A few years back I was at a Cars and Coffee event. I struck up a conversation with a local area detailer that I had known of for some time but never formally met. We talked about business and then the conversation took a turn when we mentioned how we got started.
This detailer spoke about how they had a passion for cars and so they jumped right into detailing. They spoke of an experience where they took a project they had little experience with. This lack of experience and responsibility resulted in an incident and $4,000 worth of damage to the owners vehicle. The individual was not also currently insured. Reasonably so, the client was upset; to say the least. This incident eventually almost ended up in court.
Why do I say lack of responsibility? Merriam-Webster defines responsibility in part as: “able to answer for one's conduct and obligations”; obligations being the keyword.
Business owners have the obligation to provide the best services that people can trust. Clients carry trust for business owners that we know what we are doing and are able to deliver the products and results that we promise. To do otherwise is deceptive, irresponsible, and unethical.
That is why passion in business is not enough. You need to know what you’re. I personally have a passion for medicine but that doesn’t make me a doctor. The only way to become a doctor is through proper training, testing, and licensure. Otherwise, your an enthusiast.
The same applies for detailing. You need skill, training, and licensure. From there you can gain experience. Otherwise, your an enthusiast. And for enthusiasts that run businesses there is always a cost to experience. That cost come in many forms. It can be using the wrong cleaner that results in damage to delicate leather or using steam to clean a headliner, which results in a sagging headliner and the cost of repair. This cost comes in many forms and is both a learning experience for them and for you. We’ve taken that cost out of the equation by obtaining proper training, testing, and licensure that we then perfect through experience.
Passion is necessary but not sufficient to produce quality results and safely cleaned vehicles without damage. Only through prior training, licensing, and experience away from client’s vehicles can a person combine passion and training to give proper care and results without the learning curve and mistakes.
Take care in who you choose because not all detailers are equal when it comes to what you’ll get (or have to deal with).