Senior’s car-detailing business drives its way to success

On+average%2C+senior+Thomas+Davis+services+about+five+to+six+customers+with+his+car+detailing+business%2C+Top+Caliber+Auto+Detailing%2C+per+month.

Brianna Tang

On average, senior Thomas Davis services about five to six customers with his car detailing business, Top Caliber Auto Detailing, per month.

Daniel Elabbasi, Staff Writer
December 17, 2021

Senior Thomas Davis turned his hobby of car detailing into a successful business, Top Caliber Auto Detailing, last year.

Davis, who also does theatre, acapella and plays in a rock band named “Autumn Roots,” started his business last winter. Now, Top Caliber Auto Detailing has become his full-time job. On average, Davis services about five to six customers per month.

“I started by detailing my mom’s car and realized I could make money from this,” Davis said. 

As Davis began to develop his business, he quickly realized that it wasn’t as simple as he thought.

“It’s definitely tough, with school,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the weekends. [It’s] busy work that no one wants to get done, like getting clients.”

Davis finds the work of building a business especially challenging while being a high school senior.

“

There’s a big return, but you have to be willing to take the first step, and that’s true for any business

— Thomas Davis, Senior

“Very often I use my free time where I would [usually] use my phone or relax, just to work on the business,” Davis said. “I have to read articles about how to better advertise myself, market myself and make business cards.”

According to Davis, marketing is the most challenging and time-consuming part of Top Caliber Auto Detailing. 

“The hardest part about starting a business is the marketing aspect,” Davis said. “You can do something amazing and not become big at all because no one hears about it.”

According to Davis, once he got through the initial marketing struggle of getting the word out, money started rolling in. 

“There’s a big return, but you have to be willing to take the first step, and that’s true for any business,” Davis said. 

For Davis, that first step was investing $1,000 into the business.

“A grand is a cheap start for a business, but for someone in high school, that’s a good amount of money,” Davis said. “You’re not going to throw down a grand, and expect to get ten grand.”

Despite the large risk of self-investing, Davis believes more teenagers with good business plans should take the leap. 

“People being scared to start their business is one thing that keeps them from being successful,” Davis said.

Davis plans to expand out of Worcester County and grow even bigger while opening up new opportunities for himself and others.