IDA Member Spotlight: Ian Rammelkamp

Each month we feature a Member Spotlight. This month we're talking with IDA Board Member, Ian Rammelkamp, CD, Owner of  AutoFiber.

International Detailing Association (IDA): How did you get into the detailing industry?
Ian Rammelkamp (IR): When I graduated college in 2001, I knew I wanted to start a business. I did well in school, but I didn’t understand how businesses operated, or how the “world worked”. My dad was a serial entrepreneur, an ideal he indoctrinated in me from a young age. He had a wholesale business selling a new cleaning product called “microfiber”.  I had studied Human Computer Interaction in college, and the E-Commerce phenomenon was just beginning. I bought a couple of hundreds dollars-worth of product and built a website. I became active on one of the main Auto Detailing community websites. I tried to educate detailers on the benefits of microfiber towels, mitts, and sponges for car care. As microfiber products became more popular over the years, the business continued to grow. We went from selling direct to customers on internet forums to supplying some of the biggest players in the industry!

IDA: Please tell us about your business.
IR: We are a family business in San Diego, California. We specialize in the design and manufacture of microfiber cleaning products. Our focus is to take customer feedback and solve problems by creating new and innovative products. Our willingness to listen to feedback has driven us to stay ahead of the competition. Customer Service is our mission, innovation is our passion.

IDA: In what products or services does your company specialize?
IR: We specialize in microfiber cleaning products and tools designed for auto detailing and car care. These tools include items such as towels, mitts, sponges, applicators, mops, brushes, bonnets, aprons, and bags. We also offer custom printing on our products using a process called Dye-Sublimation. The process transfers the image onto the fabric without changing the feel or functionality of the product.

IDA: What do you think is the most important factor to being successful in the detailing industry?
IR: Honesty and a willingness to learn and adapt. The detailing industry is constantly evolving and innovating; there is both breadth and depth. “Detailing” can mean a lot of different things, breadth: car washing, reconditioning, sanitization, decontamination, beautification. “Detailing” also represents a huge depth of skill level. The barrier to entry is low. All you need is a bucket and a few towels to get started. There is a huge potential to grow and become a high-end shop with dozens of employees working on “super-cars”, and everything in-between. As a product supplier and designer, we must meet the needs of the various types of customers in this complex industry.

IDA: Are there any awards/certifications/accomplishments that you or your business has earned and would like to share with us?
IR: Our top accomplishment is that our customers stay with us for a long time. Our customer retention is off the charts. We strive to build long term relationships built on trust. When we make a mistake or fail to deliver on our promises, we take the blame. We use it as an opportunity to try to fix our operating procedures, so we don’t make the same mistake for other customers in the future.

IDA: What is the best advice you ever received?
IR: Don’t focus on goals. Focus on the process and improving the process. When you focus on a goal, you are setting yourself up for failure.  If you take a process-based mindset you will learn to make continual small changes that compound over time. By doing this you will surpass your “goals” over and over.

IDA: What tips do you have for the new detailer? For the experienced detailer?
IR: For the new detailer: Keep learning, testing, and adjusting. A business is like a science experiment; you have an idea —hypothesis—and try to come up with a solution—experiment. You analyze the results and come up with ways to improve. For the experienced detailer: Stay Humble. Detailing is hard work. Even if you are at the top of your game, the playing field is always changing. Sometimes you can learn from the rookies coming in off the bench.

IDA: Funniest business moment?
IR: We try to laugh and have fun at work as much as possible. None of what we do—basically, selling towels—is all that important in the scheme of life. Life and business are just one big funny moment.

IDA: Why did you decide to get involved with the IDA?
IR: Prentice St. Clair asked me if I wanted to sign up when we got our first booth at Mobile Tech Expo. It was a no-brainer from a networking perspective. We were already connected with a lot of the suppliers and detailers in the industry. We wanted to expand our network.

IDA: How has your involvement with the IDA affected your business and your career?
IR: The IDA has opened the door for us to meet many great vendors and customers, who have become friends. We want to help continue to grow and improve the industry that feeds our family and the families of our employees and customers.