We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Felipe Levy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Felipe below.

Felipe, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is to show people that it’s possible to start a business with limited resources, and begin small with what you have at the moment. The most important thing is to study a lot and take your idea seriously. This is important to me because I’ve always wanted to start a business, have my own venture, be my own boss, but I was very afraid. Afraid of failure, of what people would think of me, afraid of not being capable. I didn’t have anyone to give me a push or encourage me, so I want to be that person for everyone who dreams of starting their own business too.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Felipe Levy, I’m 39 years old, and I’m from Brazil. My father was a race car driver in the 70s, so since childhood, I’ve always been involved in the world of motorsports. I’ve always been passionate about cars. Unfortunately, I lost my father at an early age, and the financial situation of my family became complicated, so I couldn’t follow in his footsteps. I moved to San Diego in 2015 in search of a better life, hoping to find more opportunities than in Brazil. As I always took very good care of my cars and kept them in impeccable condition, this caught the attention of my friends, and I became known as the car guy. In addition to taking good care of them, I answered questions they had about these matters. Gradually, I began to take care of my friends’ cars at their request and charged a monthly fee for it. Until I saw the opportunity to open this business.

Our most popular service is the premium detail, which involves a thorough cleaning of both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Additionally, we offer individual services for either the interior or exterior of the vehicle. We also provide other services such as paint correction (enhancement), ceramic coating, and more.

In today’s daily life, considering that people are always busy with work and family, our service offers the convenience of going to the person and keeping their car consistently clean and sanitized. Most people don’t realize that a dirty car can trigger illnesses, so our goal is not only to provide a cleaner and more enjoyable driving experience but also a safe and disease-free environment for everyone.
I believe that cars provide us with numerous pleasant memories, from family road trips to engaging conversations while taking the child to school, or celebrating a job achievement inside the car. As something so emblematic and present in many special moments of our lives, I believe we need to take care of it.

I think one of the differentiators I have is my background in photography, giving me an advantage in creating videos with a better sense of framing, lighting, etc. Many clients come to us for the quality of the videos, so I believe this sets us apart from the competition.
Another thing we highly value is customer service. We take punctuality, friendliness, and politeness very seriously. We want our customers to have the best possible experience. That also sets us apart.

I’m truly proud to have created something from absolute scratch, without loans or debts, and to have sustained myself with the business from the very first month. After a year of working and building everything on my own, I convinced my wife to join me. Today, we proudly operate a family-owned business. It’s amazing to see where my business has come in such a short time.
Another source of pride for me is witnessing the results of my mission to inspire other entrepreneurs. I’ve had the opportunity to help friends and acquaintances start their businesses in this field, sharing the knowledge I’ve gained. I believe in cooperation and that there is space in the market for everyone.
What I want customers to know
We are extremely meticulous in our service, with over 100 5-star reviews on Google that we earned in a short period. Customer satisfaction is of utmost importance to us. They can rest assured that their cars are in good hands.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Like most other businesses, we started our social media from scratch. We began posting every day, focusing on videos showcasing the quality of our service. Early on, I discovered that people enjoyed watching videos of cleaning and ASMR, finding them satisfying. So, I used that to my advantage and started posting videos based on what people wanted to see. Simultaneously, we reached out to local influencers, offering a free detail in exchange for posts on their stories, allowing their audience to get to know us. My advice is for people to leverage their strengths, what works for them. There are various ways to grow on social media; use your talents to your advantage. However, there are some rules that need to exist, and the most significant one is consistency. Post every day, do a lot of stories, and be responsive to your DMs and comments. Also, be aware of trends.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Due to this consistent social media effort, most people discover us through Instagram and TikTok. The second-largest source is through referrals, mainly because of the high quality of our service and customer service.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flatoutdetailing.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/flatout.detailing/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/flatout.detailing/

Image Credits
Abdallah Seoud (protographer)