Start-Over Success
Baby Boomer Business
Under $1,000:
Mobile Auto Detailing

Do you love the idea of cleaning things to bring out the best their best, especially cars? Are you detail-oriented? Do you like being outdoors and getting physical activity? 

Auto detailing might be just the money-making business for you.  

How Much Can You Make with Mobile Car Detailing?

Mobile Car Detailing is a great business to start. It’s only takes $500 to start making money and the potential for growth is great.

Issaih started Big’s Mobile and after seven years, $3,000 to $3,500 is a good day for his business although he does have days making “just” $1,000. With a 60-70% profit margin, not bad!

It wasn’t always that way. In the beginning, he was solo, costs were minimal, but his income was capped at what he could personally produce in a day. Learn More

Allen, GoDetail, YouTube

What Does it Take to Do Auto Detailing?

Learn how to do an excellent job. The right tools and products make the work quicker and more effective. 

Attention to Detail is essential in the auto detailing business.

$500 is all it took for Isahia to start his bare-bones business, but that was seven years ago. Now it would be more like under $1,000.

  • Equipment ($100)
  • Supplies ($200)
  • Business stuff (license, dba, etc – $100)
  • Fliers ($20)
  • Business cards ($15)
  • Website up ($3/mo on BlueHost)

And Boom! Get your first clients and go make some money.

From day 1, shop at a local supplier for lower prices, instead of going to an auto supply store or Walmart, where supplies and equipment will cost more.

Start-up Total $438

Water-saver nozzle for hose $15

soap $4 *wash and wax

spray bottles

clay bar 

wax

microfiber cloths

pads

tire dressing 

leather & plastic cleaner and conditioner

 

ASAP

brushes
Pressure washer

extractor (shop vacuum)

steam cleaner

 

Where to Learn How to Detail a Car

You can learn on the job by, well, getting a job doing auto detailing. You won’t make much; they’ll be training you. They won’t be able to have you detail a car on your own at first. (Don’t sign a non-compete clause.)

Or, you could take a class, but you can learn everything you need from YouTube by watching videos for free. Free is always in the budget. 

Practice what you learn on your own car. 

Get processes down – from A to Z – so you can do more work in less time. 

What Services to Offer

Keep what you offer simple, so the quality of service can be standard. Clients know what to expect. 

  1. Interior
  2. Exterior
  3. Whole Car 
Prices depend on your area’s demographics. Isaiah charges $400 for full package which is 6-7 hours work.

How to Get Your First Mobile Auto Detailing Clients

Flyers

Business Cards

Website

Use Yard Signs to get business from your clients’ neighbors.

Use Google My Business – with optimization

 

How to Grow Your Mobile Auto Detailing Business

  • Hire Detailing employees
  • Management support
  • Software
  • Better equipment
  • Corporate accounts

Big’s Detail invests in Yelp, Facebook, and Google ads.
GoDetail only spends $3,500 month on ads.

Don’t try to grow too quickly. Employees are the biggest cost. And the office support do not bring money in, they help but not when it comes to earnings. 

> After seven years, Big’s Mobile Auto Detailing profit is around $60,000 a month, and his overhead is $20,000 to $30,000 a month. He’s making 20-30% profit margins.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE: QUALITY CONTROL. Set the standard with employees to have the same attention to detail that you do. As they say “God is in the details.” It’s true.

How to Operate an Auto Detailing Business Remotely

To Run the Business:

  • Hire managers you can trust.
  • Software for internal communications. Slack
  • CRM to manage appointments & client communications

Develop processes for:

  • Recruiting
  • Interviewing
  • Hiring detailing crew
  • Office support
  • Onboarding
  • Training 
  • Day-to-day leadership & management
  • Off-boarding (the whole HR process)
  • Track inventory
  • Marketing & Advertising
    – Acquiring clients
    – Sales Upsells
    – Getting repeat business
    – Getting reviews & testimonials

What's Next for You?

Once you’ve grown a profitable business, with staff, systems, leadership, and marketing running smoothly, what’s next?

Maybe you’ll want to open more locations since you can operate each remotely. Just make sure you have a good manager in place.

You could decide to franchise your business.