ADN fall 2023 web

stuck in that rut, where you think you
don’t have time, but you can make time.
Profit Loss: It might be kind of obvious,
but it is worth noting that another
good sign you should look out for in terms
of growth can show up in the books. If
your detail business is not making any
money, something is wrong, Also, do you
have a high turnover of employees? Is
there a management problem? Virtually
everybody today has some point-of-sale
system, and if you are not gaining new
customers each month, there’s a problem.
But, ultimately, it all boils down to the
monthly profit and loss (P&L) report: If
you don’t have a profit, there’s a problem,
so you work backwards to see where that
problem is. Is it a revenue problem? Is it
an expense problem? The P&L is the ultimate
report for any business.
FINDING KNOWLEDGE
BY KNOWING WHERE TO
LOOK
So, if you recognize the need to bolster
your skills, where do you go?
The first place I would recommend is
the International Detailing Association
(IDA) and any other peer group is a key
area to gain educational opportunities
and learn from other professional detailers
in the field.
While membership in the IDA is growing
by leaps and bounds, I don’t think that
detail business owners are taking full advantage
of such an excellent association.
It is amazing the number of detailers
who pay their dues but have not participated
in the association. Sure, you’re writing
a check because you feel like you’re supporting
the industry, but with all of the services,
tools, and training available to you
it is a shame detail business owners don’t
take advantage of them, not to mention
the opportunity to network with the best
detailers in the world.
There is a great deal of information
available to IDA members for free. Maybe
you don’t know how to access it. This
is information that could allow you to a
make positive change in the way you run
your business. It is out there for the taking.
Go to the websites of all the different
industry publications and read the articles
that are archived. Visit the new forum:
Prodetailerforum.com and ask questions
or get into discussions with other detailing
professionals. Also, look into attending
some of the upcoming conferences or
conventions. There are lots that are dedicated
just to detailers. Industry has come
such a long way. You will also find a number
of local organizations that would be a
great benefit. This enables you to access
a network of other detail business owners
who have most likely already gone
through what you are going through or
about to go through.
And there are resources like business
books. For example, I would encourage
anyone to read, “The Great Game of
Business” by Jack Stack. Another great
book is, ‘Traction: Get a Grip on Your
Business,” by Gino Wickman. Traction is
a heavy book, but it is — start to finish,
nuts and bolts — how you run and build
a business. It’s kind of the new version of
‘E-Myth’ that was written 30 years ago by
Michael Gerber. It’s E-Myth on steroids.
If you have not read the “E-Myth” it is
critical reading for all detailers, young and
old. If you are in need of basic bookkeeping
or administration, I would certainly
look at a community college in your area.
I am a huge proponent of going back to
school to learn. When you were in high
school or college you may not have been
able to learn and absorb content, but only
focused on passing tests. Going back now
you will learn, I guarantee it.
POWER IN NUMBERS
There is no substitute for the support
you can get networking with other
detail business owners through the IDA,
local groups, on your own or online or no
matter where you find it. If you are able
to put together such a group you should
view a peer-to-peer group as your unofficial
board of directors, and you will
find that the members within a bureau
or group will eventually become great
friends. They can be a phenomenal resource.
They become a sounding board
for ideas, best practices, and you can all
work with each other to solve issues. You
will find such connections invaluable. Going
it alone in today’s business climate is
not the best way forward.
If as a business owner, you are not using
a peer-to-peer group, you are really
on an island out there, and not evolving
or hearing out other ways people are running
their business. And that is a formula
for lack of growth and not a good recipe
for long-term success.
GOING OUTSIDE THE
DETAILING INDUSTRY
While there are plenty of detail industry-specific
tools available to you, I urge
you to look outside the detail industry, because
you never know where great ideas
can come from.
Join the chamber of commerce in
your local neighborhood. Detailers don’t
take advantage of this because they
think, “I’m just a detailer, most members
have the more common brick and mortar
businesses — like hair salons, restaurants,
appliance stores, hardware stores,
and such. But you can learn something
for your detail business from other business
owners. A marketing strategy that
worked for a hair salon might work for
your detail business too.
Resources from organizations such as
the Small Business Administration (SBA)
or the Service Corps of Retired Executives
(SCORE) can also be great places
for information. Even if you walk away
from a 20-minute conversation with one
thought or idea that might help you tomorrow,
it was worth the 20 minutes you
spent listening to them.
Besides gaining knowledge, you might
gain some loyal customers who would
want to support you and vice versa. Small
business owners support other small business
owners. They know what it is like to
put your finances, your time, your talent
and your reputation on the line.
Find networking events, go have fun,
and meet people. As a detail business owner,
you might think you have nothing to offer
— you might think, “What am I going
to talk about, detailing a vehicle?” But you
do. You’re running a business. Talk about
your last successful marketing plan or your
last great human-resource onboarding
idea that you came up with. You’re not just
a detailer. You’re a business owner.
TAKE A BREATH AND
THEN BEGIN
When business owners open their
minds to new ideas, knowledge and possibilities,
there can be a frightening moment
when they realize just how large a torrent
of information there is for the taking.
When you get overwhelmed, just take a
step or two back. Regain your footing and
try again. When too much is going on, it
can make a person freeze when they don’t
know what the next move is. So, look at the
changes coming down the line, and then
just break them down into tiny pieces.
Sit down and ask what’s the difference
between a new idea and what you have
been doing? What do you have to know
in order to make this idea work? What’s
the benefit of doing it? Will it save time?
Increase productivity? Can I do it without
this new idea? Go through all the steps.
This examination method works for any
part of your business. Whether it’s figuring
out a marketing program, hiring a new
employee or getting a new computer program,
whatever you’re trying to figure out,
look at the big picture and ask, “What are
the 10 steps that can get me there?” Sometimes,
it might have to be 20 steps if it’s a
much bigger project. But if you look at all
of the projects we all have to complete every
day, life can look overwhelming. If you
break any project into small chunks, I truly
think that you can accomplish way more
than you set out to do.
No matter what avenue is taken, or information
is found useful, you must continually
move forward, you can’t rest on
“the way it’s always been done.” And you
cannot sit back and wait for things to happen,
you will get run over. If there was
any huge lesson that can be learned from
COVID-19 over the past three years+, it
was that those who reacted quickly have
thrived coming out of this. Those (businesses)
waiting for things to happen are
no longer with us.
As always, if you need my help, please
feel free to reach out to me at buda1940@
outlook.com.
VOL. 8, NO.3 • FALL 2023 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 19