07/21/2026
From a 7-man crew back to solo: My experience in the industry.
Looking back at this picture from 2017. That’s my old van on the right. If you look closely, you can see a line of vehicles backed up behind that Porsche as far as the eye can see. That specific day, we had 35 cars lined up ready to be washed. I had a full 12x15 canopy tent set up with side walls and a team of 7 guys working with me.
We had secured a major contract with a local golf club in Alpine, New Jersey.
I originally landed the job because I was the only detailer around who actually carried proper liability insurance and looked completely professional. But even with documenting every single car and logging license plates, things got messy. The club management started accusing us of missing cars that we had absolutely completed—even when I showed them the photo proof. On top of that, the club manager or VIP guests would constantly cut the line with their own cars, completely breaking our rhythm and throwing the whole crew off schedule.
I eventually walked away from that contract because of the constant headaches, but at the time, I thought I was on top of the world because I had a massive team. I was writing checks to workers and depositing money, but I didn't truly understand the real cost of running a large-scale operation. Once you factor in proper payroll, workers' comp, state taxes, and massive insurance premiums for a crew that size, the reality hits you fast. I was expanding way quicker than my actual backend structure could handle.
I see the exact same thing happening in our industry today. A lot of guys start a detailing operation, quickly hire a crew, and think it's an automatic cash machine. But many of them are running under the table without proper coverage. The guys who are truly making it work at a high level are spending massive amounts of money on accountants, high-ticket insurance policies, and proper tax compliance. It takes a ton of consistent, high-paying work just to keep that machine fed.
For me, the lesson was painful but necessary. I chose to transition back to a solo operation. It is significantly less stress, my overhead is low, and I have total control over the quality of every vehicle I touch. A massive crew looks great from the outside, but if the foundation isn't perfectly set, it can fall apart in an instant. Doing things the right way is worth the peace of mind.
Looking back at these photos to what we see today in detailing. My business was ahead of it's time and to this day i still am. Just have to renovate a few things but the best has yet to come.
