Can I start a car detailing side gig from my garage with low costs?

raginmangoboar

New Member
Hey fellas. I currently own a small landscaping business and am exploring car detailing. I have friends (backpackrs) with out work and a garage at my house. I plan to market and run a small operation from my garage while doing landscaping. Has anyone looked into this? Startup costs are low.
 
I’m a detailer myself.
It’s a very competitive field many people think they can do it, so you have to compete with those offering to work for very low prices.
I was still learning new things after two years full time, so it certainly takes skill to get it right.
Start up costs are probably higher than you might expect. My pressure washer, vacuum, extraction, and polishers add up to around $5,000 or more, and then there are chemicals, cloths, and other odds and ends you don’t realize you need until you’re on the job. I can guarantee that the cars new detailers attract are often in the woorst condition, yet clients want them to look mint for the lowest price.
I estimate my yearly operating costs are about $30,000 in total, not including start up costs.
 
I did detailing once upon a time.
Just to do something with cars.
I had one grumpy lady customer I just couldn't get the carpets as clean as possible they had kids).

Everyone else was really happy.

But here is the thing.
Doing one car a day is probably all I could do as a one man show. Average works out to be $200 a car (back in 2018).

I had a couple of guys pay me $500 for their cars (Ford XR6 and Holden VF SS).

But that was a rarity.
Most want it for cheap... and you end up working for like $50 an hour (less if you take into account product usage).

I just do detailing for friends and family now.
As their reaction to a clean car is so much better than dealing with people who want to pay less for more.
 
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