Member Spotlight: Josh Buckler

Each month we feature a Member Spotlight. This month we're talking with Josh Buckler, CD-SV, co-chair of the IDA Marketing & Communications Committee and Owner of Shine Right Detailing, LCC. 

IDA: How did you get into the detailing industry?
Josh Buckler (JB): I started working in the wash bay at a dealership out of high school. My dad is a retired Firefighter and that’s something I always knew I wanted to do as well. I was hired by Prince George’s County Fire Department in 2011. With our schedule, 24 hours on and 72 hourrs off, I knew I’d be able to have the business “on the side” (it feels more full time than the fire department). With the skills I had gained and the knowledge of business I learned through trial and error, I was able to maintain my career in the FD and keep up with building a business too. 

IDA: Please tell us about your business.
JB: Shine Right started in June 2009 as a single person mobile detailing company in southern Maryland. Three years later we hired our first employee, and now operate with three mobile units. With heavy focus on customer relationships, we have been able to achieve record lifelong customers every year. 

IDA: In what products or services does your company specialize?
JB: We specialize in Marine & RV detailing and gel coat restoration, ceramic coatings, interior renewal detailing, paint correction.   

IDA: What do you think is the most important factor to being successful in the detailing industry?
JB: Customer relationships are at the forefront of what we do. Without sincere, meaningful connections with customers, the services we provide would just be another clean vehicle. By perfecting interpersonal communication skills, our distance and growth is unlimited. 

JB: We were voted the Chesapeake Bay Weekly’s Best of the Bay boat detailing. We are a 2-year member of the Air Force One Detailing team at the Seattle Museum of Flight and a member of The Detail Mafia.  

IDA: What is the best advice you ever received?
JB: This sounds a little basic, but it’s been a constant mantra to my every day. When I was younger, the guy I looked up to a lot used to look at me and just say “FOCUS”. That has stuck with me forever. By saying nothing but that one word, it really helps me get my stuff together when I get a little off. I’ve been given countless amounts of advice that I cherish and remember at different times. But the one piece of advice I use every day of my life is “FOCUS!” 

Then of course there’s my favorite reminder of, “If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.”

IDA: What tips do you have for the new detailer? For the experienced detailer?
JB: KNOW YOUR MONEY! One of my biggest regrets is not keeping track of all of the new products I tried and tested and what it cost to test them. If you’re in this as a hobby, stick with what brings you joy. If you’re in this as a business; keeping track of money means nothing if you don’t know what’s going out. Educate yourself on direct and indirect expense tracking and management. Learn from big businesses’ practices outside of the industry. 

For the experienced detailers, when’s the last time you’ve done the same?

For detailers that are not owners, show your passion to learn more about the business and the things that go into business. With enough display of dedication, eagerness to learn, and pride in what you do, you will accelerate past others on the team and play a significant role in the company’s growth. If I heard that someone on my team watching videos on leadership or business strategy after hours, I would be very anxious to keep them on my team and help them grow personally and professionally! 
 
IDA: Funniest business moment?
JB: We had this 73 ft Hatteras ocean yacht to wash one day. It was an enclosed fly ridge so the only way to the roof was by running up the 70 degree angle front of the cabin. Well, after you wash a boat, it’s a little slippery. When one of the guys was ready to come down from the 40 ft elevation, he decided to wet it one last time. I turn around to see him smiling ear to ear as he relived his childhood playground days and slid from roof plus another 30 ft towards the bow, barely catching himself on the grab rail near the anchor. I guess someone should have told him to wait until they rinsed all of the soap off the bow.  

IDA: Why did you decide to get involved with the IDA?
JB: Being part of a community of like minded individuals, all aspiring for similar goals, seemed like a no brainer. I look at other industries and the organizations there to support them, and see that the most successful often belong to something serving a bigger purpose. I know that the IDA will one day shape the way detailers are perceived and provide extreme value to us all. I want to be a part of that. I want to play a role in us getting there.