Today we’d like to introduce you to Van Patterson
Hi Van, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Van Patterson has been detailing and restoring cars for over 15 years. He began detailing cars in college to make some extra money and it grew from there into a profession and now a business. Van opened Palmetto Suns Detailing in Charleston, SC with two business partner friends with the goal of opening the premier car detailing shop in the the city, serving top-level clients, and using a digital and technology-focused back end to dominate the car service space in the region. Since opening the business has grown steadily and is now the go-to shop in the city for both people wanting to maintain their cars, dealerships, and businesses with fleets.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like every small business, we face a new challenge every day…and you find out what that challenge is going to be at 8am. We run a great business and there are plenty of customers wanting to get their car serviced, but one day you go into the shop and the air compressor is broken, the next week the roof springs a leak and just when you get that fixed, someone hits our mobile detailing van and it’s out of commission for a month. But just like every other small business, we buckle down, deal with it, make sure the day’s customers are happy and solve each problem as they come up.
Staff has always been a problem. There has been a labor shortage in the area for the last couple years so growing the business can sometimes be challenging when it takes upwards of a month to hire someone and then another month to onboard and train them. We are constantly on Indeed looking for and vetting applicants.
There is also the problem of weather dependent demand. No one wants to get their car detailing when it’s raining outside…and there’s plenty of rain in Charleston. But everyone wants to get their car detailed in the spring when their heading to the beach, so balancing that demand when rent stays the same year round and the staff wants paychecks every week can be tough.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Palmetto Suns Detailing opened 3 years ago in March of 2022 in West Ashley, Chaleston, SC. We opened with the intent of offering top level car detailing services to people and dealerships in the area. We offer professional grade interior and exterior detailing, paint restorations, and ceramic coatings.
For those not completely familiar with detailing, we take cars at all different levels and restore them to hopefully like-new quality. Our jobs include: people that left their sun roofs open in the rain and have mold in their car, people with dogs and cars covered in hair, parents with minivans full of cheerios and gummy bears, and day car busses with spilled milk on the seats that’s sat in the sun for days.
For paint restoration, the environment is brutal on your car’s finish. Combine that with Charleston’s pollen, sap, and salty air, and your car’s exterior can be dull, dirty, and disgusting. Paint restoration takes off all of that grime and restores the paint to its factory shine.
We apply an industry leading ceramic coating to some client’s cars. This is a nano-technology that bonds to your cars paint and provides incredible protection against scratches and dirt, plus gives your car an amazing shine.
We are particularly proud of our reputation in the area. Once a client brings their car to us, they always come back and they tell their friend. We are also the choice for dealerhips. Whenever a dealer has a car that needs to be prepped for sale, or a problem with a high-end vehicle that was delivered to them, they always call us to get it ready for the client. Our client list is i the thousands in just a couple years, and keeps growing every day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t really think luck has played to much of a part. We’re fortunate that we haven’t had any major unexpected challenges but really we have built a business with a structured, systematic, and disciplined approach.
While the business sometimes looks like a bunch of guys working on fun cars and listening to music, there is also what’s going on in the background. We have a robust business management system that drives the business, from our customer POS, to our customer relationship management systems, our industry leading VOIP phone and text system, an AI driven digital advertising campaign, an excellent accountant and financial manager, and finally the shop manager that deals face to face with customers and ensures a top quality product day after day.
We really focus on a structured background to ensure that very little of our business success is left to luck or chance.
Pricing:
- Detailing starting at $195
- Paint Restoration starting at $550
- Ceramic Coatings starting at $950
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.PalmettoSunsDetailing.com
- Instagram: @PalmettoSunsDetailing
- Facebook: Palmetto Suns Detailing
- Youtube: Palmetto Suns Detailing
