Originally posted by femster87
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Get decent insurance
Is there such a thing? 
Hi guys,
At the end of last year I unfortunately lost my job.
In searching for a new job, I have naturally been thinking of other opportunities that I could get involved in.
As I have a love for cars, I have been thinking, 'what can I do that involves cars, and potentially further down the line, involves me in some
very nice cars'.
I have considered getting into vehicle detailing.
Have any of you started a similar business? I have a good idea of what the initial costs for materials and equipment would be, I just wanted to get
some more opinions on this sort of business and if it was something that could become sustainable.
Thanks,
Liam
I guess you need to determine whether you'll be mobile or have premises - costs associated either way.
I think initially it would have to be a mobile business, with plans to ultimately have a premises.
Not sure if this helps but I was made redundant around 8 years ago and as I was within 5 years of possibly being able to retire I decided to give up
looking for work in engineering and instead started a property maintenance business.
It worked fine for me but mainly because I had managed to pay off my mortgage and also had no real debts apart from a car on credit.
I think it’s essential to keep any regular outgoings to an absolute minimum as, certainly in my case, income varied a lot from week to week and is
very different from a regular known salary. I worked from home, used my garage for storage and used my car as a van to keep costs down.
May be different now but at that time it was possible to get the equivalent of unemployment benefit for a short while after setting up on your own and
I also got some tax credits which helped.
If you have a mortgage and any regular commitments I think it would be difficult unless you have enough savings to last for around 3-months. Also I
found you need to be quite self disciplined in keeping records for tax returns and possibly VAT.
No reason it couldn't work if you find the right balance.
Some additional things you do need to think about these days are things like collection and disposal of waste water and other environmental
elements.
Worth heading over to the Detailing World forum and doing some research as plenty of pro detailers use the forum as well as hobbyists. Just be
prepared to deal with some 'it'll never work' types - where there's a good plan, then there's a chance to make it work!
I would imagine you would need some experience of valeting first, as there is a big difference in giving a car a clean and hoover on a sunday
afternoon, and a full valet, and then a vehicle detailing is in another dimension, hence the prices they can demand
There was a tv programme on a couple of years ago, of a guy detailing a brand new Rolls Royce, and he managed to increase its value by 10k
Do I believe it, err no, but it was worth watching, him take 3 days or so working on a BRAND NEW car
steve
Get decent insurance
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Get decent insurance
Is there such a thing?
I think to call yourself a detailer and charge the amount detailers do you would need a premises to be taken seriously.
As above the difference in work involved/skill level/cost between being a valeter and a detailer are massive.
quote:
Originally posted by femster87
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Get decent insurance
2 units down from my office is a prestigious car sales place. They have detailers in regularly cleaning their stock.
It must be good business as the plate on the porsche is F1 WAX!
loads of details on Detailingworld .com