We were lucky to catch up with Jake Wiegel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jake, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?

What we do at Detail Garage is ALL ABOUT education and communication. Our products are very good and they “sell themselves.” Our goal is to explain products and processes in a way that educates our customer in the proper way to use the products to achieve their goals. When our customers know how to use our products properly, they get better results, AND are happier with our brand and our location. Ultimately, I learned the value of communication. I believe STRONG communicators can be far more successful in a variety of settings than someone who is solely “good at their job.” Communication is far more than speaking. We all know communication includes the words, tone, volume, inflection, non verbal cues and body language, showing interest in what is being said and really LISTENING. Once we understand what is being communicated TO us, we need to understand, process and communicate back. Having the style is critical. We want our customers to trust us. That is important. I spent my working life in positions where communication was always very important. Its shocking how many people are not good at it. Find a way to be an effective communicator and nearly everything in your life gets easier.

Jake, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Wow…Ive been so many things over the years…paper boy, pizza cook, delivery driver, manual labor, catering, retail sales, a bouncer (haha), loss prevention, a corrections officer for juveniles and adults, a probation officer, and a sheriffs deputy. I was injured on the job after 20 years and forced to retire. I enjoyed the car culture over the years and found myself at a car show speaking with a corporate employee of Chemical Guys, who told me the brand was expanding and seeking franchisees. I got some contact info and followed up with Chemical Guys. Fast forward 5 years and we opened one store in Southern California that was very successful. We sold that location to Chemical Guys. It is now run as a corporate “Brand Store.” We moved to the Nashville are and began the search for a location to open Tennessee first Detail Garage. We opened January of 2022 and earned recognition as Detail Garage NEW store of the year for 2022!

We spend time with any and every customer who has any questions. The investment in service makes all the difference. Come into Detail Garage Nashville and you’ll be blown away by the level of service and education we provide. We make a singular goal to inform and teach our community. When a person knows the products and processes to accomplish their goals…its empowering. Rather than rely on others to take care of their vehicles, our community are DIY’ers and we love helping them learn to achieve their goals. When we are a part of that journey, we build relationships beyond customer/store. And when we are a big part of that learning, they return and become life long fans of Chemical guys and Detail Garage Nashville customers.

Detail Garage is your Destination for car care, professional auto detailing supplies, detailing equipment, monthly events, car care accessories and training.

Started by professional auto detailers and passionate care enthusiasts at heart, Detail Garage was born out of a need to create the ultimate playground and community for car care enthusiasts.

Our on-staff expert technicians are here to answer your questions, demonstrate products and processes on your ride in front of you, and give recommendations for any of your car care needs.

Detail Garage was founded with a goal of providing auto enthusiasts with the highest quality car care products available in the market today. Throughout the years, we have remained dedicated to providing our patrons uniquely efficacious car care products, accessories and knowledge. Each of us at Detail Garage is committed to serving our customers and communities alike through the highest service standards.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I have always been a bit of a saver. I invested in my employers 401(k) for nearly 20 years. I was hurt on the job and forced to retire. As I was looking toward the next phase in my life, I focused on a automotive detailing supply franchise retail store called Detail Garage. These are retail locations dedicated to Chemical Guys products. I began the process with the corporate staff and needed financing. I discovered the retirement account I had been slowly growing over the years was considered a “liquid asset,” meaning it could be converted to cash quickly and easily. I saved an amount in excess of what I needed to borrow to start our first location. So, with good credit and more “cash” on hand than I was asking to borrow, the loan process was easy and essentially guaranteed. If you are reading this and have a current job with a retirement option, especially if they match any contributions, sign up today and start saving. You never know when that investment may be helpful!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Some of the most dreaded words a new employee can hear when learning their new job, “That’s how I was trained.” Over the years, I’ve taken on many new jobs or positions. With new positions comes some training. I always found context and history helped me to internalize a process or procedure. When I asked why we did things a certain way, a common response was, That’s how I was trained. This response shows a level of ignorance, not the negative kind…just lack of real knowledge. When I train employees, I take time to explain products, processes, expectations and the WHY. When we truly understand and buy into the WHY, we are always going to internalize this information better. We will understand the motivation and rationale behind WHY we do things a certain way. This understanding an buy in drives our employees to be more consistent in their approach and performance. This approach has worked in every setting I’ve utilized it. Most employees will do the right thing while the boss is present, but how do you motivate your employees to do the right thing when the boss is not around….buy in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.detailgarage.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detailgarage_nashville
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Detailgaragenashville/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgEcPol_nG9_aFJbB8ameLg

Image Credits
Selfie!