Hello! I’m Natalie, the owner of Deckhand Detailing in Seattle, Washington and the creator of this course. I'm glad you've decided to take the first steps to starting your own boat detailing business. This is an exciting venture and one that will bring you a lot of joy and satisfaction. I've been running my detailing company for almost 30 years and it's way better than an office job!

My Own Experience

This business start-up course offers specific information about starting a boat detailing business, as well as information about starting a business in general, such as choosing a domain name and building a web site. I cover all topics of starting a new business because there are many of you who may not have gone down this path before. For those who have started a business before or have recently started their boat detailing business, this information will provide you with a solid checklist to make sure you're not missing anything. No matter what stage of the business start-up you're in, the information I provide will help you start off on the right track.

Since I started my detailing business long ago having absolutely no previous business experience OR boat detailing experience, I learned a ton along the way! That is the type of information I want to share with you so you don't have to go through all of the trial and error that I did. Some of those errors cost me a lot of time, energy and money. I offer some of my own personal experiences throughout our training lessons to help you relate more easily to what I'm talking about. If you haven’t already read my story of how I originally started my boat detailing business, take a moment to visit our company web site (www.deckhanddetailing.com) and look for the link to it on our home page.

When I started my boat detailing business in 1990, I didn't have the use of cell phones, the Internet, Google, social media, a web site or any of those things that make starting a business these days so much easier. I had to drive to a printer to have my business cards made, meaning I actually had to talk to another human being behind the counter and draw my design with a pencil on paper in front of them! I also had to go home several times a day if I wanted to check the voicemail messages on my answering machine.

I didn't have a fancy web site where people could find my company and view my services. I had to drive or walk to each marina and brokerage office and hand someone a flyer and business card. I then had to hope that boat owners would somehow find out about my company or find me in the Yellow Pages phone book and give me a call on my home telephone.

I'm not complaining at all and some of you may be in my age group and remember these non-digital days of yore. But thanks to technological advances, starting a business is much easier these days! However, that's only one side of the coin. Starting a business is much easier. Starting a successful business that makes money and pays your bills is a whole other animal. That's what I'm here to help you with.

I’ve written this course in a personal prose because let’s face it, this is kind of a dry subject and it needs some flair! I’ve also written it this way so you can get to know me a little and feel comfortable reaching out to me whenever you have questions to ask or ideas you want to run by me. I’m here to help you. I’m your biggest fan and your support system! Your friends or family members may not understand why you want to start a boat detailing business and some may even tell you that’s a crazy idea. I’m here to tell you that it’s not crazy at all and it’s actually a great idea!

Many people are afraid to step outside of their comfort zone and since they can’t imagine doing it themselves, likewise they can’t imagine anyone else doing it. Surround yourself with people who support you and don’t let fear stop you from doing anything. I started this business when I was 19 knowing absolutely nothing about boats. No one understood why I wanted to start my own business and even my own parents told me I would fail. Thank goodness I didn’t listen to any of them!

Boats are getting dirty as we speak (thank goodness), so let's get started!