VERY new and need suggestions!

[cmusser1]

Hi-
Hopefully I'm posting this in the right place. I'm a mid 30's woman who thought I knew a little about auto detailing until I started reading some of your posts. I've done my own auto detailing for the past several years and normally get comments on my finished product. I own a restaurant as my full time job, but my commercial building (a former Western Auto) has a 1000 sq ft garage that would be perfect for an auto detailing business.

I live in a town w/ approx. 3,000 people with only a very poor manual car wash. Is it feasible for me to think I could hire a couple of people for this venture and make any money? Any suggestions on where to begin? Any and all comments/advice are greatly appreciated!

[ScottB]

like any business, a good business plan and research is a must. Training will also be another need, as you cannot/wont be doing all the work. Insurance could be another issue, especially if entrusting others to do the work for you and your entity.

Luckily the competition piece works in your favor, and pricing for equipment should be reasonable considering most other businesses needing a huge outlay first. Do you want to offer low cost wash and wax services only, or correction and polishing/wetsanding abilities. Lots of things to consider and remember a hobby is often fun and can be done when/where the mood strikes, but a job can become tedious and time is no longer yours to control alone.

I would start small, often with friends and family and ask for referrals. Increase price as skills increase and you then can control the obstaces at first. Best of luck ...

[Showroom Shine]

As always Killrwheels has some good advice. Take your time and learn the business. Nothing beats hands on experience. Remember you have one successful business. You can apply some of the same principles,but the types of businesses are different. Pleasing the client is a main point to me. I try to give my client the service they want, make suggestions about what they need, and educate about steps ,processes, etc. Come to an agreeable price for the service. If they're pleased they will come back and refere you.
Word of mouth is good free advertising.
Keep us up dated on your decision.

like any business, a good business plan and research is a must. Training will also be another need, as you cannot/wont be doing all the work. Insurance could be another issue, especially if entrusting others to do the work for you and your entity.

Luckily the competition piece works in your favor, and pricing for equipment should be reasonable considering most other businesses needing a huge outlay first. Do you want to offer low cost wash and wax services only, or correction and polishing/wetsanding abilities. Lots of things to consider and remember a hobby is often fun and can be done when/where the mood strikes, but a job can become tedious and time is no longer yours to control alone.

I would start small, often with friends and family and ask for referrals. Increase price as skills increase and you then can control the obstaces at first. Best of luck ...