Yes, i know.... It's business...

Anyways, here's the thing. I'm trying to make a little money doing detailing (since thats the only thing i can think of that doesn't take up much time and won't impact my education in a bad way). I think i'm good at it and i've done detailing in the past. I started getting into this when i was 14 and thats when it felt sort of like a hobby to take care of my parent's cars (weekly).

Business was always slow for me because i never advertised. My neighbors wanted me to do their cars. They recommended me to their friends and i would detail a car every now and then (usually a full detail every spring and end of fall and a simple wash (exterior) every weekend). The neighbors i was doing business with moved away over the winter so I haven't gotten any requests lately.

I'm trying to make some money so i can get a FC before the summer. I need way to attract costumers without looking like a spamming or someone that's desperate. It seems like many people have a hard time trusting a teenager and it doesn't matter what kind of experience someone my age has. People around here are cheap and don't usually care about their cars much. So Heres thread that i posted on NYrotary forum (NYRA, CTRA, and NJRA's main forum).

http://www.nyrotary.com/forum/index.php?topic=132.0

Detailers charge over $120 for a full detail on a regular size sedan most of the time. I might be getting lowballed for offering 70 dollars to the rotorheads but i can't think of a better way to start things up. I assume most adults think it's stupid to pay a kid a big amount of money to clean their cars?

Any ideas?

Any ideas?
Get a real job.

"Anyways, here's the thing. I'm trying to make a little money doing detailing (since thats the only thing i can think of that doesn't take up much time and won't impact my education in a bad way)."

I go to school monday-friday from 7am to 4pm and i registered for night school so i can take less classes when i'm a senior (next year). Night school will start in a few days and I will most likely get a 5pm-9pm program.

Get a real job.
Quit hatin' unless you want him to suck dick for money. Do you?

Get hooked up with a local car lot if you can.

I had this old niggar who used to spiff up my cars, didn't do a very good job but he was reliable.

Then a younger guy came in one day looking for detail work. We were paying the old nig $100 per. from small cars to big trucks. This kid said he'd do $75 flat for anything. We started giving him our overflow and he did a pretty good job, so before long we gave him one car day. 70sh per day is pretty good money if you're in school. Plenty enough to pick up an fc with.

Give it a shot. It's easier than drumming up bussines one by one. A single client is all you'd need. Even fairly small lots need one car a day done.

I've thought of that also. But do you think they will hire me for 2 days in a week? I will not have time after school on the weekdays. I am only available on the weekends.

I'm going to post an ad on craigslist tomorrow. I doubt it will help me much, but it's worth a try.

You're gonna have to free up more time.

Ditch your karate lessons and crank out a car between three and six every day.

doing one or two cars a week you'll have a hard time gathering enough scratch to buy a decent FC by summer.

Reliability is all that matter to lots that don't have an in house porter/lot boy/ detailer. If you can guarantee you'll be there every saturday they'll probably throw you some bussiness. but you still won't be making much money if that's all you do...

You're gonna have to free up more time.

Ditch your karate lessons and crank out a car between three and six every day.

doing one or two cars a week you'll have a hard time gathering enough scratch to buy a decent FC by summer.

Reliability is all that matter to lots that don't have an in house porter/lot boy/ detailer. If you can guarantee you'll be there every saturday they'll probably throw you some bussiness. but you still won't be making much money if that's all you do...
LOL... Karate lessons :tongue:. I wish.

I get home from school at 4pm and i have to leave for night school at 5pm (will probably end at 9 so i get home at round 9:45-10pm). So that means i have one hour break to take a rest and grab something to eat before i leave again. I can do 2-3 cars in a day (at a dealership, since i don't expect to do full detail jobs with 3+ hours worth of polishing and sealing).

Meh i'll think of something. I still got some time since it's too cold to be outside buffing cars now.

Give it a try, +1 to finding a lot. Just remember detailing for private parties means different opinions of clean. I vaguely remember a few good sites for different techniques posted on the 7 club forum. Otherwise go for it. More legal than selling crack.....

Man, I used to wash trucks for my phone company on the weekends. Not a full blown detail because they were work trucks, but a good wash and polish every month. Four trucks, two hours. I'd also perform odd jobs when asked. It was a godo ob.

for sure find a small lot to get some work on your resume. You might even have to "intern" but once you establish some credibility with a know dealership it shouldnt be a problem. Also tell them how cool their cars would be with carbon fiber parts on them.

I say try to hook up with a dealership as well. Try CL if you really get desperate. The going rate is anywhere from $100 to $140, so $75 is a good deal.

What's your detailing arsenal look like? I'm a bit of a detailing enthusiast myself.

I used up most of my supplies. Going to resupplies on Poorboy's World SSR 2.5, meguiars #26, claybars, lake country pads for the PC7424, and a few more microfiber towels. Probably an extra sheepskins mitt.

Here's a pic. Probably missing a few big bottles of sealant and polish and a whole lot of microfiber towels (in the washer) in the pic.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/anotherqx4/gdsfds.jpg


I'll try looking for a local lot first. I don't know if it's a good idea since i'm only available on the weekends.

Shovel snow in the mean time ;)

SHEEET! I forgot. Now it's all melted/shoveled. Next time :)