ESOTERIC

My history with detailing goes back to 1973 when my next door neighbor, Mr. Allan Swanser, purchased his new Mercedes Benz 450SL. He was a bachelor and a Special Agent for the FBI which made him way cooler than anyone on our street, and that new Benz only added to his mystique.

I asked him if I could detail his new car and he agreed and after spending most of my Saturday, which was usually spent at the beach surfing, detailing the sporty Aqua Blue ride, I carefully pulled the car in to his carport. Saying “thank you” I started to walk away and he asked “How much do I owe you?” “You’re going to pay me?” I replied with a questioning bit of trepidation. “Well of course. I didn’t expect you to clean my car for nothing. And it looks fantastic by the way. Want to wash it for me every month?”

And so, a business was born. I named my detailing company AutoCare. It became a long list of valuable life lessons in communication, care, relationship building, marketing, networking, great service, quality, and a reliable income stream. I continued caring for cars all the way through my college years. I learned the value and responsibility of being my own boss.

Fast forward to my second career job after graduating college (thank you car detailing for paying for school) and I landed at a start up company titled Griot’s Garage. There I was charged with building the brand, overseeing the marketing and sales, and building a large merchandise selection that included a line of car care. My last years there I was the President before leaving to build my own brand here at Cars Yeah.

Today after 5 years of producing and hosting the Cars Yeah podcast and launching a successful Cars Yeah TV show, I’ve been invited to sit on the Advisory Board of ESOTERIC, a high-end car care company. This coming weekend I’ll be their Emcee at an annual Open House where over $23m in exotic cars will be on display and I’ll be interviewing a number of car care product suppliers. Check out their website. www.esotericcarcare.com

So I am right back where I started. Thank you Mr. Swanser for the opportunity to turn my passion for cars, and caring for them, in to a lifelong career.

7 comments
  1. Great news Mark, congratulations buddy! Your new career has opened all kinds of exciting opportunities for you, and I am sure this is just the beginning. Have fun and enjoy the road ahead my friend.

  2. You are gonna absolutely LOVE the Esoteric event. Since running across them when I got into hobbyist detailing 3 years ago, have got to know them, attended many of their events and finally got a chance to have a personal car run their their shop last Spring. Great bunch of guys, very helpful and their events are more than static ‘car shows’ as exotics and cars of every type are moving all about. Sights (shiny cars), Sounds (running engines, blipping throttles) and even Smells (exhaust, burnt fuel) are the things of which automotive enthusiast dreams are made. Add in the killer staff and great hospitality and these events are *the* highlight of my Spring/Summer/Fall car season. You’re gonna get to experience a truly immersive event…great stuff. Looking forward to hearing/reading your thoughts afterward…you’re in for a real treat!

    See ya there!

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