Everything You Need to Know About Starting a Home-Based Car Detailing Business

Home-based businesses are booming these days because of its low startup cost and profitable nature. With a plethora of choices when it comes to home-based businesses, one of them is mobile detailing that car lovers will surely love to try on. If you’re fond of cars but not much into mechanical work, then this business might be the right one for you.

Even better is that this business doesn’t require any work experience. All you need is a bit of knowledge and the right tools for the business. Now don’t mistake car detailing as a car wash business as both of them are entirely different from each other. Car wash needs a larger workforce, proper workplace, updated tools and equipment, and a fixed number of monthly clients to get enough profit. Car detailing, on the other hand, doesn’t rely all on these stuff. As long as you have a detailing kit and a garage, then you’re good to go!

Tools/Equipment You Need

Before anything else, we need to have the proper tools and equipment for your car detailing business. So what are they?

Garage

Of course, you don’t need to have a separate workplace just like car washes do. Your home garage should be enough to cater this kind of business.

Equipment Galore

Next, you need to gather all the necessary tools for this business. Below is a list of the tools and equipment you need for detailing. If the listed tools are not in your home just yet, then now is the time to buy.

  • Sponges, Brushes, Microfiber Cloth
  • Detailing shampoo and car cleaning agents
  • Extension cords and Generator
  • Polish and dashboard shiners
  • Vacuum cleaners and spot removers
  • Pressure washer
  • Mobile water supply
  • Interior/Exterior dressing and wax

Tips Before You Begin

Assuming that you have the garage and equipment for now, here are a few tips to keep in mind before starting your first ever car detailing business.

  • Learn About Car Detailing

Even if you love cars, you still need to gain knowledge about car detailing. Every business, no matter big or small, has a learning process before going all into it. It is necessary that you join training classes for car detailing and polish your skills.

  • Real World Tests

Now that you’ve learned the basics of car detailing, it’s time to test it into the real world and apply your learnings. If you have a car, then you can use it to test out your detailing skills. You don’t need to worry if there are any accidental damages that happen as your car insurance will cover that up.

  • Get a License

Every business needs a license before it goes real time. A license is a crucial piece of paperwork before you can legally operate your car detailing business.

  • Use Marketing Strategies

A business will be nothing if you don’t know how to market. Marketing your business lets you reach more potential clients and garner attention from different businesses as well. Make flyers, print out paper, or better yet, use social media as an advantage to reach out customers.

  • Get a Business Liability Insurance

Having a business insurance lets you operate a hassle-free business. That means whenever you accidentally damage a client’s car while detailing, the business insurance will cover and handle all the things that needs to be done.

  • Be Honest

When charging customers, it’s always important that you charge them appropriately based on your performance. It’s much better if you offer affordable prices at first before going all in with expensive prices with no extra benefits.

  • Grow

Assuming that your car detailing business has been getting the buzz for years, it’s time to expand your business and make a franchise out of it. Of course, you only need to do this if you have the budget to support expansion.

  • Gain Customer Trust & Loyalty

Customer satisfaction should never be overlooked. That’s why you need to treat customers like family instead of a money making machine. This way, they will surely put their trust on your business and become loyal customers in the long run. As a bonus, you can offer extra car services for your loyal customers to make them feel special.

Advantage and Disadvantages of Car Detailing

Every business has its own upsides and downsides.

Advantages

  • Low Startup Cost – you don’t need to invest a lot of cash to start your car detailing business. Because of its startup nature, it has low operating costs that doesn’t put your bank account into a halt.
  • Profitable – car detailing is one of the most valuable home-based business to date. Since a lot of people have cars, then your detailing business will probably go booming. Even better when you provide quality services where they will surely pay you extra for the hard work.
  • Reduced Marketing Costs – there’s no need for people to travel an extra mile just to get their cars detailed. As long as your car detailing service is just around the neighborhood, then customers will surely go flying into your garage in a jiffy. No need to spend extra cash on marketing your business outside your vicinity.

Disadvantages

  • Saturated Market – don’t think that you’re the only one running a car detailing business around. The competition is still on its heat and you have to make up with your own unique tactics to get ahead of the game.
  • Long Work Hours – this one depends if you have workers with you or not. If you’re working alone, then you probably have to deal with long working hours, especially if you’re still a beginner in this field.