Archive for Cars

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Entrepreneurship comes in many forms, whether that be the starting of a new company, solving of a problem, or strategically adding to an existing brand. Formula 1 racing has been an image of high class and luxury for the last century. Strategic branding and product placement has given F1 the ability to sport high-end companies from AMG, IWC watches, and Marlboro. A new decision by F1, to bring in huge amounts of money and press, was to enter the scene in the capital of gambling and night life, Las Vegas. The team at Formula 1 spent and estimated $500 million to take over the streets of Vegas in F1’s newest location. The amount of money reeled in by this event is hard to nail down completely, but such a high-class sport brought old and new money to Vegas in an unseen before fashion. Formula 1 made a whopping near $2 billion over the weekend and casinos cash prizes and stakes were through the roof. Though this is not the typical entrepreneurial endeavor, this is an example of taking a well known brand and thinking in an entrepreneurial way to end up raking in billions of dollars over the weekend.

Juju Noda: Racing F3 at 17

The need for speed is not a new concept for humanity. We have fast devices, fast cars, and fast lives. So naturally, we have made speed into a sport; a sport that 17-year-old Juju Noda excels at. From Okayama, Japan, this teenaged racecar driver started her career at only 4 years old. And no, that is not an exaggeration. She is the daughter of Formula 1 racer Hideki Noda, and currently races in the Formula 3 category.

Juju Noda in racing uniform. Image courtesy of bossgp.com.

In the world of racecar driving, girls are not a common sight. Teenaged girls? Even less so. However, Juju is passionate about her sport and has a drive (get it? Drive?? Anyway…) for success. With her parents supporting her and new opportunities always appearing, she shows no signs of slowing down (literally!). Just competing in a sport may not seem like an entrepreneurial endeavor, but racing is not an inexpensive hobby. Support has to come from somewhere, and for drivers like Juju, that support comes from sponsors. The best way to get sponsors? Be really, really good at what you do. And Juju is right on track (the RACEtrack!), and already has multiple supporters lined up. Furthermore, she has her own website, her own little Chibi character, and of course a presence on most social media platforms. One could say that she’s…on a ROLL!

As with all young entrepreneurs, Juju shows that no matter one’s age, anything is in the realm of possibility if you are passionate about it and willing to work hard to achieve your goal. You don’t need to be a renaissance man, you just need to find your niche (or perhaps… road?) and work it.

John Temerian – Curating the Vintage Supercar World

John Temerian was born in 1988 and raised in the Palm Beach area of Southern Florida. Coming from a family of immigrants and mechanics most of John’s childhood was surrounded by cars. In the 1980s, his father, John Temerian Sr. was the authorized service in Palm Beach for Lamborghini collaborating with Joe Nastasi. Nastasi was the main distributor for Lamborghini in the United States at that time. When most kids spent their summers at friend’s houses and camps, John spent them at his dad’s shop sweeping, reading anniversary owner manuals, studying serial numbers, and reading factory/dealer options. Because of this John understood the minute details and could outsell almost any car expert and enthusiast in his teens. Since John also spent most of his time at his dad’s shop, he met many of the company’s clients. The most interesting ones he said were visionaries and innovators; most of them being entrepreneurs. These clients inspired John to push himself to expand his father’s idea and innovate the car industry. At the age of eighteen, John left home and set out to break into the industry and become an entrepreneur. On his way to success, John Temerian was considered Miami’s Orlando Bloom look-alike, worked with Donald Trump, and even got arrested.

John’s successes are best shown through Curated and Lou La Vie. He started a luxury car rental called Lou La Vie for the growing demand for luxury and exotic rentals for downtown Miami. John’s greatest success, however, was starting his company called Curated back in 2015. At Curated, John’s team buys, “curates,” and sells vintage blue-chip stock super cars. Blue chip meaning that the cars are low mileage, high value, and typically are produced in small numbers (special editions/anniversary/press cars). They have had cars like Ralph Lauren’s Ferrari 288 GTO, a Lamborghini Diablo GT2 race car, and a 2006 Ferrari FXX Evo. John has also had a crucial role in launching Palm Beach’s Super car Weekend as well as the Miami Concours events. Through his networking and connections John Temerian has changed and transformed the vintage super car market in a short amount of time. John’s greatest assets are his expertise, international connections, and his reputation. For John, these cars are much more than just a hobby and job, but an obsession, and meeting John Temerian myself, I can honestly say that this is much more than a job, it is a mission.

Mate Rimac – Electrifying Hypercars

Mate Rimac founded Rimac Automobili, now Bugatti Rimac, the Croatian company with the quickest car ever made. Mate founded his company in 2009 and met a designer from General Motors in 2010. By 2011, Rimac had developed its first concept called Concept One. They aimed to produce an electric hypercar that was unlike anything ever seen.

Fast forward to today, and Rimac Automobili is now Bugatti Rimac, owning the majority of Bugatti with the rest under Volkswagen/Porsche ownership. They have successfully launched their first car, the Nevera, and also produce bikes under a sister company called Greyp Bikes. Mate has been able to develop his car for over 10 years and launch successfully, while also taking on greater responsibility with a novelty company like Bugatti. They have taken over and plan on transitioning away from the iconic W16 engine to hybrid and electric technology. As a company that specializes in electric technology, they also sell to other companies. In fact, that is where they found a lot of success while they were developing their hypercar.

From Mate Rimac, I have learned what an entrepreneur looks like. While his ultimate goal was to create a hypercar, he was able to develop his electric car technology and sell it to other companies for profit. In doing so, he was able to fund his other projects and make his dream hypercar which is now the quickest in the world. His determination and drive have found his success and he continues to develop and innovate in the hypercar space. I am excited to see what he and his company do next!

Dustin Williams – Photography to Fabrics

Dustin Williams, a Mississippi boy with love for cars, moved with all he had to Southern California after graduating high school. He moved into a friend’s house; all he had was a Subaru WRX and a camera. He began making money through photography by working at a high-end car dealership and doing weddings. He also had a YouTube channel that began seeing some success. As he grew his photography business, Legends Media, he made his own shirts and wore them in his YouTube videos. His audience enjoyed his sense of style and his brand and encouraged him to begin selling apparel, which he then did. His brand, Legends Media, saw very early success among his fans and quickly grew. Today, he does monthly drops based on his life and YouTube channel as well as a subscription for monthly t-shirts and other benefits. He now has 675k subscribers on YouTube and continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Dustin has been an entrepreneur from the start! He began making money by doing photography for people and then reinvested that money into what he loved, cars. He then used his cars to provide content for YouTube, and the rest is history. He has inspired me and many others to do what they love and to go the extra step. The motto he carries in his life and shares with others is “Do More.” He encourages his audience to always go the extra mile, because it may pay off in the future. His entrepreneurial mind has inspired so many, including me. His ability to make a living doing what he loves is very inspiring and makes me want to do the same!

TJ Hunt – Monetizing Your Hobby

Many YouTubers today can be considered entrepreneurs with the way they use their channel. One of these YouTubers was TJ Hunt. TJ started his channel when he was in high school. He wanted to document his time modifying his first car, a BMW 328i. Modifying his car was just a hobby, but it did not take long for him to realize that he could monetize what he loved. He began making more videos and soon bought a Subaru BRZ, the car that marked TJ’s rise onto the car scene. The more he modified that car, the more his channel grew. As his platform has grown, primarily on YouTube, his car collection has grown. He has owned a lot of cars and sold plenty, but today he still has that BRZ along with 15 more. He has been able to monetize his hobby of cars through YouTube’s monetization and brand partnerships.

TJ has also used his presence on YouTube to start his own clothing brand called Hunt & Company in 2016. As time has progressed, the quality of his products have only improved. I own quite a few products of his myself and you might catch me wearing some. TJ has been able to use content on his channel and a great design team to create quality products that his fans relate to and appreciate. As a result, the Hunt & Company has seen tremendous success and has proven very profitable for TJ. He has been able to hire full-time staff for the company and frequently releases drops for customers to sell out in minutes. TJ has been able to use his influence and platform to create more and make money in the process.

What TJ has shown me is that it is possible to make money doing something you love that most likely would not make money. In fact, his hobby typically spends more than it makes! He has inspired many others to create as well and do what they love. TJ also spreads awareness to mental health. During his journey making YouTube videos, he experienced a rough patch that really put a halt to his plans he had for life. As he worked through it, he told himself to always keep moving forward, and that is the slogan he carries with him from his clothing to the outro of every video. TJ has been able to spread a positive influence on many others and has shown his entrepreneurship spirit through all that he does.

$10 Car Wash to $3000 Protectant Coating

Alex chapman is the young entrepreneur who started a car washing business and turned it into a luxury car detailing company. He started this car washing business in his neighborhood. It began with going around to his neighbors houses and asking if their car needed washed. Eventually, Chapman upgraded his equipment and expanded the cleaning capabilities of his company.

 

I have some knowledge in this industry from personal experience. I have been interested in cars for nearly my entire life. I’ve always dreamed of having a fancy car. This year, I bought a 1992 Mazda Miata on my senior trip in Florida. This is a 30 year old car that sat in the sun for a long time. The clear-coat that protects the white paint was been mostly burned away by the sun and age. I have been a car enthusiast for a long time, but this was the first time I owned a nice car. All my previous vehicles had been beaters or boring. I wanted to protect this car’s paint and preserve it to last as long as possible. My friend offered to help me out by using his electric buffer to shine up my car’s paint. This was a big favor because it costs a lot to pay a professional to buff a car. My friend explained that he had bought the electric buffer about a decade ago because it was cheaper to buy the equipment and do it himself than pay a shop to do it every couple years.

 

It costs hundreds of dollars to buff an entire car’s paint, and Alex Chapman saw this opportunity when he was looking to expand his car washing company. Chapman pivoted upward and expanded his services to offer more intense automotive cleaning service. Chapman’s company now offers a service called paint protective film and ceramic coating for cars. A ceramic coating is a layer of hard, glossy lacquer that covers all the paint on a car to prevent scratches and improve the shiny of the car. A protective film over the car’s paint is a clear wrap that molds to the cars curves and is attached with adhesive. Sometimes these films are heat-activated, making it an even more tedious job. Protective film is a way to prevent severe scratches that can occur on a racetrack. Luxury and sport car owners want to use their car to the full potential and push them to the max on the track without worrying about damage to the paint. Although paying three grand for a barely noticeable modification might sound asinine to a normal person, it must be taken into account how immensely expensive it is to fix paint damage on expensive cars. Alex Chapman saw this opening in the market and took advantage of it.

 

England is home to many, many car enthusiasts and luxury car owners. The population density is comparatively high to the United States and Chapman’s clientele will pay for his services. An appealing aspect to Alex Chapman’s business model is the exclusivity and environment in which he treats the cars and meets with clients. This business is very interesting and has extensive material for discussion and exemplifies a great strategy to build a business from the ground up.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-teen-entrepreneur-has-own-business-polishing-luxury-cars-for-4000-20190320

https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-teen-entrepreneur-has-own-business-polishing-luxury-cars-for-4000-20190320

About AWC Car Detailing

From Washing Minivans to Maseratis

Alex Chapman is an entrepreneur from Essex, England who started his car washing business at the age of 13. Progressively, Chapman worked his way up to a luxury car detailing business charging upwards of $5000.

Many teens who are too young to get a job will find other ways to work for money. Some will choose odd-jobs in their locality such as mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, pulling weeds, washing windows, walking dogs, housesitting, and selling lemonade. Alex Chapman chose to make money charging £6 to wash cars in his neighborhood. He started with a sponge

and bucket, but now uses advanced polishing tools, wax, ceramic coating, and high-tech paint protection film. His current workspace includes three detailing bays, a shop, glass boardroom and outside washing area.

Alex Chapman is a very successful entrepreneur. He took a common odd-job for children and created a multimillion dollar business out of it. Chapman innovated by taking a menial and low-grade job and taking it to a whole new level. He worked h is way up the car detailing ladder from a simple wash to applying a $4000 paint- protecting film. Chapman took advantage of the reality that people will pay extraordinary amounts of money to avoid monotonous tasks. His business now takes a place in the luxury car care market. Luxury car owners will spend enormous amounts of money to know their car is well taken care of and in peak operating condition.

This is a very inspiring story to me, especially. This is the story of a kid starting with basically nothing and building it up far beyond his original goals. Alex Chapman exemplifies ambition in one of its most pure forms. I understand the market in which Chapman occupies, and know it is very competitive. Chapman’s business is exclusive to auto detailing in a market where it is common for a company to provide many different services with detailing as an extra resource. This means Chapman needs to be the best of the best to keep his enterprise afloat.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-teen-entrepreneur-has-own-business-polishing-luxury-cars-for-4000-20190320

https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-teen-entrepreneur-has-own-business-polishing-luxury-cars-for-4000-20190320

About AWC Car Detailing

WhistlinDiesel

Most people when purchasing a vehicle of any kind, plan on maintaining and taking care of it. While Cody Detwiler may hold this same philosophy to a certain extent, it never seems to last long.

Cody Detwiler is a Youtuber who is from the rural parts of Indiana. His family has a farming and construction background, so Cody had quite the opportunity to operate and run a variety of equipment growing up. In 2017, Cody started uploading automotive (mostly truck) related videos to his Youtube channel, which he named “WhistlinDiesel.” He seemed to have decent success early on, presumably because he is a charismatic character who posted entertaining videos. Cody graduated from high school and began uploading more videos to his channel. Since then, his channel has accumulated 1.5 million subscribers, earning millions of views on each video he posts.

You may be thinking, “He posts videos about trucks, big deal.” While much of his uploads involve pickup trucks, they have a unique quality to them that keep things VERY interesting. That unique quality would be him utterly destroying nearly everything he drives. It does not matter if he is driving a Jeep, old semi or even a fancy Audi, Cody will eventually destroy it. Some viewers get upset over Cody’s destructive habits with his vehicles and will leave inappropriate/rude comments on his videos. The odd thing about this is that those same comments motivate Cody to cause more destruction to even more expensive vehicles. There isn’t a better example of this, than with his lifted Ford pickup truck.

See the source imageSee the source imageOriginally when Cody bought this fancy looking Ford pickup truck, it was worth upwards of around $100,000. Upon purchasing, Cody told his viewers that if they were respectful and polite, he would take care of the truck and wouldn’t ruin it. People inevitably commented disrespectful things on his videos though, so he ended up abusing the truck. One of his latest projects is a monster truck, named “MonsterMax”, which he built off of the truck he drove in high school.

See the source image

Cody does not sell any products aside from basic merchandise for his Youtube channel, but he does produce some incredible entertainment! People don’t plan on purposely ruining vehicles, and that is what makes his videos so incredibly interesting. While some of his breakdowns are accidents, many of them are caused by his own will. By producing distinctively unique videos that no other channel can seemingly match, WhistlinDiesel has created a very loyal following that is sure to continue to grow.

Leanne Holder

Leanne Holder is a 26-year-old entrepreneur who owns Because Racecar Box and Vitamin Coffee, and also acts, models, and dabbles in fitness. When her career as a fitness coach and personal trainer fell through in 2016/2017, Leanne decided to launch Because Racecar Box, a company that delivers “car enthusiasts with detailing products directly to their door.” Holder values fitness and health, which is why she is currently the co-owner of Vitamin Coffee, which sells vitamin-infused coffee that promotes a healthier immune system and just feeling better.

Because Racecar Box is the leader in its industry, and boats upwards of $390,000 in profits per year, and since her purchase of Vitamin Coffee, the company has increased sales by over 100%. Holder was named of 10 Entrepreneurs to watch in 2020 by justentrepreneurs.co.uk, and will surely see more achievements in years to come.

Leanne Holder’s Because Racecar Box is a brand new service, and her intrusion into the traditionally male-dominated industry of cars further shows that she is a true entrepreneur, meaning she is willing to take risks, and is also able to combine existing ideas to make new ones.