Naylor649

I stick with thr straight car shampoo. Tons of suds and super duper slick. Thr ultra foam I didn’t notice a difference. Not a fan of shampoos with the wax in it. Seems not as slick as the original formula. 

I stick with thr straight car shampoo. Tons of suds and super duper slick. Thr ultra foam I didn’t notice a difference. Not a fan of shampoos with the wax in it. Seems not as slick as the original formula. 

As we’ve been talking about hosting our first clinic, it got me thinking about all aspects of detailing and business ownership. I frequently see people here who are thinking of opening their own business and it inspired me to share some thoughts and lessons from our first official year in business. 
 
First though, a little back history. I believe to understand where you’re going, you need to understand where you’ve been. So to understand Detailed Reflections and our story, the history becomes important. 
 
I have a successful career as a firefighter/paramedic. Detailing for me has never been the way to “pay the bills.” What my career provided for me though was a means to explore something that I’d always wanted to do with minimal risk...owning a business. 
 
Like many, I started detailing my own cars. Once friends found out that I did that, and could do it well they started asking for “help” detailing their cars. In other words, they asked me to detail their cars. As I went along, I learned all the time. Suddenly I found myself finally feeling confident I could do this and charge money for it. Not to mention, I got tired of giving away time frequently. Like many, I have a family and activities I enjoy.
 
Next thing I knew, I was collecting cash for detailing cars here and there. I realized how much time and money I kept reinvesting. New product, tools, etc. At that point the idea was hatched that I would go out on a limb and open my own business.
 
I’ve use the “I” a lot so far, and there’s a reason for that. When I talked to my wife about opening a business, she suggested I partner with the husband of someone she works with. He was working as a detailer at a small shop that did production detailing. Think more car wash than true detailing.
 
I was a little apprehensive about bringing someone else into the mix. Little did I know it would be one of the best things I could do and the strength of a friendship born through a common interest and business venture. After some conversation over dinner, “I” became “we.” He didn’t have the financial means to invest in everything needed to take on business ownership, but he brought an incredible work ethic with him and has grown tremendously in our time working together. I still hold ownership (for now) but he’s every bit of a partner a business owner could ask for. 
 
This was lesson one. Don’t be afraid to take a chance. It might not work, but it just might lead to the best decision you’ve ever made. To watch Marquis grow in his craft has made it worthwhile. His knowledge of the business side is growing and his worth ethic is among the best I’ve seen.
 
Now that we had a legal LLC, it became a game of constantly navigating new tasks. Paying sales tax, tracking EVERY expense, scheduling, acquiring clients, ordering product, shopping for price. The list goes on. 
 
Which brings us to lesson two. Track EVERYTHING. Literally, save every receipt. Track mileage. Be diligent in recording expenses. You want to know where every dollar is going. You’re not spending, you’re investing. Most of the money we take in goes back to the business. Advertising, product, etc. You also want to know if you’re profitable. 
 
Lesson three...it takes time to be profitable. You’re going to make ordering mistakes. You’re going to need to grow your equipment to set yourself apart. You’ll need to try different products to see what you like and what you don’t like. You need to set yourself apart from the competition. 
 
Lesson four...don’t sell on price. You can easily get sucked into a low cost bidding war. Some people will walk because they can “get it cheaper elsewhere.” Let them go. The price customer isn’t likely to become a client, and they usually expect the most for the least. If you don’t value your time, product and knowledge who else will?  That being said, don’t gouge people because you can. It’s poor practice and will bite you. 
 
Lesson five...clients and customers are different people. A customer is a one time transaction. A client is multiple times. They come back. They talk to people. They engage with you. These are who you want to be your clients. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Customers are still good revenue, but don’t provide the continued returns that a client does. 
 
Lesson six...know your costs. This is a cost of operating. And it’s how you establish an hourly rate to estimate pricing. How much is your time worth?  How much do you pay your employees/partners?  How much is your product?  How much does your business need to make to grow?  How much are your expenses (rent/insurance/phone/etc)?  Once that’s done, work it backwards. You should have an hourly rate you try to achieve on every job. 
 
Lesson seven...sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. In the end, make the client happy. There’s jobs we’ve misquoted and done for little to nothing at the end of the day. There’s jobs we’ve made more than we thought. Keep the client happy. It’s how they return.  Don’t sweat the small things. A job that doesn’t make money is simply a mistake. Learn from it. 
 
Lesson eight...be honest with customers and clients. Under promise and over deliver. It’s better to wow a client with more than they expected than to disappoint them by promising something you couldn’t deliver. An unhappy client will tell everyone. 
 
Lesson nine...don’t give clients what they didn’t pay for. Does this mean never throw someone a bone?  Not at all. If someone pays for a one step polish, that’s what you need to give them. You can’t do a two step for the price of one. You’re not doing your business any favors. That being said, if a small spot needs more attention, just do it. The customer will thank you and it’s a few minutes. 
 
Lesson ten...buy smart. Research products. Reach out to vendors to see what they can offer you. Reducing costs is a good way to improve profit margin without increasing costs to clients and customers. You owe it to yourself, your business and your clients. It’s how you offer a fair product at a fair price.
 
Lesson eleven...you’ll make mistakes. Own them. Fix them. Learn from them. Move past them. That’s all there is about that.
 
Lesson twelve...growth takes time. Experiment. It’s not easy to acquire clients as the new guy around. Word of mouth is the best advertising. Incentivize people to send business your way. Try new things. Network. You never know what great connections you’ll make. Talking to people is the best way. 
 
And thirteen...have fun. If you’re not enjoying it, it’s not for you. The friendships you’ll make are invaluable and don’t have a price on them. 
 
And on trying new things, we are working on a clinic!  All of the topics here will be in play. Well, except price. The clinic is free. But the networking, sharing knowledge, etc. All will be on display. 
 
If you’re thinking about owning a business...do it. There’s enough work to go around and it’s rewarding. Even if you weren’t successful, you will have done something few people dare to do!
 
Anyway, just some rambling thoughts from a first year business owner. Hopefully you guys will be putting up with me for a while!

Welcome fellow IL Adams user! Slick STI too!

How about this?  

This is odd but awesome. I wonder the life span after this lol. 

By the time I got there my truck would need a nice detail haha. Good deed for sure. 

Man every time I see it I say “wow that guy did a killer job on that paint”

Thanks for the feedback. I realize a lot of members aren’t close enough to take advantage, but it might pull some from further away. It’s certainly a benefit to those local already. Maybe some other detailers will follow suit and offer similar deals to those local to them.
 
 

Hey Everyone:
 
Recently we’ve been contacted by a couple of forum members about having some work done by us. We are very excited at the potential of doing work for forum members. It’s a great opportunity to network as well as work with other enthusiasts. 
 
Historically we don’t subscribe to selling services on discounts (a quick search of my history and you will understand why). However, we see an opportunity here within this community to open some doors to word of mouth networking, meeting more friends, educating clients and sharing enthusiasm. 
 
We are willing to match any sale Adam’s is doing on our services for those interested. So for example, Adam’s is doing a 15% Valentines Sale, we will offer the same 15% off of any service you book during the time of the sale. If Adam’s offers 10%, that’s the deal. Same with 20%. You must be a forum member to take advantage. The discount is not limited to only Adam’s based services. We work with other products as well, and the same discounts will apply.
 
Hopefully this isn’t violating any terms here, if it is please feel free to remove this thread.
 
 

Divorce your wife and get a new mother in law? 
 
If you've already used it and your little girl didn't have a reaction to it, then I guess I wouldn't worry too much.  Her lungs are already being exposed to incense on a daily basis. Kind of like cigarette smoke.  It's a parent's choice what we all expose our children to.  I think we've offered as much advice as we can. I know what you mean about having a grandparent watching your child. It is a big help and you don't want to offend her. I wish you luck.  

New member in the Adam's forums, but not new to Adam's products.  I use a bunch of them to keep the ride show ready!
 
 

It is (was)
Adam's Blue Plush Waffle Towel 1 Pack
they were around a few years ago.

Glad you "cleared" that up Dan.  

Not jerks Rich, just don’t have any respect ?

We had about 3 "  of snow overnight, which changed to rain later today which made the roads one big pile of slush.  Driving up the 4 lane today, some idiot decided he had to PASS me through the slush and of course his was an SUV which he threw up over my car.  Just so he could get ahead of me.  Not like I wasn't already going above the posted speed limit, I was.  Some guys just have to be jerks. 

Took advantage of the 55 degrees and a brief break in the rain last night for a quick two-bucket wash and rinse on my wife's Renegade and my Ram Rebel.  Finished both moments before the skies opened up again.  Forecast is for a wintery mix here today with more snow on Monday.  I slept well last night knowing both vehicles were free from salt........even if it was only for a few hours. 

We have a great local dealer..........Ray at Grabiak Chevrolet and Performance Center.  I agree with you about how dealers and customer service in general.  Guess I grew up in the "the customer is always right" age. Not like today where it's basically take it or leave it from most companies.  Great customer service is another reason I stay loyal to Adam's.  Hard to find these days.  

Rich hit it spot on, from being a mod and or admin on several boards related to other hobbies of mine I can say that its really about just being there regularly, and contributions. Helpful ones, fun ones, and supportive ones. 
 
I will say thou, that being a mod while seeming fun and awesome is almost a full time forum job. It is a lot more than you can realize at times and quickly become a reason to not want to be there. I have a lot of respect for the mods as I fully understand the amount of time that it takes to come on regularly, help everyone and ensure that the peace is kept. 

Great job!

I was just looking through some Adam's stuff and came across several postcards I had received with previous orders. Appears they stopped about a year ago but I didn't catch on with later purchases. I think they'd make for a cool display like the stickers...pretty sure I've seen others post pics of their collections. Any plans to bring them back?
 

 
 
 
 
 

Man that’s a nice car! Congrats ? 

Must be nice!  I'm lucky if it stays clean for an hour! 

On my well maintained personal cars I use WW and my oldest Microfiber Towels after every wash. All those cars have had their door jambs treated with wax, sealant, Ceramic Paint Coating, or Ceramic Boost. By treating the paint in those areas the dirt, grease, and grime don't get the chance to adhere.
 
On filthy customer cars; All Purpose Cleaner, Trim & Lug Nut Brush, and carefully rinse with water. After that I go back over them as I do on my personal cars.

I always use either DS or WW and one of my older WW towels. If you do this every wash it's not a big deal to do.