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Jeff Wagner
09-03-2015, 05:29 AM
My name is Jeff Wagner and i wanted to share my Autogeek boot camp success story.

I played professional golf in my 20's then continued to work in the golf business until last year. I am 45 years old now and its one year into my career change.

I signed up for the boot camp in may of 2014. I am proud to say Mike Phillips and Nick Rutter is how i learned to detail. This is one of the best decisions i have made in my life.

I showed up to the boot camp in my flip flops like i was on vacation and Mike worked our butts off to make sure we learned everything we could. I didn't even know what a PC was but that would soon change.

The class was exactly what i needed. We started from the beginning washing the car. Wheels first then the two bucket wash method and iron-x. Still to this day my clients are amazed just like i was when the 2 bucket wash method is explained to them.

Then we go inside to the show car garage and he hands us all sandwich bags. I am thinking what in the world but this was no gimmick. The paint feels clean with a bare hand and with the sandwich bag on my hand the paint felt like sandpaper.

Nano Skin was our way to clay and now i have a piece of rubber sewn onto a towel in my hands LOL. It worked like a magic trick making the paint feel smooth as glass. The car was ready to be worked on with a machine now.

I got to use every buffer on the market. I even ended up wet sanding a 1963 Chevy Impala and bringing a 1939 Red Chevy Coupe back from needing a new paint job. It was great learning the dedicated products, tools, and techniques for everything. I made a few friends in class that i still keep in touch with today.

I told Mike that i worked at a private golf course and all the members there were waiting for me to get back. When i got back i had to sell my beloved black C6 Z51 Corvette and buy a truck to pull a utility trailer with. I searched all over and then when i saw it i knew what i wanted. I drove from Tampa to Miami and got a Hummer H2 SUT with 24" chrome wheels.

Then it was a 6x12 enclosed utility trailer, pressure washer, generator, air compressor, and a 100 gallon water tank. Nick Rutter helped me with my huge first order. I got my business license, insurance, and LLC. Picked a name Artistry Auto Detailing and put some advertising on the trailer.

My first car is a 2015 Bentley Flying Spur :-) I still take care of this car and two others for this client every other week. My work has helped me pick up a couple of his friends and so on. I have not had to advertised at all. I pick up new clients all the time with word of mouth.

I built a website and made a FB business page for people to see what i do. I really didn't want to sell my Vette but the Hummer H2 has been great for business. People call me driving down the road and wait for me in parking lots of stores.

I go the extra mile to make sure everyone is happy and now i have great reviews on my feedback.

I have an amazing portfolio for my first year.

Rolls Royce Wraith
McLaren 650 S
Bentley Flying Spurs
Bentley GT
Maserati
Porsche GT3
Audi R8
C7 Z06's
Tesla's

and many more awesome cars.

I have done semi-permanent paint coatings on most of these cars listed. Paint corrections and ceramic paint coatings are my go to package. There is no one in my area doing this type of work with the exception of a couple guys about an hour away in Tampa.

My prices have gone up but still not where i should be.

I have my garage set up with race deck flooring, a/c, and a crazy amount of lights. I have re-invested what i can when i can. The dionized CR spotless water system was a good decision. A Porter Cable, Griot's 3", Two Flex 3401's, and a Flex PE 14 round-out my buffers for now.

The Tornador Black and White, Master Blaster Side Kick, and the Foam Cannon are a few of my favorite fun tools.

I have gone to Mobile tech Expo in Orlando, Detail Fest, and have taken the 1st Boat Detailing Class Autogeek offered.

I am doing better work than guys who have been doing it wrong for 20 years and not keeping up with technology. I am also fixing work from those guys and the ones with no education or a passion for success.

This post is to say thank you Mike and Nick. Also to motivate anyone starting a business. Take the boot camp class, buy quality products, and work really hard. It can be done and I am proof.

Here are a few pics and some links to my business pages. Hope everyone has a great day!

:dblthumb2:

Mantilgh
09-03-2015, 05:45 AM
Congratulations. Awesome to here your path to success started here at Autogeek! :dblthumb2:

FrankS
09-03-2015, 06:19 AM
Keep up the good work Jeff! :dblthumb2:

whavens
09-03-2015, 06:23 AM
Congratulations, the Boot Camp was a blast. I attended the July 2015 Boot Camp and am in the process of getting my business off the ground. I will be working with Nick to get my big order put together shortly.

Great to hear that your business has taken off like it has. Maybe I'll see you at Detail Fest next year.

Walter

:buffing:

Mike@DedicatedPerfection
09-03-2015, 06:43 AM
That is awesome Jeff!!! Congratulations.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Nick McKees37
09-03-2015, 06:47 AM
I never get tired of hearing about your continued success with your new detailing business Jeff. I always look out for your posts on Facebook and it's apparent that you are a hard working guy that is set on succeeding. Your attitude is always positive and that itself plays a huge role in your success.

Keep up the great work. :dblthumb2:

Mike Phillips
09-03-2015, 07:33 AM
Hi Jeff,

More than anything else, I love hearing success stories, especially from our alumni students! One thing for sure... you definitely have a passion for perfection and it shows in everything you do.






I showed up to the boot camp in my flip flops like i was on vacation and Mike worked our butts off to make sure we learned everything we could. I didn't even know what a PC was but that would soon change.



Ha ha... that was funny. Now days I send out an e-mail to everyone attending the upcoming class with a strong suggestion to wear clothes and shoes appropriate for detailing! No flip-flops and for the ladies... no high heels!

And "yes" I'm very proud to say that our classes are about 90 percent hands-on training with very little time to sit around. That's because I know people learn best by doing... not sitting.



The class was exactly what i needed. We started from the beginning washing the car. Wheels first then the two bucket wash method and iron-x. Still to this day my clients are amazed just like i was when the 2 bucket wash method is explained to them.

Then we go inside to the show car garage and he hands us all sandwich bags. I am thinking what in the world but this was no gimmick. The paint feels clean with a bare hand and with the sandwich bag on my hand the paint felt like sandpaper.

Nano Skin was our way to clay and now i have a piece of rubber sewn onto a towel in my hands LOL. It worked like a magic trick making the paint feel smooth as glass. The car was ready to be worked on with a machine now.

I got to use every buffer on the market. I even ended up wet sanding a 1963 Chevy Impala and bringing a 1939 Red Chevy Coupe back from needing a new paint job. It was great learning the dedicated products, tools, and techniques for everything. I made a few friends in class that i still keep in touch with today.

I told Mike that i worked at a private golf course and all the members there were waiting for me to get back. When i got back i had to sell my beloved black C6 Z51 Corvette and buy a truck to pull a utility trailer with. I searched all over and then when i saw it i knew what i wanted. I drove from Tampa to Miami and got a Hummer H2 SUT with 24" chrome wheels.

Then it was a 6x12 enclosed utility trailer, pressure washer, generator, air compressor, and a 100 gallon water tank. Nick Rutter helped me with my huge first order. I got my business license, insurance, and LLC. Picked a name Artistry Auto Detailing and put some advertising on the trailer.

My first car is a 2015 Bentley Flying Spur :-) I still take care of this car and two others for this client every other week. My work has helped me pick up a couple of his friends and so on. I have not had to advertised at all. I pick up new clients all the time with word of mouth.

I built a website and made a FB business page for people to see what i do. I really didn't want to sell my Vette but the Hummer H2 has been great for business. People call me driving down the road and wait for me in parking lots of stores.

I go the extra mile to make sure everyone is happy and now i have great reviews on my feedback.





I have an amazing portfolio for my first year.

Rolls Royce Wraith
McLaren 650 S
Bentley Flying Spurs
Bentley GT
Maserati
Porsche GT3
Audi R8
C7 Z06's
Tesla's

and many more awesome cars.



That's impressive! And in your area you are now considered THE expert!

While there's nothing wrong with detailing daily drivers, most of us would prefer to work on cool cars like you listed above. Congratulation for carving out the affluent market in your area. The good news is your success is just starting!





My prices have gone up but still not where i should be.



And this is one of the things I teach in my classes, that is how to get your prices up so you're earning what your worth and that all starts with you educating yourself so you can in turn educate your customer and then doing what I teach at the class and that's

The art of Cherry Picking





I have gone to Mobile tech Expo in Orlando, Detail Fest, and have taken the 1st Boat Detailing Class Autogeek offered.



That was fun and the 26' Regulator came out great!

http://www.marine31online.com/gallery/data/531/Marine_31_Boat_Detailing_Class_020.jpg






I am doing better work than guys who have been doing it wrong for 20 years and not keeping up with technology.



By taking our class you gained more knowledge and skills in 3 days to leave those guys in the dust.





I am also fixing work from those guys and the ones with no education or a passion for success.



This is a constant stream on income for you... fixing other guys work. :D





This post is to say thank you Mike and Nick. Also to motivate anyone starting a business. Take the boot camp class, buy quality products, and work really hard. It can be done and I am proof.




Thanks for sharing Jeff and looking forward to seeing you again!


:dblthumb2:

Meghan
09-03-2015, 07:39 AM
Jeff you are an awesome guy and deserve all the success!

Hoytman
09-03-2015, 07:56 AM
Awesome! Wish the pictures were larger.

Jeff Wagner
09-04-2015, 05:40 AM
Congratulations. Awesome to here your path to success started here at Autogeek! :dblthumb2:

Ty I cant think of a better place to get started :xyxthumbs:


Keep up the good work Jeff! :dblthumb2:

Ty Frank you do some great work yourself and i wish i could join the thursday night projects with you guys.


Congratulations, the Boot Camp was a blast. I attended the July 2015 Boot Camp and am in the process of getting my business off the ground. I will be working with Nick to get my big order put together shortly.

Great to hear that your business has taken off like it has. Maybe I'll see you at Detail Fest next year.

Walter

:buffing:

Ty Walter and sounds like you are on the same path. Nick will become invaluable to your business. He has lots of knowledge and is a great guy always willing to help. I will be at Detailfest for sure see you there Walter :xyxthumbs:


That is awesome Jeff!!! Congratulations.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Ty Mike as always one of the nicest guys in the forums. I see you helping people all the time. :xyxthumbs:


I never get tired of hearing about your continued success with your new detailing business Jeff. I always look out for your posts on Facebook and it's apparent that you are a hard working guy that is set on succeeding. Your attitude is always positive and that itself plays a huge role in your success.

Keep up the great work. :dblthumb2:

Ty Nick you are like a secret weapon continuing to help my business get better and better. I either have a passion for success or i am nuts lol. The ford edge with back to back 16hr days was a marathon detail. Then the Tesla in at 9am and returned at 1pm the next day with no sleep was crazy. I appreciate everything you always do Nick. I know you are helping alot of people and always find time to make sure i have what i need. Even the comments, likes, and shares help boost confidence. :dblthumb2:


Jeff you are an awesome guy and deserve all the success!

Ty Meghan you are so sweet and you are awesome for saying that. I feel like part of the family and i try to do the same with my business. I am gonna want a big hug from you next time i see you :dblthumb2:


Awesome! Wish the pictures were larger.

Ty and the pics will get a little bigger if you click on them. I have over a thousand before and after pics on my FB page. Click my links under the pics to see my FB page and the other one is my .com website. I have never built a website before either and i have no computer skills. The 800 go daddy customer service got dozens of phone calls from me asking for help.





Ty Mike..It doesnt get much better than having you say something positive. The boot camp was an excellent opportunity to learn everything the right way. It has allowed me to be totally comfortable working on any high end, exotic, or classic car. The boat class was fun and i did really nice boat about a month after class. I have become friends with some of the best detailers in the world and got some really cool pics with celebrities at detail fest. I am enjoying the ride and looking forward to trying some new business ideas in the near future. :dblthumb2:

EWtheDETAILER
09-04-2015, 07:12 AM
Nice write up and congrats on the success of your journey into the detailing world!

Hoytman
09-04-2015, 07:26 AM
Ty and the pics will get a little bigger if you click on them.

I'm aware of that, and it worked on my old computer, but for some reason when I click on them the box pops up like they're going to load but they never do.

DeansDetailing
09-04-2015, 11:10 AM
That was totally awesome to read! Congrats on your success!

High Caliber
09-04-2015, 11:25 AM
Congrats Jeff! Reading stories like yours shows that it can be done with top quality work and dedication. I also attended boot camp and am starting in the same direction.

Wish you continued success!

:props:

refreshauto
09-04-2015, 11:44 AM
Congrats classmate. You guys are doing great work. Keep it up. I will see you guys soon when im back in FL.

Mike and Nick are the best. They always take time out of there day to answer questions for me. You are right about Nick being a secret weapon.