Can your business run without you being there?

[Cosmin]

Brandon I dont care to do what i see most detailers do $400 on a lambo spend 20 hours wow u just made $20 a hour big deal....I want production work in Parking garages wash/wax in out catering to 98% of the population

mmm you can still tune your service and make 100$ an hour , i can get a 2 step correction on black porsche in 2.3- 3h hours and charge $450 with one helper. i do what`s essential and i deliver results. and that`s exterior only, i don`t even open the doors. so rise your prices , sell quality and you make your 100/h easy....with low overhead.

to me dealing with 98% of population is just asking for trouble.
i am not sure how long you been in detailing business, but having an mom minivan or a beat up truck every day , sounds trouble.

to answer your questions , if you business is setup right and you have the right trained people , you should be able to run it without you , but you still gonna pay , if you are not involved in marketing , quality control, people management , accounting , customer service , etc , you have to pay professional people to do it for you. i see it possible.

[dlc95]

It all depends. The great operators of any endeavor want to attend to their operation. You might be better of buying a strip mall, and leas out the spaces, or a quarter car wash, and hire someone to perform maintenance. There are better ways to make money without actually working.

The man I work for is filthy rich, multi millionaire. He owns three properties with automatic car washes on them. He leases two of them out, and operates the one where I work. In 2009 he retired from Ford, where he was in upper management. He did the absentee owner thing from 1996 until 2008. In 2004 he built one of his operations, and in 2008 he bought the third location.

It is possible, but, BUT. Those shops were a mess. Drunk, high, unprofessional employees, really talented manager, who let people get away with too much. After his 40 hour work week, he'd work weekends at his washes, where he'd observe things, and make necessary adjustments. Once he retired from Ford, he was and still visits is daily, where he briefs us, and inspects every nuance to ensure the operation is running to his specifications.

After he leased out the location he bought in 2008, he concentrated on his original was, the one his Father owned before he bought it... Revenue per car increased, our tips increased, and after many construction setbacks, volume is increasing.... The man is incredible. I believe it's a combination of his intelligence, dedication, energy level, and persona that attributes to his success. If he leases me this wash, he will be getting three BIG checks a month, that in total, easily cover my annual income.

You have to work to get established. You have to show your staff how you want things done. It would take so much money to make an attempt to pay a manager to care, that he could be making more than you. This applies to almost any service oriented business. Possible? Absolutely. Worth it? Maybe.