# Desk job to detailing professional in 12 months?



## BaldEagle (Jun 17, 2015)

Hi Folks. Firstly, congratz on making DW such a great forum. I've been researching machine polishing for the last 4 weeks and found DW to be the best source of expert opinion and general information by far. Also I must say the experts on here have the patience of a saint, kindly responding to the same questions over and again from newbies, sometimes about really basic stuff that it takes 2 minutes to find out for yourself on these very forums. So hats off to you guys, can't thank you enough for everything I've learned so far!

So I've already found all the answers to my many questions, and much more, right here but I do find myself in dire need of advice please from those on here who may have experience of starting/running a small detailing business. I'll try to keep it short...

Basically I'm sick of my desk job of 20 years, it's stressful, I'm 46, still on below average wage and I have a back problem that means I need to be doing more physically active work or my spine will likely crumble to dust within 5 years (ok it's not quite that bad but you get the idea!).

I detailed/clayed/hand-polished(3 times) and waxed my 3yr old black Civic i-dtec a month ago and the result was amazing... oh yes ... then the sun came out... oh dear :wall: A lot better than it was, but still covered in swirls and medium scratches in direct sunlight. Then I discovered the holy grail that is machine polishing.

Despite the frustration and wasted hard work on the Civic, I found from that experience, and my subsequent research on DW, that I have a real passion for detailing and paint correction and I've thought of little else since. 

Now I'm not naive enough to believe that I can just start charging folk to recklessly remove paint from their most prized possession, make a lot of money, or that it will be a quick or easy process to become a professional. Instead, I have a plan...

1. Build a 18ft x 24ft prefab concrete garage in my back garden (£7000 all in and adds maybe £15k to the house value so good investment if it all goes wrong).

2. Buy a 'project car' in need of paint correction from auction .

3. Fully detail/correct it, documenting the process and taking high-quality photo's.

4. Flip it back into auction and grab another one (not looking to make money with that, just gain experience and cover costs, but there may be small profit to be had)

5. Rinse and Repeat every 2-3 weeks for 12 months, or as long as it takes to gain the necessary experience.

6. Set up a decent website, advertising, local area leaflet drops etc and maybe then finally quit my 9-5 for good!

I've checked the legalities of working this business from home and seems it's all good if I don't upset the neighbours with noise. Only question is, would there be regular enough business to make a living?

I'm not looking to go large or make a mint, I want to keep it small with minimum overheads. Looking at detailing prices online, I reckon I'd need to be doing ten 1-stage polishes a month (or three full corrections) to make the minimum I need to earn which is £2k/month pre-tax.

So guys could you please help me out with some sage advice? Am I dreaming with this idea? 
Is it feasible to go from :newbie: to :buffer: in 12-18 months and then make a 1/2 decent living?


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## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

Pretty sure you would have to ask the local authority due to detergents going down drains ect...
Also you will need insurance. Instead of buying an auction car you could buy scrap panels to practise on.


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## BaldEagle (Jun 17, 2015)

Thanks, hadn't thought of detergents etc I will check into it.
I probably will get some scrap panels first for practising technique, but I figured it would be useful experience and also an advantage to have a number of complete projects documented ready for my website.
I just have no idea if I would be able to drum up enough business to keep it going and that's hard to research online.


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## Steve_6R (Jun 9, 2014)

I'm in the same boat. Sick of being treated poorly by management who barely know what day of the week it is.

I'm looking at going part time doing this sometime in the next few years. I'll keep working my day job, but at weekends do detailing. If there's the demand, then looking at going full time. If not, then you can hold your head up and say you've tried.


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## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

Check how many detailers they are in your area, too many could be a problem.

Maybe go on one of the detailing courses that are offered on the forum to gain more experience.

This might give you an idea.http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=348199&highlight=detailing+course

Not sure of your location but other guys could advise..


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

If you are really serious about it, then i think you need to get some expert training for starters, kds in kent, stangalang in Oldham are two of the well known pros who offer courses and iirc autosmart run a valeters course too.
You need to factor in costs of equipment you will need, a da is a competent machine but will not give the results a rotary will, then there are pads for them and you will need lots of pads of various sizes.
Consumables and storage
Advertising
Insurance not just to cover your clients cars but also to allow you to move them, Shiny from this here parish can help.
What about a van for mobile work?
pressure washer

As you can see the list is endless and i've missed so much off too. Also have you thought about how detailing for a living could make your spine far far worse than it already is? I can give you details of an excellent book to read on that matter which will help. If you really are serious about this then i wish you good luck but you really need to investigate every angle thoroughly first :thumb:


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

As far as enough business goes, why not investigate the legalities of doing a poll round your local town centre and ask people if they would pay for their car to be cleaned properly rather than at the £5 car wash. That should give you an idea of how much business there may or may not be in your area :thumb:


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

Like any business some people do really well and others struggle for a variety of reasons. Walk before running and avoid corrective work initially ( try corrective work on your own car first- one mistake and your reputation will be stuffed before you get established). Only you can decide whether you jump in or build business gradually ( £2K pcm seems ambitious to me for a new business even after 18 months but again many factors come in to play...) Good luck


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## O`Neil (Aug 13, 2007)

OP has got to be a Crank.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Pretty sure you need planning permission to run a business from home, also you'll need insurance


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## Hotchy (Jul 22, 2010)

Can't someone do a cheap £5-7 wash using clean water, gritt guards and wash mits instead of cheap sponges and market it like the detailing world goes on about the scratch less wash? 

I'd happily pay a couple extra pounds for a wash like that during the winter than a sponge swirl special.


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

1. if you have a bad back now, wait till you've spent a full day machine polishing. i dont have a bad back, but after spending a day machining, id happily not do it gain for 6 month
2. buying cars from auction isnt that easy. nor any good anymore. its crap dealers cant sell, or average joe getting rid of problem / broken cars
3. a concrete prefab garage wont add 15k onto your house 
4. best of luck if you decide to go with it


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

not read the whole thread but seriously check the covenants on your property , you may find out that you cant do any work from the garage your thinking of building.
if you do and the covenants are there believe me there will be some xxxx enforce it and screw up your intentions


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## Freddie (Mar 17, 2013)

bradleymarky said:


> Pretty sure you would have to ask the local authority due to detergents going down drains ect...
> Also you will need insurance. Instead of buying an auction car you could buy scrap panels to practise on.


If any drainage from garage was plumbed into house sewer it shouldn't be too much problem due to detergents from sinks, baths etc. Will probably need a water run off drain on driveway to stop detergents running into road and down rain water sewers. (If that makes sense)


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## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

think everyone has pritty much already covered your questions i will echo ianfirst on the auction by the time you factor in buying and selling costs which will be at retail price its going to be very hard to avoid buying a lemon which when you put back in the auction the regulars will spot a mile off and could cost you a mint to off load. 

other than that good luck, I loved cleaning when i first started now hmm ground hog day rings a bell, the grass being greener and all that.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Whilst everyone has to start somewhere, i would'nt consider offering machine polishing until you have built up years of experience on your car, bangers, scrap panels etc. No way id let someone correct my car without experience and insurance..


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

ianFRST said:


> 1. if you have a bad back now, wait till you've spent a full day machine polishing. i dont have a bad back, but after spending a day machining, id happily not do it gain for 6 month


Deffo agree on that one, anytime I've spent a day correcting my car I know about it


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## salsheikh (Jul 5, 2010)

Hotchy said:


> Can't someone do a cheap £5-7 wash using clean water, gritt guards and wash mits instead of cheap sponges and market it like the detailing world goes on about the scratch less wash?
> 
> I'd happily pay a couple extra pounds for a wash like that during the winter than a sponge swirl special.


Me too


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## _john_ (Aug 31, 2011)

Mate, best of luck - just go for it, life's too short not to give things a go. I work a ****ty office job and want out, not into the detailing world though as the competition in London is FIERCE!

I really hope it works out for you


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

_john_ said:


> Mate, best of luck - just go for it, life's too short not to give things a go. I work a ****ty office job and want out, not into the detailing world though as the competition in London is FIERCE!
> 
> I really hope it works out for you


Second that^^^^^^

Just go in eyes open, what's the worst that could happen, if you are going to do p/t then nothing really to loose, you just ave an awesome man cave packed with top class toys


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## Mrkevbrown (May 28, 2015)

Hmmm years of experience makes you good...! 
No one seems to mention the "Graft" oooosh let's face it guys we got to proper go at it most days , 
Get a few proper manky motors under your belt that'll give you a proper feel for it,an decide from there I would say dude 
Atb


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## BaldEagle (Jun 17, 2015)

Many thanks for all your comments and concern. My back issue is slipped disc & trapped sciatic nerves & I'm getting surgery for that shortly, after that should be right as rain as long as I stay physically active. Back-ache usually means straining of core muscles, better that than the chronic under-use which caused my condition and I was never better than that week I spent hand-polishing!
I'm definitely not one for going off half ****ed at things and all above mentioned aspects either have been or will be fully researched. I traded cars from auction for a few years in the 90's so have some experience there, it's just a case knowing what to look for, but point well taken, could be more trouble than it's worth and I'll likely reconsider that one in favour of buying/selling my project cars in the private market. No need for trade insurance for now and, if I restore as a spare time hobby & register cars in my name, I should qualify as a private seller and any small profit made count as capital gains (I'm not talking expensive cars here).
Anyway as some have said, with proper consideration it's probably worth a shot, nothing to lose really and those pre-fab garages actually look remarkably good, see pic, can't see how this could fail to add significant value to a property but hey... if it all goes wrong at least I'll have somewhere for the kit car build that I've pencilled in for my next mid-life crisis.

Cheers all


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Forget what everyone else has said and buy a decent camera and learn to take decent ****ing pictures.

So many 'pros' think a phone is fine but it makes your pictures and image look average.

When I browse the "pro" gallery and the pictures aren't well done I just click out of the thread and don't bother reading the rest. :thumb:


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

It takes time to become proficient because although most cars will be straight forward it will be the tricky ones where you gain the real experience when correcting defects.

In order for a business to succeed I would say you need to have 1 or even 2 years wages in the bank so that you don't need to be making a profit immediately giving you a reasonable amount of time to become established without the worry of paying the usual household bills.

I bet there is millions of cars that have been bogged by so called experts. I have seen quite a lot of cars that in the "correct" lighting look awful.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Maybe ask a friendly local detailer if you could do a freebie week tag-along? I'm sure you're proficient enough to help out. It may help you to see if a long term thing will suit you. And I'll second the back thing, I used to dead-lift for fun back in the day, but a good day with a rotary and I'm ready for bed. I hope it works out for you mate.


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## Wicksy999 (Jun 5, 2013)

Good luck mate, give it a go nothing to loose! Just a point re the back op! I had exactly the same problem, had the op 24th Feb and still not back at work ( I'm in the Fire Service). Whatever the surgeon says re recovery, usually they say 6-8 weeks, then triple that! The pain after the surgery was horrendous!, I wondered what I'd done but it's slowly getting there now, but still get Sciatic pain on and off, been told full recovery could be a year, or may have to live with some pain forever!!! Just a heads up! Good luck hope it goes well.


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Speaking of back pain and core muscles...

My advise would be to start lifting heavy weights and doing squares, deadlifts etc. 

I used to do them frequently. However, if I havent machine polished a car in a while I can tell a day or two after. When your machine polishing also think about your back and posture as bad machine polishing technique can lead to bad backs also. 

I don't do so many paint corrections in the winter but as soon as spring hits im on it again and it takes me a few days to get back into the mobility swing (if that's ever been a phrase?)


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

If you have a slipped disc please don't start lifting heavy weights and doing squares, deadlifts etc. 
but do think about posture. 
Good luck with it mate as I'm in the same position waiting on surgery. 

Gonz.


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## BaldEagle (Jun 17, 2015)

Er thanks Wicksy... I think... I really your situation improves but I'm not sure a horror story is really what I needed right now lol! I have to assume your experience is not the norm and 90% of these ops are successful as statistics would suggest!
Sorry folks this has gone a little off topic, it wasn't my intention to start a discussion on medical issues!


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

A few things to point out and not to be taken negatively.
What you enjoy as a pastime or hobby, in reality is totally different as a business.
A well established detailer (took me at least 5 or 6 years to start becoming busy on a regular basis) will be using a machine polisher for about 45 hours a week.
Know your market, and price accordingly, if you price too low it is difficult to increase the charges later on, I see so many new start ups that were earning a couple of hundred pound a week and then become "professional" detailers and charge way below what should be expected from a skilled profession, this only leads to a down value in the industry.

Most established detailers have bodyshop experience or started up as valeters and learnt there trade over time, there is a market for a good valeting service and it has the potential for good earnings if your motivated and prepared to work hard.
Insurance to cover you for working on customers vehicles isn't cheap, many don't bother and this just asking for for trouble, at the end of the day would you hand over your keys to someone that didn't have the experience and protection of assets in place?

Single stage machining does very little than add gloss, a proper enhancement takes about 3 days and full correction nearer 5 days, many try to rush machining in the view of a quick earn and the results suffer for it.
Winter is the hardest, and many don't survive through these months, paint correction isn't in as much demand through the colder months for many.
Allow for at least a couple hundred pound a month on consumables ie polishes, detergents, sealants etc..
There is much more I could add, but some food for thought for the time being.


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## kylebailey (Jan 31, 2013)

Im not sure if you would take this as advice or not, im 23 and currently working full time and on the weekend using my car to do my mobile valeting. Im saving at the moment for a van. Im taking things a step at the time trying to build my clients up and hopefully move from my current job and do valeting/detailing full time. I know it wont happen overnight (or even in a year lol) but like i said just going at it a step at a time. I do think you have put a lot of thought into this and planning and you should definitely go for it iff you are serious about it. Just take it easy and ride the wave lol. GOOD LUCK hope it works out for you


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## andyboygsi (Aug 30, 2007)

Go for it. Life's too short


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## Rob1066 (Oct 3, 2015)

*Follow up on post*

Hi

Just interested if you took the plunge how things went, I've been Valeting, detailing as a hobby business for want of a better term for a few years, but fed up with the day job and launching full time this year. Waiting until the worst weather is over though as mobile!
One query I've never needed a generator but I do now, any recommendations I run a Kranzel 7,DA, etc, yep not at the same time, cash flow says I've got about £200 to spend, any recommendations.


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

No just plug it in the customers electric they don't mind 99.9% of the time.
You get on in this game by being honest and sometimes cheeky. The art is knowing which to be when.
Just hold the plug up and say with a big grin can I be cheeky and plug my lead in please.


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## eibbor (Sep 8, 2015)

If you need to be active because of your back and are fed up of the office job, why not do something like delivery driving while gaining your detailing experience on the side. Decent money can be made and from what I hear it's a fraction of the work from when I used to do it. Know a guy that is home around 2pm every day working for Amazon, ample time to do what you like in afternoon.
But I say go for it, I'm a huge fan of, 'if you don't like something in your life, change it'


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## deegan1979 (Mar 6, 2012)

My view is you can gain all the knowledge u need with the help of forums like this and it's members.
However hands on experience is they key to success, and that takes a long time.


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

As always.
There is a shortcut to everything
Unfortunately there is no shortcut to experience


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

AllenF said:


> No just plug it in the customers electric they don't mind 99.9% of the time.
> You get on in this game by being honest and sometimes *cheeky*. The art is knowing which to be when.
> Just hold the plug up and say with a big grin can I be *cheeky* and plug my lead in please.


I think the bold text will suit you perfectly well Allen ..


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## savvyfox (Oct 3, 2015)

Did you go for it or not?


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