JHL88

Welcome back Jason, that is a nice Ram!

Hey everyone!  Feels good to be back here 1st off. Been out of the detailing game for a while now and slowly getting back to it.  Bought a new whip back in September and want to keep this thing clean (as much as I can)  purchased the graphine ceramic spray and put a coat on about a month ago topped it off with rinse and coat 2 weeks later.  Nice to see Adam's still has easy-to-use quality products!  Love the spray coating highly recommend.  Anyway this is stormtrooper😎

sweet.  I'm in

sweet.  I'm in

Oh man I have never ever seen my Camaro SS 1LE look so good and I have been using patriot wax and numerous other Adam's products. The ceramic spray is freaking awesome.
 
Thanks guys for one heck of a product. About quarter way through video you can see the results.
 
Adam's Polishes Ceramic Spray
 
 
 

I can get a gallon of spray wax from a competitor for $26 a gallon. It has great results and longevity. I’m not paying $60 for a gallon of spray wax. Seems a little crazy to me. I love Adam’s, but they were way behind the industry on this product. And on top of that, the crazy price. 😕

did anyone catch the 16 oz. bottle of throwback red shampoo for $129.99?  its listed under product suggestions towards the bottom.  I laughed. 

Honestly, it used to be really cool to be on the forums and hear of developmental stuff, and see photos of it. Lately on the forums it seems that aside from Dan and Chris and some moderators (Who are not official Adams employees) there is little to no interaction from the Adams staff. It seems that the forums have become a place for the members which is great, but has been neglected and almost forgotten about by Adams, with Instagram or other social media outlets getting first crack at anything, or even first knowledge of it. 
 
I understand Adam is a busy man and I have heard he sees what goes on here, which is evident recently when he made a rare appearance. But lets take a look at the post counts for a moment...
Adam 4,607 posts, 1 in 2018, and 9 total in 2017. 
Chris 22,625
Dan 2,671
Matt 305 Joined Sept 2011 Has not Posted since Jan of 2017, has not even logged into the forums since Aug of 2017. 
Kourtney 42 Joined August 2015 last Visit May 2018
Joe 47 (Yes I am aware he is the Photo/Videographer he is awesome at it.) Not posted since 2016
Kyle 61 Joined Nov 2017 Last visit, Today. 
 
 Kyle I wont draw comparisons to your predecesor, that will happen alot no matter what is said, you need to make that role yours. What I will say is that the following and such that he had was due not only to a passion for what he did, but also his interaction with the group. Posting on here, dropping tips and tricks, even doing a Q&A type vid series at one point, which shared some GREAT knowledge and some simple stuff that can be overlooked. 
 
I would love to see some forum driven stuff, maybe its just a photo of someone with a non descript bottle or something like that. I understand that trying to beat your competition to stuff is key, first on the market with the best product wins...but if social media sees it and that has to be cross posted by members to the community....where is the secret? Maybe it could work something of what it used to where the forums would see an update of the sale coming before all the email subscriptions went out. I have seen that there are listings for giveaways that happen, usually not a word hits the forums for them anymore, releases are almost prelaunched on social media platforms, sneak peaks on these and nothing to the forums...maybe that is the simple answer to how things are going to move forward....
 
 

Nice cool day today, so I pulled the Vette in the garage and gave her a good wash and clay treatment.  Followed up with Revive on all the paint and topped it off with the new Ceramic Wax.  This stuff is harder to use than Patriot or Americana, you can only do small sections at a time so it's a little bit more time consuming, and you don't want it to dry before taking it off. But man, am I pleased with the results.   I can live with this!   Another fantastic Adam's product. 
 
 

I really don't see the point of it either IMO because Im not into whatever this fad is, but if they can sell it why not?   I think as long as their customer service and detailing products are great and evolving then do whatever they want.  Its not my bottle of beer though.  Im not paying $13+ shipping for a detail spray and $6 for a sticker!  If the new ventures takes away from the original part of the business than I would have a problem with that.  I haven't been on here much than I have in the last 8 or 9 years or bought as much as I used to so I can't really speak too much on that

Valid points. That’s why we don’t use strip wash. The cost versus benefit isn’t there for us. We can make strip wash with APC if we need to. But the polishing and prep process for LSP removes any remnants of what’s left. 

I think there's a misconception in the detailing world regarding strip soaps.  IME a fresh layer of a quality sealant will not come off solely on a "safe" strip wash.  Even claying and IPA isn't guaranteed to completely remove it.  The for sure way to remove a sealant would be a cleaner polish like Revive or an abrasive polish if you want to start fresh.  A sealant that has been on paint for a while and has had the opportunity to degrade would be stripped easier from a strip wash but its hard to say for certain.  Maybe Adams team has created a sealant that will be removed from their own strip wash but that's not to say other sealants would be removed the same.  I also recommend using an actual panel wipe like a coating prep etc. in place of IPA. 
 
Strip wash is better than traditional soaps for removing road film, bugs, tar etc.

Well people subscribe to this thread so I stopped posted here because it’s the same people claiming stuff every time. 

You only need the two it comes with. One can be charging while you use the other.  You don’t run out of power. Just swap them out. It takes less than :30 to charge. 

I was on my way out when I posted initially which was why I suggested searching my history. I have a little time now, so I’ll get into it. 
 
Jim brings up a valid point. Your business WILL lose money up front, at least if you’re doing it right. You’re constantly going to reinvest in the business. It’ll be advertising, tools, equipment, product, etc. There’s a ton of ways to improve your craft, and time is money. Spending money to become more efficient isn’t a poor business decision. Sometimes, it’s hard to be willing to take a loss. 
 
As as far as the legalities, you’ll need to set up your business in accordance with the laws of your state. I formed mine as an LLC. After that it was filing with the state and federal government. Once that’s done, you start to collect sales tax. Payments need to be made timely, and you need to collect. You have a business decision to build tax into your pricing or make pricing plus tax. We use quick books for accounting purposes. Everything gets tracked. EVERYTHING.  You’ll want to talk to your accountant about how you should be recording things.
 
You’ll want a website. Get a good camera to take high quality photos. Have a logo designed. Things like that. Appearance matters. You’re entering a professional realm, not some “guy with a polisher.”
 
You will spend time negotiating with vendors for the best pricing. You owe it to your business and profit margin to do this. Less expensive product allows you to make more money without charging more. Purchase smart. 
 
The business side of it isn’t really complicated, it’s just learning process. The complicated part is acquiring clients. I call them clients as opposed to customers due to a personal philosophy. A customer comes in and leaves. One and done. Clients are people you have relationships with, repeat business and all that. 
 
How do you price your product?  Our business is myself and one other guy. I know what he costs me per hour. I have a feeling for product costs. I need to make a few dollars, and the business needs to retain capital for reinvestment and operating expenses. This means my shop rate is $75-85/hour. That’s how I price my jobs. Sometimes it’s less, sometimes more when all is said and done. But that’s the target. 
 
We don’t discount our product other than than an occasional rare sale. I don’t want to train my clients to wait for sales. We offer a fair product at a fair price. If we don’t value our work and chase jobs based on price, we hurt everyone but mostly we hurt ourselves and our profit. We aren’t afraid to lose a job if it comes to a price war. Generally speaking, those aren’t the clients we want anyway.
 
Be knowledgeable about your product and process. Be honest about the results you’re going for and can obtain. Undersell. And over deliver. It’s better than over selling and under delivering. Be responsive to clients. Communication is key. Knowledge is power. It’s true on both sides. The business and the clients.
 
Be fair to your clients. Know you will make mistakes. When you do, own them and make it right. Even if it’s not totally on you, a client will appreciate you going the extra mile. That being said, don’t three step a vehicle when the client pays for one step. If there’s a small spot that needs some work, get it done. But don’t undersell what needs to be done. Be fair in your expectations and qualify from the client what they’re looking for. That way everyone is on the same page. Oh, and put it all in writing. It’ll protect you and them.
 
And friends...they’ll always want the “hook up.” Sure, toss them a small bone. Your true friends won’t ask you to work for nothing. The good ones will support you by paying a fair price. Mixing business and friends without defined boundaries is a good way to ruin both. 
 
Work hard. Before you know it, clients will be coming to you and giving you work without asking the price. This means you’ve succeeded in your reputation.  Strive to keep it. 
 
Let me know if you have questions. I’ll be happy to answer them. 

sick.  love those cars

I have that one too Rich! love it.  Also have the all black one with white lettering.  I don't even reach for my other hoodies anymore. 

Sorry everyone, no new products with this sale - things are still being finalized: product arrival, labels, etc, but I'll be posting the official sale thread shortly with some special pricing on Wheel Cleaner!

I got one of the shoe cleaners, except the label doesnt have the upside down "A" and it says leather and interior cleaner. Plus, it was about half the price 

I haven't used Tire Shine, but I've been using VRT for a while now and I can say that I absolutely love the appearance it gives on a freshly cleaned tire.  IMO its the perfect shine-balance.  Not too glamorous and not too matte/satin.  I've tried several other brands of tire dressing and I always come back to VRT. 

That is one thing i miss about my old house.. night washes and my garage during warm weather.  Something about it made it so calming and enjoyable to me.  Memories. 

Purchased some new Patriot at Carlisle today. Anxious to try it on something black.

One of my last trips was to Panama City Panama. Thought the sunrise was pretty cool.