Car and Auto Detailing to Boat Detailer or Yacht Cleaning to Automobile Detail Service?

As the Founder of The Detail Guys, a mobile auto detailing franchising company often folks will shoot me an email to ask me a question after reading one of my articles online or in an Industry Trade Journal.

Recently I was asked if it made sense for someone with lots of boating experience who wished to become a Boat Detailer if he should start his business cleaning boats or start with cars first and move into boat detailing later?

Impressive question indeed and yes well this is definitely thinking ahead as one prepares their business plan. Going from Detailing Cars to Boats is an easy transition and it makes sense; although, boat detailing is much different. There are nautical personality types and there are those who are not.

If you are a nautical type then it might makes sense to do both. Why turn away work, but if you have enough business in boats, well, you would not have time for cars anyway. Someone who can talk the marine language indeed is much more likely to have many customers. Having started out in aviation, I just do not see how a non-aviation person could build their business at an airport without that knowledge.

Same is true with the nautical personality displacement. Of course in wintertime you could still refurbish and hibernation services and in the summer you would extremely busy, but chances are you might also like to be out on the water, catch 22. In aviation, I loved to fly not clean the aircraft, but I loved aircraft so it was fun to be cleaning them when I was not flying. You learn a lot by doing these things of course.

The skills needed to clean boats are different, more advanced and more difficult in the marine industry than the automotive industry. Many auto-detailers have a tough time with gel coats and glass, and do not know a thing about corrosion, teak or metal type cleaners and often spin their wheels.

You have a much better opportunity going from Boats to Cars to stay busy than someone who details autos and goes from cars to yachts. And most owners of nice pleasure craft can tell the difference and they get few referrals. Well you know I am just thinking out loud really. The point of the matter is that you can learn a lot from contacting Industry folks with experience in such endeavors. I hope this article propels thought in 2007.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/