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

Anthony, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I have always loved cars. My grandfather on my mother’s side was very good at working on cars and worked for a parts store for years. Naturally every time they came over for Sunday dinner or any other holiday, he’d always have toy cars for me. Even after he passed, my grandmother kept up the tradition.

As I grew older, I couldn’t get enough of cars, trucks, SUVs. Whatever. From a young age I could tell you the make and model by the headlights or tail lights. What changed everything for me, as I’m sure it did for most kids growing up in the 90s was The Fast and the Furious. I had no idea you could do all that customization to a car! My dad was in to cars as well – he had Firebirds and an Iroc Z28 Camaro before I was born – so naturally that helped when it came time to get my first car. We lived close to a Chevy dealership and they just got a ‘96 Camaro RS in on a trade. It had maybe 20,000 miles and still had the original tires. White with T-tops. I thought I was so cool driving this thing around.

I started modding it the best I could with a summer job and help from dad. Then I started hanging out with guys who also shared my affinity for cars. Started going to shows and winning some awards. I knew how to clean my car for the most part but being around guys who had been in the game for years, you really quickly that there’s a whole other world to automotive detailing. I ended getting a job at a dealership, cleaning customers cars when they came in for service or cleaning cars that were recently sold.

After college, I continued to research auto detailing, watching YouTube videos, and even started having friends and family ask if I would clean their cars too. I figured if I can make a little extra money doing this to support my own needs, why not? But what do I call it??? Instantly I remembered something my dad always joked about with my mom, “regardless of what it was, she was Never Satisfied.” That was it. And in July of 2015, Never Satisfied Detailing was born. The slogan goes not only with detailing, but in life too. The day you’re satisfied is the day you stopped trying.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As I said I got really serious about auto detailing when I got a car of my own and would go to shows. Modifications are important but sometimes you can win awards just for having the cleanest cars. That transitioned into working at a delearship when then helped me learn the ins and out of really operating a business. When people think of auto detailing, they think it’s the drive through places. That’s the furthest thing from what I do and I really try to convey that to my clients.

One of the biggest influences in my career has been Larry Kosilla. He was actually working on Wall Street but quickly realized he wanted to do something else. Like most of us, he struggled at first but quickly built a reputation for being incredibly good at what he does. I first discovered him on YouTube as he would put out tutorials on various detailing jobs he was doing. He now has a podcast, sells his own chemicals, and has the same business all the way in Australia. He’s probably one of the best detailers in the world.

When I first started, I would do the usual stuff like washing a car and doing basic cleaning on the interior. The longer I went, the more videos I watched, and taught myself how to use a Dual Action (DA) polisher to remove scratches and improve paint and body work. I also got in to more detailed interior work, such as extracting stains from carpet and upholstery, as well as using an ozone machine to get lingering odors out of cars.

I still do this work part time as I have a pretty good IT job but if there is a weekend or night after work that I am available, I’ll be working. I think what stands out with my work is my attention to detail, willingness to work on almost anything, and the fact that I’m mobile. That has certainly grown in recent years but it’s amazing how much easier it is to get a job when the customer knows they can just leave the car with you at their house and not have to worry about transportation or scheduling picks ups.

My services include the basic stuff like exterior/interior detailing, as well as headlight restoration and paint enhancements. This can be a simple polish all the way 1-3 step sanding and buffing. For years I was mainly doing mobile work but since my family moved in to our forever home with a nice garage, I’ve been able to install a water filtration system and ductless A/C so regardless of the weather, I can still work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In this business in particular, if you want perfection, you’ll be chasing it forever. Even the best of the best know when you can only go so far. For example, when I was starting out, I tried to price things as competitively as possible to earn business. I would also try to do as much as I could to even if it wasn’t part of the job (cleaning carpet stains, wax, restoring headlights, etc). Only do what the job entails. The biggest thing I’ve learned is to value your own time. Know your worth. You may price yourself out of some of the smaller jobs but you’re also going to attract the kind of clientele that values your work and knows what it takes. That will result in more money in your pocket and less headaches.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The biggest thing that has grown my business, believe it or not, is raising my prices. As I said previously, you may lose some smaller jobs but you’re also gaining interest from people that have expensive vehicles and want them maintained properly. Think about it. You have Ferrari. Are you going to take that to one of those drive through places with the dirty brushes? No. You’re taking it to someone who a) knows what they’re doing and b) has experience with similar cars. There’s nothing wrong with those types of places. There’s enough cars in the world lol, believe me. But when you set your price to something exclusive, you’re telling people you’re worth it. As a result, you’re going to attract the kind of people who don’t mind dropping $200-$300 on a detail.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @neversatisfieddetailing
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/neversatisfieddetailing/
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/never-satisfied-detailing-carlisle

Image Credits

Cristy Lee, influencer and car enthusiast, is in the first picture I submitted.