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Meet Kyle and Jessica Kenyon of Kenyon Mobile Detailing in Phoenix

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle and Jessica Kenyon.

Kyle and Jessica, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Kenyon Mobile Detailing is and has always been a blessing to us. We were very young and of course, we were struggling to pay the bills like any other young person at the age of 22 and 25. At that point, Kyle was feeling a little frustration in his life due to the fact he couldn’t find a job that called to him or something that he really enjoyed. So he was constantly trying to find his niche in the business world. On my side, I was working as a Sales Manager at an I.T. Company. Even though I was content working there, and Ii wanted to make a career out of it, I always felt like something was missing. Something that was crystal clear to us since the beginning was that we wanted to own our company one day We didn’t know how, when, or where to start, but the topic came up nearly every day as we sat down for dinner discussing our days after work.

One day, Kyle saw an ad on Craigslist where a fellow detailing company was looking for an experienced detailer. At this point, Kyle already had a lot of previous experience working with vehicles since he was a kid. It was always a hobby that he felt passionate about but it never occurs to him as a way to make a living. With nothing to lose, he asked himself: Why not? They were looking for a contractor at the time. To meet all the requirements he needed his own trucks as well as all the equipment necessary to do a professional detail. We had to actually ask for a small loan to be able to buy everything needed to get started. This was the beginning, but we just didn’t know it yet. The person who listed the add on craigslist informed Kyle that they would be partners working together moving forward. However, they never formally met mostly due to the fact Kyle’s partner resides in L.A. California. As time went on communication seemed to be lacking. The work was inconsistent and Kyle realized that his partner was marketing the jobs but not actually working physically to complete them. Kyle describes this as a point in his life when he felt like the young men from the classical tale of Tom Sawyer where Tom tricks all the neighbor kids into white washing the fence that is his responsibility. At that point, Kyle already loved the job but I saw an opportunity for us both to come together as who better to be your partner than your wife. I even have experience in marketing, sales, and business management. So one day I told Kyle, “We can do this. You and I. He cut ties with his partner in L.A. We came up with a name registered our business with Arizona. Electrified with excitement we began our journey as entrepreneurs.

I started getting the license and all the requirements needed to have an actual business and then the sales while Kyle was focusing on training himself for better practices and techniques to provide the best service.

We still remember how our first month was distressing as we only made $150. We owed every single cent of it. In spite, we persevered. One of the most considerable challenges we faced was convincing people that we were reliable, consistent and that their cars were in good hands. Looking back it makes sense as we were going against the tide with no reviews to show and very little money for marketing. We also are millennials who the older generations underestimate. Sometimes the opportunity when presented Is all that stands between you and the what if’s.

We worked very hard and the first year was only Kyle and I. Both working night and day together mentally and physically. This, in particular, was challenging to me as I was always used to work in an office environment. We realized that our customer’s experience meant everything to us and we always treat them like family and their vehicles as if they were our own. It was just a matter of time before we grew and grew. We knew it then still to this day where we are heading. The trick is to love what you do and stay hungry. We built a strong base of customers who stay loyal and continue to keep coming back.

With time, we started hiring people of all ages. It became so gratifying to see that more and more people started believing in our project and wanted to be part of it. It is incredible to be so lucky to have a great team that supports and loves your company…your dream. We feel fortunate because they have helped us to become one of the most revered autos detailing companies in the valley. It is breathtaking to see how people choose us over companies that have more than 10 years in the industry. It’s so gratifying to know we have become one of the highest rated detail companies on all the recognized platforms where we have a presence.

We dedicate ourselves to create the best customer experience, from beginning to end and we love what we do. When you find something that you love, there is only one person who can stop you from success and that is yourself. No one else can decide if you can or cannot accomplish your dream.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Jessica: It has not been smooth at all. We have had so many struggles along the way and I think the number one was “the money factor” to be able to invest and keep investing within the business to achieve our operations and sales goals, but in the end, you just find the way to make things happen. My job at that point was honestly also very helpful to finance our project, but we had it very bad because sometimes it was not enough not even for us to be able to eat three times a day, so we had to suffer a little bit.

Another struggle was all the paperwork needed to keep a healthy business. I had to study a lot to understand all the what’s and how’s, again, we did not have the money to afford a CPA so we needed to do everything by ourselves.

It was a very big problem to hire our first employee too, nobody wanted to be employed by “young people”, at least that was the way they looked at us. They, of course, were people with a lot more experience as a detailer but even though the pay was good, they used to say, they needed something stable. That is why It is incredible to look back and compare the point where we started to today and we are fortunate, we have a great team that supports and loves your company and that is the biggest goal we have achieved.

Every single procedure we now have in the company was added as a result of an issue, so I have to say that KMD, is also a very organized company with a lot of processes that help to satisfy our customers and also to make life easier for our employees and us.

In general, it was not easy but now that I look back, I think every single thing needed to happen so we could get better. I am going to end this saying that every single issue we had, was solved and became a lesson for us, so if we see it differently, we were very blessed because we were taught a lot in only four years.

Please tell us about your business.
Jessica Kenyon: KMD has been one of the best things in my life. Getting to know a total different industry, makes me feel accomplished because it is an industry dominated by men, so sometimes, when I speak with people regarding to the services we provide, I feel like they are evaluating me all the time, but it does not bother me a lot because I feel very confident with what I know, plus I love the fact of being a woman co-owning a detailing company.

My main mission in Kenyon Mobile Detailing is to make sure that everything goes as smooth as possible, and with everything I mean, sales, marketing, customer service, taxes and most of the administrative activities. Of course, now we have a team that helps us keep all this in order.

I also, create the strategies to achieve the sales goals and the strategies to meet the expectations of customers. I am a psychologist specialized in cognitive development and also I have a specialization in cognitive-conductual therapy which has allowed me to understand the behavior of our customers towards our company with the different incentives we launch in our campaigns, and I have an MBA with a specialization in International Business what allows me to have a bigger picture of what the customer wants, what the business needs to grow and also, what the employees want and need to stay productive or increase productivity.

My background in Information Technology, allows me to understand the importance of technology on our daily basis, the reason why KMD is always betting for more technological ways to increase sales and make the process a lot easier for final customers and also for our auto care specialists. We have a project coming up and we definitely would love to talk about it in the future but I am sure everyone is going to love it.

What sets us apart from others, it is definitely the customer service, we always answer the phones with a smile and try to be as detailed as possible with our explanations, there are many people who do not know what we are talking about, so we also educate them and teach them why we do every single step during the detailing service.

Kyle Kenyon: Kenyon Mobile Detailing gave me purpose, made me realize that I was not crazy but I was worthy, with all the hard work and dedication, anything is possible. Shutting out all the naysayers and just focusing on your goal and the loved ones around you. It sounds simple enough but with the chaos of life it can be difficult, again, sometimes there is nowhere else I would rather be or nothing else I would rather be doing than building this empire and being with the ones I love.

My mission in KMD is to treat every customer like a family and every car like it was my own. There is nothing more important than that. I have a certification as a ceramic coating installer and also certification as a professional detailer with more than 8 years of professional experience. I have participated in international car shows around the country, as well as experience as a Logistics Manager for car events where, of course, we also provided the detailing. I am the one who makes sure that all the magic happens with excellence and I train every single member of my crew when they join. from customer service to sales, every single member of our team knows for experience about detailing to be able to provide the best customer service experience.

I specialize in the hands-on of it all and I am known for my obsessive-compulsive behavior and symmetrical which makes this job very fitting for me. I am very proud of the team we have acquired and what we have built together.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
When people recognize our company just for the logo, makes us extremely happy because we know we are on the right path and making things right. When people keep recommending us and say nice things about us, that is what makes us the proudest.

Pricing:

  • Interior Detail – 3.5 hrs of service average: $125
  • Full detail – Average: $199
  • Exterior detail – Average: $179

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By Kenyon Mobile Detailing

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