Andy glanced at his watch, "5:30 pm already?" "One more fender to go on this Corvette and I will be done". Five complete details since Monday and tomorrow is Thursday, the week was flying by.

Andy had hoped to spend some time on Monday designing a new advertising flyer but, the lady with the Cadillac called and needed him to clean the Caddy after a particularly dirty Palm Springs trip. Tuesday was supposed to be open to meet a local detailer that Andy wanted to hire but, his neighbor with the Suburban needed a total interior cleaning after 6 weeks of hauling the kids soccer teams around town ( man, it was bad inside there! ) And so it went. Another week flashed by like a top fuel dragster on the � mile track.

Sound familiar?
Andy's problem really isn't time or scheduling or even having enough hours in any one day. What Andy really lacks is "The Big Idea". Like most small businesses, Andy is struggling with the next level of growth. He has plenty of customers, sometimes, more than he can handle. What Andy hasn't done (yet) is to establish his own Big Idea, his long-term game plan and the actions and schedules to make it happen.

So, let's look back about one year. Andy finally pulled together the $3000 he needed for tools, supplies, a steamer and enough seat and floor covers to last 3 months. He already had six local clients that wanted his services and he knew that word of mouth could bring six more, easily. Yup, Andy was one hell of a detailer and the finished product showed it.

The calendar filled up quickly and stayed that way for months. Andy was on a roll.
He knew that someday, he should sit down with his wife and analyze the profits from the business. He knew that he should look more closely at the competition to see where their weaknesses were and how he could capitalize on them. He knew that even his best customers didn't need or want a full detail every 3 weeks, so he had to build new opportunities through advertising, client referrals, and don't forget those discount postcards that he was going to buy on-line. Those cards looked so cool, with a company logo and a 1-800 number and everything. Andy had also heard that a few of the well known detailers from around the country were using others methods to attract new clients; if he only had the time to learn what these progressive detail companies were doing to attract and maintain such loyal repeat business.

Is it too late for Andy? No, but establishing your own Big Idea is not easy. Yes, we all take pride in our visible work, compounding, polishing and sealing that paint just right. But what about the mental work to literally write down your Big Idea, your three year plan, your picture of the ideal business for you and your family? It's not as sexy as a just waxed black Corvette, but it's far more important. Without it, the business and your clients will take you wherever they are going and you will just be along for the ride. Andy.

So, where to start? Start by being realistic about your resources. Is it just you? You and the wife? How about the teenage kids? If you are building a family business, everyone gets a job. Simple tasks like mailing out postcards, handing out discount coupons to the neighborhood (or better yet, that "rich" neighborhood on the other side of town ) can be done by anyone.

• The average corporate work year is 2100 hours, what is your work year going to be? 2500 hours? 3000? More?
• Make some assumptions, can you find and complete 20 detail jobs each month x 12 months? Could you do 30 or 40 if you had a helper/detailer?
• If you need help, when should that person come on-board? Before the business goes crazy? Not until there is enough volume to hire him? You would be surprised at the answer from many successful business people. "Hire enough help to maintain your image and grow the business before your service levels and reputation suffer".
• What's the minimum hourly "wage" you need to, break even? to make 15% profit, to make 30% profit?
• Do the math and then do it again at the end of every day, week and month! Are you meeting your profit goals and objectives? If not, what actions need to be taken? Have you developed an up-selling plan or strategy?
• What are other proven and successful detailing professionals doing to meet their goals. Network and educate yourself to the latest actions that are creating solid businesses for others.
• Create a business action calendar or use your PDA or whatever works for you. If you need to hire a detailer before the summer season begins, what's the drop dead date? Write it down and do it. You already know that the best detailers will be taken by Memorial Day weekend. Think you can find one on June 1st?
• Same for advertising and flyers. Don't wait till the business is in a slump or goes "dead" to advertise. Advertise to build the business and keep your good name out there. And always show loyalty to existing customers (referral discounts is one way). Write it down on the calendar and do it.

Saturday morning. The sound of the hi-speed buffer drowned out the noises inside Andy's head. "I wonder if that detailer is still available. I'd better call him sometime soon... man, I gotta push the pad today or I'll never get done".

Authors Note: Great books of over 200 pages have been written about making your business successful. This article was not written to be a business planning guide, but was intended to stimulate your thinking about taking action to build your business beyond "just pushin the pad".