IDA Member Spotlight: Kenya Williams, CD-SV

Each month we feature a Member Spotlight.  This month we're talking with IDA Marketing & Communications Committee Co-Chair, Kenya Williams, CD-SV, owner of I Shine for You Auto Detailing in Williamsburg, Virginia.

International Detailing Association (IDA): How did you get into the detailing industry?
Kenya Williams (KW): I entered the detailing industry after spending eight years as a Nuclear Engineer, building the Nuclear Reactors for the US Navy Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier, where everything had to be clean.  After completing this ship, I decided it was time to run my detailing business full-time.  I started with a passion for cars, then it turned into a daily chore, and then a business.  This coming June marks five years since I started I Shine For You Auto Detailing.

IDA: Tell us a bit about your business.
KW: I Shine For You was founded in Suffolk, Virginia in 2014 as a mobile unit.  I started off detailing for friends and family on nights and weekends while working as a Nuclear Engineer.  After getting my feet wet in the industry and tearing a rotator cuff, in 2016 I moved into a detailing shop in Williamsburg, Virginia and went into detailing full-time.  From a one-man operation to a full-time business, I Shine For You offers auto detailing services, paint protection, water damage remediation, and glass protection.

IDA: In what products or services does your company specialize?
KW: We specialize in auto detailing, paint correction, and paint protection services by enhancing exterior and interior surfaces of a vehicle.

IDA: What do you think is the most important factor to being successful in the detailing industry?
KW: I would say networking with peers.  Across state lines I seemed to have found the most help on products and tools.  Not only did I receive education on the tools but I was able to also find help in running my business.  Being in the IDA has helped tremendously, as it helps vendors and other peers put a name to a face, which turns into a friendship over time. 

IDA: Are there any accomplishments that you are proud of?
KW: We were voted Best Car Wash by the Coastal Virginia Magazine in 2018.  We were recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at Frederick Community College, in Frederick, Maryland.

IDA: What is the best advice you have ever received?
KW: Never stop learning, as things change by the second.  Take time to read a new book that will empower you.

IDA: What tips do you have for a new detailer?
KW: Network with other detailers around you, talk to someone in a service-based business and ask how they run their business so you can incorporate processes and procedures in your detailing business.

IDA: What about for experienced detailers?
KW: Join the IDA, serve on a committee, and obtain your certifications.  Also, build up the younger generation to help grow the industry and their businesses.

IDA: What's your funniest business moment to date?
KW: The funniest business moment to date is searching for car keys.  My team and I had just detailed a vehicle, called the customer, and they arrived.  They get inside and get ready to pull off but there is no key inside.  Since it was a push-start we thought the key was inside, but the entire time the key was in my back pocket!