It's definitely a very niche business/profession. That's why I have a love/hate relationship with it to a degree. Love the process, hate the business side, because most of the time, your average person looking to have their car done doesn't understand everything that goes into it, and when they come to you with a car that is beyond hammered and you hit them with the estimate, they visibly reel. A big problem with the industry itself is that all the information you glean from training/youtube is just simply not enough, nor standardized. You can't go to a trade school for it, it's two to three day training sessions that are very expensive, and then you're left to figure out the rest. Speak with two different detailers offering "training" and I can almost guarantee you will get two different processes, and the time estimates to achieve the task will vary as well. I've had to pull info from every source I can find, and pick the parts that make sense for efficiency and quality. It was a rude awakening going from an enthusiast to a "professional". It's a totally different ball game from doing it on a warm summer night. There is fatigue, stress, burnout, and frustration if you work with others that don't share your same level of passion/quality/work ethic. This profession punishes the upper tier people who work extremely hard to provide an outstanding service because you often end up having to go back over others work which kills your bottom-line.
I've learned a lot of things on youtube but it all comes down to practice. Basically, you can't skip practice. A more important aspect on youtube is who you're listening to and what they choose to tell you...this is one of the realest talks, on youtube, over the subject of detailing.
All skills in life require baby steps initially however, two people starting at exactly the same point will not be guaranteed to develop to the same level. I know that in today's magic unicorn woke society people hold the false belief that given the same opportunities people will succeed. I can drive a car, I started at a very young age but I don't have the innate ability to be anywhere near the level of Schumacher, mcrae or Lauda!
It's definitely a very niche business/profession. That's why I have a love/hate relationship with it to a degree. Love the process, hate the business side, because most of the time, your average person looking to have their car done doesn't understand everything that goes into it, and when they come to you with a car that is beyond hammered and you hit them with the estimate, they visibly reel.
A big problem with the industry itself is that all the information you glean from training/youtube is just simply not enough, nor standardized. You can't go to a trade school for it, it's two to three day training sessions that are very expensive, and then you're left to figure out the rest. Speak with two different detailers offering "training" and I can almost guarantee you will get two different processes, and the time estimates to achieve the task will vary as well. I've had to pull info from every source I can find, and pick the parts that make sense for efficiency and quality.
It was a rude awakening going from an enthusiast to a "professional". It's a totally different ball game from doing it on a warm summer night. There is fatigue, stress, burnout, and frustration if you work with others that don't share your same level of passion/quality/work ethic. This profession punishes the upper tier people who work extremely hard to provide an outstanding service because you often end up having to go back over others work which kills your bottom-line.
Well said, agree totally with your analysis of detailing!
Very well said, well done Matt
I've learned a lot of things on youtube but it all comes down to practice. Basically, you can't skip practice. A more important aspect on youtube is who you're listening to and what they choose to tell you...this is one of the realest talks, on youtube, over the subject of detailing.
I appreciate you taking the time to watch and commenting, and I'm happy people see things similarly
All skills in life require baby steps initially however, two people starting at exactly the same point will not be guaranteed to develop to the same level. I know that in today's magic unicorn woke society people hold the false belief that given the same opportunities people will succeed. I can drive a car, I started at a very young age but I don't have the innate ability to be anywhere near the level of Schumacher, mcrae or Lauda!