wash will not do. This is a great car wash that will wash many vehicles.

Two five gallon buckets from your local hardware store. $10

I think buckets with your favorite detailing brands logo on it are cool looking, but let’s face it. You are on a budget here, and I have never had a client come up to me and say “You don’t have Pinnacle on your wash buckets?! Get off my property!”

Grit Guard $10

Two is better, one is just fine. The odds starting out that you are going to run into completely flawless paint that will require the most delicate touch is very fleeting. Be careful with one grit guard, you will be fine.

Microfiber wash mitt $8

Some people like other stuff, microfiber works fine for me when washing. If you are doing rinseless washes look up the Gary Dean method, you don’t even need a traditional wash mitt.

Ridgid 2.5 HP 3 Gallon shop vac. $30

Home depot constantly has this small, powerful, and portable vacuum on sale for less than $30. It comes with a crevice tool and brush, which will cover almost any job you will need a shop vac for. You will want to upgrade to a bigger vacuum pretty quick, but this will do the job for you just fine to start out.

ProForce microfiber towels, three 24 packs. $12 for each pack, $36 total

These microfiber towels are sold at Sam’s Club, and for .50 cents each, are impossible to beat. I have used them for years with no issues. Recommend buying two packs of one color to use for rinseless washes, drying, and paint, and another pack of another color to use for interiors. This way you are sure to not sure your interior towels on exterior surfaces.

Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner Plus, 1 gallon. $15.99

This should be a go to product for you. It can be used to clean interiors, carpets, engines, wheels, tires, wheel wells, and many other things. It is highly dilutable and will go a long way.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Paste Wax. $18 at Wal-Mart.

Some people might disagree with me on this one, but hear me out. This product is EXTREMELY sun friendly, goes on easy, comes off easy, will not stain trim, and will last for months. Sounds like a good product for a beginning detailer. This is a polymer sealant and one tin will go a LONG way. If you have some other LSP you prefer, this is fine to switch it up, but remember you are going to be mobile service and it needs to be sun friendly.

Nano-Skin Speedy Prep Sponge, Medium Grade. $12.99

Remember how I said we are on a budget here? What is worse than buying $15 worth of clay and having to throw it away because you dropped it? The Speedy Prep sponge is cheap, easy to use, and will decontaminate a vehicle quickly. You are mostly going to be dealing with vehicles to begin with that have NEVER been clayed, so the medium grade will just make your work quicker.

Clay bar lubricant. $0

Remember the Optimum No Rinse with Wax we bought? It just saved you some money here.

Glass cleaner. $0

See above!

Misc. Brushes. $30

Interior upholstery brush, vent brush, wheel well brush, and tire brush. You will need at least one of each of these. They are not expensive, but they are essential.

5 inch dual action polisher backing plate, $17

You will need this for the polisher you are about to buy! See below. The Lake Country backing plate is the brand I recommend.

Harbor Freight Dual Action Polisher $49, plus $9 shipping, $58 total.

This is actually a very high quality, powerful DA polisher that will get you started in the polishing world. The backing plate it comes with is garbage however, which is why we need to buy a replacement

6 pack Lake Country CCS polishing pads, 5 inch. $34.99

This might cause some disagreement also, but here me out. These pads are affordable, work well, are durable, and are very new polisher user friendly. I recommend 2 orange, 2 white, and 2 green. You are not going to be doing many full corrections to start out so this should get you started with one step polish jobs and some two steps.

Meguiar’s M205 Polish, 32 oz. $27.99

There are a lot of good polishes out there, but this is just a standard that will give you consistently good results despite lack of experience. It will also cut at varying levels depending on what type of pad you use, which is why I left out a compound.

Meguiar’s Hyper Dressing, 1 gallon. $37.99

This fantastic product can be diluted for a multitude of uses, from engine dressing, wheel wells, tires, and even interiors.

Five generic spray bottles, $2 each, $10 total

Cheap spray bottles will break. It’s a fact of life, but expensive ones break also, and you don’t have much money. Get some general use spray bottles and upgrade to some nicer ones later. Remember, after your first couple of details you can upgrade some of your equipment such as spray bottles to a higher quality product.

Two Rubbermaid containers with lids, $10

You need something to put all of your products in! You can keep anything in a couple of generic Rubbermaid containers. Remember we are looking for effective not fancy here, you can upgrade to the detailers bag, trunk organizer, Husky tool box, and trailer or van later. You just need something to put your supplies in and keep them organized.

Conclusion

Well there you have it folks, for a grand total of $498.93 you have all of the basics needed to start a very simple mobile detailing operation. Now I realize that there are things left out, such as liability and garage keepers insurance, pressure washer, air compressor, etc., but there are things that you should have but do not need to have. There also might be some variance in the amount due to whether or not you can catch sales, talk people down, and take advantage of discounts. Every penny counts and you should act that way, be aggressive in watching your money.

About Me

I’m Mark Barger, owner of Visual Pro Detailing out of good old Southern Illinois. I am not the most seasoned, experience, and professional detailer and businessman in the world, but I would also like to think that I have seen a lot, have a successful business, and have some knowledge to offer others. I have learned much of what I know about detailing and the detailing business from the online detailing forums and other professional detailers, and I feel it my responsibility to give back and help out the next generation of guys and gals that are interested in this business.

If you disagree with my list, disagree with the products, the money needed, etc. that is fine. I’m not trying to build the “perfect” setup here, but trying to give those new to the detailing business a general framework to help get them started. If you have any questions or comments you want to direct to me personally, feel free to private message me or e-mail me at mark@visualprodetailing.com.

I hope you enjoyed the article!

Thanks for a great post Mark. I am pursuing my own detailing business after many years in a career that left me unfulfilled. Your post has proved helpful in making sure I get there.

[Evan.J]

Mark, Fantastic write up just fantastic. I agree this should be a sticky!

[Detailing by M]

pretty much how I got started.
Thanks for the write up. It should help all the noobs who come here and ask what they need to get started.
I would ad, work for some detailers in your area to get a feel of your completion and learning the day to day operations of running a detailing operation. I was lucky and worked with Superior Shine and learned everything I needed to know and got paid for it too!