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CONTENTS
The Business of Detailing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Set Sail for Success
Detail Doctor
........................ 8
Tricks of the Trade
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Industry Dirt
....................... 12
Innovations
....................... 20
IDA Column
....................... 22
Keys To Business Success
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Cover Story
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Rags to Riches
Vol. 7, No. 2 | SUMMER 2022
Publisher: Jackson Vahaly
Editor: Debra Gorgos
Design: KBA Designs
Auto Detailing News is published 4 times per year
and is independently owned by Jackson Vahaly.
Web address is www.autodetailingnews.com
All inquiries should be directed to:
Auto Detailing News
110 Childs Ln. Franklin, TN 37067
jacksonv@autodetailingnews.com
ONE MORE
THING
Back in 1999 I took a job temping
at a bank headquarters.
I went in each morning, punched a timecard, got coffee from the machine in the cafeteria,
said “hello” to some of the other temps. And headed into a room full of filing shelves.
Folders were everywhere. I was in charge of placing files back in their proper place. There
were no windows. No music. It was before iPhones and podcasts, but who knows if they
would have even been allowed. And then, at noon, they would announce it was time for
lunch. We would shuffle in like ants (this was right around the release of Dave Matthews
Band’s Ants Marching song, so I remember always humming that song (in my head, of
course). Some would get food from the vending machine. Everyone sat at the same tables
each time, including myself. We would chit-chat in between bites and then shuffle back to
work. I thought that this was how life was going to be. People seemed happy… or did they?
I know for a fact that I was miserable. It felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. The new show
Severance on Apple TV is the perfect show to watch to see what it was like. To be in a work
environment that stripped me of my personality. To not be able to offer any sort of suggestions.
To not be able to laugh out loud. I remember watching the movie Office Space and
thinking that kind of working environment was an upgrade! To go to lunch with friends, to
have a boss acknowledge you—wow, what was I thinking?!
I eventually left that job, moved back
home and got a job working for a local
newspaper which I absolutely loved.
That is… until… the pressures of life caught up to me and I ended up working in an
office for a trade magazine that was eerily similar to that bank job. We were micromanaged,
stripped of our personalities, and pretty much punched a timecard when entering and leaving.
I worked and worked so that I could get 10 days off. The money was okay so I stayed,
but my idea of success was so skewed, I thought that this was how things were meant to be.
Some people liked that sort of work environment. Some found stability. I found myself to
be a shrinking flower…slowly dying with no sunlight, nourishment or enjoyment.
I wish I could take those years back and instead work at a job that rewarded my talents.
Allowed me to grow and allowed me to smile. My output would have been 10x greater, I
am sure. That is why I love this job as editor of Auto Detailing News so much. I work for an
amazing Publisher who trusts me. Who asks for my input and who is kind and fair. I hope
you all have the same sort of “success.” When I take time off, I can really relax. I am proud
of each issue. And, I look forward to doing “this” in the future.
If you don’t feel that way, then please read the articles in this issue. They will help.
And, as always, thanks for reading.
See you soon,
Copyright © 2021
Two Dollar Media, Inc./Auto Detailing News
All Rights Reserved.
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 3

THE BUSINESS OF
DETAILING
Set Sail
for Success
How to offer marine detailing
the right way.
By Rob Schruefer
rob@onspotdetailing.com
If you operate your business near
any large body of water, at some point
you have probably been asked to detail
a boat before. Marine detailing can be a
profitable addition to your business if you
do it correctly and safely. Failure to get
properly trained or insured could cost you
thousands of dollars and possibly your
business. Detailing boats is not the same
as detailing cars. You can be an all-star
at detailing autos and be completely lost
when working on a boat.
If you are considering doing this type
of detailing or have just started, here are
a few things to consider before doing so:
✔ Insurance
✔ Location
✔ Pricing
✔ Training
✔ Certification
INSURANCE
This is by far the most important component
of marine detailing. It is likely that
your garage keeper’s automotive policy will
not cover boats and must be added separately.
Boats can be very expensive, and a
small amount of damage could result in an
extremely large bill. If you have employees,
you must also make sure that your workers’
comp policy covers marine detailing. Most
workers comp policies will not cover boats
on or over the water. The risk of being injured
or falling increases, and so does your
premium if you do this kind of work. A
mistake or injury that does not fall within
your coverage can be devastating to your
business or you, personally. Please make
sure you check with your insurance agent
about what your coverages are before you
begin working on boats.
LOCATION
Cars will be sitting in a driveway,
street, or other hard surface, waiting to be
detailed. Boats, on the other hand, could
be in a wide variety of places that all affect
how difficult it will be to clean it.
✔ On the water tied to a dock
✔ On a lift over the water off a dock
✔ On a trailer on a hard surface
✔ On a boat lift at a marine
Boats that are on the water can be
troublesome, not only will there be waves
causing the boat to rock as you are detailing
it, but it can be difficult to clean the
hull down to the water line. There is also
the danger of electricity around the water.
If you are down on a long dock, getting
power or water could also be a problem.
The ideal situation is for the boat to be
pulled from the water on a trailer or boat
lift. This works for smaller boats but is not
always feasible for the larger boats (40ft+).
Finding out where the detailing will be
completed is an essential question to ask
during the quoting process if you will not
be seeing the boat person.
PRICING
From years of experience, I can tell
you that quoting a marine detailing job is
difficult, and over the phone it is nearly
impossible. We use linear foot pricing for
most jobs, but the amount of work that
could be required will vary greatly. There
are so many factors that go into the condition
of a boat (it is hardly worth going into
and mentioning them all here). The one
that will have the greatest impact is how
often it is detailed. If it hasn’t been done
in many years, you can expect it will need
a lot of work. We have found that just
giving general pricing (making sure the
customer knows it will change) and estimating
a price when we get there or sending
someone to estimate it before we even
give the cost, works best for us. Doing this
will save you a ton of headaches and underchargings.
I have found that accurate
pricing is the hardest part of getting into
this line of detailing.
DETAILING
There are so many different surfaces
on a watercraft, and very few of them relate
directly to automotive detailing. Before
you attempt to start cleaning boats, I would
suggest finding a Marine Detailing training
course of some kind to find out if it is
something that you even want to do. Some
detailing jobs could take days to complete,
and you need to know if it is something
you even want to take on and is worth your
time. If you live along the coasts, there are
classes offered year-round for this type of
training. Also, The International Detailing
Association (IDA) has recently completed
its Marine Certification course. This is the
first in a series of more specialized detailing
certifications for detailers who want to
do more than just automobiles. If you detail
boats, you should consider taking this
series of tests to set yourself apart from the
competition.
Unfortunately, there is just not enough
space here to go into everything that must
be considered if you want to do boat detailing,
but I hope you can at least take
away this advice: Please take the time and
do some research BEFORE you start offering
this service. Marine detailing can be
a huge pain, but with proper forethought,
proper training, and knowing how to offer
pricing, it can also be extremely profitable.
Rob Schruefer is the owner of On
The Spot Detailing out of Columbia,
Maryland. He proudly serves on the
board of the International Detailing Association
and works tirelessly to ensure
that detailing business owners receive
business development support to help
them achieve their goals.
4 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

DETAIL
DOCTOR
Are You “All In” Or Is It
Time To Hang Up The Buffer?
How to Go from working "in" the
business to working "on" the business
Bud Abraham is Founder and President Emeritus of DETAIL PLUS Car Appearance Systems, with more than 40 years of
experience in the car care industry as a manufacturer, operator, distributor and consultant. He writes articles and gives
seminars on the subject of auto detailing throughout the automotive industry. He can be reached at buda@detailplus.com.
By Bud Abraham
buda@detailplus.com
Running a detail business is very
challenging, in part because there are so
many tasks that need to be done in order
to make it function. These activities
range from buying supplies and repairing
equipment to managing workers and doing
collections—not to mention performing
the work and getting new customers
and keeping current ones.
As the owner of a business, it can
seem overwhelming just to tread water, let
alone grow the business. Successful leaders
learn to delegate day-to-day operations
so they can focus on the highest-value
activities, namely, marketing, sales and
customer service.
When a business is small with only a
handful of customers, the leader will often
roll up their sleeves and perform the
work alongside a few employees. By doing
so, they will save the business money
by not hiring more staff, and they might
feel like they have more control over the
execution of the jobs. However, a problem
arises when inevitably, a customer
‘ghosts’ you and the business or an employee
leaves. The leader then becomes
trapped on the rapidly ever-increasing
treadmill of daily operations. The business
does not grow but instead shrinks.
The ultimate solution is to develop
a highly functional team that delivers
strong results for the customer and is capable
of operating without on-premises
oversight or a micromanaging owner
(and that doesn’t mean you, of course).
THIS OUTCOME HAS
TWO IMPORTANT
BENEFITS:
The customers are happy and you incur
little if any extra labor costs to resolve
satisfaction issues. And customer satisfaction
leads to word-of-mouth referrals, positive
online reviews and additional business.
The other benefit is less appreciated,
but more impactful: freed-up time for the
owner to do the things that increase revenue.
Given there are only so many hours
in a day, less time devoted on detailing
vehicles allows for more time dedicated to
selling to existing customers and prospects.
HOW TO MAKE THE
TRANSITION
So how does one make the transition
from working “in” the business to working
“on” it?
The first step is to realize that this kind
of transformation is not a one-time event,
but rather an ongoing effort that requires
continued awareness and attention.
With this realization, the detail business
owner must put a persistent and comprehensive
focus on team building. Recruiting,
developing, and retaining employees is
absolutely critical. Beginning even before
an employee is hired, carefully and repeatedly
specify your expectations and give
feedback. Once hired, provide employees
with a wide range of tools such as training,
high-quality equipment and cleaning
chemicals, and a comfortable working environment.
And then give even more feedback.
Don’t let them guess about anything.
Train them the way you were trained.
Successful team building requires you
to take an interest in each employee’s
personal and professional development.
Practice open communication through
regularly scheduled team meetings as well
as informal conversations with each person
on your staff. Financial incentives are
important as well.
Putting these systems in place sounds
like it will take significant effort, and it
will. In fact, when a new
team member is added, expect an
initial drop in efficiency since time and
resources will be diverted to training.
However, keep in mind that the use of
these best practices will lead to an attractive
long-term return on investment for
the business. If you really like what an
employee is doing, tell them (see sidebar).
There are lots of “help wanted” signs out
there, so if you have a good employee,
make sure they know they are appreciated
or they will find a job elsewhere.
HOW TO LEVERAGE
YOUR TIME
Having an assistant, maybe parttime
initially, will off-load repetitive and
time-consuming administrative functions
— such as payroll, invoicing, collections,
scheduling, and ordering supplies — from
the business owner’s task list. An assistant
can even help with lower-value sales-oriented
tasks such as prospecting and contacting
a once regular customer who you
have not seen in a while. They can also help
with your social media posts and checking
online for any review of your business.
Remember, the goal is time management,
allowing the head of the business to focus
8 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

What is the 80/20 rule?
The concept was invented by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto (July 15, 1848 – August
19, 1923) in 1895. Although he was trained in engineering, he had a passion for sociology,
politics, mathematics and economic theories. When he was 47, he game up with the 80/20
rule or principle, believing that 80% of results come from 20% of a certain type of input.
The principle is designed to encourage the most advantageous use of time, input, energy,
money.
According to the book, The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less, by
Richard Koch, “The 80/20 Principle should be used by every intelligent person in their daily
life, by every organization, and by every social grouping and form of society.”
In Koch’s blog, which can be found at RichardKoch.net, he wrote, “The value is in looking
for 80/20 (or similar) patterns which exist, but which have not yet been detected. For example,
20 percent of the ‘chunks’ of business may give 80 percent of profits and cash – but
which chunks? How are they defined? You need a hypothesis before you can test it, and
the fun is devising a new hypothesis never suspected before, but which works very well and
leads you to action that can multiply profits. In a study I made of a gambling business, I
divided customers into ‘chickens’, ‘geese’, and ‘foxes’. Without giving the game away, I can
tell you that the chickens were small gamblers who cost a fortune to recruit and gave very
little revenue because they didn’t bet much and lost their money quickly. The company was
spending an enormous amount to attract these customers, yet making a huge loss on them.
Stop doing that – and profits soared.”
What makes
for a happy
and productive
employee?
In an interview with Gretchen Rubin, author of the
best-selling book, The Happiness Project, she
stated there are seven ways to make an employee
more happy, more productive and more likely to
stay. The interview, by AmericanExpress.com,
included the following list:
1. Recognize when employees are making progress.
2. Make employees feel like they belong.
3. Take an interest in who employees actually are.
4. Make it fun.
5. Let your employees disengage sometimes.
6. Encourage exercise and sleep.
7. Stop calculating everything.
on the highest-value activities while ridding
as much as possible of the necessary but
lowest-value operational functions.
One helpful guideline is the 80/20
rule (see sidebar). If someone else can
perform an activity on their own roughly
80% as well as you can, then unload it.
Delegation is key, and the key to delegation
is developing a competent team. This
requires an ongoing effort in creating an
environment that empowers employees to
grow and learn from their mistakes.
OVERCOME THE
APPREHENSION
To some owners, the possibility of an
unhappy customer is unsettling and often
cited as the reason they must be involved on
every job. However, who is to say that the
presence of the manager on every job will
prevent any customer issues? Success will
come through open communication with
team members to identify any challenges,
allowing time to remedy these problems in
a timely and satisfactory manner.
We all know the expression of “turning
lemons into lemonade.” As long as
the shortfall is addressed quickly, the
customer typically ends up feeling positive—and
in fact often more positive
than if there was no issue at all!
In practice, focusing on high-value
sales activities is not natural for everyone,
and that may be the primary reason some
gravitate to operations. Fortunately, we
are living in a time when there are many
affordable resources to assist and improve
marketing capabilities. Available tools include
customer relationship management
(CRM) software, online courses, and
business coaches specializing in sales and
a variety of other functional areas. Also,
work with suppliers that are available for
questions, or concerns, so that you’re not
winging it with a certain product. Have a
supplier on hand you know you can reach
out to and trust.
Change is never easy, so the key is
to undertake a series of small, incremental
steps. Laying the groundwork
to pull back from operations—say, one
extra hour each week—moves the ball
forward to reorient your approach to
working “on” and not “in” the business.
Celebrate even the littlest victories, and
over time, the result will be much more
dramatic than simply replacing one
vowel with another.
If I can help you answer any of these
questions let me know: buda@detail-
THE ORIGINAL...
PNEUMATIC
ROTARY
SHAMPOO
TOOLS & MORE
DETAILPLUS.COM || 503-251-2955
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 9

TRICKS
OF THE TRADE
Please Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability. Also note
that opinions and statements made here are by each forum user and do
not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Auto Detailing News.
Presenting some of the best detailing discussions from The Car Wash Forum (formerly known as autocareforum.
com). Please Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability.) Please note, opinions and statements made
here are by each forum user and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Auto Detailing News.
Gift card confusion…
Every year our detail shop has sold a decent amount
of gift certificates especially around the holidays. I'm
looking for a way to communicate the fact that gift
certificates are for a dollar amount and not necessarily
guaranteed to cover a certain detail package. The
problem comes if prices increase, the vehicle requires
extra labor and materials, or the person expects more
value than their gift card amount offers.
The customer never wants to hear that
they have to pay extra on top of the gift
card amount, even if it's five years old.
How would you handle it if you were
me? I remember the old McDonald's gift
certificate booklets where each gift certificate
was worth $.50. You used however
many you had left towards your purchase
and that made it simple and transparent.
Maybe I should just make it ‘detail bucks’
and a customer could apply it to whatever
package they wanted. - Waxman
Doesn’t seem like you need to do anything
different. If dinner for 2 at Outback
costs $80 and someone gives me a
$50 gift card, I should be smart enough
to figure it out. Unless you don’t publish
any of your detail prices then I wouldn’t
worry about it. - Kramerwv
FWIW it would make more sense to me
to offer a gift certificate for a service rather
than just "money" toward one. That
way the purchaser who buys a certificate
expecting it to be enough for a particular
service doesn't have to worry that the service
price might increase and his/her gift
won't cover it. You can add an expiration
date that you feel is appropriate, or you
can make sure to invest the money from
those sales so if you do need to raise prices
you've already made a profit off the
purchase amount to cover it. - MEP001
I would sell the gift certificates for different
detail packages at a discount, but I’d
put an expiration date on the gift certificate,
say 12 months from the date of purchase.
How many gift certificates do you
have out now that haven’t been claimed?
- Randy
Check with your state's laws about gift
card expiration dates. In some states it
is illegal to have an expiration date on
them. - OurTown
Tell them "Paul says tough nuts Wendy
Whiner"
But yes, it is possible your wording
on the gift certificates is misleading, do
yours say, "detailing gift certificate" or
do they say, "certificate for ____ dollars
toward any detailing service at the world
famous house of wax"?
I rarely disagree with MEP, but in
this case no way I'd sell a certificate for
a package, which would put the economic
risk on me; I'm also not investing the
sales to *try* to manage that risk, that’s
just another layer of complexity and risk.
- PaulLovesJamie
Thanks everyone for your input. I have
decided to change the wording on the
gift cards to reflect the dollar amount and
the fact that prices are subject to change.
I believe the law in Massachusetts is that
gift certificates must be valid for seven
years from the date of purchase. I don't
have any problem with redeeming old
gift cards, and I have definitely accepted
every gift card presented no matter how
old. My feeling is that the customer paid
the money so it's my responsibility to
honor my end of the deal and provide a
service. It just needs to be worded so that
I am insulated against any factor which
may cause the price of the service to be
higher than the amount on the gift card.
Some cars come in with so much pine
pitch on the paint that it requires an extra
three hours of labor and things like
that will cause me to lose money on the
job. - Waxman
10 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

Wax on. Wax off. Write on. Write off.
Taxes: What are some of the more obscure
things I need to be writing off? Or what are
some good tax strategies?
Fuel, business lunches or dinners, travel
expenses to conventions and such, vehicle
maintenance and depreciation, memberships
to clubs or organizations used
for networking and public relations…
- HeyVern
Section 179 lets you take accelerated depreciation
on equipment in the year it
was put into service. Last time I checked
it was limited to up to a 125K per year
write-off. A vehicle with a GVW of over
6800 lbs can be written completely off.
You should get with a good CPA; they
won't cost you money they will save you
money. - Soapy
100 percent agree w soapy. I found a
CPA a while back that’s worth the money.
- Traveler17
Can you write off your truck & mileage?
My tax guy said no, bit mileage is better.
I can write off mileage since this is
my 2nd job! - Soonermajic
Miles you can write off to the IRS limit
($.585).
You can write off a full expense of a
lease assuming the lease is fully used for
business. If you are financing to own,
you can only deduct the interest and
depreciate the principal. If you go that
route, you can write off other expenses as
well like gas and maintenance
A good CPA will save you more
than they cost you. IMO they are much
cheaper than I would have thought if
they are just doing tax prep. - MC3033
I have a dedicated work vehicle and a
dedicated personal use vehicle. You can
write the mileage off on a combo vehicle
as mentioned. For a fully dedicated work
vehicle you can write it off directly. -
Soapy
You should be able to write off mileage…
Also, when purchasing the location
if any value was assigned to the
equipment vs property or land.... the
portion assigned to the equipment can
depreciate that as well.
Every owner's situation is different
but like it was already mentioned, a
good CPA pays for themselves many
times over. - Rfreeman
Business use of phone and internet. -
Earl Weiss
Like Soapy said - find a good accountant
and they will save you money. Taxes aren't
DIY - IMHO.
If the truck isn't a dedicated business
vehicle, you should be keeping a mileage
log and deducting every business-related
mile. - Car_Wash_Guy
This is a great topic with great advice. Of
course, sec 179 is the biggest deduction
but you have to use it wisely. One other
item not mentioned yet, your income
from the [business] is self-employment
earned income and you must pay self-employment
tax on that income. If you set
up your business and property separately,
you may be able to avoid that self-employment
tax by the business paying rent
to the property ownership entity. Rental
income is not earned income and not
subject to the same tax liabilities. Most
deductions depend on your situation and
future plans. In some cases, you may be
better off paying more tax now and saving
some deductions for later, especially if you
feel like tax rates are going up.
Like these guys say, a
good business CPA will know how to tax
plan and be worth the cost.
One possible trick to get more mileage,
have a dedicated space in your home
to serve as a home office. Visit your home
office every morning before leaving your
home, this could open up your commute
to work or to the car wash as a deductible
expense. - Joswhaha
Question #8: We bought a houseboat. If
we put our business name on both sides
of the boat, & have customers on it, can
we write it off? If so, what can we write
off? Its mortgage, slip rental, etc... use
signage on each side & slip rental as advertisement?
- Soonermajic
I’m not a tax expert but have survived a
few IRS audits. Generally, they say the
expenses must be ordinary and necessary
to your business to be deductible. I had
questioned my CPA about similar deductions
and his opinion was if I put an
advertisement on a boat, the cost of the
advertisement could possibly be deductible.
However, the other boat expenses
would not be unless I was somehow using
the boat for the business.
There is another possible
situation where a portion of your boat
expenses could possibly be deductible.
If you would also use the houseboat as a
short-term rental in the times you weren’t
using it. That would convert the boat to a
business and the portion of the expenses
for the time you were actually renting it or
offering it for rent could be normal business
expenses, also you may actually make
a little money. - Joswhaha
Don't hesitate to get a good CPA ... and
a lawyer to assist with company/LLC/
Sole Proprietor decisions which have
tax and legal implications ... many times
you'll want to set up meetings with them
together for planning purposes (a tax decision
may open you up to legal liability...vice-versa-
which is why you want at
least yearly meetings together).
Please don't interpret this as meaning
a quick trip to the local franchise tax prep
firm at the mall in April ... a professional
CPA (not a relative) can help organize
your business expenses "to reduce your
tax exposure" which is totally legal, and
your attorney can help organize your
thoughts and actions to match ... words
matter. - Eckert16
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 11

ARTICLES
REPRINTED
ON PLAQUES!
INDUSTRY
NEWS
SELF
SERVE
SNAPSHOT
SHOT
GETTING TO KNOW
TUCSON SELF WASH
THE
PANNO
FAMILY
Detail shop TV drama is back on the air
The third season of Carl Weber’s
The Family Business premiered on May
17, after a year-long hiatus.
The first two seasons have been full
of action, twists, turns and everything
in between for the Duncan family as
they operate their exotic car detail shop
as upstanding citizens in the community,
but there is more than meets the eye
with everyone involved, according to a
Sports Illustrated write-up.
The show follows L.C. Duncan,
played by Ernie Hudson, who is the patriarch
of the family and the CEO of
Duncan Motors, the family business.
Charlotte Duncan is Hudson’s wife,
played by Valerie Pettiford, who serves
as a match to the patriarch of the family.
Armand Assante plays mafia crime
boss Sal Dash. The series can be found
on the BET network.
VISIT AUTODETAILINGNEWS.COM
Indiana detailer honored by the SBA
The U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) Indiana District Office honored
Purdue University alumnus Donte
Wilburn on May 5 at Purdue’s Convergence
Center during SBA National
Small Business Week.
Ziebert appoints new vice chair of
International Franchise Association
Larisa Walega has been appointed
vice chair of the International Franchise
Association’s Women’s Franchise Committee,
and describes it as “literally one of
the honors so far of my career,” according
to a company article.
Walega, who is vice president of marketing
at car care franchise Ziebart, said in
a statement, “I joined that committee for
a specific purpose; it was to just surround
myself with very positive, driven women.”
Michigan detailer looks to expand
Mobile detailing business Clouser
Detailing LLC was developed by Jordan
Earley, a Michigan resident looking to
offer his skillsets to provide the best quality
detailing service available, according
to a May 13 press release.
It’s such a wonderful committee. We are
dedicated to the idea of inspiration and
encouraging women in franchising with
a number of different networks and subcommittees,
but it’s all about strengthening
their success in franchising.”
Headquartered in Michigan, Ziebart
has 400 locations— with 84 of those in
the United States. The chain specializes in
automotive aftermarket services, including
auto detailing, paint protection, window
According to a Purdue article, SBA
recognized Wilburn as the SBA Indiana
Small Business Person of the Year. ”Wilburn,
owner of Premier Detailing in
Lafayette, has grown his auto detailing
company from two to 28 employees, expanded
service lines to include
fleet and dealership
contracting, merchandise
and window tinting, and opened a second
location in Kokomo with plans for a
third in Avon later this year.”
“Earley developed Clouser Detailing
LLC in September 2020, when he decided
he was ready to begin his entrepreneurial
career. Since then, he has been
proven to be extremely successful in
the Oakland County area. Clouser Detailing
LLC is also planning to expand
gradually throughout the area,” the
press release stated. They offer multiple
different packages, including the Silver,
Gold, and Platinum packages to get the
ultimate detailing at your budget.
tinting and external body rust proofing,
according to the company.
“Walega attributes this growth partly
due to being deemed an “essential business”
during the pandemic, and also due
to the broader shift ‘within the automotive
sector recently of not being able to get new
vehicles, which means people are holding
onto vehicles longer and are more interested
in the appearance and protection of
their vehicles,’ the article stated.
12 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

Cargenixs opens second location in San Jose
Cargenixs is proud to announce that
they are opening a second location in
San Jose, California, according to an
April 21 press release. Their first location
is in Los Gatos. Cargenixs offers detailing,
hand washing, ceramic coating, window
tinting, paint protection film, and
vinyl wrapping.
Cargenixs owner Devon Lewis said
the company, which started out a mobile
detailing business, will still offer a mobile
detailing unit.
“One of the best parts of their mission
as a brand is to practice water conservation,
using washing methods that
will clean an entire car with less than one
gallon of water, and zero water runoff
using vapor steam. This is a vital fact in
California, where there is always a risk of
severe drought,” the press release stated.
All Cargenixs employees are trained
and certified to perform a full listing of
services, focusing on quality, customer
satisfaction, and expert attention to cars,
SUVs, trucks, boats, and RVs. They do
it all from basic maintenance washes to
full detailing.
New Tint World opens in Killeen, Texas
Tint World, a self-proclaimed destination onestop-shop
for all detailing needs, has opened in
Killeen, Texas, making it the 109th location in the
franchise. Co-owners Terry and Elena Rawlins
moved to Killeen to start the Bell County location
for the franchise, according to a May 18 Killeen
Daily Herald story. Both Terry and Elena previously
worked in the hotel industry, but lost their jobs due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We always loved cars and it was always a hobby.
When we lived in Eagle Pass we had built a shop with
a lift where we would just work on cars for fun,” Elena
said in the story. “When COVID hit and we were both
laid off, we thought to ourselves ‘Why don’t we do what
we really like?’”
The Rawlins said they considered a bunch of different
franchises before choosing Tint World. “We
knew Tint World would be a good fit because they are
currently the fastest growing automotive business in
the United States,” Terry said in the story.
Around since 1982, Tint World has over 100 locations,
including ones in Canada, Dubai (United Arab
Emirates), and Saudi Arabia, according to the Tint
World website.
The company stated it is planning to open 35 locations
by the end of 2022.
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 13

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Pollen count is way up across
the country
What’s bad news for allergy sufferers is good news for detailers
as the pollen count is way up from coast to coast.
According to the website pollen.com, 45% of the United
States is experiencing medium to high levels of pollen. As of
May 2022, the website releases this image of the amount of tree
pollen (which causes the yellow substance) in the United States:
Stepping up: Kentucky detail
shop helps teacher after car
was vandalized
A Lexington teacher said he was
pulled out of his sixth period class to
find his car covered in graffiti, and now
a detail shop is offering its services, free
of charge, according to an April 27
WKYT report.
Social Studies teacher Robbie Biddle
said his car was sprayed with graffiti
while parked in the school parking lot.
Painted with graphic and indecent symbols
on both sides of the car, even covering
the tires, the school district soon later
informed the teacher that they would
not pay for any services.
The Henry Clay student-run news
site, “Devil’s Advocate,” later reported
that Principal Paul Little caught and
disciplined the two students, but said the
school district wasn’t claiming responsibility
for the damages.
That’s when Daryl Lyons of Detail
Lex stepped in to help, “You could see
in his face he was just beat down by it. He
was embarrassed by it. He said it was hard
driving down the interstate. He had to get
out and actually scrape it off the windows
so he could even drive,” Lyons said in the
story. “I felt sorry for him. You could tell
he was so over it and just depressed by it.
He’s got young kids. He coaches his kids,
I think it’s his soccer or baseball team, and
what was on there, it was just really bad.”
Lyons offered up his team at Detail
Lex to clean Biddle’s car free of charge.
“I mean, it’s just... I don’t understand
it. Teachers go out of their way
to help kids. They don’t make a lot of
money. And I could just see it in his
face. That was the main thing. When he
walked up, he was embarrassed by it,”
Lyons said in the story.
www.SystemX.com

INDUSTRY NEWS
New $5 million facility in Virginia offers detailing services
The new BriteWash Auto Wash of
Leesburg, Virginia, celebrated its grand
opening on May 4, according to a
LoudounNow story.
The $5 million facility offers both interior
and exterior auto detailing services. It
was designed with environmental conservation
and sustainability in mind, including
a water reclamation system along with
ozone-based washers that operate on cold
water, reduce water use, and decrease the
need for detergents. The facility is also
designed to be energy efficient and implements
a recycling program.
Founded by hotelier and Leesburg resident
Greg Miller, BriteWash is committed
to raising funds for local and national
nonprofits, schools, associations and
organizations, the story said. “BriteWash
also offers weekly discounts for service
industry workers, first responders and educators.
And, in its first month of operation,
BriteWash raised
more than $2,000 for
St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital.” Miller
said he has a goal of
raising $50,000 for St.
Jude through the end of
the year.
“Culminating with
this grand opening,
BriteWash offers a courteous,
efficient, and
helpful auto wash experience
to our Loudoun
County neighbors. We
are committed to delivering
superior wash and
detail services. So too,
our legacy will be met by embracing the
community where we live and work by
giving back,” Miller stated in the story.
BriteWash also offers its very own
brand of coffee called Pit Crew Brew,
available in “The Pit Stop,” a shop offering
pre-packaged snacks, beverages and
frozen treats along with car accessories
such as air-fresheners, Armor All wipes
and Rain-X. Kids are also offered complimentary
popcorn. n and a light show
for the kids. Miller said they hope to offer
local beers and wines and is working to
secure an ABC license.
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS
Registration now open for SEMA 2022
The SEMA Show takes place November
1 - November 4, 2022, at the Las
Vegas Convention Center. The West Hall
will feature Restyling & Car Care Accessories:
Product categories you'll find here are
interior and exterior appearance and styling
enhancements, car-care maintenance,
replacement parts and general accessories.
“Our industry thrived in the face of
the pandemic and continues to grow despite
current challenges in the marketplace,”
said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice
president of events. “Last year’s SEMA
Show showcased the resiliency of our
industry, which was eager to connect in
person after two years apart. Our mission
is to help continue that momentum by
providing an unparalleled experience that
builds meaningful business relationships.”
Detail Garage to open 25 new locations in 2022
Detail Garage, the 80-unit retail store
for car care enthusiasts, passionate car
owners and detailing professionals, is
crossing the mid-year mark on a high note,
according to a company press release.
“The automotive industry proved to be
uniquely resilient against the COVID-19
pandemic, and Detail Garage’s popular
consumer offering and streamlined operations
helped it see an impressive 28%
increase in year-over-year sales in 2020.
Now, the brand’s winning business model
is catching the eye of business-savvy entrepreneurs,
with 25 franchises sold so far
in 2021.”
So far this year, Detail Garage has
welcomed seven new franchisees to the
brand, including multi-unit owners in
Warwick, Rhode Island; Culver City, California;
Lincoln, Nebraska; Gresham, Oregon;
Prosper, Texas; Newnan, Georgia;
and Farmington, Connecticut, the press
release stated.
Multi-location Detail Garage owner
Gil Gonzalez of California-based,
opened the first location in 2016. “The
Detail Garage corporate team was there
for me 100% during COVID-19,” said
Gonzalez in the press release. “Within less
than a month, they had set up an e-commerce
platform for whomever wanted to
get involved with curbside pickup. Usually,
a project like that takes a long time, but
the team made it a priority and helped
us drive sales and keep customer loyalty
up. In addition, we’ve seen a lot of people
more interested in our professional classes
because many people are starting to
think about opening their own detailing
business. Overall, this has been one of our
strongest years so far in terms of sales.”
According to the press release the
company’s goal is to have 100 open units
open in 2022 and 50 new locations added
every year after that. Desired locations are
the Sunbelt, from California to Florida,
as well as New York, New Jersey and the
Midwest.
16 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

Are you on
Apple maps?
Places on Maps, which replaced
Maps Connect, is a way to add
your business page and information to
Apple-run apps such as Safari, Apple
Wallet, Siri and, of course, the map
feature which comes included on all
Apple iPhones.
In order to claim your business,
you have to be able to answer a call to
your business’s phone number or upload
an official document showing the
business’s address and name.
If you visit https://register.apple.
com/placesonmaps/, you can type in
“detail business” or “auto detailer” to
see if yours is listed. If yours is not, you
have to scroll down to “add missing
place” and go from there.
You will need an Apple ID to register
your business. If you do not have
one, you can create one for free.
Dry ice is cool way to clean cars
A Youtube video posted by I
Am Detailing, shows the use of
dry ice to clean the underbody
of Saab Turbo. According to a
Carscoops story, the detailing
process started with using dry ice
to clean the underbody, covering
everything from the chassis and
suspension components to the
exhaust and fuel tank. “They
then work their way up, cleaning
things like the wheel wells and
the engine bay. The process is quite satisfying,
especially seeing some of the parts
that were black with dirt come out shining
silver again. After the dry ice cleaning was
done, they applied a protective coating to
preserve the results,” the story said.
According to another Carscoops story,
posted in December 2021, “Dry ice
blasting is a way of cleaning parts without
any of the abrasion you get using
traditional media blasting – and without
the associated mess, too. It works by
sending a stream of dry ice pellets, the
solid form of carbon dioxide, through a
hose under high pressure. When the pellets
hit a surface they turn to a gas, gently
removing any dirt, which simply falls to
the ground.”
There is a business called Dry Ice
Detailing Pros, based in Houston, Texas.
According to the business’s website, “Dry
Ice Detailing Pros use a non-abrasive,
INDUSTRY NEWS
eco-friendly method that
safely cleans and removes
years of grime and gunk
from under your car, engine
bays and wheel wells. Most
car enthusiasts will appreciate
this method as it can
restore these areas of your
car to almost new condition.
Our target clients are owners
of high-end, classic cars,
show cars or if you are in the
market to sell your vehicle and want
to get the highest return.”
As for the Saab, the detailing process
also included a full-pressure wash with
snow foam, complete with brushing out
the crevices by hand and drying them
with an air hose, followed by paint correction.
The work also included a complete
interior cleaning.
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 17

Famous Amos
giving out $50K
grants to small
businesses
The Famous Amos Ingredients for Success
Entrepreneurs Initiative, in honor of the
brand’s founder Wally Amos, was started to
create pathways for black business owners to
thrive, according to its website. Ingredients for
Success will award $50,000 to three entrepreneurs.
Along with the monetary award, winners
will receive the necessary resources and
tools provided by the NBCC to drive sustainable
growth and success.
According to smallbiztrends.com, applicants
will engage in a pitch contest that will help provide
an overview of their business, why it will become
a successful enterprise, and how awarded
funds will be used for long-term stability.
To qualify, businesses must be Black-owned
and have been in operation for five years or
less. The deadline to apply is June 26, 2022.
To apply, go to the following website: https://
famousamos.nationalbcc.org.
Small Business Digital Alliance publishes
library of free digital tools
The Small Business Digital Alliance
(SBDA), a new public-private co-sponsorship
between the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) and Business Forward,
Inc., published a comprehensive
suite of free resources to help small
businesses expand their customer base,
manage their growth, find and retain
talent, and enter new markets. These
resources are being provided by some
of America’s most respected leaders in
business, government, economic development,
and other aligned spaces. The
SBDA previously announced its first
slate of events and national members,
including: Amazon, Comcast, Google,
Meta, PayPal, Principal Financial
Group, Square (Block, Inc.), TriNet,
Venmo, Verizon, Visa, and ZenBusiness.
Since launching, the SBDA has
brought on LinkedIn and Microsoft as
national members.
In line with the Biden-Harris Administration’s
focus on building a better
America, the SBDA’s digital tools will
help small businesses create competitive
advantages and lower the barriers to entry
to entrepreneurship for all aspiring
small business owners, especially those
from historically underserved and disadvantaged
communities. Beyond access
to technical skills development and
tools, the SBDA will play a significant
role in helping entrepreneurs expand
their networks -- a key component for
small businesses as they seek new customers
and stronger relationships with
vendors, lenders, and other stakeholders
needed for success. Small businesses
can also partake in regional educational
and networking events hosted through
the collaboration of the SBA, Business
Forward, Inc., and the SBDA’s national
members.
How to access the SBDA’s Digital
Resource Library
Small businesses can navigate the
SBDA national members’ tools and
resources through the library for more
personalized learning by visiting smallbusinessdigitalalliance.com.
The library
will be updated monthly with new resources
throughout the year.
Resources available to small business
owners through the SBDA library
include:
• Tools geared toward establishing
a digital presence, reaching
new markets, managing growth,
finding and retaining talent,
improving operations, expanding
customer bases, e-commerce,
and raising capital;
• Live workshops and curricula
tailored to business leaders’
needs;
• Development and support in
accelerating online and social
media strategies; and
• Trainings to assist in accessing
and utilizing digital tools
provided by national members.
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• Backed by a 3 year (or 36,000 mile) warranty
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18 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022
0000 Auto Detailing News_Feb_2022.indd 1 2/17/2022 10:27:20 AM

Indeed Launches a $50M Hiring Fund
Hoping to give a boost to the hiring
process, Indeed’s $50 million Hiring
Fund for Small Businesses was announced
during the release of its State of Small
Business Hiring report for 2022. The report
revealed that 38% of small businesses
believe they could have 11-20% business
growth within a year if the hiring process
was more efficient. According to a smallbiztrends.com
story, well over half of small
businesses have had between one and four
roles unfilled during the last three months,
with each role taking an average of over a
month to fill.
“Indeed noted that employers at small
businesses are struggling in what has become
a very competitive market for talented
applicants who can pick and choose
which role best suits their personal needs,”
the story stated.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The $50 Million Hiring Fund is designed
to help small businesses hire faster
and more efficiently. Indeed stated on its
website: “We’re here to help you succeed.
Indeed has created a Small Business Hiring
Fund and committed $50m in Sponsored
Job Credit to help businesses find
great hires. With your credit, you can use
our premium tools to increase your job’s
visibility and connect with quality candidates
more quickly.”
The Indeed Small Business Hiring
Fund offers U.S.-based small and medium
businesses up to $500 in sponsored job
credits to apply toward finding their next
hire when they conduct an interview using
Indeed. To find out more visit: https://
go.indeed.com/hiringfund.
Need funding?
Here’s an idea
An SBIC is a privately owned company
that’s licensed and regulated by the
Small Business Administration (SBA).
SBICs invest in small businesses in the
form of debt and equity. The SBA doesn’t
invest directly into small businesses, but it
does provide funding to qualified SBICs
with expertise in certain sectors or industries.
Those SBICs then use their private
funds, along with SBA-guaranteed funding,
to invest in small businesses.
Debt or equity? Or both? - SBICs
invest in small businesses through debt,
equity, or a combination of both. Debt is
a loan an SBIC gives to a business, which
the business must pay back, along with any
interest. Equity is a share of ownership an
SBIC gets in a business in exchange for providing
funding. Sometimes, an SBIC invests
in a business through both debt and equity.
Such an investment includes both loans and
shares of ownership. A typical SBIC investment
is made over a 3-year period.
Debt - A typical SBIC loan ranges
from $250,000 to $10 million, with an interest
rate between 9% and 16%.
Equity SBICs will invest in your
business in exchange for a share of ownership
in your company. Typical investments
range from $100,000 to $5 million.
Debt with equity - Financing includes
loans and ownership shares.
Loan interest rates are typically between
10% and 14%. Investments range from
$250,000 to $10 million.
Check your eligibility - SBICs typically
target mature, profitable businesses
with sufficient cashflow to pay interest.
However, each SBIC has its own investment
profile in terms of targeted industry,
geography, company maturity, and the
types and size of financing they provide.
There are a few universal requirements.
• Be a U.S. business: At least 51% of
your employees and assets must be
within the U.S.
• Be a small business: Qualify as a
small business according to SBA
size standards. You can see if your
car wash qualifies by visiting sba.
gov/size-standards.
• Be in an approved industry:
Farmland, real estate, and financing
are some of the industries that don’t
qualify.
SUPPORTOUR
ADVERTISERS
VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 19

INNOVATIONS
Introducing new & improved products for professional auto, boat & motorcycle detailers.
Ceramic Coating
Malco ® Products, Inc. announced the introduction
of EPIC ® PRO Ceramic Coating to the Malco
Automotive line of professional detailing products.
This high-end ceramic coating bonds with a vehicle’s
clear coat to form a durable, hydrophobic barrier
that lasts up to three years or 36,000 miles, cures to a
ceramic hardness of 9H and offers one of the industry’s
highest gloss levels.
“EPIC PRO Ceramic Coating is a new and improved
version of our previous ceramic product
and compliments our EPIC ® Paint Correction and
Protection product line. Ceramic coating is the most
advanced protective coating offered for the automotive
aftermarket and produces the “wet” look many
luxury car owners desire,” said Mike Goldstein, Malco
Product Manager. “EPIC PRO’s hydrophobic
properties allow water and dirt to slide right off the
vehicle surface.”
EPIC PRO Ceramic Coating is part of the
EPIC ® Ceramic Coating System which includes
surface preparation products and an enhancement
spray that boosts the life of the ceramic coating.
For optimum results, we also recommend using the
EPIC ® Paint Correction System to properly remove
any paint defects in the application surface before
installation. EPIC Pro is only available from Malco
Automotive Distributors. It is sold in a single-use kit
that includes one 30ml bottle of ceramic coating,
one technical data sheet, one applicator pad, and ten
suede applicator cloths.
Detailing Podcast
Hosted by Jimbo Balaam, the Auto Detailing
Podcast is a show dedicated to all things auto
detailing. Whether you are a weekend warrior,
driveway detailer, just starting your detail
business, or you have been detailing for
many years there is something we can all learn.
This podcast offers up valuable tips, tricks and interviews
with today’s top detailers across the world.
We focus heavily on efficiency and award-winning results.
We keep it real and make sure every episode gives you multiple
take aways to make you a better auto detailer.
Glazed Doughnut Air Freshener
Chemical Guys’ Fresh Glazed Doughnut
Scent is the air freshener and odor
eliminator combo that replaces foul odors
and smells with the delicious scent of
mouth-watering doughnuts.
There are few scents as delicious as
fresh-baked doughnuts. Now you can
enjoy the essence of warm fresh-made
doughnuts without any of the guilt, calories,
or grams of saturated fat! Just one
spray will fill your car with that heavenly
aroma of fresh-made doughnuts hot out
of the fryer, so you can enjoy all the deliciousness
with none of the health risks
that come with excessive doughnut intake.
This air freshener uses active enzymes
to physically destroy odor-causing
maladies to eliminate foul smells
right at their source, only leaving behind
the delicious smell of sweet, sugary
glazed doughnuts.
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20 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

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IDA CORNER
The IDA’s Global Growth
Gains Momentum
Exploring the “International” in International Detailing Association
By Erin Reyes,
IDA Communications Coordinator
“Promoting the success and growth of the
global professional detailing community”
While the International Detailing
Association (IDA) has always been envisioned
as a global organization, the last
few years have seen the international aspect
really become a major focus. Earlier
this year, the IDA updated its mission
(above, emphasis added) to better reflect
this global objective. Likewise, the IDA
also freshened up its vision statement (emphasis
added): “To be the lead advocate and
premier source of information for the global
professional detailing community”.
It is interesting, but not entirely surprising,
that these last few years have resulted
in a strengthened global detailing
community. In such a strange time when
the pandemic has kept members apart
physically for the most part, it has actually
brought them closer together digitally –
the use of Zoom meetings and social media
groups has really boomed, driven by
the shared need for connection. Members
across the globe have been able to collaborate
virtually with ease, developing new
initiatives to support members and keeping
projects moving forward, which has
helped sustain membership and chapter
growth despite the distance.
Over the past three years, the IDA’s
membership has nearly doubled from
1,200 to 2,337 (as of May 2022) across 79
countries. In the same period, the proportion
of non-U.S. members has gone from
about one-quarter to one-third. This has
also tracked for Certified Detailers (CDs)
– as of May 2022, 31% of the 1,203 total
CDs are located outside the United
States. It has helped that a quarter of
the 36 Recognized Independent Trainers
(RITs) are also based outside of the U.S.,
with the majority spread across Europe.
Mid-last year, the IDA welcomed its first
RIT in Asia (Geoffrey Morales, CD-
SV, RIT, of the Philippines; also serves
as Vice President of the Southeast Asia
Chapter), opening a new opportunity for
in-person, hands-on Skills Validation (SV)
events in the region. Previously, U.S.- or
U.K.-based RITs would have to make the
journey, which became increasingly difficult
during the pandemic.
Serving as the IDA’s first non-U.S.-
based president, Alan Medcraf, CD-SV,
RIT (of the United Kingdom), has helped
the association hone its global focus. Prior
to the pandemic, Alan had spent several
years traveling Europe, America, and
Asia for business and training purposes,
uniquely positioning him as a well-recognized
face of the international detailing
community. At the beginning of his
term as president, he stated that his “goal
over the next 12 months is to help adapt
and deliver on everything the IDA does
to make it a truly global association”. So
far, he has worked closely with the IDA
board, committees, and chapter leadership
to help make progress toward that
goal. In January, Alan made his stateside
debut as president of the IDA at Mobile
Tech Expo in Orlando. Recently, he began
filming monthly social media videos
to keep members updated on all the work
that is going on behind the scenes at the
committee, chapter, and board levels.
Thus far in 2022, the IDA has added
four new chapters: Brazil, Poland, Netherlands,
and Canada, the last of which is now
the third largest chapter, with more than
50 members. This brings the total number
of chapters up to 14 – a big leap from the
one chapter we started with in 2016 (the
United Kingdom, which is currently the
largest chapter with almost 150 members).
This rapid global expansion would not
have been possible without the support of
the IDA Chapter Development Committee,
currently chaired by Simon Boulton,
CD-SV, and Tyler Cucchi, CD-SV, RIT.
The committee recently established biannual
cross-chapter collaboration meetings,
on which international chapter members
can connect about challenges they have
experienced in their region, tactics that
have been working, and ways to better support
their members. The committee is also
working on improving communication
and collaboration between committees to
make sure projects and ideas are looked
at through a global lens. After experiencing
such quick growth over the last couple
years, the committee’s main focus now is
to support current chapters and help them
strengthen their offerings to members.
Chapter Development is not the only
IDA committee that has been working
hard to improve resources for international
members. Currently, the IDA Certification
Committee is in the process of translating
the online CD exams, with help
from international members. Their goal is
to offer 10 non-English exam translations
for purchase on the website by the end of
the year. Also, shortly after the pandemic
started, the committee pivoted away from
in-person exams and introduced online
Phase I (CD) certification events to ensure
that individuals across the globe would
still have the opportunity to learn from
and connect with RITs, just as they would
at in-person events, without the risk of
leaving their home or shop.
Now that venues have begun to reopen
and in-person events are slowly returning,
the IDA has had presence at multiple
largescale tradeshows abroad. After
several years of being apart, everyone has
been so excited for the opportunity to get
together face-to-face. In March, the IDA
Belgium-France Chapter had a booth
at the Detailing Show in Tours, France.
Their participation in the show was coordinated
by Chapter President Erwan
Gouriou, CD-SV, MC, and Board Member
Michael Nowak, CD-SV. The event
also saw visits by Medcraf, along with
Boyan Kushev, CD-SV, president of the
IDA Bulgaria Chapter. Late last year, the
Belgium-France Chapter also held a twoday
event that featured multiple training
sessions, racetrack driving sessions in
Lamborghinis and Porsches for all attendees,
and appearances by visiting members
from the Germany Chapter. More
recently, the UK Chapter had a booth at
Waxstock – the largest car care event in
Europe – in Coventry, United Kingdom,
while the Italy Chapter had a booth and
hosted daily Phase I (CD) events at Autopromotec
in Bologna, Italy.
Of course, one thing that has helped
make all the cross-chapter and international
collaboration possible is technology.
Besides holding committee or chapter
meetings via Zoom (including the highly
successful series of monthly UK Chapter
catch-up calls), the IDA has used other
tools at its disposal to bring members together
virtually. The website and social
22 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

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media have been pivotal, along with the
introduction of chapter-specific newsletters.
Each chapter currently has a dedicated
group page and/or Facebook group,
where they can easily converse with their
peers about local issues in their preferred
language. The Health and Wellness Task
Force launched the resource library, which
contains physical, mental, and emotional
health resources from across the U.S. and
U.K. (with the goal to eventually include
resources from more countries). Over the
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further the reach of current offerings.
Lastly, the IDA MarComm Committee
is working to finalize the full launch of
the consumer-focused website, DetailingNearby.com,
which will be the largest
and most comprehensive global directory
of IDA members and Certified Detailers.
Consumers will be able to find and contact
members and CDs local to them on
an international scale.
While international growth is exciting,
it does not come without challenges.
One of the issues the IDA has run into
is misunderstandings due to differing
terms or translations between countries
and regions. The association has found
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two surveys to gather data about different
terms used to describe the same situations
around the world. While terminology
might never be completely universal, the
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VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 23

KEYS TO
BUSINESS
SUCCESS
In
Transition
How a business owner
can withstand and benefit
from various curveballs,
changes and chaos.
CHUCK VIOLAND founded
Violand Management Associates in
1987. VMA is a leader in executive
development, management
training, and business performance
maximization for entrepreneurial
restoration and cleaning companies.
As an author and popular speaker,
Violand is a respected authority on
entrepreneurial small businesses,
having spent more than 30 years
as both a business consultant and
an executive coach. He is a regular
contributor to trade journals and
newsletters and is the author of the
popular weekly leadership series
Monday Morning Notes.
by Chuck Violand
A while back, I wrote an article entitled
“Sailboats, Yachts, and Tall-Masted
Ships.” In it, I used various sizes of
sailing vessels as a metaphor to explain
the transitions a business experiences as
it grows.
It starts out small, similar to a recreational
sailboat cruising around a lake
on a Saturday afternoon, and ends up
as a mighty, tall-masted ship sailing the
oceans.
I explored some of the challenges a
business owner and their team experience
as a company grows, much like the
captain and crew of a vessel experience
as the boats they sail increase in size.
I explained how cash and the wind
play similar roles as motive forces for
moving a business or a sailboat forward,
and how important it is to attract and
keep the right people, depending on the
size business or boat.
While I explored these changes from
the physical aspects
of transitioning from one
boat to another—the money, people,
and competitors for example—I didn’t
delve into the psychological or emotional
aspects experienced by the captain
and crew.
As business owners, we often think
of transitioning as something that happens
toward the end of our career or at
a time when we’re leaving the business.
If we talk about it at all, we mention it
like it’s an event rather than a process.
It usually involves dreams of endless
rounds of golf, sitting on a beach, or
doing the traveling we’ve put off until
we had more time or money.
But transitions don’t just take place
when we’re preparing to exit our company.
They take place throughout our
life, our career, and the lifecycle of our
business. And each transition is a process,
not an event.
Some examples of the transitions
we experience in our personal life are
when we leave the safety of our home
to attend our first day of
school, when we move out on our
own to embark on our career, when we
marry, or when we have children. In
business, we can experience transitions
even more frequently as our company
grows. They might start the day we
launch the company (or the day we join
one), or when we “get off the truck,” or
hire our first employee or manager. But
transitions can also involve losing a key
worker or customer, or adding service
lines, territories, or locations, or mobile
units. Using the metaphor of sailboats,
this means we’re moving to increasingly
larger, more-complex boats.
According to many experts, any
transition involves three distinct components:
• An ending.
• A time of upheaval or chaos, and
• A new beginning.
There is no irony in the fact that
the ending always comes before the beginning.
In other words, to fully grasp
24 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

KEYS TO BUSINESS SUCCESS
a new beginning, we must let go of an
ending. We should also not be caught
off guard by the middle component—
the upheaval and chaos that almost
always accompany a transition. They
can cause uncertainty, anxiety, and resistance
to making a change.
WHO IS SCARED
OF CHANGE?
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According to author William Bridges,
PhD, “Change is situational. Transition,
on the other hand, is psychological.”
Bridges also writes, “…one of the
most important transitions that is likely
to take place in a person’s work life
sometime after the age of forty: the
transition from being motivated by the
chance to demonstrate competence to being
motivated by the chance to find personal
meaning in the work and its results.
It is the shift from the question of how to
the question of why.”
The idea of demonstrating competence
goes much deeper than just exhibiting
the ability to perform a task well.
It also includes the emotional rewards
we receive when demonstrating our
competence to competitors, colleagues,
or social networks. These emotional rewards
help satisfy our need to find personal
meaning, however we define it.
The role of an effective business
founder is in a constant state of transition
from the day we start our company.
Some of the transitions are minor, like
hiring our first worker, remodeling our
store or plant, or assimilating our largest
new customer. Others can be major
transitions that accompany things like
changing careers, taking on or losing
a partner, or attempting to fully embrace
the role of “manager” rather
than “doer.” (In my opinion, it is failure
to successfully make this last transition
that underlies the statistic that over 70%
of all businesses have no employees.)
Transitioning is what happens when
our business grows, moving us from one
size boat to a larger one. And it’s not
unusual for several transitions to take
place at the same time. We might be hiring
more employees and, depending on
the change our business is experiencing,
that could include hiring managers who
give directions as well as receive them.
In this case, the change that’s taking place
is in the number of workers we’re hiring
or in their business acumen. The transition
that’s taking place is within us as
the owner. It involves the evolution that
must take place as we make a mental
shift and relinquish (delegate) old responsibilities
to embrace new ones. This
is frequently an uncomfortable and chaotic
time, especially for people with a
high need to be in control.
Another example is when our company
experiences a sudden and significant
increase in revenue or profits.
While this is a change most business
owners dream about and work years to
achieve, the transition can also take us by
surprise. It requires a shift on our part
regarding our deep-seated beliefs about
money and our readiness to manage
larger amounts of it. When this transition
isn’t handled well, it often results in
undisciplined purchases and poor financial
decisions on the owner’s part.
The examples are endless, and their
impact is compounded when several
transitions are taking place at the
same time. These transitions frequently
include a temporary drop in the company’s
profitability and can cause even
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VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 25

KEYS TO BUSINESS SUCCESS
the strongest business leader to want to
cling to the old way of doing things …
and the old way of thinking.
When business owners don’t successfully
make these transitions—navigating
the chaos experienced in letting go of
the past and embracing an unfamiliar
future—they find themselves trying to
sail a larger vessel while using the same
skills and understanding they had when
they were sailing a much smaller boat.
Unfortunately, this rarely ends well for
the captain or crew.
IT’S A MARATHON,
NOT A SPRINT
For years, my counsel to clients who
were undertaking a significant initiative
in their business—increasing sales, hiring
or discharging a key worker, adding
a new service, or making the heart-stopping
leap from a smaller boat to a larger
one—was to expect some things to fall
apart. While I didn’t fully understand
the underlying reasons for this at the
time, I knew it almost always happened.
I now realize this is what William Bridges
calls a period of confusion and distress
and what spiritual leader Richard
Rohr writes about in his book Falling
Upward.
Transitioning is a process. It is
growth on the part of a CEO as they
become more aware of the impermanence
of everything around them. It’s
part of the natural order of things in
business and in life. But it’s a part that
many people struggle with. Transitioning
is not an event that only happens at
the end of a career. While a successful
transition of business leadership may be
a CEO’s final act of greatness, it certainly
isn’t the only one.
Perhaps the biggest transition experienced
by many leaders of a growing
business is one that takes place under
the radar of most other people. It’s the
leader’s very own growth and maturing
as a business leader, where they develop
the skills and business acumen to sail a
bigger boat.
In his book Good to Great, author Jim
Collins refers to this as Level 5 leadership,
writing, “Level 5 leaders are
a study in duality: modest and willful,
humble and fearless.”
The growth that got leaders to this
level never takes place by accident, and
it’s almost always accompanied by that
pesky in-between period of chaos and
uncertainty. It’s this ongoing transition
that equips leaders with the skills to lead
larger companies and sail bigger boats.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Peter Senge, senior lecturer at the
MIT Sloan School of Management
and author of The Fifth Discipline, writes,
“We forget that, in its essence, leadership
is about learning how to shape the
future… Leadership is about creating
new realities.” This applies to our business
as well as to ourselves.
THE UPS AND
DOWNS OF SUCCESS
Does a leader grow because of the
business’s growth or does the business
grow because of the leader’s? I will argue
it’s a leader’s growth that spurs the
company’s.
We’ve all witnessed examples of a
company experiencing rapid growth for
a short period of time only to retreat to
its previous size. This is the equivalent
of jumping from one size boat to a larger
one, and then back again. The owner
and team didn’t have the skills, drive, or
business acumen to sail the larger vessel.
This is not a judgment, it’s simply an
observation. Regardless, this is always a
risky endeavor as the chance to fall short
of either boat and end up splashing in
the water is huge. These splashes are
usually painful and expensive but rarely
fatal. This is the chaos and uncertainty,
that in-between space between an ending
and a beginning, that accompanies
every transition.
I also suspect this is one of the underlying
reasons so many business owners
resist making that leap at the end of
their career. The splash in the water of
uncertainty can be terrifying to them,
especially if they don’t have that next,
safe place to land.
WHEN OR IF IT’S
TIME TO RETIRE…
There is no more frightening time
for a CEO than when it’s time to transition
out of the business they’ve spent
so much of their life building. It’s more
frightening than the launch phase where
changes can happen quickly, every decision
seems like a life-or-death choice for
the company, and where cash is always
in short supply. It’s greater than during
the growth years where the company’s
and its leader’s growth move in lockstep
and the focus shifts to attracting, keeping,
and trusting competent people to
help grow the business, essentially moving
from one size boat to another.
Most business owners understand
the physical aspects of selling their business.
Somebody writes a check, and
somebody receives one. One day they’re
shouldering the responsibilities of their
company and the next day they’re not.
But too often former owners overlook
the emotional elements of selling their
company and the transition they’ll experience
as they leave one phase of
their career and settle into a new one.
If the intent is to set up the company
for an outright sale, then ensuring its
health and navigating the changes and
transitions that are necessary to do so
go a long way in securing an attractive
price. That’s the simple choice, but not
always the desired one.
We’re witnessing firsthand the contributions
and value people continue to
bring to organizations as they mature.
The last two presidents of the United
States were sworn into office after they
had turned seventy. The chairman and
CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren
Buffett, continues to lead the company
and affect global financial markets with
his insights at age 90 (his business partner,
Charlie Munger, is 97!). Management
guru Peter Drucker authored 10
books after his 85th birthday. Nationally,
nearly 15% of people over the age of 70
continue to work. Not just because they
need the income, but because they want
to continue to grow and to give back.
So, while many owners have moved out
of their previous roles, they’re transitioning
into positions where they can
continue to bring value to their previous
company or to the larger business
community.
The outdated notion that people
should stop working when they turn 65
and retire to a quiet beach somewhere
is just that—outdated. It’s based on an
archaic, industrial-age model of physical
labor jobs with little mental stimulation
and even fewer emotional rewards.
So, the next transition for many is into
a role where they can leverage their experiences
and the lessons they learned
over their career and use that knowledge
to mentor and guide younger generations
of workers.
Regardless of the changes we experience
in our company, or the size boat
we are sailing, it’s how successfully we
manage the emotional transition that
accompanies these changes that will
largely determine the joy and fulfillment
we’ll derive from our work.
In the introduction to the book Synchronicity:
The Inner Path of Leadership by
Joseph Jaworski, Peter Senge writes,
“One of the great mysteries of our
current state of consciousness is how
we can live in a world where absolutely
nothing is fixed, and yet perceive a
world of ‘fixedness.’” “Because of how
we think,” he continues, “we’re strangling
the life out of ourselves.”
Embracing the transitions that accompany
change will help us avoid that.
26 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

IT’S NOT YOUR
BUFFING...
IT’S YOUR
ATTITUDE
Rags to Riches
How one man found success in the detailing industry.
If you want a good success story, look no further than Jason Baker. Rags to riches is the perfect idiom to describe his journey over the past 27 years.
Now, a success, Baker struggled, and then struggled again to sync his talents, and efforts into a successful detailing operation. Mistakes? Check. Fortitude?
Check. Recession? Check. Shady clients? Check. He has seen it all. What’s nice about Baker’s story is that he is willing to share everything he’s
learned along the way with others. He wants other detailers to succeed. He wants them to enjoy the fruits of their hustle. He wants them to enjoy their
time with family (in fact, he was in the middle of a three-week long vacation in Scotland when this interview took place). Baker knows it’s possible for
everyone to be successful, and it isn’t always easy, but it’s possible. Here is his story.
How are you involved
in the detailing
industry?
I have owned and operated Fresh
Start Detail Co. in Beaverton, Oregon,
since 1995. It’s a four-person company
(including myself) that primarily does ceramic
coatings and auto detailing.
I’m familiar with the detailing industry
because I’ve lived the day-to-day grind of
detailing cars and running a business to try
to put food on the table, pay the rent, and
earn enough to stash away for the future.
I know what it’s like to struggle through
economic downturns, getting ripped off
by dealerships, and being beaten up on my
prices by aggressive customers.
But now I’m the most expensive shop
in my area so I can really pick and choose
the jobs I accept.
What was it like
when you started
out in 1995?
I started detailing in 1995 with only
one week of training from the previous
owner, so most of my learning back then
was on-the-fly-figure-it-out kind of style.
In the 27-years since, I’ve learned (often
the hard way) how to always be looking
for more efficient ways to complete tasks,
and how to accept new technology instead
of getting too comfortable with whatever
are the current methods. Initially, this was
more for the detailing side of the business,
but over the last decade I have shifted
this mindset more towards the business,
finances, and profitability side of things.
This has led me to a fantastic lifestyle.
I currently work from about 8 a.m. to
noon at my detail shop, and I frequently
take Fridays off and extended vacations
around the world with my wife or friends.
28 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

RAGS TO RICHES
(I’m currently on a 3-week vacation in the
Scottish Highlands with my wife).
What is the biggest
hurdle facing a new
detail business owner?
It can be overwhelming when it
comes to the handling of all of the aspects
of running a profitable business. It
can grind a person right into the ground.
Even the seemingly simple one-person
detail business has so many aspects that
the new owner may not realize until
they’re in too deep financially. Then it’s
too late when they realize that they’re
not really a business owner… but more
like they’re in a job that they can’t quit.
The biggest challenge for me back
in the 90s was getting solid information
about detailing and running a business,
but now the challenge for new owners is
information overload and sifting through
all the “free” information online to decipher
what to listen to and what to ignore.
I see newbies asking legit questions
online, but the answers given are from
keyboard jockeys with no real-world experience
in running a long-term profitable
business. If you ask for free advice,
and you’ll get what you paid for. Instead,
those new to running a business should
only consult with experienced and successful
detail business owners who aren’t
just online with nothing better to do.
What advice do
you have for more
‘seasoned’ detail
business owners?
If you’ve made it past a few years of
the ups and downs of running an automotive
business, and you’re doing well
while working under 40 hours per week,
then the challenge becomes the longer-term
goals of planning for retirement.
Sure, you can bang out cars and coatings
now while you’re young and healthy, but
it doesn’t last forever, does it?
✔ Are you saving enough for
retirement and/or illness or injury?
✔ If you’re in America, do you earn
enough to buy health insurance
for yourself and your family?
✔ Are you building a business that
you can sell later on?
✔ How stable is your shop rent
situation?
✔ Do you own your building?
These are the questions that serious
owners who’ve committed to making
detailing a legit career need to be asking
themselves. Otherwise, like I mentioned
earlier, you’re not really a business owner,
you just have a job that you can’t quit.
How have you seen
the detailing industry
change over the years?
Young people hear it all the time
from old industry veterans… “Back in
my day we didn’t have _____, and_____,
and_______!” …and this is always spoken
with the attitude like the younger generation
have it so much easier than we did.
This is absolutely not true because the
next generation will face new challenges
that we never faced. In fact, many of the
challenges they will face were caused by
the previous generations, this is the natural
flow of human advancement.
The biggest change in our industry,
by far, is the IDA (International Detailing
Association). This is because having
an association of all the most serious career-minded
detailing professionals gives
this industry legitimacy as a great career
path. Twenty+ years ago it wasn’t normal
to take home $100,000+ per year
as a detailing business owner … nowadays
$100,000+ is the minimum annual
income that even a one-person detailing
business owner is expecting! This didn’t
happen by accident, it happened because
the IDA is our place for sharing information
that helps everyone. The days of the
lone cowboy detailer are gone, and fortunately
so are the days of 60+ hours a week
to take home $40,000 per year. The better
we all become as a cohesive industry
means we can all charge profitable prices
for our work. No one benefits when we
compete with each other on price alone.
That is the infamous scenario of a “race
to the bottom” in which no one wins.
Some other less important but still
entertaining changes in our industry are
brought about by technological advances.
For fun, just imagine if your current detail
business must only use the following:
• Cotton towels (no microfiber
allowed). We old-timers remember
buying giant bags of old cotton
baby diapers from the diaper service
companies because that was the
softest cloth there was. That’s
right, we used old, discarded baby
diapers to wipe off the paint of a
car. If you don’t know what a baby
diaper service company was, look
it up, it was a huge industry. We
also never threw away old t-shirts
because they were great to wipe off
car polish too.
• High-speed rotary polishers with
wool pads. You had to put special
covers on the windshield wipers to
prevent the extreme splatter. Most
of the time, you actually washed the
car again after polishing it just to
remove all the compound splatter
on the windows, trim, and edges.
You also had to mask-off any plastic
trim that you didn’t want burned
from the buffer.
• No clay whatsoever. Overspray was
Jason Baker
removed with either lacquer thinner,
or super-aggressive polishing, or a
razor blade.
• No vapor steamers.
• Dust and yarn debris everywhere
in your shop from the wool pads
and compounds. You had to use
so much more product on your
pad than nowadays, so it ended up
making a cloudy dusty mess in your
shop, and on your clothes, and in
your hair, etc.
• Hand paste wax. ‘Nuff said!
Detailing can get to be
exhausting at times
— what advice do you
have on keeping up
your momentum?
Being exhausted from an honest hard
day’s work is one thing, it’s healthy. But if
that exhaustion continues week after week
into an unhealthy form of being physically
depleted and sick, or a mental exhaustion
that leads to depression, irritability, or apathy
then you’re doing something wrong,
and you need to find where you need to
tweak your business. Detailing is a very
rewarding career, but only if you’re getting
fairly compensated for the amount of
physical and mental effort you’re putting
30 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 7, NO. 5 • SPRING 2022

RAGS TO RICHES
into it. If you don’t feel like you’re getting
properly rewarded for all your hard work,
sacrifice, and risk that you’re putting into
your business, then you must seek out help
from someone who is qualified to help
you. This is usually someone who has
been in your exact shoes and has made it
out the other side to success. The wrong
place to seek help is in a Facebook group
with a question like… “What is everyone
doing when they don’t have enough money
at the end of the month?” It’s silly to
ask “everyone” for advice because you’ll
get the advice of people who aren’t invested
in your success. You’ll get the advice of
blow-hards and loud-mouths who need to
stroke their own egos. Instead, you should
ask the advice of industry veterans who
are in the position that you want to be in.
Then, don’t make excuses for why you’re
failing. You’re in your current position
because of your previous actions. If that
means that you’re in a great position, then
congratulations. But if you’re in a bad position
then you need to recognize that it is
your fault, but that it is also under your
control to change if you’ll check your
ego and seek the help of others. The fact
that you’re reading this shows that you
want to improve, and this is the exact attitude
you need to keep your momentum
in moving your career and your life in a
positive direction despite the occasional
and inevitable downturns.
If you could talk to
yourself back when
you started your
detailing business,
what would you say?
I would tell myself to not be afraid
of making the really difficult choices like
firing a long-time family member when it
meant the difference between success or
financial ruin.
I would tell myself to not try the common
newbie tactic of offering low prices
and discounts “just to get people in the
door so that I can raise prices once they
see how good of a job I do for them.”
(This is a horrible business tactic).
I would tell myself to keep stashing
money away when I’m young because
you’ll need it when you get cancer at
age 43. But I’d also tell myself that I’d
financially survive that cancer thanks to
the systems I put in place in my business
so it could still produce a profit while I
was going through radiation and chemo
treatments.
I would tell myself that I will indeed
eventually become a millionaire from detailing
cars, but that I could do it much faster
if I just seek out the advice from others
who’ve already achieved the same goal.
Any last words of
encouragement?
Speaking directly to the detailers here:
Do not ever let anyone make you feel
less than adequate or ashamed because
you’re working in a blue-collar industry.
In America, there is an undertone that the
only way to financial and personal success
is by earning a college degree and working
in a white-collar field. This is absolute
B.S. Success for you is defined by you.
This means that if you find personal fulfillment
in detailing while taking home
$100,000+ income then guess what,
you’re more successful than almost every
white-collar worker who is saddled with
monumental student debt and is stuck in
a field they don’t like. If you love this line
of work, then stick to it and seek out how
to make your passion provide you and
your family the lifestyle you want.
Join Today & Get Involved!
The-IDA.com
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VOL. 7, NO.1 • SPRING 2022 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 31

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