Between homework, jobs and making time for friends and family, many students find their cars filled with trash, old energy drink cans, and too many coffee cups to count.
Two high school students have established a car detailing business, giving a solution to this possibly persistent problem.
Senior Tobias Gerbers began putting his free time to use by starting his own car detailing company, beginning the spark of a now profitable small business. There was a large workload and only one set of hands was putting a damper on efficiency.
After a bit of time running this franchise himself, he invited his close friend and fellow senior, Mason Kohsel to partner. Kohsel accepted the partnership and the business took off from there.
“I started doing [detailing] my car, doing my neighbor’s and then I got really busy so I offered Mason to help out and make extra money,” Gerbers said.
Although this business started small, the two boys have quickly gained a large clientele.
“We have business cards, and it’s mostly just mouth to mouth,” Kohsel said. “Our parents find people, too, because they know most people that will pay for that.”
The process begins by the two boys receiving word that someone would like a detail, they then figure out the best working time for both parties and travel to the customers house. This makes them even more desirable by customers, because they aren’t required to make the time and effort themselves.
Since the beginning, there have always been investments made into high quality products such as; Bissell vacuum cleaners, detailing brushes, and Chemical Guy’s cleaning gels and sprays. They also use carpet extractors and steamers, ensuring that the clientele is thoroughly satisfied.
“I have another job working at a golf course which helped buy the start up,” Gerbers said. “I’ve expanded my tools and products by investing money after details into a savings account to keep growing.”
Gerbers is the chemical expert in the pair, knowing exactly what products to purchase. They use the finest cleaning utensils that are available so the money spent by consumers on the detail is worth it.
“I do a lot of research, before buying a chemical I spend a minimum of one hour looking up the best product to use,” Gerbers said. “I also do trial and error, I will buy a small amount of the chemical then if I like it I will buy more, and if not I move on.”
Nearing the end of their first summer in business, Gerbers and Kohsel made the agreement to take another step towards advanced detailing and give the option for an external clean. Not only did this investment increase their revenue but also got their name out there.
“We started off doing interior cleanings, so we drove to a client’s house and did a very precise clean, trying to get the vehicle to look brand new,” Gerbers said. “And towards the end of the summer, we made an investment to do the exterior of cars.”
A teacher at the high school, Nancy Hoffman, had her husband’s car detailed from this business. Hoffman’s expectations were exceeded when the job was finished.
“I thought Ty did a really thorough job. He worked with his partner, Mason, for quite a long time in my driveway,” Hoffman said. “He even had me inspect everything before they left and they worked super hard.”
The prices for an interior detail range between $110 and $125 depending on the size of the car. Small Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV’s) get the cheapest option and large trucks have to pay the highest amount due to the large size of the car. If the client wants a carpet extract, it is an extra $25 dollars regardless of the vehicle size.
For an exterior clean, the simple buffing, wash and wax starts at $150. It is the same deal as the interior clean, whereas as the car gets larger, the price increases.
Gerbers and Kohsel hope to continue this business throughout the school year, and carry on into the summer of 2023. Contact the pair by using the business card attached at the beginning if interested!
