If I asked you to write down a list of things you want to do in your life, what would you write down?
It probably doesn’t take too much time for you to figure this one out.
You’ve thought about it several times:
Lose weight and get stronger
Travel the world more
Spend more time with family and friends
Go skydiving
Etc…
It’s no surprise if you have start a detailing business on there as well.
I think starting a business is something that crosses everyone’s mind at one point or another.
They think of a good idea, or they have some skill that someone says, “You can charge for that” and a little seed is planted in their head about a potential business.
Of course, the real differentiating factor between someone wanting to start a detailing business and someone actually starting a detailing business is taking action and making it happen (or at least giving it a shot).
Everyone would love to open their own business and work for themselves.
But as life goes, it doesn’t happen to everyone…
I asked this question on a recent video on my YouTube channel; what’s holding you back from starting your detailing business?
In this article, I’m going to cover:
- Why your
reasonsexcuses of not starting a business shouldn’t matter - What you need to do to make your first $100
- Why we set limitations to ourselves
[bonus]BONUS: If you just want to download the 3 actionable steps to make your first $100, [link]click this link to download it[/link].[/bonus]
What’s Holding You Back?
If you take a look at the comments, you’ll see that everyone has different reasons excuses on why they haven’t started (or why they can’t start) their business:
Waiting on tools and products:
- What is holding me back at the moment is a good hose reel for pressure hose. Currently researching about them. I have the Kranzle Hd7/122 but need a solution for the hose. Other than that just need to order a good quality polisher and I think I am set.
- I have some basic products. I’ve received some requests from employees at a Resort and new car owners that I work with and have turned some jobs down because I don’t own a polisher or steamer which in turn have given me some discouragement. This has stalled me for the last 4 months.
- You are so right that’s exactly what I’ve been doing just waiting and collecting stuff
- I want to buy a generator but I’m just a paycheck away from my full-time job from purchasing one. what should I do?
I can guarantee you that a lot of times when we’re just waiting on “that one thing to buy”, it’s not really going to change much in our actions.
At least that’s what happened with me.
I kept on telling myself, “What I get XYZ, then I’ll be able to go full throttle!”
And once I did get “the next thing”, a couple days later, I was looking at other things to purchase. It’s a never ending cycle.
Because the real problem is the confidence you have in yourself. It has nothing to do with the next tool and product you need to buy.
This one is an easy fix. It’s all about improving. NO business, in the history of business, has ever started with what they have and not grown to something better.
So if all you can afford is a cheap XYZ tool/product, then so be it! In a couple months, you can upgrade to something better.
What might happen:
- How do I be an official business? After do I just post to facebook? What’s the process from showing up to an appointment to quote the vehicle and then just get the keys to a corvette to wash it? Do they even give you the keys or do they just pull the car into the garage for you or do you still detail outside in the sun?
- Only that’s holding me back is not getting customers. I’m a pretty good detailer and have a very convenient system. Still customers aren’t swarming in.
- How is someone like me going to compete with others in my area that have more experience/equipment (and my full package is around 200$ avg while all competitors range from 250-700 for full packages)
It’s always good to prepare yourself. There’s no replacement for that. If you want to be successful, prepare yourself to be successful.
But that doesn’t mean you need to think about every wrong thing that can go wrong and then truly believe that they will go wrong.
The more you think of negative outcomes or results, the more likely you are to believe they’re true because that’s all you think about!
Emotions:
- The only thing holding me back is the fear and anxiety of thinking about doing it
- The only thing that stops me is I get nervous to go out and talk to people.
- My confidence in detailing sucks. I know what I’m doing, just afraid of disappointing a customer.
You have to realize that you are the only want that makes these claims true. You are the only person that’s holding yourself back from taking action.
Is it true that you don’t have a van? Yes.
Is it true you get nervous when you’re about to take action? Yes.
Does that mean you can’t service customers until you get a van? NO.
Does that mean you have to allow those fake thoughts to stop you from taking action? NO.
If you show up to a customer’s location without a van, will the customer refuse you to service their vehicle? 99.9% sure they won’t.
Are you going to be nervous talking to customers for the first time? Yes. Will you say something wrong, talk to fast, and perhaps underquote yourself? You bet.
But the more frequent you are, the better you’ll get. The faster you are to being more frequent, the faster you’ll get better at it.
Where Do These Reasons Excuses Come From?
Why are there so many things holding us back from doing what we want?
Because the truth is, this isn’t only about starting a business. These are limitations that we set on our lives as a whole.
If you’re being held back to start a business because XYZ reason excuse, then there’s probably dozens of other things you’ve wanted to do but haven’t.
All because you’re telling yourself that it’s not possible. Or that can’t do it at this time until you <insert excuse here>.
Where are you getting your information? What or who has influenced you in your life to develop this train of thought?
Did you take business advice from someone that’s never actually started his or her own business?
You can talk to a Director of Operations that oversees a 2+ million dollar per year HVAC Company about running a business, but they are only experienced in running an already established company.
They may have no clue on what it takes to start a business from zero.
Or it could be you have a mentor that has a successful business, but the advice he/she is giving you is from the 1980s, when they first started.
If that person hasn’t evolved with technology and times, then their advice may not be the best fit for you to use in the times we’re in.
These are very generic, but you get the point.
Just because you think you’re talking to someone that’s successful, or has an idea of what they’re doing in business, doesn’t necessarily mean their advice is good for you at this moment.
[bonus]BONUS: If you just want to download the 3 actionable steps to make your first $100, [link]click this link to download it[/link].[/bonus]
Do This To Get Your First $100
If you’re interested in starting your business, you have to focus on gaining traction FAST.
All that excitement and motivation has to be translated to action and revenue (money in your pocket).
Why?
By taking action and getting a few customers (and money in your pocket), it’s going to get the ball rolling. It’s going to give you the confidence to push forward to bigger goals.
And this is where the reasons excuses start to really kick in on why you can’t start…
I would start but I just need to get…
I’ll start next week once my…
After I get my package in the mail, I can…
Stop that. Let’s get your first $100 in your pocket.
You have a few methods to reach this goal:
- You can get 10 people to pay you $10
- You can get 5 people to pay you $20
- You can get 2 people to pay you $50
The services you offer going to be basis services. You’re don’t need to spend thousands of dollars or wait days/weeks to get all your items:
- Basic wash
- Basic wash and interior wipe down
Follow these 3 steps to make your first $100:
Step #1: Make a list of 5 to 10 family members, friends, or co-workers
You can go through your phone contact list.
You can go through your social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc…
You can go through your past 30 days of emails to see who you’ve interacted with.
Plenty of options to choose from!
Step #2: Contact them via text, phone call, email, social media or in person
Now that you have your list, you’re going to manually reach out to every single one of those people do 2 things:
- Explain to them you just started your business
- Ask for the sell (at a reduced price, if you want)
Step #3: Plug-n-play templates for you to use (tweak as you see fit)
Hi NAME! Congrats on winning this past weekend :). I just started my car detailing business. I’m wondering if I can give your car a thorough wash for $PRICE? I can come to you and get it taken care of. Let me know!
Yooo, NAME! I just started my own auto detailing business. Since I’m brand new, I’m trying to get my first initial wave of customers. Can I wash your car and do a basic cleaning on the inside? My regular prices will be $PRICE, but since I’m just starting off, I’m only charging $PRICE. I can come to you and everything. Let me know 🙂
You don’t need to overthink this part. Once you send this message, the other person will want more details, ask a few questions, and then you’re good to go.
You don’t need to change into this corporate salesman that speak in jargon tone just because you started your own business. Keep it casual and friendly, especially if you’re talking relatives or friends.
Now get STARTED!