The maths
$100,000 ÷ 12 = $8,333 a month. We round up to $8,400 a month. Each road below is how many months it takes to reach that pace. Twelve months at that pace is the first six-figure year.
That is about 23 to 27 jobs a month, or 5 to 6 a week, depending on how big the average job is. Bigger jobs mean fewer of them. That is why upselling matters as much as ads.
Ben's prices today
Taken from the Lacoste website on 28 Oct 2026. Where there is no price yet, this plan uses an estimate and says so.
| Service | Price on the site |
|---|---|
| Full Interior Detail (car to truck) | $140 to $220 |
| Complete Vehicle Reset, inside and out (car to truck) | $325 to $470 |
| Boat EXT Detail & Seal | $14.50 a foot |
| Boat EXT Wax & Light Defect Removal | $30 a foot |
| Interior Marine Detail | $8 to $20 a foot |
| Paint correction Level 1 and Level 2 | Free quote |
| Ceramic coating, 3 year and 5 year | Free quote |
| Detail & Seal, Steam Interior, Carpet Extraction | On request |
| Add-ons: pet hair, plastic restoration, carpet shampoo, steam | On request |
| Fleet vehicles | One quote per fleet |
| Maintenance plans | Not priced yet |
Where the jobs come from
Ads
Meta ads sending people to the booking page. The fastest tap to turn up or down, but every job costs money.
Google, referrals, repeat
People who find Lacoste on Google Maps, friends of customers, and past customers coming back. Grows with reviews and good service.
Maintenance plans
Customers on a plan get a visit every 4 weeks at a lower price. Guaranteed work every month with no ad cost. Suggested $150 a visit (est., Ben sets it).
Fleet
Local businesses with work trucks. One deal can mean several vehicles a month. Suggested about $180 a vehicle (est.).
Build a month
Move the sliders to see what a month looks like. Start from one of the road targets, then see what happens if the ads cost more, or if more customers upgrade.
Ads
Other jobs
How Ben sells
Where the jobs come from
Can Ben do it?
3.5School done
6.5Helper
9
Ad health
Evolve is $450 a month plus a fee for each booking made through the Evolve booking page, about $30 on average here (est.). Products, fuel and any helper pay are Ben's own running costs and are not included.
The playbook
Pick a road, then tap a month. Each month shows the job target, where the jobs come from, what the ads must cost, what Evolve does, what Ben does with customers, and the number that has to be hit before moving on.
Tap a bar, or a month below, to see the plan for that month.
The ad scoreboard
These are the numbers we check every week. The bands are estimates for local detailing ads in a small area like Slidell and the Northshore. They get replaced by Ben's real numbers after the first month.
| Number | What it means | Good | OK | Fix it | If it misses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Click rate | Out of 100 people who see the ad, how many tap it | 1.5%+ | 0.8 to 1.5% | under 0.8% | New first 3 seconds. Lead with the before and after. |
| Cost per lead | What one message or started booking costs | under $15 | $15 to $22 | over $22 | New ad, new offer, or tighter area. |
| Leads that book | How many of those people actually book | 30%+ | 20 to 30% | under 20% | This is on Ben. Reply faster, send prices, follow up next day. |
| Cost per booking | Cost per lead ÷ leads that book | under $50 | $50 to $80 | over $80 | Over $100 for a week: pause that ad. |
| Revenue per $1 of ads | Job revenue from ads ÷ ad spend | $6+ | $4 to $6 | under $4 | Push the Reset and upgrades harder. |
| Times seen a week | How often the same person sees the ad | under 2.5 | 2.5 to 4 | over 4 | The area is small. New ad or widen to more of the Northshore. |
How the ad budget goes up
- Start at $10 a day with 2 or 3 ads. Leave them alone for 7 days so Meta can learn.
- Raise by about 20% at a time, and only when cost per booking has been on target for 7 days in a row. Never double overnight, because results reset.
- New ad every 2 weeks. Slidell is a small area and people get tired of the same video.
- Boat budget is separate, March to September. Boat jobs are worth more, so a boat booking can cost up to about $80 (est.).
- When the calendar is full, raise prices before raising the budget. More ads on a full calendar just means turning people away.
How every customer gets handled
Ads bring people in. What Ben does next decides whether they book, how much they spend, and whether they come back. These steps happen on every job, from month 1.
Reply fast
Reply within 15 minutes whenever he is not in class. During school, an auto reply: "Thanks for reaching out! I'm on a job right now and will message you back by 4pm."
Moves: leads that book
Quote the Reset first
Ask for a photo, then give the Reset as the main option and the interior as the smaller one. "Most people go with the Complete Vehicle Reset, inside and out. If you only need the inside, the Full Interior starts at $140."
Moves: average ticket
Offer one add-on at booking
"Any pets or kids? I can add pet hair removal for $__." One question, one add-on, every booking. Ben needs to set add-on prices first.
Moves: jobs with an add-on
Photograph everything
Before and after photos of every job. They become the next ads, Google posts and proof for quotes.
Moves: cost per lead
Walk round with a flashlight at handover
Show the customer the swirls and scratches in their paint, then quote correction or ceramic on the spot. "A Level 1 correction would take most of this out, and I'd seal it for 6 to 8 months."
Moves: correction and ceramic jobs
Ask for the review the same day
Text the Google review link before he leaves the driveway, and hand over a referral card. Suggested: $20 off for both people (Ben decides).
Moves: Google and referral jobs
Offer the plan within 7 days
"Want me to keep it looking like this? On the plan I come every 4 weeks at a lower price, and you get first pick of slots."
Moves: plan members
Rebook reminder at week 6
Anyone not on a plan gets a text at 6 weeks with a photo of their car from last time. Boat customers get asked about their car, and car customers about their boat.
Moves: repeat jobs
What has to change before month 1
- A Reset bundle price that saves money. Right now $325, $395 and $470 add up to the same as buying the parts separately, so there is no reason to upgrade.
- Add-on prices for pet hair, plastic restoration, carpet shampoo and steam.
- A plan price and what each visit includes.
- Price ranges for Level 1, Level 2, and the 3 and 5 year ceramic, so quotes come back the same day.
- Square identity check finished, so Book now actually books.
- Google profile category changed from "Auto restoration service" to "Car detailing service".
What Ben can physically do
All of this is an estimate. Please check the job lengths with Ben.
| Situation | Jobs a week | Revenue a month at about $340 to $390 |
|---|---|---|
| Ben alone, still in school (after school plus weekends) | 3 to 4 | $4,500 to $6,500 |
| Ben alone, school finished | 6 to 7 | $9,000 to $11,500 |
| Add a part-time helper | +2 to 3 | +$3,000 to $5,000 |
| Second rig with a second person | 10 to 12 | $15,000 and up |
- Job lengths (est.): interior 2 to 3 hours, Complete Vehicle Reset 5 to 6 hours, 24 ft boat exterior 4 to 5 hours, paint correction 8 hours or more. Plan visits are shorter because the vehicle is kept clean.
- Weather: mobile jobs get rained off. Plan on losing about 1 in 8 mobile days (est.). Hurricane season runs June to November.
- Seasons: boat work is likely busiest from spring to early autumn. Winter is likely quieter for boats and ceramic (est.).
- Reviews: Ben has 5 Google reviews today. Nearby competitors have between 8 and 476. Reviews decide who shows up first on Google Maps.
- The agreement: a signed Evolve agreement must be in place before work starts. A parent or guardian signs until Ben is 18. Every month here moves later if signing moves later.
The verdict
Aim for 12 months. Plan for 18 to 24.
6 months is not realistic. By month 6 the ads have to come in under $50 a booking, the booking page has to convert 1 in 3 leads, and Ben has to do about 6 jobs a week while still in school, with a helper hired in month 4. Every number has to land on the first try. Even then the first 12 months bring in about $80,000 (est.).
12 months is a realistic stretch. The ads only need to hold around $60 a booking. Most of the growth comes from plans, fleet and bigger tickets, not from spending more on ads. School finishing in May 2027 (est.) is the turning point. The first 12 months bring in about $57,000 (est.), and the first full six-figure year finishes around month 24.
24 months is the safe road. It needs the least luck and no rushed hiring. The first 12 months bring in about $36,000 (est.), and the first full six-figure year finishes around month 36.
How we know which road we are on
- Month 3: 10 or more jobs a month, 15 reviews, cost per booking under $80.
- Month 6: 13 or more jobs a month, 3 plan members, 1 in 4 interior customers upgrading.
- Month 9: $6,000 a month, a helper working, 30 reviews.
- Any month: if a booking from ads costs over $100 for a week, we change the ad before spending more.