My name is Colin and I own and run Car Care Casey which services some of the South Eastern Melbourne Metro areas. My wife Fiona and I originally bought into the Car Care franchise in 2010. Prior to that I had worked for about 30 years as a butcher, and 5 years as a dairy farmer with very long hours, and making the boss a lot of money at the expense of my family time over the usual holiday breaks.
I received training through Car Care with Clive Woodroffe in Queensland, and since that time have continually improved my car detailing with my direct experience, speaking and learning from colleagues and undertaking further training by watching videos and taking every opportunity that presents itself for me to refine my detailing and polishing work.
It’s taken a long time to build up my business but I take great pride in my work, and in developing relationships with my clients. I have a regular set of clients who book me on an ongoing basis and I get a lot of pleasure out of doing a great job and getting the clients feedback about how happy they are with my work.
Over the years I’ve progressed from doing basic car detailing to doing car shows and classic cars – one of my passions that I follow in my spare time. I have found that to get to the level of doing classic show cars, which is a niche market, you really have to learn the different ways of polishing these classic vehicles and I have done this by learning off and listening to the experts who have worked in this field for many years. This has really given me a lot of enjoyment.
As a result I’ve had the opportunity to incorporate my business with heaps of show events, being cars, trucks and all sorts of vehicles, which includes Paint Protection, I have also learned that you never stop learning, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been detailing for many years. My experience has shown me that you need to find new and creative ways of promoting yourself and your business rather than waiting for the Franchise to give you work.
Working this business has allowed me to take off time when it’s best for me, rather than the boss, and to tailor my day around anything else I need to do for my family. It has also enabled me to reap the financial rewards that come with hard work. In my old butchering days, it wouldn’t really matter how long or hard I worked for, I’d get the same wage rates, but with my detailing I can make very good money if I’m prepared to put in the hard work.
On my best day I’ve made $1840. While there are always small jobs, I have also gotten jobs that pay big money – my best single job with a private customer has earned me $1500. I usually have a peak period over the summer/Christmas time, and my best earnings previously have been $6000 in one week, and several other weeks around the same time where I’ve earned $5000 plus. So the money is there if you are prepared to work hard, and have developed your reputation and experience.
I will continue to promote my business under Car Care.