Guides
Guides to run a sharper film & detail shop.
I run a PPF shop, so I'll say it plainly: we're all installers before we're business owners, living in the bay instead of the back office. These are the playbooks I wish I'd had — pricing for real margin, tracking film to the foot, starting and marketing the shop, and putting an AI team on the quotes that went quiet — all on one flat plan for the whole crew.
The short answer
What do these guides cover, and which one should a shop read first?
- Pricing: how to price a PPF job, quote a window tint job and build ceramic coating packages from real material cost and real install hours rather than a wall menu.
- Operations: how to track film to the foot so every job carries true COGS, and what actually changes when material is counted the way you buy it.
- Growth: how to get more PPF leads channel by channel, how to market a detailing business, and how to win back the quotes that went quiet.
- Buying decisions: what shop software costs by category with dated sources, what missed-call text-back is and what the texting rules require, and whether PPF or ceramic is the right sell.
- Every guide opens with a short answer you can read in twenty seconds, carries the date it was last updated, and links the pages that go deeper.
Bottom line: Start with the pricing guide for your trade. Almost every other problem a busy shop has — discounting, the wrong jobs in the calendar, a good month that made no money — turns out to start there.
How to price a PPF job with real margin
Costing film by the foot, labor and waste, and package vs panel pricing — so your quote protects your profit.
How to track PPF & window film inventory
A practical system for tracking film by the foot: receiving, per-job consumption, reorder points and real COGS.
How to win back cold detailing & PPF leads
The follow-up playbook for the revenue hiding in unanswered quotes — timing, messaging and doing it on autopilot.
PPF vs ceramic coating: which do you need?
What each actually protects against, how they differ on cost and lifespan — and why the best answer is often both.
How to start a PPF business
The launch playbook: craft, plan, insurance, bay and equipment, pricing, booking and your first ten customers.
Ceramic coating pricing guide for shops
Price the prep, grade the paint, build tiered packages and sell the maintenance plan — with margin you can see.
How to quote a window tint job
Vehicle-by-vehicle quoting, film tiers, legal-safe defaults and same-conversation quotes that win the job.
How to market a detailing business
Reviews, before/afters, speed-to-lead and a bookable site — the playbook for turning attention into booked bays.
How to get more PPF leads
Channel by channel, in the order a film shop should work them — local search, ads, landing pages, reviews, referrals and your own list.
How much does detailing software cost?
Published prices by category, each one dated and sourced — plus the seats, messages and processing fees that decide the real bill.
What is missed-call text-back?
The definition, the mechanism, the A2P and consent rules that apply to business texting, and what it costs a shop.
- Guides
- Avg read
- Trades covered
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Guides | 11 |
| Avg read | 12 min |
| Trades covered | 4 |