We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mynor De La Cruz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mynor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea came gradually and organically. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Learning about a specific product to then use to be able to facilitate or resolve someone’s given circumstance has always fascinated me. It’s a rush and a sense of fulfillment that fellow entrepreneurs can resonate with. My father has put food on the table through auto detailing for over 20 years. I have had the privilege to not only work alongside him and my two younger brothers, but to learn the industry and build a commercial auto detailing business as well. As much as I enjoy auto detailing, my love of sales paired with my dads dream of having an auto detail supply store heavily influenced me. I had my “aha!” moment and my pursuit for a retail store began.

Mynor, 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?

My name is Mynor De La Cruz and I am the Owner/CEO of DLC Auto Solutions, LLC. More importantly however, I am a husband to a wonderful woman and a father of two brilliant boys. They are what fuels me and inspires me to go after our dreams. Like I mentioned previously, my father has two decades worth of experience in the auto detailing industry so he has played and continues to play a vital role in our current auto detail supply business. We started off with a sprinter van but worked our way to be able to establish a store front so that we can better serve our customers and meet their needs. We provide auto detailing chemicals, spot free water, tools and accessories to the professionals and enthusiasts. We don’t just supply them, but we are an auto detailing hub where we provide education, training and resources through our reputable vendors. I am most proud of the fact that we are able to pursue our dreams as a family unit where we all share the responsibilities and enjoy the process together. We are family owned/operated and it can be felt in the deep appreciation that we have for those that choose to do business with us. It is our customers that motivate and compel us to be intentional in our service so that we may be an asset to their business. We want to be great partners and build long lasting relationships in the process.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I recall a time where we were feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the difficulties of running our business. We almost gave up because the cost of freights were going up , fuel was very expensive and the raw materials had sky rocketed in price. We were operating off the sprinter van and being that were very new in the business, we desperately needed every dollar that came in to stay afloat. In retrospect, one of the factors that played a role in allowing us to survive that difficult season was the fact that we had no financial liabilities such as car payments, RV payments, dirt bike payments, credit card payments etc. Trying to build a business is stressful enough and the fact that we weren’t caught up in trying to keep up with the Jones’ was a huge benefit to not only our business, but our well-being. I also learned that in anything you decide to do in life, having the discipline to simply show up everyday is crucial to your success. We would go and offer our services to body shops, auto dealerships and mobile detailers no matter what the outcome was. Not having enough customers to provide stability, having to find new customers, and the risk of spending more than what you would earn was extremely stressful. In those given moments is where you realize how resilient you are to those negative, intrusive thoughts that want to overpower you and discourage you. That’s where you have to ponder if the permanent goal you seek is worth the temporary obstacle you must face. In order to exercise your resilience, you must face adversity. Be thankful for the difficult seasons because you come out better equipped for the next one, which in business there will always be a next one.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have found that the most effective strategy for growing our clientele is word of mouth. It may not be a cool, trendy or attractive strategy to some, but it is so powerful once the ball starts rolling. It is painfully slow at times and requires you to be intentional but it has played a crucial part to our retail store. It is a strategy that requires integrity and transparency so that someone is willing to recommend you to their family and friends. I learned that engaging with every customer, treating them with dignity and actively seeking to find a solution to meet their needs makes the next interaction a more pleasant one. So whether it is a returning customer or a referral from a previous customer, I know it will make the next interaction that much easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dlcautosolutions.com
• Instagram: dlcautosolutions
• Facebook: DLC Auto Solutions
• Linkedin: Mynor De La Cruz
• Youtube: DLC Auto Solutions