If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last twenty plus years in Auto Body and nine years as a small business owner it is, “Never own a detail shop”. There’s just no margin, between the expensive chemicals, hard to find quality labor, location, it’s just a tough way to go. My best friend Tom tried it for three years and he had the best detail shop I’ve ever seen in a nice neighborhood and his average month was $12,000 with costs about $13,000. How did he last so long? So my good friend James got a job with Halliburton and offered to sell his equipment cheap, I had a location, I have a master detailer named John, and suddenly I’m in the detail business. How about that? So I promise to give a deep clean detail, honest buff and polish, no armor all type products but only non petroleum based UV protectants and paint sealants, the kind of thing you’d see at Norm Baker, but for half the money, and even if I go our of business, you’ll be the happiest detail customer ever.

I’ve owned RECON Mobile Bumper and Dent Repair for nine years now. From humble beginnings in my garage in Rathdrum, ID, to a third year of awesome growth, profits and customer satisfaction (that equals owner satisfaction, too) and then a divorce, a reorganization, a partner buyout and now I’m about to have my fourth and best year in Las Vegas. It’s the best because we are seasoned and we are synonymous with most people who buy this service. Our online reputation is growing, we are first on Google, Bing and Yahoo for many of the important search terms, and my four partners are really coming onto their own in skill, customer retention and time management. This is going to be the best year yet. Any body else out there in the doldrums of a two year old company, take my advice and stick with it. The best clients out there don’t want to deal with a start up. Don’t give up!