Moving a business anytime is hard. It is especially hard when your business is based solely on the clientele you have built for years. Recently I had the opportunity to move from my comfort zone in Southern CA to Miami FL, to pursue other business opportunities not related to detailing. Close, right?
Differences:
Rain. Literally all. the. time. Hydrophobic coating anyone?
No one cares about waterless washing. You know, because of all the rain. Hard to sell in the economical aspect of it and the general idea is still very new as far as the consumer population is concerned.
Humidity effects product performance. I’ve never worked in environments with high humidity so it was never something I took into account. But if it’s extremely humid, the way a polish breaks down is completely different.
Similarities:
People with nice cars like them to look good. Whether it is in CA or FL a client with a Lamborghini Huracan likes their paint shiny. And we are more than happy to assist!
High-end, quality detailing is appreciated and wanted.
Moving our business was not an easy choice. All of the years of work to build a credible name and tons of people networked with all meant nothing here. No one knew who we were, who I was or what we did. It was almost like starting your business all over again from scratch, except with more experience from doing it before. But the opportunity presented to us was worth the challenge.
What Did I Do?
I felt I had to go about my expansion differently then I began in CA, even though people did not know my work personally, I had built up a pretty good portfolio. So I have been working with companies directly in the industry with cross promotion and working on certain vehicles that gain attention to boost exposure. I have been very under the radar and have not even posted on any social media in months as I had to focus on the work at hand and the other obligations I had moved for.
Conclusion:
Moving is not as easy task in this business. I would strongly urge you to think very carefully about your business plan, as I said before you are basically starting your business all over again. But if you have a plan, patience, stick to your company morals and provide excellent service you can grow anywhere.
We are still very new here, it has only been about 5 months, and I would like to create an updated post as our journey continues to help anyone else thinking about a business move with what the process can be like, first hand.
Has anyone else moved a business? How did it go for you? Any suggestions? Anything local Floridians can add? Comment Below!