I am starting a business selling premium car care products. I need your input.

Check the link and share your opinion. Thank you.

Detailers Paradise

 

nick- i will post my opinion here...
i agree with several of the posts on the other thread-
my suggestion for a service not offered by other detail sites would be to have a "contact a detail specialist" button. this would bring up an email to someone to answer detail questions...
the sites that i use all allow contact (i usually just email the owner of the company with questions) by email, but dont have a place just to ask detailing questions. almost every time i ask a detail question, i end up buying product- so my guess is that this would likely be a profitable suggestion.
by the way- good luck!!!

 

Great suggestion. In addition to a "contact a detail specialist" button, we are also going to have something for women. It will along the lines of "ask the wife" or "ladies' perspective." This should be a nice feature for holidays and such. We may even have something similar to Amazon's "Rate this product" to add customer feedback.

 

nick- i like the "rate the product" idea!
expected launch date?

 

I am targeting the middle of April for the retail store. The web store may open a bit earlier.

 

Nin009, I read all the post and find that the homework your doing is not going to help you that much. I will not tell you my occupation but I too have watched a lot of small business fail within the first three months. I wish you the best of luck but you do realize that your up against some really big companies who really own the market. Who have you talked to about opening retail online and walkin business. I ask that because I have not heard the answer in one post. A lot of members on this board have gave nice perspectives and things to think about. I do own a small business that deales with offroad products. The best I would recommend is going to trade shows to get a feel for the market. I struggled with my business for seven years and trying to make a grand a week was tough, for me anyways. One online store that I order most of my products from is Top of the line in Arkansas. They have been around awhile and are having a tough time as well. Compaines such as Griots & CMA have been around for awhile and are killing competition like vikings. Plus where would you get $$$ to keep stock. 303, Lexol, Eagle One, Meguiar's need min $$$ orders that are in the $1,000's plus another factor is freight incoming and out going. A lot of people are losing profit just through shipping cost. Plus some compaines require monthly orders.

Also you said your going to sell hard to find items. I'm thinking Zaino, Pinnacle, Blackfire are not going to sell to you because they are now selling direct. Not to stir you the wrong way or anything. But there are other things you can do to make a living.

 

Thank you for reading through all the post and offering your honest opinion. I understand that there will be some tough times, but they are in the budget. Businesses fail within the first few months because of poor planning. I expect to lose money for at least the first year if not two.

We have already made arrangements with many manufacturers and distributors including those for 303 and Lexol. None of their minimum orders or frequency requirements seem unreasonable or oppressive. Meguiar's and Eagle One can be bought at discount and auto part stores. I have even seen Meguiar's at the supermarket. I can't compete with these products and you won't find them on my shelves.

Griots sells its own branded product. They have no brand diversity. They prosper on name recognition. To compete I will need to be as recognizable. Don't forget I have experience in both PR and marketing. I am not familiar with CMA. Perhaps I know it as another name.

I have contacted Sal Zaino and we are working out an agreement. Pinnacle is also in the works. Blackfire I am not interested in.

Regarding my homework, I disagree. My homework will serve me well. I have answers to all your comments and questions. You have made points based on assumptions and I have answered them with fact.

At this point our business plan is complete and we are running it by our board of advisors. We have a meeting scheduled with a retired CEO who will serve as our mentor. We also have a meeting with the local SBA. Finally, my wife started the Cornell Entrepreneur program while getting her masters. The professor who now runs the program will also offer input.

When all these pieces are complete and if the business makes sense, we will move forward.

FYI-There is always someone doing or selling the same thing you do. A business will not be successful by simply existing. It takes leadership, vision and planning to grow. I can't go into this with my tail between my legs in fear of competition. I need to find a better way to do business.

Finally, I have been "making a living" for several years now. I would like to think I have been rather successful financially. The work is a means to an end. That end being a paycheck. I don't want to spend the rest of my days making a buck and hating the work. I see this as an opportunity to get more from work than a paycheck...but a paycheck will be nice.

Thank you again for your advice and input.

 

wow, not to sound dismissive, but u plan to lose money in the first year, even two, that takes a lot of guts. personally i dont know of anyone alive that would take those odds for the chance for success, 2 years is a long time to be bleeding money.
hell, our businesses made money pretty much from the first week they opened, not wanting to boast, but in these uncertain economic times, its difficult to undestand the rationale behind "planning to lose money" especially if you are not a huge multinational. i know that large corporations entering a new country plan on running at a loss for a few years, but they can support themselves from the businesses they have back home.

hurbert, u checked out oppositelock.com.au they are an australian offroad and 4wd retailer, i got some stuff off them for my brothers jeep gc, good products and knowledgeable people

i personally dont have a problem with meguires products, nor mothers, they do the job, hell it isnt a bentley or ferrari that i own. if i wanted top detailing then i will send it to a professional detailer and pay then the $200 to get a complete detail, which i think is a key to note, people that want quality detailing, or quality work for that matter tend to outsource to those with experience

but hey, we'll wait until the project is up and running and see how things go. i wish all businesses the best of luck, because its tough out there.

 

My father-in-law sits on the board of a bank, and a close friend writes loans for small businesses. He has also worked for the SBA. Both stressed they would almost never loan money to a retail business that planned to make money the first year. I just doesn't happen. By year two they would like to see a very small profit and by three, things should look pretty good. Perhaps your experience and/or expertise isn't in retail or business planning.

Congratulation on making money your first year(week). You are the exception. You didn't mention this, but are you in the service industry? This would explain your perception. Otherwise, it is very much impossible for a retail business to show a profit in one week, and delusional to plan to make money the first year. Business 101.

 

Nin009,

CMA (Classic Motoring Accessories, I think) is often referred to as properautocare.com.

They, along with Griot's, were selling these products mailorder before the Internet came along. As you said, Griot's sells private brands; CMA sells the national brands.

I want to wish you well; it sounds like you're planning carefully and I hope that you can make a success of it.