3 minute read
Detail Garage
friends for life own and operate a successful Business
Bill Enfield and Zach Lipsky met while working at Target 22 years ago, but little did they know they’d become friends for life or that they’d one day own and operate two successful businesses.
After graduating from college, Enfield received a degree in automotive technology and Lipsky received a degree in business management and the two went off on separate career paths. Enfield continued his career in the automotive field starting as a technician at a company before being promoted to manager and then executive which is when he convinced his lifelong friend, Lipsky, who had continued his career as an executive team leader with Target, to join him. Both Enfield and Lipsky rose the ranks but after ten years and doubling the company’s revenue to over $5 million they decided to pursue opening their own business.
After spending the majority of their careers in the automotive industry, they looked for emerging brands and soon discovered Detail Garage, the country’s go-to car care retail brand with 80+ locations. Started by professional auto detailers and passionate car care enthusiasts, Detail Garage was born out of a need to create the ultimate playground and community for their customers, even launching its own brand of products under the name, Chemical Guys. The duo not only became fans of the Chemical Guys products, but loved how the brand put an emphasis on education and training customers on how to best take care of their vehicles.
“We joined the Detail Garage franchise system for three main reasons. The first was that it was a brand in an industry we were both already familiar with. The second was that the Detail Garage system is relatively young and has so much potential for growth without requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars to start. And third, and most important factor, is that we saw the potential to saturate ourselves and the business into our local community,” said Enfield. “The people we’ve met throughout the Detail Garage system will be our lifelong friends. We know if we really hustle and work at our businesses, there’s no limit to our success with Detail Garage.”
After opening their first location in their local community of Middle River, Maryland in 2019, the duo has geared up for another adventure as they recently acquired the Detail Garage location in Glen Burnie after experiencing a 27% increase in revenue between their second and third year of business, despite the pandemic. They credit their success to understanding the needs of their local community and providing them with great quality products and even better customer service.
“We opened our businesses in an area where we were very familiar with the community. We’re in a community where people work really hard for the things they have so they’re taking great care of their cars and maintaining them, which is where we come into play,” said Lipsky. “You definitely get what you give in the franchise industry and we’re giving it our all. We had originally planned for two locations but we’re already thinking about expansion. We are extremely resilient individuals. We want to exceed expectations.”
While proud of their accomplishments in running a successful business and expanding their portfolio with the acquisition of their second location, the duo has put an emphasis on community involvement by taking part in charitable initiatives such as Toys for Tots and Miracle Makers of Maryland.
With a passion for cars and community service, Enfield and Lipsky plan to grow their 2-unit portfolio up to five in the near future with a goal of surpassing $1 million a year in revenue at each location.
