Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is iHeartRadio's Maryland Business Spotlight, presented a Rosedale Bank.
Each week we hear from one local business owner letting
us know where they are in their business journey and
how they got there. I'm here today with Robert Rita,
owner and operator of Rita's Mobile Detailing. Robert, thanks for
being here for people who might not know. Tell us
a little bit about the business.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, so I detail cars, you know, mobilely. I go
to I can go to your home, I can go
to your work, I can go to the middle of
an industrial park parking lot. And I make it convenience
so that people don't have to leave their work or
home or anywhere and just go right to you and
clean your car inside out, whatever you want.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hence the mobile detailing that you make house calls. Basically,
that's right, that's right. I love that. Very cool read.
Of course. Obviously, your your last name is this? Has
this been how long has this business been with you?
When did you start this? Is it a family business generation?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
No, I started it myself. I started doing it part
time and went full time in twenty seventeen. You know,
I got three daughters and expensive hobbies, so I just
started doing it part time, just to keep up with everything. Yeah,
and you know, I was working a nine to five
job that you know, wasn't the craziest about, and this
kind of took off and I got so busy with
(01:19):
it that I just I just ran with it and
it's been going great ever since.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
That is awesome, all right? What are your expensive hombanks you?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I mean, well, like I said, I have three daughters,
so that keeps me pretty broke. I love you know,
I'm into cars, I like, I like guns.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
So what type of detailing services do you have all around?
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I had? I offer interior or exterior details. I offer
what's called paint correction or you know buffing, higher end
buffing with with machine buffers or rotary machines. And I
offer ceramic coating, yeah, which is like a wax on steroids.
I like to say about it.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Maybe like minor If you have like a minor scratch,
can can those be taken out?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Or no?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
If you can, if you can't feel a scratch with
your fingertip, if you've got light swirl marks or any
kind of defects maybe from like an automatic car wash
or something like that, I can get those out yes,
I happen to feel it.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I think I might. I might be calling your services.
I've got these little scratches here, and that's a great thing. Okay,
so uh yeah. How do you maintain the quality and
consistency when you're working in all these different locations, you
know where where you got to go from here to there?
I mean, do you have a certain system, a great staff.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I honestly have no staff. I'm just the one man.
I'll do it all myself. I'm everything from the book keeper,
the account to the to the phone to doing the
actual work. I do it all. It's just me. You know.
I've thought about every day having employees and scaling it
because I have. I always have enough to work to
where I probably could have one or two. But just
(02:52):
I'm scared to take that leap. You know, somebody, somebody
else can hurt my little thing, good thing I got
going on, So I just like to keep it, keep
it small.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
You must be so busy, though, right, you must be constant.
I'm sure you have a good client list.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah. I usually I'm about two to four weeks year
round booked out.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Slower in the winter months, I assume, right.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yes, yes, but I also have a shop here in Westminster, Maryland,
where I live. Then I can work out of there
on rain days or mainly during the winter when it's cold,
you know, if it's thirty five forty degrees and lower
and pretty windy. I try and get my customers to
drop off there so I'm not freezing outside. Oh that's
the winter. In the cold here a Maryland's a whole different.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Hour in the summer, it really is. Yeah, I keep
it all.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I have it all year round. I rent it out
all year round, and I do a lot of ceramic
coding jobs there because that shouldn't be done out in
the weather and the elements. And then, like I said,
any rain days or cold days, they come there and
I work out of that.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
How's your business growing by the way year to year?
Are you just you getting more people? And I'm sure
return customers.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I do have. I have a ton of return customers,
which I'm extremely thankful for. I feel return customers the
biggest comp when I can get other than word of mouth,
you know, because they keep coming back, so that means
I must be doing something good. Yeah, but yeah, I
mean after COVID, really, I probably I would say it
probably quadrupled during COVID. I honestly thought I was going
(04:16):
to go out of business then because I didn't know
what was going to happen with people not working or
staying at home or whatever the case was. But it
just got crazier and crazier, and it continues to. My
name just gets around more and more every year, and
I'm just very thankful for that.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So did you stay You're based out of Westminster, right.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I am, Yes, I'm all over Carroll County. I really,
I really don't need to leave Carroll County because I
stay that busy here where I live.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I was just going to ask you what is your like?
You know, as far as the mobile detailing, you know,
how far are you? How far do you go? But
you're good with Carroll County?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, I mean I grew up in Howard County, so
I still know a lot of people there. I travel
into Howard County a little bit. I go into like
right here in PA, like Littlestown, Hanover Area, Glen Rock,
and then I'm in I'm in Owens Mills, you know,
rive it's close, but I won't go you know, an
hour away. You know, It's just I don't need to.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
All right, Do you have different packages different levels of
care for the car if somebody just wants something simple
or you know, like the whole shebang the advanced package
to detail the car.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, I never. I really don't offer packages like different
names of what I offer. I either do interior exterior,
or like I said, I get into the ceramic coding,
which is a whole other level of detailing, because I
don't want people to read too much into it or
get confused and have to think about it too much.
You know, you either want the inside done or the outside,
(05:47):
or you want both. You know, It's just I just
try and keep it simple.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah. Well, with your business now growing, do you have
any new goals or initiatives down the line, like adding
another employee or something like that, or expanding or are
you good the way things are now?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Again, like I said, I would love to have two
or three more of me and and kind of just
sit back and kind of just oversee and relax a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Again, what I do is it's labor intentsive. It's hard
on the body, and I can't do it forever. So
eventually I would love to dabble into that part of
the world with you know, the business and everything. But
I'm just so comfortable and I just stay so steady
with where I am. I guess it's kind of hard
for me to want to go bigger because I'm scared
(06:35):
of that with it not working.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, I get it, man, makes sense. Yeah, it does
absolutely well. Congratulations on your success. Go ahead. What were
we going to say?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
No, I was just gonna say. You know, everybody I
talked to with hasn't that has employees. All they say
is headaches, and I don't.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Have any, you know, So I hear you man owning
your own business and doing it all yourself. Man, there's
there's something to that. It's a lot of work, but
you know, you have nobody to a two but you and
no problems because you know how to do it the best.
So I kind of get that, you know.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And if there is a problem, I just there's nobody
to blame but myself exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But I'm sure you don't have too many of those there. Hey,
where can listeners go to find out more about Rita's
mobile detailing?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I have a Facebook site, you know, they could just
look up Rita's Mobile detailing on Facebook. You know where
they could call me directly. It's on my phone. I
answer the phone all the time and all hours, and
you know they can. They can find it there.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Okay, Facebook, that's Rita's Mobile Detailing r e d A
Mobile Detailing. I hope people call you and use your business.
You sound like a great guy that works hard and
I love that. And I thank you for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, thank you, sir. I appreciate call.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
This has been iHeartRadio's Maryland Business Spotlight, presented by Rosedale Bank.
This is iHeartRadio's Maryland Business Spotlight, presented a Rosedale Bank.
Each week we hear from one local business owner letting
us know where they are in their business journey and
how they got there. I'm here today with Robert Rita,
owner and operator of Rita's Mobile Detailing. Robert, thanks for
being here for people who might not know. Tell us
a little bit about the business.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, so I detail cars, you know, mobilely. I go
to I can go to your home, I can go
to your work, I can go to the middle of
an industrial park parking lot. And I make it convenience
so that people don't have to leave their work or
home or anywhere and just go right to you and
clean your car inside out, whatever you want.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hence the mobile detailing that you make house calls. Basically,
that's right, that's right. I love that. Very cool read.
Of course. Obviously, your your last name is this? Has
this been how long has this business been with you?
When did you start this? Is it a family business generation?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
No, I started it myself. I started doing it part
time and went full time in twenty seventeen. You know,
I got three daughters and expensive hobbies, so I just
started doing it part time, just to keep up with everything. Yeah,
and you know, I was working a nine to five
job that you know, wasn't the craziest about, and this
kind of took off and I got so busy with
(01:19):
it that I just I just ran with it and
it's been going great ever since.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
That is awesome, all right? What are your expensive hombanks you?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I mean, well, like I said, I have three daughters,
so that keeps me pretty broke. I love you know,
I'm into cars, I like, I like guns.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
So what type of detailing services do you have all around?
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I had? I offer interior or exterior details. I offer
what's called paint correction or you know buffing, higher end
buffing with with machine buffers or rotary machines. And I
offer ceramic coating, yeah, which is like a wax on steroids.
I like to say about it.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Maybe like minor If you have like a minor scratch,
can can those be taken out?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Or no?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
If you can, if you can't feel a scratch with
your fingertip, if you've got light swirl marks or any
kind of defects maybe from like an automatic car wash
or something like that, I can get those out yes,
I happen to feel it.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I think I might. I might be calling your services.
I've got these little scratches here, and that's a great thing. Okay,
so uh yeah. How do you maintain the quality and
consistency when you're working in all these different locations, you
know where where you got to go from here to there?
I mean, do you have a certain system, a great staff.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I honestly have no staff. I'm just the one man.
I'll do it all myself. I'm everything from the book keeper,
the account to the to the phone to doing the
actual work. I do it all. It's just me. You know.
I've thought about every day having employees and scaling it
because I have. I always have enough to work to
where I probably could have one or two. But just
(02:52):
I'm scared to take that leap. You know, somebody, somebody
else can hurt my little thing, good thing I got
going on, So I just like to keep it, keep
it small.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
You must be so busy, though, right, you must be constant.
I'm sure you have a good client list.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah. I usually I'm about two to four weeks year
round booked out.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Slower in the winter months, I assume, right.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yes, yes, but I also have a shop here in Westminster, Maryland,
where I live. Then I can work out of there
on rain days or mainly during the winter when it's cold,
you know, if it's thirty five forty degrees and lower
and pretty windy. I try and get my customers to
drop off there so I'm not freezing outside. Oh that's
the winter. In the cold here a Maryland's a whole different.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Hour in the summer, it really is. Yeah, I keep
it all.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I have it all year round. I rent it out
all year round, and I do a lot of ceramic
coding jobs there because that shouldn't be done out in
the weather and the elements. And then, like I said,
any rain days or cold days, they come there and
I work out of that.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
How's your business growing by the way year to year?
Are you just you getting more people? And I'm sure
return customers.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I do have. I have a ton of return customers,
which I'm extremely thankful for. I feel return customers the
biggest comp when I can get other than word of mouth,
you know, because they keep coming back, so that means
I must be doing something good. Yeah, but yeah, I
mean after COVID, really, I probably I would say it
probably quadrupled during COVID. I honestly thought I was going
(04:16):
to go out of business then because I didn't know
what was going to happen with people not working or
staying at home or whatever the case was. But it
just got crazier and crazier, and it continues to. My
name just gets around more and more every year, and
I'm just very thankful for that.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
So did you stay You're based out of Westminster, right.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I am, Yes, I'm all over Carroll County. I really,
I really don't need to leave Carroll County because I
stay that busy here where I live.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I was just going to ask you what is your like?
You know, as far as the mobile detailing, you know,
how far are you? How far do you go? But
you're good with Carroll County?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, I mean I grew up in Howard County, so
I still know a lot of people there. I travel
into Howard County a little bit. I go into like
right here in PA, like Littlestown, Hanover Area, Glen Rock,
and then I'm in I'm in Owens Mills, you know,
rive it's close, but I won't go you know, an
hour away. You know, It's just I don't need to.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
All right, Do you have different packages different levels of
care for the car if somebody just wants something simple
or you know, like the whole shebang the advanced package
to detail the car.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, I never. I really don't offer packages like different
names of what I offer. I either do interior exterior,
or like I said, I get into the ceramic coding,
which is a whole other level of detailing, because I
don't want people to read too much into it or
get confused and have to think about it too much.
You know, you either want the inside done or the outside,
(05:47):
or you want both. You know, It's just I just
try and keep it simple.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Yeah. Well, with your business now growing, do you have
any new goals or initiatives down the line, like adding
another employee or something like that, or expanding or are
you good the way things are now?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Again, like I said, I would love to have two
or three more of me and and kind of just
sit back and kind of just oversee and relax a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Again, what I do is it's labor intentsive. It's hard
on the body, and I can't do it forever. So
eventually I would love to dabble into that part of
the world with you know, the business and everything. But
I'm just so comfortable and I just stay so steady
with where I am. I guess it's kind of hard
for me to want to go bigger because I'm scared
(06:35):
of that with it not working.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, I get it, man, makes sense. Yeah, it does
absolutely well. Congratulations on your success. Go ahead. What were
we going to say?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
No, I was just gonna say. You know, everybody I
talked to with hasn't that has employees. All they say
is headaches, and I don't.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Have any, you know, So I hear you man owning
your own business and doing it all yourself. Man, there's
there's something to that. It's a lot of work, but
you know, you have nobody to a two but you and
no problems because you know how to do it the best.
So I kind of get that, you know.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And if there is a problem, I just there's nobody
to blame but myself exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But I'm sure you don't have too many of those there. Hey,
where can listeners go to find out more about Rita's
mobile detailing?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I have a Facebook site, you know, they could just
look up Rita's Mobile detailing on Facebook. You know where
they could call me directly. It's on my phone. I
answer the phone all the time and all hours, and
you know they can. They can find it there.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Okay, Facebook, that's Rita's Mobile Detailing r e d A
Mobile Detailing. I hope people call you and use your business.
You sound like a great guy that works hard and
I love that. And I thank you for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, thank you, sir. I appreciate call.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
This has been iHeartRadio's Maryland Business Spotlight, presented by Rosedale Bank.
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