Now Clear Water was not started by myself. The same friend I did snow plowing with operated this company entirely on his own for 2 years. I ended up going up to his cottage to help work and at the end of the weekend he paid me more money than I made in the previous week working 50 hours in the moving business. It was at this point I saw opportunity.
I approached my friend who was only working in Muskoka at his cottage and ask if he would train me up, teach me more about the business and then allow me to bring the brand down to Toronto.
I started operating the company in Toronto in the summer of 2017. By the end of the season, I had learned so much including the fact that entrepreneurship is where I will be for the rest of my life. You don’t get paid for your time, you get paid for the value and effort you put in, you get to learn as you grow, you get to see the direct impact you
make on your clients.
The following year I operated the company again in the summer. By the end of year 2 I had grown the business year over year by more than 100%. It was at this point in the company I made the big leap.
I am the type of person where I need to be continuously growing as a person. I knew that I had learned about as much as I could in this franchise position and was looking for more. After long talks with the previous owner, I ended up acquiring the company at the age of 20. This all on its own was a great experience and has lined me up to build the business in the direction I felt was best fit, Student Franchising.
Currently Clear Water Detailing recruits students who know entrepreneurship is for them but do not know which business they would like to start. We provide you the business plan along with tons of mentorship, guidance and capital you need to succeed in your summer business venture.
Acquiring the business was a great move for myself but was not easy. This I would say is one of the greatest challenges I have faced in business. I was put in a position where a great friend of mine growing up, someone who has been there for me on a personal and business level, was put in a situation that caused a lot of stress and problems in our friendship. We are both still friends now but after everything we have gone through, I have noticed mixing personal and business together is a tricky road to navigate and whether you like it or not will cause a lot of stress in the relationship when times are tough.