January 2024
Pre-Scheduling Announcement: Greetings Allied client. This is the pre-scheduling announcement for flight 2024A to Detailville. We are now inviting clients with cars, mid-size vehicles, full-size vehicles, and any client requiring the special care and attention to detail they deserve, to begin scheduling at this time. Please have your calendar available ready to schedule your 2024 details. Regular scheduling will begin on January 16th, 2024, and end on February 16th, 2024. Thank you for detailing with Allied! ***(Call, Text, or email to schedule your 2024 details between January 16th and February 16th. Call (618) 687-2886 or email: schedule(at)alliedautomotive.net Reminder: your previous years’ details/appointments DO NOT roll over.)*** To My Greatly Treasured Client, We made it to the conclusion of another year and crossed another milestone - Allied turned 15 years old on May 15, 2023. This skill gained working at two local dealerships gave me the initial stepping stone to start Allied over 15 years ago has come so far from its infancy, I never thought that detailing would take me this far, therefore, I am humbled and grateful that Allied has enjoyed the limelight since day one. The first few years were rough but the growth was steady and consistent year after year. We (Lilly and Abby were/are pivotal in Allied’s success these past 15 years) are proud of what we’ve accomplished over the years but we are most grateful for all the lessons we’ve learned on this journey of starting, running, and growing a small business and we appreciate you ALL for coming along as we experiment and test different hypotheses. As I’ve mentioned before, detailing was not the business I intended to become my main business, it was a skill I acquired and knew would give me a “quick” infusion of funds while I figured out how to be a business owner and then pursue starting my envisioned brokering/personal car shopping business, hence the name “Allied Automotive Brokers LLC”. But being the creature of habit I am and the need for stability, my initial foray into the car business didn’t go as planned but I learned a lot and learned what I didn’t like which is just as important as learning what you do. So back to the consistent and stable income of detailing, but after 10 years of grueling detailing, my body is telling me it’s time. It’s time to find, groom, coach, and mentor my successor so that this valued service doesn’t go away like so many other small businesses that have closed throughout the years. So what is the future for Allied and Murphysboros’ only FULL-TIME detail shop? Within the next 3-6 months we would like to hire a part-time detailer with hopes of him or her working up the ranks to full-time Detail Manager. The next hire would be another part-time to full-time detailer and lastly hire a part-time Office/Marketing Assistant. Gradually offer personal car shopping services throughout 2024. For this to happen I must step into the CEO/CFO/COO role and a few executive changes MUST occur to afford Allied to make these hires.
Never been to Allied before or haven’t been in two years, you will have to pick between a “New Client Detail” or “Nearly Perfect Detail”. These two higher ticket services will allow Allied to employ and retain the staff needed to thrive and keep a FULL-TIME detail shop in Murphysboro for another 5-10-15-20 years. If this doesn’t happen there is no guarantee that Murphysboro and the surrounding communities will have a FULL-TIME and CONSISTENT detail shop in the next 1-5 years. We need your support to keep this service around for many years to come. That support is pre-scheduling your 2024 details, interested in a ceramic coating (learn more at: www.alliedautomotive.net/services) schedule yours for the Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter, and tell your friends & family Allied is now accepting new clients for its “New Client Detail” or “Nearly Perfect Detail”. Lastly, do you know someone who would be interested in detailing and being coached and mentored to take the Murphysboro Detail Shop reign when that time arrives please send them our way. We know some people will be tempted to not want to help because “I only want David to detail my car”, we hear this way too often. This sentiment (along with so many other reasons) is why so many small businesses shut down because the owner wasn’t encouraged to build a self-sustaining business that can run/operate/grow without the owner doing the everyday technician jobs. The owner's job is to build the brand, create the systems, streamline the standard processes and procedures, and build a team that keeps the company going and growing and the CEO focuses on how to grow the company further. This approach of going from a one-man lifestyle business to a company that employs numerous individuals keeps the economic flywheel spinning in towns & cities throughout the country and world (hats off to all the men and women who chose to grow their companies beyond themselves). On the flipside when this growth isn’t supported loved businesses disappear. I (David Cook) take 100% responsibility in my role in the lack of growth Allied has experienced these past 15 years. I am a CONTROL freak when it comes to my craft and my reputation, which, has prevented me from letting go and accepting that 90% is good enough. This need for “perfection” is something that I’ve been working on this past year and will continue to work on. In order to build a team to keep this service going I must continue to fight my urge for “perfection” because NO ONE will do it my exact way every single time - PERFECTION IS A MYTH. Excellence is the goal not “perfection”. Change is hard and not desired but losing another small business would be worse - help us keep this service in Murphysboro. Help us help the next generation of small business owners the same way you helped me in 2008. YOU helped mold me into the small business owner and detailer I am today. You took the time and in some cases, courage to point out something that was overlooked, missed or you just didn’t care for. You gave me the grace and opportunity to improve as a first-time business owner and novice professional retail detailer. With your help and my guidance, we can help catapult Murphysboros’ next detail owner to heights we will all be proud of. David why don’t you just give up this dream of being a personal car shopper, you’ve been talking about it for years - what gives? I hear you and the tough love “sh*t or get off the toilet”. To be completely honest, FEAR has kept me from pulling the trigger - fear of the unknown, fear of all my clients jumping ship before getting brokering going, fear of it not succeeding. But this DREAM of mine will not go away, I keep being called or pulled to offer this service to Southern Illinois, whereas detailing has run its course, the love, passion, and desire have waned dramatically over the years, and the things that shouldn’t bother me annoy and frustrate me and that’s not good for me and fair to people. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware I’ve also been gifted and cursed with a TON of business ideas that won’t see the light of day, but, if I win the lottery (that I don’t play) or some generous person gifts me about $7 million I would start 6-10 businesses over the next 20 years (that’s how many ideas are running through this creative head). In the meantime, I’ll keep detailing going for a little while longer with the hope of my successor taking it over and growing it further (there is an untapped RV and Marine market ready for some ambitious person). I’ll then spend the next 10-15 years brokering vehicles and finally launch my retirement business (told you I had ideas). This all comes just before Abby graduates high school in FIVE short months. We are all excited for this next journey and the lessons and skills to be learned and gained. We are so proud of the confident, smart, self-aware, resilient, multi-talented, and mature young woman she has grown into. Lastly, but most certainly not least congratulations to Lilly for another year of business December 15th you are simply amazing and l look forward to everything you have planned over the next few years - Your #1 Fan. With gratitude, David Cook-Founder & CEO/COO PS: Help me find my detail manager, if you know someone who’d be interested in detailing and being coached and mentored to take the Murphysboro Detail Shop reign when that time arrives please send them my way or to: www.alliedautomotive.net/careers PPS: Schedule your 2024 details between January 16th and February 16th, 2024. Call or Text (618) 687-2886 or email: schedule(at)alliedautomotive.net *Updated 2024 Prices & Services are now available at: www.alliedautomotive.net/services Please visit the website to confirm new prices align with your circumstances & budget. PPPS: Are you interested in applying a ceramic coating to your vehicle in 2024 we now have a package for you. It’s called the “Nearly Perfect Detail” . PPPPS: Now accepting new detailing clients for our “New Client Detail” - tell your friends, co-workers, and family we are now accepting new clients. The “New Client Detail” is available year-round (when dates are available) however, it’s not the same service or price YOU get when you pre-schedule between January 16th-February 16th, 2024. PPPPPS: Still coming soon-ish: Personal Car Shopping/Brokering services, Blunder Repair, “Clean Cars & Cold Cash”. Slow and steady wins the race. PPPPPPS: With the rising cost of postage, printing, and pretty much everything, this will be our last print and mailed letter. As long as it is feasible we will continue to send an abbreviated annual postcard. We will also introduce an e-mail newsletter in 2024 and will continue posting our annual “Client Updates” letter on our website. PPPPPPPS: Google reviews are always greatly appreciated you can leave yours by going to: https://g.page/alliedautobd/review |
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January 2024
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