Many students at Shadow Ridge High School are constantly looking for ways to make some money. It can sometimes be especially hard for freshmen who are not old enough to work for most companies. However, that does not stop freshmen from putting in the effort to earn some money.
Freshman Trevor Merrill started up an auto detailing business about three months ago, where he thoroughly cleans cars and restores cars to the best possible condition on both the interior and exterior.
“I started my detailing business because I was looking for a business to start that would have a really good ROI (return on investment) and that was easy to scale,” Merill explains. “I was also looking for something I would enjoy and something I could be passionate about. I wanted to be able to make my own money but I knew that I would hate a normal job at a restaurant or a store. So I did some research and found auto detailing.”
Merrill juggles this business while also doing school at the same time and comments that time management can sometimes be hard when scheduling clients and taking into account the amount of cars he can do in one day.
Merrill’s auto detailing process usually takes two to four hours, depending on how big the vehicle is and what the current condition is.
“My process of detailing a car begins with taking out the floor mats. Then I take my air compressor and blow out the interior including carpets, plastics, and seats. Then I move on to vacuuming the whole interior. After that, I take my interior cleaner and do a full interior wipe down as well as a steam clean. When I do the carpets, I make sure I get any of the stains out to the best of my ability,” Merrill shares. “After I’m done with that, I go back to the floor mats. Then I move onto the exterior. I start with giving the wheels a nice rinse and then put the wheel cleaner on them, scrub them with brushes, and then rinse them again.”
Merrill uses a variety of cleaning materials from different brands for this process.
Merrill also describes how having an auto detailing business is not easy. “The struggles of a car detailing business is mainly marketing yourself. You have to knock on doors, talk to strangers who could possibly be interested, use every opportunity to spread the word about your business.”
Another struggle that Merrill mentions is transportation. “I don’t have my license yet so I have a trailer that can be left at the house that I am detailing at. It also makes it so I can detail wherever,” Merrill states.
Nonetheless, Merrill enjoys it and works hard to satisfy his clients by making their cars look brand new. Those interested in his services can check out his Instagram account @all_in_the_details_lv for more information.
