Car valeting business venture starts to shine for Craig
Car valeting business venture starts to shine for Craig
A 24-year-old man from Anfield who catapulted himself off Jobseekers Allowance by gambling his personal savings to launch a car valeting business is expanding into new areas after a successful first six months of trading.
Craig Dures launched Grime 2 Shine car valeting in May 2010 using his hard earned savings from stints as a car valeter, labourer and bricklayer to buy vital equipment including a van, jet wash, water tank cleaning products and marketing materials.
He says although it was a massive ‘leap of faith’ Grime 2 Shine is now starting to really pay off with a number of high profile client wins, an expanding customer base and a growing reputation.
“I did have experience of car valeting before but launching my own business was a massive step,” he said. “But I was quickly given a tremendous boost after winning a deal to valet the cars which appeared in the Pageant of Power motor show in Liverpool earlier this year. From this I was able to showcase what a difference a good valet can make, especially to cars such as a Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari Enzo. This led to Grime 2 Shine being chosen as the preferred car valeting business for the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool.”
Craig, a former pupil at Breckfield School says he has won further work with car dealerships including Anfield based Georgesons and is expanding into drive way and path washing using his specially designed mobile power jet. He is also planning on taking on a part time driver.
“I’ve been working since I was 16 and now I feel I’ve finally found what I want to do,” he said. “The business is going fantastically well. The key is to keep the firm growing, keep winning business and keep learning. Our main services are mini and full car valets; polishing and waxing, hand car washing, steam cleaning and carpet cleaning.”
Craig said he has been helped enormously by business support agency Blue Orchid which offered him help and advice in key areas such as finance, marketing, tax and business plans.
“I could not have set up in business without the help and support from my Blue Orchid business adviser.” he said. “I was able to call my Blue Orchid advisor at any point and she would relay things to me in terms I could understand. Setting up a business should not be taken lightly, it is hard, but Blue Orchid could offer advice in all the key areas and having an on call business adviser certainly took the pressure off launching the business. Blue Orchid’s workshops on book keeping, tax and the HMRC were also very helpful.”
For more information on Grime 2 Shine call 07852 307 207 or visit www.grime2shineliverpool.co.uk
