Business Overview:

If you are a car lover looking for a way to turn your passion into a business, you should look into how to start a used car business without being a dealer. You may think that in order to start a used car business, you must have a dealer’s license but that’s not the case. You don’t even need to have any sales experience. You can access used car ads found in newspapers and online to find sellers. You also can work with dealerships looking to get rid of their older inventory. Desperate dealers will pay you to sell their cars for them. Private sellers will pay you to get top dollar for their cars. Used cars are always popular in any economy, and when times are tough used cars are much more sought after than new cars. Starting a used car business without being a dealer requires very little startup capital and no office. You can work on this business idea from home in your spare time. And the good news is the more cars you are able to sell, the more demand there will be for your services. You may even find yourself needing to hire a staff to help you. Soon you will be running a business that runs itself.

A Day in the Life of a Used Car Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of any new inventory. This may come online or from a dealer. You want to get the details of these cars and see if you have any buyers in your system looking for similar cars. Then you’ll spend some time matching up your current list of cars for sale with potential buyers. You can visit any local dealerships you don’t have relationships with to see if they are interested in your services. If you have a staff working for you, you’ll give them their assignments and get them started matching up buyers and sellers. Finally, you’ll want to take a look at your finances to make sure your commission payments have been paid.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be private sellers and dealerships looking to sell used cars and people looking to buy used cars.

What You Need to Start:

• Computer with software capable of keeping track of all your buyers and sellers
• A solid marketing plan
• An advertising plan
• Finance software

The Good:

• Once you form relationships with sellers, this business is easy to maintain.
• The return on investment is huge.
• The demand for used cars will always be high.
• Even in an unstable economy, used cars will be popular.
• You don’t need any equipment or a storefront.

The Bad:

• Building up your virtual inventory requires patience and persistence.
• It could take some time to get really good at this business and get it working on its own.

Resources:

• Wikipedia on Used Cars
• Kelley Blue Book
• AutoTrader

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Business Overview:

If you are an auto enthusiast who takes pride in polishing a car to showcase its pristine potential, you should look into how to start a car detailing business. Competition is fierce in the auto industry but it is entirely possible to be successful starting a car detailing business if you know some key points before you begin. When looking into this business idea, it is important to know how to do each step of the detailing process well before you secure your first client. You don’t want to learn this business as you go. That will just lead to unsatisfied customers and low referral numbers. Starting an auto detailing business requires minimal start up capital. All you need is cleaning supplies and a marketing plan. Internet marketing is the secret to success when you start a car detailing business. Online ads along with a website are much less expensive than traditional methods of advertising like phone books and newspapers. Less overhead means more profit for your detailing business. Word of mouth advertising will keep new customers coming in and repeat customers coming back again and again. As you grow your business, you may want to hire several employees to do the actual detailing work so that you can focus on bringing in more customers.

A Day in the Life of a Car Detailing Business Owner:

A typical day for a car detailing business owner will begin with a check of your schedule to see if any jobs need to be completed that day. If so, gather your supplies and head over to your customer’s home or place of business. If you have a detailing staff working for you, give them their detailing assignments. If you have a storefront, your customers can come to you. You’ll need to check your email to see if you have any new job requests. Contact your potential clients to discuss your services and arrange a day and time to complete those services. Spend some time working on your marketing materials to make sure all the information is up to date and you have ads placed correctly. If you’re hiring employees, you’ll want to train them and oversee them until you are sure that they will do the work according to your high standards. Finally, you should look at your finances to ensure all payments have been made and invoices have been sent out.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be car owners or perhaps car dealership managers who need detail work done on their automobiles.

What You Need to Start:

• Cleaning supplies
• Truck or van to transport supplies or a storefront
• Water supply
• Marketing plan (website, ads, etc.)

The Good:

• Car detailing is a recession proof business.
• Overhead is low.
• Return on investment is high.
• Once you have the system in place, detailing is not difficult to master.

The Bad:

• Getting your first customers may take some time.
• Inclement weather will put the brakes on your business but it will pick up again as soon as the precipitation stops.

Resources:

• International Detailing Association
• International Carwash Association
• Wikipedia on Auto Detailing

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Business Overview

If you have a love for cars and are passionate about providing great customer service, you may want to look into starting an import/export cars business. The industry has opportunities for businesses of all sizes and has potential for unlimited profit. Relatively little experience is necessary to import and export cars other than general business sense and the ability to research the regulations involved. You don’t need an office to start, just a phone and a computer. There are a number of online information sources that will assist you when you begin looking into how to start an import/export business for cars. As a result of all the readily available information, you don’t need to be an expert in how to export cars to run a successful business. All you need are a few tools to jumpstart this business idea. First, you’ll need to watch the market to determine whether exporting from or importing to your country is more profitable. Next, you’ll use the Internet to promote your business, handle logistics likes converting currency and metrics, and connect to a dynamic network of import/export experts. Lastly, you’ll need to learn the regulations. Government requirements generally revolve around safety and emissions, ownership documentation, and insurance. Ensuring your vehicles measure up to these standards will save you thousands of dollars in conversion repairs. To keep your overhead costs low, you can also operate your business from home and use economical methods like buying from auction or wholesales. Just like that, zero to sixty, you’ll maximize your profits and secure long-term success in the import and export car business.

A Day In The Life Of An Import/Export Car Business Owner:

Owning your own import/export car business will easily conform to your lifestyle because you can operate your business from anywhere, whenever it works for you. On a typical day, you will work with customers to determine their needs and car specifications. Once you have agreement on the vehicle, you can arrange for shipping to the customer. You will also need to spend some time advertising or networking to promote and maintain your business. On some days you may spend a great deal of your time on the phone and emailing documents, and ensuring that you are up-to-date on regulations. You will be interacting with Customs to ensure that you have the proper documentation. You will be researching the retail prices of export cars in their country of origin, looking for auctions and dealers who can provide you with vehicles at low wholesale prices, and locating overseas dealers and individuals who are ready to buy cars you export. Marketing your business will also be important, but word-of-mouth marketing should increase your business considerably.

About Your Customers

Your customers will be individuals or dealers/importers seeking vehicles from countries outside their homeland. Some customers will be new at this process and only need to interact for one vehicle. Others will have experience and partner with you to obtain several vehicles.

What You Need to Start

• Computer
• Internet connection
• Investment money for first car

The Good

• Return on investment is high.
• Start-up and overhead costs are low.
• This business offers very flexible work.
• There is no formal training required.
• There is a lot of opportunity to interact with a number of different individuals and agencies, both domestically and abroad.

The Bad

• Failure to follow regulations can be costly.
• In this business you must do your homework so that you know what a car is truly worth.

Resources

• The Federation of International Trade Associations
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Import Export Price Index
• Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
• Government Links to Import Export Business

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